SkyscraperPage Forum - NEW YORK | 708 First Avenue (Con Ed) 4 Towers | FT

Viewing Page 1 of 3

Show 50 post(s) from this thread on one page

SkyscraperPage Forum (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/index.php)

- Proposals (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=361)

- - NEW YORK | 708 First Avenue (Con Ed) 4 Towers | FT | FLOORS (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=229212)

PeterQM

Jul 26, 2017 6:30 PM

NEW YORK | 708 First Avenue (Con Ed) 4 Towers | FT | FLOORS

Solow to Build Towering Life Sciences and Biotechnology Center on the East
Side
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/marke...ast-side/12646

Quote:

Plans have emerged for a 1.35 MSF life sciences and biotechnology center
along Manhattan’s east side. Proposed by Solow Realty & Development, the 35-floor building would rise at 708 First Avenue along Solow’s fallow
Turtle Bay South superblock. The new, state-of-the-art tower is being
designed by SOM, who was also responsible for crafting the 9-acre Turtle Bay South master
plan. So far, the only towers to rise on the original Con Ed footprint are
the American Copper Buildings and the nearly topped out 685 First Avenue.

https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/0a0b7...-avenue-03.jpg

https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/0a469...3b8+1004++0+60

https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/ce823...-avenue-04.jpg

More info and images in the post here.

yankeesfan1000

Apr 6, 2018 7:02 PM

I can not wrap my head around how Solow has not redeveloped this site, but sounds like it's inching forward.

Sheldon Solow’s empty east side site will gain 3 more condos, biotech office space

"...The Times interview makes clear that Solow and Soloviev are still looking ahead to the redevelopment of the vacant site across from 685 First. The site is poised to give rise to three residential buildings, originally conceived as rentals. Those buildings will now be condos, a move that will help the developer recoup its expenditures more quickly. The paper of record also notes that the site’s master plan still calls for a fourth structure, an office building, that the developer plans to lease to biotech companies..."

chris08876

Apr 7, 2018 9:46 PM

Title of thread should reflect probability of 3 towers on the various former Con-ED parcels.

JMKeynes

Apr 7, 2018 10:29 PM

Delete

Hudson11

Apr 7, 2018 10:33 PM

I doubt this particular tower will be 595'. That's the height limit set for all the towers on this plot of land. This will probably be a thicc, glassy black box in the 350-450' range.

Zerton

Apr 9, 2018 6:00 PM

The UN Secretariat Building is 500 ft. So that rendering looks to be almost 700 ft. However the other rendering in the link looks only about 400 ft.

tdawg

Apr 9, 2018 7:29 PM

Everyone should read this, especially the last part about Soloviev's successful "breeding."
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/r...the-torch.html

BXFrank

Mar 16, 2020 10:37 PM

Any news? I seen some activities driving up the FDR a few company cars come and go. Thia site is taking forever to build

mrnyc

Mar 17, 2020 1:16 PM

well we certainly could use more bio tech these days.

or maybe less ... ?

:uhh:

NYguy

Jan 5, 2023 1:47 PM

We've had so many versions of this proposal since the original. But if the casino bid fails (which is almost a certainty), they'll revert to this latest proposal.

https://commercialobserver.com/2023/...with-gambling/

Soloviev Group Envisions an Entertainment District by the UN — With Gambling

https://commercialobserver.com/wp-co...-PM.png?w=1300

BY MARK HALLUM
JANUARY 4, 2023

Quote:

...Soloviev Group chairman Stefan Soloviev and CEO Michael Hershman are playing for these big stakes, with a 6.7 acres south of the United Nations purchased by Soloviev’s late father, Sheldon Solow, from Consolidated Edison in 2000 for $600 million that they hope will be the big winner.

It will include a park with sports fields, a hotel, a performance space and at its centerpiece will be a Ferris wheel. The gaming floor will be underground, and if they don’t get the permit they will simply revert to their original plan for a 1.2 million-square-foot office building, according to the developers.

As the owners of one of the largest pieces of undeveloped property in Manhattan, the two heads of the firm gave Commercial Observer the broad outline of their vision for what they’re calling Freedom Plaza.

The New York State Gaming Commission is putting together the parameters for a request for applications, which is expected to be released Jan. 6. CO will be sitting down with several of the real estate figures vying for the licenses in the coming days.

Quote:

Commercial Observer: When did you first see this as a potential site for a casino, and what were some of the other uses that you considered for it?

Stefan Soloviev: So originally, we went through the [Uniform Land Use Review Procedure] where we were approved for a 1.2 million-square-foot office tower. We’ve had a lot of interest in bioscience for that property. There were some economic conditions that came into play between the time Solow owned the property and now, and he wisely chose not to develop the property. The casino idea, I would say, came up a little more than a year ago.

How is the concept shaping up?

Michael Hershman: It shouldn’t be any surprise to you that the community wanted something that would be green, that would be able to be used by not only locals but visitors. So we incorporated the casino into a larger picture of an entertainment district where we have not only a casino and hotel, but also a 4-acre park with sports fields, with walking paths. Also, from a cultural standpoint, it would have a museum dedicated to the promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, in essence of democracy.

