406 15th Street: When Is a Rear Yard Not a Rear Yard?
Hear that? It’s probably the groans of developer Frank LoCicero and the Bricolage design team echoing through the South Slope as it comes to light that not-in-my-backyard blogger In My Back Yard has scored architectural drawings for 406 15th Street, aka Armory Plaza. IMBY proceeds to deconstruct—and reverse engineer—the building plans. If we are indeed…
Hear that? It’s probably the groans of developer Frank LoCicero and the Bricolage design team echoing through the South Slope as it comes to light that not-in-my-backyard blogger In My Back Yard has scored architectural drawings for 406 15th Street, aka Armory Plaza. IMBY proceeds to deconstruct—and reverse engineer—the building plans.
If we are indeed reading the plans correctly, the garage vent opening will be placed at ground level in the rear yard of the Armory Plaza. But doesn’t that violate the setback required for new construction? Riddle me this… So when is a rear yard technically not a rear yard anymore? How about when it falls within the city’s 100′ commercial zoning overlay. Apparently, new buildings in this part of residential Brooklyn require a rear yard setback of 30 feet. This set back prohibits structures from being built in this backyard. However, although the Plaza is not a corner building, there is a 40′ area of the Armory Plaza that also falls within 100′ of 8th Avenue….The Armory Plaza apparently will use the 100 foot commercial overlay along 8th Avenue to bypass the 30 foot rear yard set back regulation, allowing for the placement of the parking garage’s carbon monoxide vent in the now rear commercial area of the building, just 10 feet from the backyard gardens of 16th Street residents…
And there are plenty more noxious details where that came from.
Commercial Overlays and The Silent Killer [Imby] GMAP
Video: Lots of Damage, No Control on 15th Street [Brownstoner]
Reckless 15th Street Excavation Forces Evac [Brownstoner]
I just love all the troll-ish posts that basically want anyone who lives in Brooklyn (or the City for that matter) to completely accept any and all quality of life issues they are dealt.
Living in the City should not mean living shitty. The car vents, where running periodically or all day, will affect the quality of life of the surrounding properties, which include 5 backyards, 2 large multifamily buildings and a church.
And by judging the info on IMBY’s website, these folks have put up with enough shit, not to have it continue in a permanent fashion for years and years to come.
There is a long list of permitted obstructions in rear years.
A 30-foot rear yard is required everywhere, except within 100 feet of a corner (corner lots) and in commercial overlays, in which a commercial ground floor may extend to the rear of the lot.
the air is better outside the city, GO! NOW!
The cycling of that fan on and off will be quite annoying. I suppose if I were on 16th Street I’d investigate what the noise threshold should be, and help enforce it.
Horrors…A vent pumping air from a garage into the middle of a backyard! The neigbors will be dying like flies! Call out the moonsuits.
it’s not a public parking garage or an auto mechanic’s garage. probably a few cars an hour. those fans do are usually not on all of the time but cycle on and off every 10 minutes
That’s “carbon MONOXIDE” not “monixide”
All this gas has me light headed.
Yes, but venting carbon monixide into the neighboring properties back yards? Is that kosher?
Brings new meaning to a “crucial BBQ.” Perhaps all the carbon monixide will keep the mosquitoes away.
I am a little unclear by the post but I am fairly certain you can have a vent in the rear yard as long as it is 10 feet away from any window. Sorry