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NEW YORK | Riverside Center | 526/535/487/456/393 FT | 44-31 FLOORS
http://www.observer.com/2008/real-es...-early-dissent
Extell Steaming Ahead on Giant 'Riverside Center' Amid Early Dissent by Eliot Brown October 31, 2008 Gary Barnett and his Extell Development Co. are plowing forward with their plans for five new glass towers at the base of the Riverside South mega-development on the Upper West Side, and the company now says it plans to kick off early public review in December. The plan, presented at an Upper West Side community meeting last night by Mr. Barnett himself, calls for four residential towers and one mixed-use tower totaling 3.1 million square feet on an eight-acre site between 59th and 61st streets along the West Side Highway. Already, if last night's meeting is any guide, there are many unpleased Upper West Side residents. While the elected officials seem mostly concerned about density, the level of affordable housing and the inclusion of a school, many in attendance were a bit more eager to see the plan ditched entirely. A sampling of the dissidents' denigrations: "The developer is putting lipstick on a pig;" the plan is "a crushing, greedy project;" residents were "aghast" when the plans were revealed; a woman declared, "I just don't see why we should be seeing any new units on the Upper West Side," at all; and one group said Extell should scale back their plans by 700,000 square feet, and they would still make between $2.2 billion and $3.8 billion in profit. Mr. Barnett, the former diamond trader who rocketed into the top ranks of the city's development scene this (now) past boom cycle, sat slouched in a chair in the corner of the St. Jude Children's Hospital conference room as he watched each speaker give their two cents, staying mum after his opening remarks. Joining him was a healthy parade of consultants, including his two land-use lawyer teams (Kramer Levin AND Bryan Cave), two other lobbyists (George Arzt and Brenda Levin), and a set of architects. Extell has been meeting from time to time with the community, and recently backed off its proposal to build a big box store, perhaps a Costco, at the site, after it became a bit of a controversy magnet. Some details of Extell's Christian de Portzamparc-designed project, being called "Riverside Center" [ Much more on the project here, a feature we did in September on the history and new plans]: -Five proposed glass towers including a 53-story residential tower on the northwest corner; a 42-story residential tower on the northeast corner; a 39-story mixed-use tower on the southeast corner; a 35-story residential tower on the south; and a 50-story tower on the southwest corner. -3.2 acres of open space on the 8.2-acre site -Office, retail and hotel totaling about 400,000 square feet, including a possible cinema -The street grid would be restored to part of the superblock, and 60th Street would run about halfway through from the east. It would continue along to the development's western edge, not as a street, but as a "scrim of water," lined by trees. -Everything to be built by 2018 -1,800 parking spaces -Extell may want an auto showroom of 168,000 square feet The displeasure on the part of some stems from the history surrounding the site, which is part of the larger 75-acre Riverside South development originally started by Donald Trump. Back in 1992, after a long battle, the site was rezoned with the consent of many of the local elected officials at the time, with a "restrictive declaration" that clearly spelled out a plan for all of Riverside South. At the parcel in question, Mr. Trump envisioned a 150-story world headquarters for NBC (these days NBC's aims are a bit more modest ... they've considered taking a few floors in 7 World Trade Center or Worldwide Plaza). With no market for them, Mr. Barnett doesn't want to build television studios, so instead he wants to change the restrictive declaration and build a residential complex. But while you're fiddling with one thing, why not change a whole bunch of stuff, right? Accordingly, Extell wants to boost the density by about 700,000 square feet and add parking. Notably, Rob Pirani, a planner at the Regional Plan Association, said the group was against changing the restrictive declaration, as was the Riverside South Planning Corporation, which brokered the final compromise plan in the Trump days. The project is still in its very early stages of review. In December, Extell expects to start the "scoping," a seemingly inane step that allows lengthy public comment on what the draft environmental impact statement should contain. That clears the way for the project, some months later, to go through the city's seven-month approval process for a rezoning, which will be the last major hurdle. |
i'm surprised they are still proposing such massive projects in the current market. i'll be nice and take it as a sign of optimism, but we shall see.