But also the fact that it goes with the entire concept of doing a Freedom Plaza so people can come not only to visit a casino and use the hotel — and by the way, we have plans to build two residential buildings on the property as well, which goes toward satisfying the critical shortage of housing in Manhattan.

Tell me a little bit more about this community outreach that your firm performed, because that can sometimes be a little bit contentious. What was that experience like?

MH: It’s very difficult to build anything without some degree of community opposition. We own a residential building right across the street from this property, so we’ve been in touch with the community associations in the area for some years now, even before we began to develop [685 First Avenue] and getting feedback from them as to what it is the committee would like to see happen. Obviously, you get mixed responses from a number of different businesses, folks that reside in the area, but, almost universally, they all want to have a substantial green area on the property for the community.

What other kinds of entertainment features will it have apart from a gaming area, and what will the gaming area look like?

MH: It will have an auditorium to bring in live entertainment, much like you see in other casinos, whether they be in Connecticut or whether they be in Las Vegas.

The auditorium would be connected to the hotel. Obviously it’s too early, we don’t have finalized architectural drawings yet. But the casino would indeed be a major casino that would have the same gaming that you’d find in casinos in Las Vegas.

Do you have any gaming operators lined up as partners?

MH: We know that others who are looking to build a casino, whether it’s in Times Square or whether it’s Citi Field, have aligned themselves with some very well-known names. From the very beginning, Stefan’s vision was that it’s nice to have a name but we want to have an entity, an institutional casino partner that has the same sort of view of social responsibility, giving back to humanity, working with the local community to make this something more than just a place to go and gamble. And I think it’s fair to say that we’re down to the final evaluation of several major casinos that we’ve been in touch with, and we’ll make that announcement after Jan. 6.

Busy Bee

Jan 5, 2023 2:34 PM

Their entire concept is just so vulgar.

NYguy

Feb 1, 2023 3:16 PM

Soloviev's alternative plan...

1
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...Vte4SHf.d1.jpg

2
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...5TFsRiI.d2.jpg

3
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...IN07uIO.d3.jpg

4
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...9UDXytU.d4.jpg

5
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...RqwbgUd.d5.jpg

6
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...Lqy7u5Z.d6.jpg

7
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...VUzYHsq.d7.jpg

8
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...VBeVMl0.d8.jpg

9
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...OgiWo4k.d9.jpg

10
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...UtSSYd.d10.jpg

11
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...cO0GGS.d11.jpg

12
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...bIcCJ5.d12.jpg

13
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...QW8jkP.d13.jpg

14
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...TfIo2W.d14.jpg

15
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...shSwLG.d15.jpg

16
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...EjMKrd.d16.jpg

17
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...mtwsDp.d17.jpg

18
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...OCzra5.d18.jpg

19
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...BGdx1Q.d19.jpg

20
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...Zst2vS.d20.jpg

21
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...XVhMK7.d21.jpg

22
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...aAGcZz.d22.jpg

23
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...qWebhp.d23.jpg

24
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...sqQ6pp.d24.jpg

25
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...cHOnmq.d25.jpg

26
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...8Wznw7.d26.jpg

BK1985

Feb 1, 2023 3:24 PM

this "plan" is already playing games with the renderings since it doesnt show the boarding area for the ferris wheel. so they are claiming more green space than there actually will be.

NYguy

Feb 1, 2023 3:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BK1985 (Post 9854458)

this "plan" is already playing games with the renderings since it doesnt show the boarding area for the ferris wheel. so they are claiming more green space than there actually will be.

It’s justconceptual in nature at this point, nothing will look as it does in those renderings. I don’t think this plan will go anywhere regardless. But the real shame is that this location deserves much more than the already approved, bland site plan. Given it’s prominent location, there should be something iconic built here.

rgarri4

Feb 1, 2023 3:56 PM

Lose the Ferris wheel and I might take this a little more seriously. Its like having a formal lobby with a children's slide instead of escalators.

BK1985

Feb 1, 2023 6:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYguy (Post 9854505)

Its so boring and drab.

chris08876

Feb 1, 2023 6:16 PM

I'd like to see more square footage.

2.75 million is underwhelming for 6.5 acres of prime Manhattan land. I get the green space too but this is a very good lot to maximize. Could probally fit 4 more towers in the space occupied by the Ferris Wheel (which if any wheel was to rise, would be the one in Staten Island not only because the views are better but to further economic activity there). Shame on a side note with the SI Wheel.

chris08876

Feb 2, 2023 12:03 AM

Made the news!

• Video Link

Quote:

One of the many proposed sites for a New York City casino would radically transform a riverfront stretch of Manhattan’s East Side, with plans for a sprawling complex that would also include acres of green space, a museum, and a Ferris wheel.

NYguy

Feb 2, 2023 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BK1985 (Post 9854683)

Its so boring and drab.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876 (Post 9854705)

There should be a 2,000 ft (or more) iconic skyscraper here. The UN is one of the city’s iconic buildings, yet it was built on a site far from being that. The same applies here. This isca lot of open space for Manhattan, and the oppurtunity to put something grand here was wasted.

