BSA Upholds 200 Amsterdam Building Permit

Statement by MAS & the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development

On July 17, the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) voted against an appeal filed by the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development (CFESD) challenging the development at 200 Amsterdam Avenue. For more information on the complaints surrounding this controversial project, see MAS’s June 5 testimony to the BSA.

CFESD and partners MAS issued the following statement:

We are disappointed that the Board of Standards and Appeals has once again sided with private interests over the public good. By the Department of Buildings’ own reasoning in its recent draft bulletin, this project would not have been approved today.  It is clear that this building permit should never have been issued.

The gerrymandered building lot at 200 Amsterdam Avenue is an affront to the spirit and the letter of our zoning code. We intend to continue fighting on behalf of neighborhoods across the five boroughs threatened by this dangerous precedent.

Please stay tuned for an update on next steps in the coming days.