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Proposals for that parcel of land goes back at least 2 decades.
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Updated On 11/03/08 at 11:09AM
Trump accuses Extell, others of fraud http://s3.amazonaws.com/trd_three/im...articlebox.gif Donald Trump By Adam Pincus Real estate mogul Donald Trump is accusing the Extell Development Company and the private equity firm the Carlyle Group of orchestrating an unlawful purchase of his 77-acre site on the Upper West Side. Trump filed papers in Manhattan State Supreme Court last week, and in vaguely-worded language he accuses Extell and Carlyle of being involved in the wiring of money to illegally influence his partner the Cheng Group in the sale of the Upper West Side parcel in 2005. The court documents -- which were filed October 28 just days before Extell revealed updated plans for the site, dubbed Riverside South -- accuse Extell, Carlyle and others of setting up a $16.5 million payment to influence the $1.76 billion purchase of the property. While the court papers do not identify who sent the money or who received it, they suggest the money was used to illegally influence the Cheng Group in connection with the sale. This is Trump's third legal challenge to the $1.76 billion purchase by Extell and the Carlyle Group of the former Penn Central rail yards. The parcel extends from 59th Street to 72nd Street east of the West Side Highway. In August 2005, before the November 3 sale was finalized, Trump sued for $1 billion in a 20-count complaint, claiming the Cheng Group -- which owned a controlling 70 percent interest in the 77-acre parcel while Trump owned 30 percent -- sold the property for approximately $1 billion less than what it could have obtained. Trump filed a similar complaint in federal court in 2005, but withdrew it the same year. Most of the 2005 complaint was thrown out, allowing the sale to progress. Of the 20 counts, just one is still pending. The remaining item would give Trump the right to review Cheng Group records related to the sale. Trump's latest filings -- which are referred to as a summons and notice on court papers -- says Extell and Carlyle conspired against him through a wire transfer in late 2005. But the papers do not specify who made the transfer and who received it. They simply say the transfer was in the amount of "$16.5 million to the BNP Paribas Bank of London for the purpose of obtaining an unlawful advantage with respect to the purchase" of the Riverside South property. The court papers further accuse the defendants of causing fiduciary fraud and interfering in contracts, which is known as tortious interference. The documents were filed a week before the three-year statute of limitations for a breach of fiduciary duty claim expires. It was likely done to preserve the right to pursue a legal claim, said Terrence Oved of Oved and Oved, who is not involved in the case. The Trump Organization and the Carlyle Group declined to comment. Extell did not respond to a request for comment, and the Cheng Group could not be reached for comment. Extell presented plans Thursday night for four residential and one mixed-use building on an eight-acre site between 59th and 61st streets, the Observer reported. |
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http://www.observer.com/2008/real-es...verside-center
Now Showing! Extell’s Portzamparc-Designed Riverside Center http://www.observer.com/files/imagec...s%20aerial.JPG by Eliot Brown November 25, 2008 Long in the planning stages, Gary Barnett and his Extell Development Co. have finally let loose images of Riverside Center, their planned 3.3 million-square-foot mostly residential complex at the base of the West Side development once known as Trump City. The Department of City Planning put on its Web site today an environmental review document for the project, a draft scope, which outlined the specifics of what Extell wants to put on the site, currently a series of parking lots. The plan calls for five buildings, designed by Pritzker-winning Christian de Portzamparc, each a skinny tower that would run east-west on the two-block superblock. In all, the complex would have 2.75 million square feet of residential, 209,000 square feet of retail, and 239,000 square feet of hotel space, along with a few other uses. The plan will ultimately need approval of the City Council and City Planning Commission, and there certainly is some strong resistance so far among West Side residents and elected officials. Extell is reopening a development agreement from the 1990s crafted after a multi-year battle between the site owner at the time, Donald Trump, and a set of civic groups and elected officials. Mr. Barnett says the zoning, which was intended for a 150-story NBC world headquarters tower, is no longer relevant, and thus he wants to change it to residential. However, he also wants to increase the amount of density he can build on the site by about 700,000 square feet, an ambitious request that will likely be strongly contested. In any event, the scoping document is an early first step in the public approval process. A hearing on the document is slated for Jan. 8. The formal seven-month approval process typically begins several months after that. More images from the scope: The view from the Hudson http://www.observer.com/files/sdeis%...%20section.JPG Looking from Jersey http://www.observer.com/files/sdeis%20aerial%202.JPG Looking from overhead: http://www.observer.com/files/sdeis%20layout.JPG |