The casino proposal however, seems to be a waste of time. Could be just to bring more attention to the sight. But its a bad idea to bury the casino, and olace a giant ferris wheel on top.

chris08876

Feb 22, 2023 2:49 PM

Freedom Plaza Mixed-Use Gaming Campus Plan Revealed For Midtown East, Manhattan

https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/...viev-Group.jpg

Quote:

Soloviev Group has joined the race to win one of three pending licenses to construct a casino in downstate New York. In collaboration with Mohegan, an extension of the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, which owns a global portfolio of gaming resorts, the developers have revealed Freedom Plaza, a 6.7-acre waterfront gaming and residential campus near the United Nations complex in Midtown East, Manhattan.

In approved, Freedom Plaza would include a 1,000-key hotel, two high-rise residential towers, a waterfront ferris Wheel, and a below-grade casino with a large entertainment venue. Solovieiv Group already owns the development site, which is currently zoned for commercial construction.

“As a leader in socially responsible development, we will honor, complement, and advance Mohegan’s principles through sustainable and carbon-neutral property development,” said Stefan Soloviev, chairman at Soloviev Group. “This strategic partnership will not only ensure that Freedom Plaza will be ethically developed, but provide long-term economic prosperity for the local community, a positive impression on regional and international tourism, and a lasting impact on New York City for generations to come.”

Renderings of the campus show three towers standing at least 25 stories tall, all with reflective glass façades and a series of arched voids that will likely serve as amenity spaces or entertainment venues for residents and guests. The surrounding grounds will feature a mix of grasses, trees, walking paths, sports fields, and open space for communal recreation.

If the bid is not accepted by the New York State Gaming Commission, Soloviev Group will move forward with its original plan to build a 1.2-million-square-foot office building. Stefan Soloviev, chairman of the development company, said that the group had considered a bioscience-focused project, but decided to allow the property to sit vacant given post-pandemic economic conditions.

========================
NYY

NYguy

Oct 19, 2023 4:30 PM

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/n...iev-group.html

Developer Promises Affordable Housing if Granted N.Y.C. Casino License
More than 510 apartments would be permanently offered below market-rate rent — but only if the developer, the Soloviev Group, wins the right to build a casino on a site near the U.N.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023...ale&width=1200

By Stefanos Chen
Oct. 19, 2023

Quote:

A developer vying to build a casino near the United Nations in Manhattan has tried to sway skeptics with a Ferris wheel, a museum and a glowing field of lights on the 6.7-acre site.

Now Soloviev Group, the longtime owner of the lot, is trying a different tack: the inclusion of 1,325 apartments, nearly 40 percent of which would be offered permanently below market-rate rent, according to the firm. It would represent the largest number of such apartments to be built in the neighborhood in at least a decade.

But it’s a package deal: no casino, no affordable housing.

“We’re not required to do it,” said Michael Hershman, the firm’s chief executive, referring to plans approved by the city several years ago that would allow the developer to build mixed-use towers on the site without affordable housing. But the addition of a casino, which requires the support of local politicians and community members, would make the lower-cost housing “economically viable,” he said.

Quote:

That is the challenge for a growing number of developers competing for three state gambling licenses in and around New York City. Casino projects have met a frosty reception citywide, but the Soloviev Group plan, called Freedom Plaza, is tying the proposal to two of the local community’s greatest needs: housing and green space.

The new proposal includes two residential towers that share a podium, the taller of which would rise about 600 feet and include 513 income-restricted units ranging from studio to three-bedroom apartments. Prices have not been determined, but the units would be offered to renters making an average of 80 percent of the area median income, or less than $102,000 for a family of three. The rest of the apartments would be a mix of market-rate rentals and condos. If the company is granted a gambling license and zoning approval is prompt, construction could begin in 2025, Mr. Hershman said.

Quote:

Many in the neighborhood have been left unconvinced by the previous proposals from the Soloviev Group. Manhattan’s Community Board 6, which includes the site, voted last year to reject any plans that would include a casino, because of concerns about traffic and general skepticism about its benefits.

But the latest iteration could sway some members, said Reshma Patel, the chair of the board’s budget and governmental affairs committee.

“I can’t speak for everybody, but there will be people now who will reconsider,” she said, although she still opposes the plan. “Why can’t we do all these things without a casino?”
The project, on a long vacant stretch of First Avenue between East 38th and East 41st Streets, would create more affordable housing than has been built in Midtown East from 2010 to 2020 — just 356 apartments, according to the New York University Furman Center.

The plans also include a 1,200-room, champagne-colored hotel with a sky bridge; new retail and dining establishments on the street level; a museum dedicated to democracy, with slabs of the Berlin Wall on display; and 4.7 acres of waterfront green space that would be open to the public. The firm canceled plans for a huge Ferris wheel after residents balked.

The casino, expected to be built mostly below street level, with about 1,500 parking spaces for residents, visitors and hotel guests, is comparatively discreet. The developer is working with Mohegan, the casino and resort operator that is an extension of the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut. Bjarke Ingels Group, the star architecture firm, is designing the project.

