New York Zoning Appeals Board Exercises Considerable Authority

"For many years, the [Board of Standards and Appeals] has been quietly carrying out its duties without attracting much attention. But as housing prices and the pressure for development have risen, critics, including planners, civic groups, council members and community leaders, complain that the board has, in hundreds of decisions and with little public oversight, reshaped neighborhoods and altered the fabric of life in communities across the city."

Thanks to Christopher Alvarado