I go to Fordham LC, and I can definitely speak for the area--it's nice, but you wouldn't want to go west of 10th at night. The Amsterdam Projects really are a blight on the entire neighborhood--not really a problem to others, but they make the immediate surrounding area kind of terrible. "Lincoln Square" (that's what they're calling the lower UWS these days, right?) is one of the most upscale neighborhoods in the entire city, but without those projects I'm guessing it would be #1.
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By the way--do you know what's getting built next to 3 Lincoln Center Condominium? I can't find a thread for it or info anywhere--guessing it's a condo tower, but not sure how tall it's going to be (right now it's in the 15-20 story range).
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WHOA! thats far bigger than i thought. im afraid its going to be chopped down to nothing like Solow's Con Ed side on the East Side
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Great location in the skyline, lots of cool contrasting old buildings around.
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From the draft scope:
Building 1. Building 1 would be located at the northwest corner of the site on West 61st Street near Riverside Boulevard (see Figures 3 and 5). Building 1 is expected to be approximately 594 feet (approximately 53 stories) at its highest point. The building is expected to include approximately 84,700 gsf of retail on the ground and second floors, and approximately 909,350 gsf of residential use on its upper levels. A vehicular drop-off area would be located facing West 61st Street. Building 2. Building 2 would also be located on West 61st Street, east of Building 1 (see Figures 3 and 5). This structure is expected to be approximately 492 feet tall (approximately 42 stories) and is expected to include approximately 28,900 gsf of retail on the ground floor, up to approximately 97,000 gsf for a community facility use, anticipated to be a public elementary school, and approximately 529,850 gsf of residential use on its upper levels. It is anticipated that the community facility space in Building 2 would be used for a public elementary school, subject to the approvals and requirements of the New York City Department of Education and New York City School Construction Authority. In the event that approvals are not obtained for a public school, it is anticipated that some or all of the space would be used for another community facility. Therefore, as described in more detail below, two scenarios will be considered for analysis in the SEIS—one scenario assuming the community facility space as a public elementary school and another assuming that some or all of the space would be would be used for another community facility. Building 3. Building 3 would be located at the southwest corner of the site, on West 59th Street near Riverside Boulevard (see Figures 3 and 5). The building is expected to be approximately 560 feet tall (approximately 50 stories) at its highest point. It is expected to include approximately 9,600 gsf of retail on the lowest two levels, and approximately 578,500 gsf of residential use above. A vehicular drop-off area serving Buildings 3 and 4 is expected to be located facing Freedom Place South. Building 4. Building 4 would be located east of Building 3 along West 59th Street (see Figures 3 and 5). This building is expected to be approximately 415 feet in height (approximately 35 stories), and is expected to include approximately 10,550 gsf of retail on the lowest two levels and approximately 366,200 gsf of residential use above. Building 5. Building 5 would be located at the southeast corner of the site, with frontage on West End Avenue, Freedom Place South, and West 59th and 60th Streets (see Figures 3 and 5). This multi-use building is expected to be approximately 451 feet tall (approximately 39 stories) at its highest point. The building is expected to include approximately 75,450 gsf of retail on the ground, second and third levels (including 44,550 gsf of cinema use with 1,120 seats on the third level), an approximately 239,950 gsf hotel (with approximately 230-250 rooms), and approximately 363,700 gsf of residential use on the upper levels. A vehicular drop-off area is expected to be located facing Freedom Place South. Two alternate scenarios for Building 5 are also being considered. Both would include the same gsf of retail use as described above. For the first alternate scenario, instead of a mix of both hoteland residential, this scenario would utilize the remaining 603,650 gsf as hotel use only. The second alternate scenario would utilize the remaining 603,650 gsf as residential use only. |
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http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/88645834/large.jpg http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/88645935/large.jpg http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/50939913/large.jpg Some recent additions... http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99007002/large.jpg http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99007024/large.jpg |
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Is there any progress on the relocation of the West Side Highway? That elevated highway is really ugly. Maybe this is one instance where NIMBYism might come in handy. |
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As far as that highway goes, I though it was decided that there was no money for a relocation (sort of a bait and switch), but I could be wrong. |
A recap of the world's tallest proposals for the site.