Quote:

Without a doubt, we’d have to reimagine the project as a whole” if the casino license is not granted, said Mr. Ingels, the founder of the architecture firm — because of both the casino’s location on the site and its financial benefits to the development.

No casino bid can proceed in the state-mandated licensing process without support from local elected officials, and bidders have gone to great lengths to appease critics.
At least 11 bids for a downstate New York casino license are expected to be submitted to the state, including proposals in Times Square and Hudson Yards in Manhattan, near Citi Field in Queens and at the soon-to-be renamed Trump Links golf course in the Bronx. Nearly all of the proposals have emphasized economic benefits while downplaying gambling.

No decision on where casinos might be approved is expected for several months, if not longer, while the New York State Gaming Commission responds to questions from developers.

As part of its campaign to gather support, Soloviev Group has commissioned a light installation on its sprawling site, created by Bruce Munro, with over 17,000 fiber optic stems that change color. (The opening has been pushed to December because of permitting, Mr. Hershman said.)

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023...ale&width=1200

https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...SizeRender.jpg

Busy Bee

Oct 19, 2023 4:37 PM

I must say those designs do look intriguing but that changes nothing about this site being the most illogical all of the license candidates. The vulgarity of a casino casting a literal shadow on the Secretariat is disgusting.

jbermingham123

Oct 19, 2023 4:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee (Post 10062897)

could not agree more.

Also, it would make much more sense to tear down that adjacent low rise and then rebuild the javits center on top of both plots.

casino can go in HY

UrbanImpact

Oct 19, 2023 4:59 PM

This might be goofy if it were in a different location, but, I love the design here. However, a casino next to the United Nations is a bit weird. Drunkards who lost all their money spilling onto the street with people like Malala Yousafzai and President Biden.

jbermingham123

Oct 19, 2023 5:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact (Post 10062931)

Great point, it would be impossible to tell our politicians apart from the casino drunkards.

We already have enough of a problem with that as it is with trump tower right there

DCReid

Oct 19, 2023 5:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact (Post 10062931)

It might work in Hudson Yards and even complement what's been built already. As posts just said, it's highly unlikely that the casino would be built here.

NYguy

Oct 19, 2023 7:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee (Post 10062897)

It’s a terrible location, he’s just taking his shot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbermingham123 (Post 10062928)

Also, it would make much more sense to tear down that adjacent low rise and then rebuild the javits center on top of both plots.

It’s as bad a location for the Javits as it is the casino. That lowrise is also a tunnel vent.

The design though is better than anything proposed there before. He should still build it, minus the casino.

NYguy

Oct 20, 2023 12:26 AM

Quote:

Bjarke Ingels Group, the star architecture firm, is designing the project.

"Without a doubt, we’d have to reimagine the project as a whole” if the casino license is not granted, said Mr. Ingels, the founder of the architecture firm —
because of both the casino’s location on the site and its financial benefits to the development.

I'd like to see the Ingels non-casino design for the complex. It's not likely they will be granted the casino, so that is most likely the version we should get adjusted to.

A broader look at the casino proposal....

https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...L.IMG_6067.PNG

Busy Bee

Oct 20, 2023 2:56 AM

The gold building has real CCTV cantilever vibes. I'd like to see what it looks like from 1 Av.

TonyNYC

Oct 20, 2023 5:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYguy (Post 10063131)

It’s a terrible location, he’s just taking his shot.

It’s as bad a location for the Javits as it is the casino. That lowrise is also a tunnel vent.

The design though is better than anything proposed there before. He should still build it, minus the casino.

I have no problem with the location.. means nothing to me that it would be next door to the UN. In my eyes, way better location then Nassau County, Citifield and Coney Island.

As for their design.. looks great!! As for their sweetener proposal of 510 below market apartments included... that's a nice giveback.. wheeling and dealing!

Doubleu1117

Oct 20, 2023 5:29 PM

If this bid isn't successful I hope there are backup plans they will pivot to. Maybe not the best location for a Casino, but it's still a very large plot right on the riverfront, lots of potential.

NYguy

Oct 20, 2023 5:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyNYC (Post 10063851)

I have no problem with the location.. means nothing to me that it would be next door to the UN. In my eyes, way better location then Nassau County, Citifield and Coney Island.

The location is terrible because there's no subway, or any type of major mass transit. It's not geared up for the throngs of people a casino needs to attract. Coney Island is better than most, save for Times Square as far as that goes. And that area is an absolute no-go during General Assembly Week. Build the market rate residential, which it's zoned for, and keep the designs as sharp.

As for the known (or supposed) bidders, the only reason I would put this ahead of Citifield is because that location is park land - even though it's a parking lot. It would first take a state action to rezone it, and they aren't doing that. Cohen should have tried to swap places with the soccer stadium. Getting a location to hold the casino is the first step to even putting together a proposal. Which is why it was important for the Sands to get the land agreement in Nassau county, and why Bally's got the golf course in the Bronx. But that Bronx location is further removed than even this one.

I would be very surprised if either of the 2 "racinos" got a license. It's often repeated in the media that they are the favorites, but only because they haven't read the RFP.

70% of the bid will be based heavily on economic development (NEW development as well as spillover to other local businesses), and the number of jobs created.

This is a large plot of land that needs to be developed, but there's really nothing surrounding it that would benefit from having the added casino and it's visitors there, nor much of a reason for tourists to be over there. There are just too many better options. They need locations with and that can support high volumes of people coming and going.

Zapatan

Oct 20, 2023 6:04 PM

I'm digging the park a lot, the whole thing looks like something out of Singapore.

Quote:

It's not likely they will be granted the casino, so that is most likely the version we should get adjusted to.

So basically don't get our hopes up for the above rendering.

NYguy

Oct 20, 2023 11:55 PM

^ Not as it is.

Quote:

Bjarke Ingels Group, the star architecture firm, is designing the project.

"Without a doubt, we’d have to reimagine the project as a whole” if the casino license is not granted

That Ingels is designing the development suggest it won't be business as usual. But that rendering is for the casino proposal.

https://twitter.com/jonostrower/stat...75421812785227

https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_t...v-gn.jpg:large

jbermingham123

Oct 21, 2023 12:28 AM

Random question, why is it that skyscraper density drops off so sharply east of 3rd ave?

NYguy

Oct 21, 2023 2:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbermingham123 (Post 10064235)

Random question, why is it that skyscraper density drops off so sharply east of 3rd ave?

Mostly zoning.

I want Soloviev to develop at least one supertall tower on this site. That would bring some balance to the East River waterfront, as well as provide a focal point .

The UN was fine for it's time, but the skyline has turned into a supertall skyline. A nicely designed tower, say 1,000-1,200 ft on the Con Ed site would make the development stand out.

It's one of the largest undeveloped tracts of land in Manhattan, and should get something noteworthy.

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/p...&adppopup=true

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/172...EtIosQ-2Nos6c=

It would be iconic...

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/n...?adppopup=true

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/171...8Fd7JAIf9Hqrs=

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/p...&adppopup=true

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/171...w2nw3sy5drPeg=

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/p...&adppopup=true

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/167...UThue2_Jy-b1U=

NYguy

Nov 1, 2023 3:49 PM

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/01/n...er-casino.html

Planting a Field of Lights Where a Developer Hopes to Raise a Casino
Is an immersive piece featuring 17,000 illuminated, flowerlike stems a precursor to a huge gambling hall along the East River?

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023...y=75&auto=webp

By James Barron
Nov. 1, 2023

Quote:

It’s beginning to look a lot like the Christmas tourist season in part because of an installation that will put 17,000 illuminated, flowerlike stems on a vacant lot in Midtown facing the East River. The opening is scheduled for Dec. 15.

That date is three months later than originally planned for the display, which is by the British artist Bruce Munro. The installation will be temporary: The Soloviev Group, the development company that owns the site and is covering costs of the art display with its charitable arm, wants to put a casino there.

Quote:

At least 10 firms have similar casino dreams for sites in Times Square, Hudson Yards, next to Citi Field and even atop the Saks Fifth Avenue department store near Rockefeller Center. Stefanos Chen, a colleague who has covered the competition for casino licenses, noted that the commission of Munro’s work was a sign of what developers were willing to do to engender good will — an important factor in winning over local officials and residents who will have a say in the licensing process.

Michael Hershman, the chief executive of the Soloviev Group and a member of the Soloviev Foundation’s advisory board, said the installation would stay up for a year “regardless of whether we’re awarded a license or not.” He also said that if Soloviev were to win a casino license, part of Munro’s exhibit would figure in the landscaping design. “It’ll become a permanent fixture,” Hershman said.

Quote:

The installation will be an immersive, walk-through experience, like “Bruce Munro: Light at Sensorio,” which open in 2019 in Pasa Robles, Calif. Our writer Patricia Leigh Brown called the California exhibit a “mind-bending spectacle” that has become an Instagram phenomenon. “The subtly changing patterns of this light safari, activated by a nebula of fiber-optic cables attached to hidden projectors, seem to inspire a cathedral-like awe,” she wrote.

Hershman said the conversations that led to commissioning Munro for the East Side site began before the pandemic, when Hershman and the sons of the developer Sheldon Solow were considering the future of Solow’s art collection. In the decade before his death in 2020, Solow had become a major seller of masterpieces at auction, but he “was not willing to give the public access” to the art that he had acquired, Hershman said.

After Solow died, his son Stefan Soloviev (who uses a pre-Ellis Island family name) became chairman of the renamed Soloviev Group, and took “a completely different approach, to open the collection to the public,” Hershman said. The foundation, also renamed, “wanted to do something as a gift to the city, to let the city know that we’re operating in a much different mode than Sheldon operated in,” he added.

“We thought, coming out of this Covid era, we need to do something to bring a little happiness and a little brightness back into people’s lives,” Hershman said. “Little did we know that after Covid, we’d still be under a huge shadow with so many crises going on.”