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This proposal would give an even bigger boost to the Far West Side.
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It reminds me of Jean Nouval's "Green blade" tower for Century City.
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The Trump buildings are homogeneous precisely because the NIMBYs wanted them that way. Trump fought with them for years to develop the parcel of land called Riverside South and finally settled with them to build only residentials, scaled down and also to look conservative (more brick and less glass). There's more about it here. Now onto the West Side Highway. There was a proposal called Westway and agreed upon by all levels of government (the city, the state and even the Feds) to bury the West Side Highway in an underground highway. Making better accessibility to the waterfront. The NIMBYs however didn't like the idea and fought for years (16 years) through protests, lawsuits after lawsuits to stop it. The Feds was ready to commit BILLIONS to it but it was dealt a coup-de-grace by a federal judge saying it could endanger the striped bass in the Hudson. In the end it was cancelled. One of the all-time missed opportunities for the city. |
^ Don't even mention Westway, or Nimbys everywhere will wake up from their slumber.
There was also a plan to move this particular stretch of the highway in a curved pattern, closer to the buildings, and away from the waterfront. There was even a chance that this was going to get done, but I think the cost did it in. |
NYguy (or anyone else who may be interested), there's a very good book about Westway called Waterfront by Phillip Lopate.
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Development plans continue nearby...
http://chelseanow.com/cn_118/proposedhk.html Proposed HK high-rise eyes dealership deal By Heather Murray January 2 - 15, 2009 A major developer is close to striking a deal with a Hell’s Kitchen automotive company to build a 44-story apartment complex at a site at 57th St. and 11th Ave. that currently houses shiny showrooms and auto repair shops. Rental real estate developer AvalonBay Communities presented preliminary plans to Community Board 4’s Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen Land Use Committee at its Dec. 10 meeting to purchase the property from Bay Ridge Automotive Group. The project would go up directly across the street from 40-story luxury high-rise The Helena at 601 W. 57th St. AvalonBay plans to build roughly 700 apartments, 140—or 20 percent—of which would be affordable under the state’s 80-20 program. The high-rise will sit atop a four-story podium containing large automotive and limited commercial uses. The developer already has two apartment complexes in Long Island City and three in Manhattan, and the company has built approximately 50,000 apartments nationwide, managing all of them save a couple in New York City currently under third-party management. Fred Harris, AvalonBay’s senior vice president of development, said the developer plans to offer approximately 50,000 square feet of neighborhood retail, possibly including a supermarket or large sports store. The current on-site public parking garage holds 1,000 cars, but the garage in AvalonBay’s proposal would hold approximately 500—meaning a loss of half the current spots there. Infiniti and Lexus dealerships occupy the space now, and John Iacono, vice president of Bay Ridge Automotive Group, the operator of the dealerships, said at the meeting that his family has run the 57th St. location for 17 years. The plan calls for a redesign of the space and the consolidation of five of Bay Ridge’s 23 New York City operations there, with Toyota, Nissan, Lexus, Infiniti and Scion dealerships at the site. The company can no longer afford the current space to hold their new car inventories in Manhattan, and will move parking and prepping operations to Brooklyn. “Seventeen years ago we never thought I’d be sitting in front of a committee hoping to put a deal together with a developer so we could keep our business in New York City,” Iacono said. “We have finite space we can afford,” he continued, adding that Bay Ridge obtained some financial assistance from car manufacturers. Iacono said his company’s 47th St. Nissan dealership would move to the would-be 57th St. project, but he can’t do the same with his nearby Acura dealership at 48th Street and 11th Ave., a competitor of Nissan’s. “We’re dealing with two manufacturers that aren’t allowed to coexist,” he said. If Bay Ridge can’t find another location for the