He added: “There’s so much stress in our lives, so much uncertainty, so much unhappiness, that anything we can do or anyone can do to try to take people’s minds away from whatever problems the city is dealing with or they individually are dealing with can only help.”

The installation will be open three nights a week — Thursday through Saturday — from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will also be open on the upcoming Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day holidays. Visitors will need tickets for a time slot, but unlike other Munro installations admission will be free.

Quote:

Munro, 64, said the Soloviev installation would be his first in New York City, where he has not spent much time. “I first visited New York late in life — I was about 40,” he said. He said his trip reminded him of a call he received from his mother while she was visiting New York when he was young and at home in England. “She said it was like the movies,” he said. “She went to Tiffany’s. She did all the touristy things.”

So on his first trip he called her, only to realize he was saying the same things. “I said, ‘Mum, I’m in New York; it feels like you’re in a film with the yellow cabs and the high buildings.’”

DCReid

Nov 1, 2023 5:21 PM

Was this the site that they were supposed to build something 10-15 years ago and several plans were rejected multiple times? I can't believe that this site is still empty land.

Busy Bee

Nov 1, 2023 5:44 PM

People won't come, Ray

NYguy

Nov 1, 2023 9:07 PM

https://y.yarn.co/0b06d243-9c6c-407e...6daed_text.gif
https://memes.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/0...6b7e56daed/gif

I imagine they are just trying to prove the site worthy of attracting a crowd. But whether people come or not, it will in no way be comparable to a daily casino crowd, especially with the hours a NYC casino would be open (as opposed to this 12 hrs a week plan). They need to focus on building the site as planned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCReid (Post 10071957)

Was this the site that they were supposed to build something 10-15 years ago and several plans were rejected multiple times? I can't believe that this site is still empty land.

Sheldon Solow is no longer with us, so expect something to happen with this site sooner or later.

https://ny.curbed.com/2018/4/6/17207...ue-development

Apr 6, 2018

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pbSu...1.38.43_PM.png

Quote:

In a rare interview with the New York Times, the 89-year-old Solow and his 42-year-old son Stefan Soloviev sat down to talk about their plans for the future, and while the conversation mainly revolved around Solow’s transfer of power to his son, the duo also shared details about the site surrounding their project at 685 First Avenue (which Curbed used to affectionately refer to as the First Avenue Mud Pit.)

Richard Meier & Partners won a bid to create a master plan for the site in 2008, but it’s unclear how or if those plans will change in light of the revelations of sexual misconduct by Meier. (The marketing for 685 First Avenue, whose condos quietly hit the market in late March, has scrubbed itself of its lead architect’s name.)

The Times interview makes clear that Solow and Soloviev are still looking ahead to the redevelopment of the vacant site across from 685 First. The site is poised to give rise to three residential buildings, originally conceived as rentals. Those buildings will now be condos, a move that will help the developer recoup its expenditures more quickly. The paper of record also notes that the site’s master plan still calls for a fourth structure, an office building, that the developer plans to lease to biotech companies.

Solow sold the southernmost portion of the site to JDS Development Company for $127 million in 2013. JDS would go on to bring the American Copper Buildings to the site. “I hate the price we got,” Soloviev said of the American Copper site. “But those were some trying times.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/r...the-torch.html

NYguy

Nov 2, 2023 3:50 AM

https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...L.IMG_6067.PNG

Some images from the old master plan...

https://www.bryce-dereynier.com/work-at-rmp1

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=1500w

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=1500w

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=1500w

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=1500w

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=1500w

https://www.tudorcityconfidential.co...ot-update.html

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2uMdYRxf6...%2Blot%2B2.jpg

NYguy

Nov 2, 2023 3:32 PM

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzBNKVrOP1P/

https://a4.pbase.com/o12/06/102706/1...amonelam2.heic

NYguy

Nov 2, 2023 4:33 PM

https://therealdeal.com/magazine/nat...oloviev-group/

CEO Michael Hershman leads Soloviev Group’s next act
He cut his teeth as a detective and a spy. Now he’s in charge of Stefan Soloviev’s next big bet

NOV 2, 2023
By Harrison Connery

Quote:

A 2 a.m. call to Michael Hershman’s hotel room relayed a simple message: Take $1 million to stop investigating payments from the Bofors arms company to Indian government officials, or be killed.

The private investigator didn’t take the money. It wasn’t the first time he’d been threatened. He did switch rooms.

“I have always found that those who threaten you, anonymously or otherwise, are the last people you have to be worried about,” said the now 78-year-old executive, who took over as Soloviev Group CEO in 2021. “You have to worry about the folks that don’t threaten you.”

.....A career that began in counterterrorism led him to government investigations, including work on the Senate Watergate Committee, and eventually to private investigations, all of which he says honed his instincts as an executive.

“I’m calm in the eye of the storm,” he said. “A crisis doesn’t faze me. … I confront it, I work on it in a calm fashion.”

He faces a new challenge as the right-hand man of one of New York City’s most ambitious real estate scions, Soloviev Group Chair Stefan Soloviev.

Hershman, who has leeway to control projects with little to no oversight, is being entrusted to spearhead the company’s bid for a casino project. To clinch one of three downstate New York casino licenses, the proposal will have to win public support.

Quote:

Hershman’s ascent to the top of the Soloviev Group began roughly 30 years ago, when Fairfax was hired to consult for Sheldon Solow’s development company.

“I liked him, I respected him because he was really a visionary in so many different ways,” said Hershman of the late developer and Stefan Soloviev’s father.

They struck up a friendship, and he came to find himself in the billionaire’s inner circle. He got to know Solow’s different personas: the charming, easygoing friend and the notoriously difficult real estate operative.

Their friendship spared him Solow’s wrath and allowed Hershman a level of candor that few people enjoyed with him.

“If he came up with a dumb idea, I’d say, ‘That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard, Sheldon,’ and he’d laugh,” said Hershman. “Nobody else would ever say that. And from time to time I was successful in stopping him from doing something that would be a mistake. He appreciated that.”

.....Stefan grew close to Hershman when his father’s associate looked after him during a trip to Russia. Soloviev took over the company in the wake of his father’s death in 2020, and made Hershman CEO the following year.

“I think we work really well together,” said Soloviev. “I have more respect for him than probably any other person.”

Quote:

Casino royale

Hershman might be direct with Soloviev, but he’s taking a diplomatic approach on the casino proposal, which he says is more than just a casino.

“It is an integrated entertainment district project,” he said, “with the casino as part of it, but not the largest part.”

It may be just one component of the proposal, but the casino is the golden ticket at the heart of the development, which would be built on Soloviev’s 6.7-acre lot in Midtown East. Besides the casino, which would be mostly underground, the proposal calls for two residential towers, a hotel, a park and a democracy museum.

Hershman said he’s had more than 40 meetings with community groups and representatives as well as union leaders. He recently revealed that if the casino license is awarded, the project’s residential component would have over 500 affordable units, one of the largest affordable developments in the neighborhood’s history. Soloviev Group would also donate a part of its profits to a community fund “with no strings attached,” Hershman said.

Quote:

Residents like the project’s affordable component and green space, according to a Murray Hill Neighborhood Association survey, but the casino plans triggered negative reactions, and community opposition remains.

Community Board 6 opposes the project and insists the company hasn’t been proactive enough in its engagement. Its chair, Kyle Athayde, said the group was made aware of the proposal and subsequent updates through news coverage.

“After more than a decade of ignoring the community, the Soloviev Group has suddenly decided to start beautifying the vacant pit with art exhibits and promising the world to the community, which is so obviously disingenuous,” Athayde said in a statement.

The community board said it is concerned about an increase in traffic and security risks associated with more visitors to the area. They say any development should maintain the neighborhood’s residential character.

Quote:

Hershman said he’s made several concessions to appease the concerns. There won’t be any entrances on First Avenue, and the casino would bus people directly from Grand Central to cut down on traffic.

“There’s going to be development there whether you like it or not,” he said. “We have the right to build four towers and, under the plans we have approved now, there would be higher traffic volume, less security and less convenience than this improved plan. So they have a choice.”

Sounds like a threat, lol. The bussing thing isn't going to work, just as it won't work with the proposed Bally's in the Bronx.

NYguy

Nov 22, 2023 9:31 PM

NYguy

Nov 25, 2023 2:56 PM

NYguy

Dec 14, 2023 1:54 AM

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/n...?adppopup=true

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/184...8QGF-qtllr7z4=

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/184...DRIvXW_sNlEmI=

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/184...AXfS-090Gcjjo=

NYguy

Dec 15, 2023 1:49 AM

https://untappedcities.com/2023/12/1...-of-light-nyc/

THOUSANDS OF TINY SPHERES GLOW AT FIELD OF LIGHT IN NYC

https://untappedcities.com/wp-conten...-new-york2.jpg

https://untappedcities.com/wp-conten...-new-york4.jpg

NICOLE SARANIERO

Quote:

Nearly 19,000 tiny illuminated globes created a sea of light at Manhattan’s Freedom Plaza on Wednesday evening. This glittering spectacle along the East River, Field of Light, was created by artist Bruce Munro and is presented by the Soloviev Foundation. Munro’s installation covers more than six acres from 38th to 41st Street. All guests are welcome to experience this immersive work of art for free!

Field of Light at Freedom Plaza is made up of 18,750 lowlight, fiber-optic stemmed spheres that were painstakingly hand-placed on-site for a truly site-specific result. Members of the Bruce Munro Studio team based in the United Kingdom, and volunteers from the local community in collaboration with The HOPE Program worked together to install all of the lights.

This installation at Freedom Plaza marks Munro’s first in New York City. “A New York City installation of Field of Light has been a longtime professional aspiration. It is incredibly humbling to watch Freedom Plaza come to life with such purpose and enthusiasm,” Munro said. His fields of light have previously been featured at sites across the world including Australia, South Korea, England, Scotland, and multiple U.S. states.