Acura dealership, “we might sell it,” Iacono added. Community Board 4 chairperson JD Noland expressed concern about where cars would be picked up at the new facility, reporting a “constant friction between the community and the [47th St.] dealership,” with cars continually parked on the sidewalk along 47th St. between 10th and 11th Aves. Iacono said the new 57th St. facility would have adequate storage space to keep cars off the streets and sidewalks. On the residential side, Harris said AvalonBay was open to meeting the community’s affordable-housing needs, noting he is aware that many feel there are not enough two- and three-bedroom affordable apartments. “We are very interested in moving the mix at both ends” by building smaller one-bedrooms and studios to accommodate more two- and three-bedrooms. “But in order to do that, what we really need is cooperation from the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development,” he said. Harris told the committee that HPD “indicated that if we came up with a specific proposal that you folks were interested in, they would be flexible.” Board member Pete Diaz then asked if AvalonBay would be willing to raise the percentage of affordable housing to 30 percent or more. Harris responded that the developer would be interested, but “it’s really about the economics.” He said that AvalonBay would consider it if the city would provide incentives and abatements similar to those earned through the 80-20 program to make 30 percent of the units affordable. Noland asked that the developer consider creative ways “to enliven the street at night” and bring in “retail that’s going to bring people there.” Harris added that AvalonBay has met multiple times with the Department of City Planning and hopes to schedule a scoping meeting at the end of January to gain certification of the project later in the spring. As of Dec. 29, Harris said he hadn’t heard whether a scoping meeting would be scheduled for the upcoming month. The developer needs a zoning change from the current manufacturing use to allow commercial and residential development there, and will also ask for several zoning text amendments for the project. |
i approve :)
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http://ny.therealdeal.com/articles/extell-plows-ahead
Extell plows ahead Will Gary Barnett be the last man standing in New York real estate? http://s3.amazonaws.com/trd_three/im...articlebox.jpg By David Jones January 2009 Three years ago, an up-and-coming real estate firm called Extell Development Company was denied the right to develop the controversial Atlantic Yards site, despite outbidding rival Forest City Ratner by $100 million. Now, the world has completely changed for both companies, with fortunes rising for one and falling for the other. The credit crisis has halted the $6 billion Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn for Forest City Ratner, while Extell has emerged as the most active developer in the rehabilitation of Manhattan's West Side. If Extell's chief executive Gary Barnett is accurate, when the market finally reaches bottom in the near future, he might emerge as one of the last men standing in New York City real estate. "In most of our completed projects, we don't owe the banks a dollar," said Barnett. "We are not under pressure to sell, and have a lot more flexibility to [ride out] today's market." On Jan. 8, the New York City Department of Planning is scheduled to begin public debate over the latest plans to expand Extell's Riverside South project. The so-called Riverside Center project, located on Riverside Boulevard between West 59th and 61st streets, would include five mixed-use high-rises; 617,000 square feet of commercial space (including a cinema, automobile showroom, hotel and retail); a public school; 1,800 parking spaces; and 3.8 acres of privately owned park space that would be accessible to the public. The plan has run into fierce opposition on the Upper West Side, as political leaders and planning advocates argue the site would overwhelm the area's infrastructure. Barnett argues that he has strongly considered the site's environmental impact. "In terms of the density, we really have been very modest in our desires," Barnett told The Real Deal in an interview. "I think our project is very sensitive to urban development and will not put a strain on the infrastructure." Given the realities of the economic environment and the lengthy Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process at the Department of Planning, Extell estimated the project would not be completed until 2018. Still, that is not stopping the opposition from organizing now. "Nobody should lay down arms on the presumption that the project isn't going to get built because of the economy," said Micah Lasher, an aide to Congressman Jerrold Nadler. Jonathan Miller, president of Manhattan-based appraisal firm Miller Samuel, said that Extell's vision for the West Side would likely be realized only after a deep and lasting economic downturn, which has yet to fully play out. "I would assume this is a long-term view because of the lack of financing and the number of units that would need to be absorbed by a market that is constrained by tighter credit and a recession," said Miller. However, other observers say that if anybody can pull this off, it will be Barnett. "I think Gary gets to go ahead, first of all, because he's got a lot of unique locations," said attorney Carl Schwartz, chairman of the real estate department at Herrick Feinstein, who has represented Extell on several projects. "He also has great relationships with his lenders." Based on the current state of the market, Barnett's relationships with his lenders are not just "great"; to some, they defy reality. He has some of the biggest names in the world backing his projects, and even small community banks that won't touch other projects are working with him. In June, Extell, the Carlyle Group and RREFF, the alternative investment unit at Deutsche Bank, were able to secure a $613 million construction loan for two of Extell's luxury towers at Riverside South, marking it the largest construction loan in the country last year. Deutsche Bank led a consortium of nine banks that syndicated the deal for the two buildings, which will be located at West 62nd and West 63rd streets, between Riverside Boulevard and Freedom Place South, a new street. The 38-story tower will have a mix of condo and rental apartments, while the 23-story building will have just rental units. "We do have a very good reputation in the banking community for delivering what we say we are going to deliver," said Barnett. "They feel comfortable that when they give us money, we're going to put it to good use. "If you don't deliver the product you promise, there's always the chance people can't close on the units," he continued. "The days of the easy money financing on Wall Street are over." Last month, Barnett was able to secure financing for another one of his new condominium projects at 535 West End Avenue. Bank of America, Helaba Bank, Capital One and New York Community Bank agreed to finance a two-year, $135 million construction loan for the 27-unit condominium. As The Real Deal previously reported, the developer is being asked to put up 40 percent in equity. ____________ Barnett is not without his detractors, which include community groups, building residents and fellow real estate moguls. In a third attempt to derail the Riverside South project, rival developer Donald Trump filed suit in October, alleging that Extell and the Carlyle Group engineered an illegal purchase of his 77-acre site on the West Side. The suit, filed in New York State Supreme Court, claims that $16.5 million was transferred to the Cheng Group, Trump's partner in the deal, in order to influence the $1.76 billion purchase of the property. Barnett denied that there was anything illegal or improper about the deal and characterized the suit as Trump trying to revive a dead issue. "If you've gotten anywhere near Donald Trump and you haven't been sued, you're doing something wrong," said Barnett. "It's just Donald being Donald." |
More renderings from curbed.com
http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...317d3f37_o.jpg http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...941b80d4_o.jpg http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...468c6293_o.jpg http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...183aff9f_o.jpg http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...f4277bd9_o.jpg http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...61e726b6_o.jpg |
An example of the elevated highway in "the way"...although waterfront access could be worse...
dpriddy http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/...090595a3_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3399/...77bc7c1f_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3365/...bdd3d941_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3638/...ea973479_b.jpg |
One day a car will probably crash up there and end up at the bottom in the park. Then maybe they will get rid of that elevated highway after that happens.