Field of Light at Freedom Palace will be on view for 12 months and will welcome guests free of charge on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings from 5pm to 9pm, with extended holiday hours to include December 24, 26 and 27 as well as New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. Visitors are encouraged to visit fieldoflightnyc.com to schedule their complimentary time.

https://untappedcities.com/wp-conten...-new-york1.jpg

yesinmybackyard

Dec 15, 2023 6:34 PM

yikes, the lights look cool-ish from the aerial shots, but wow what an awful tangled mess of cables in that closeup/ground level view. i guess that's to be expected from soloviev

NYguy

Jan 5, 2024 1:53 AM

https://thevillagesun.com/town-hall-...r-midtown-east

Town hall to ask: Is casino the right play for Midtown East?

https://thevillagesun.com/wp-content...rendering.jpeg

JANUARY 4, 2024

Quote:

Should Midtown East roll the dice on a massive casino and mixed-use project that would also include market-rate and affordable housing?

The scheme could well be in the cards for the centrally located area — but first must pass muster with an advisory committee whose members are appointed by politicians.

State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein and Councilmember Keith Powers, along with the Stuyvesant Town Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association, are sponsoring a Casino Town Hall to hear community feedback on the proposal on Thurs., Jan. 11, at 6 p.m., at the New York University School of Dentistry, at 345 E. 24th St., at the corner of First Avenue.

Dubbed Freedom Plaza, the plan is being pitched by developer Soloviev Group. The proposal calls for a hotel, two residential towers, retail space, a human rights museum, public green space and a partially subterranean casino operated by Mohegan, all stretching from 38th to 41st Streets between First Avenue and the F.D.R. Drive.

The proposal includes 1,325 apartments, with more than 500 of them slated to be permanently affordable.

The sprawling site, just two blocks south of the United Nations, was formerly home to Con Ed’s historic Waterside power plant, which was the city’s oldest operating electricity-generating station. But Con Ed decommissioned Waterside in 2005 and increased capacity at its East River plant at E. 14th Street. The East Midtown site was sold to a private developer.

Currently, the 6-acre parcel is being used for a yearlong art installation called “Field of Light,” which opened Dec. 15. The nighttime attraction features 17,000 low-light, fiber-optic bulbs that change color — like a made-for-Instagram, technicolor field of glowing poppies. Tickets are sold out through Feb. 1.

Meanwhile, for an applicant to obtain a casino license, they must demonstrate community support by gaining the required two-thirds vote of a Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which holds public meetings and takes testimony from the public. The membership of each CAC depends on the proposed site location, with members being appointed by the mayor and governor and the remaining seats being filled by politicians.

The CAC for the East Midtown site includes one appointee each chosen by Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams, state Senator Gonzalez, Assemblymember Epstein, Borough President Mark Levine and Councilmember Powers.

The Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB) can only consider applications that are approved by a two-thirds threshold of the CAC.

The purpose of the Jan. 11 town hall is to gather community input and ensure that the voices of those who live in the community and the surrounding areas have a say in the decision-making process regarding the establishment of a casino in their area. Presumably, a casino — even one in an urban setting with access to mass transit — would have a major impact on traffic and potentially quality of life, too. The area already is hammered annually by increased traffic, plus street and sidewalk closures, during the U.N. General Assembly.

https://thevillagesun.com/wp-content...-town-hall.png

https://thevillagesun.com/wp-content...-hall-sign.jpg

NYguy

Jan 12, 2024 5:12 PM

• Video Link

https://gothamist.com/news/midtown-c...y-at-town-hall

Midtown community compares potential casino plan cash to ‘blood money’ at town hall

https://cdn.cms.prod.nypr.digital/im...uality-70.webp

https://img.particlenews.com/img/id/...nail_1600x1200

By Charles Lane
Jan 11, 2024

Quote:

Through shouts and heckling, developers pitched a $10 billion casino for Midtown East that would include a five-acre park, a museum, a 1,200-room hotel, restaurants, entertainment venues and 1,325 units of housing – 38% of which will be deemed affordable.

Representatives for the Soloviev Group dubbed the project Freedom Plaza and promised the creation of an independently-controlled community fund that would direct 2% of the casino’s back to the neighborhood. Still, community members who spoke at Thursday night’s forum overwhelmingly opposed it, comparing the developer to a “drug dealer” and calling the community fund “blood money.”

“I do not believe, deep in my heart, that a casino should come to a residential neighborhood,” said a woman who only identified herself as Amy who lived above the proposed location at First Avenue between 38th and 41st streets.

Residents at the town hall complained about having to potentially trade more traffic and crime in order to receive more affordable housing.

“The casino is the economic engine for the affordable housing,” said Robert Huberman, the Soloviev Group’s land use attorney. “Without the casino, we would not be developing the affordable housing.”

.....“We certainly welcome the money that it brings, but it also brings–” Robert Gottheim, district director for U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, tried to say before the audience began yelling, “blood money.”

“It may be blood money, but the money is coming,” Gottheim said.

All times are GMT. The time now is 2:35 AM.

Prev12 3 Next

Viewing Page 1 of 3

Show 50 post(s) from this thread on one page