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The highway is actually much less intrusive than it would seem. There's a nice park underneath that section (around 72nd) with a number of basketball courts, soccer fields, handball courts, that provide some nice outdoor recreational space free from rain or oppressive heat. Nearby are some dog parks and even some old arched stone tunnels. It's easy to forget the highway is there. Of course, unless, a car flies over the edge. But I doubt that would ever happen.
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http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/
http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/im...0C527D3333.jpg http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/im...b12196ad3b.jpg http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/im...E73FF0AE60.jpg http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/im...fa017e3029.jpg http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/im...150d938af7.jpg http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/im...ccf7397933.jpg http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/im...30d06a4fe0.jpg http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/im...59721a19d2.jpg |
really awesome project!
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I'm averse to the concept of, for lack of a better term, the "towers in the park" mode of building, particularly when developers have this blank canvas on which to work. New York is a city of grids to which hundreds of years of zoning has applied to provide us with the modern day result which we enjoy now, e.g., the sidewalk width, etc. I think the area as is today suffers enough from a general desolateness, and a maintenance of the street-grid density would be beneficial as opposed to something like that which exists in Battery Park, which by all means is and has been described as an urban suburb. Robert Moses' "towers in the park" superblocks have damaged much of the city's fabric over time, including not far from this site near Lincoln Center, and I don't think this is necessarily learning from his mistakes. Just a thought.
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So you will either get these towers, which open up towards the riverfront, or some lowrise, squat development. http://www.riversidecenternyc.com/im...b12196ad3b.jpg |
http://www.archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=3947
Trump It's Not Portzamparc tackles Riverside South, though alternative plans put up tough defense 10.21.2009 Riverside South, like so many of Donald Trump’s projects, is not particularly known for its architecture. Beginning in 1997—after decades of plans, deals, and legal wrangling—the first of nearly a dozen faux-Park Avenue towers began to rise above the West Side Highway. In 2005, Extell Development bought the final undeveloped parcels at the southern tip of the project. But instead of more bland luxury, Extell announced last fall that Pritzker Prize-winning French architect Christian de Portzamparc would be designing the project, which was unveiled earlier this year as Riverside Center, a soaring, crystalline complex spanning four city blocks. And yet Portzamparc’s plan is already facing skepticism from locals, and not only because it is 800,000 square feet larger than previously allowed. Ever since NBC abandoned Trump’s plans to build new studios on the southern most plots, planners and community groups have been devising alternatives. While Extell is in no way required to embrace these plans, it must now contend with them, as was the case during a September 30 roundtable at the Center for Architecture. While the half-dozen medium- and high-rise towers crafted in Portzamparc’s sculpted style are the most notable piece of the plan, the architect insists the most important part is what happens at the street. Working with landscape designer Signe Nielsen, Portzamparc has broken the predominating superblock and carved it into quarters. The idea is to incorporate the project with the city’s street grid and create view corridors through the project to the river. The designers draw 60th Street into the project, heightening access and street activity. But the street terminates halfway through the site, where it is met by a 1.5-acre park. This is partly practical—the grade change is 28 feet, rather steep for a roadway—but also a public gesture. To create visual continuity with the street, a shallow reflecting pool runs the length of the park. “It was a way not to create an enclave and also to flow with the Manhattan grid, which allows a variety of architecture,” Portzamparc said. He added that the open space, which reaches 3.2 acres when plazas surrounding the buildings are included, is larger than that at Lincoln Center. The buildings themselves will contain some 3.1 million square feet of development, and though their exact configuration remains to be determined, Extell has been promoting a school, grocery store, and movie theater as lacking public amenities that could find a home in the base of the towers. Above them would be a mix of luxury apartments, hotel rooms, and possibly affordable housing. “We see it as an exclamation point to the rest of Riverside South,” Nielsen said. Like Portzamparc, his interlocutors focused considerably more attention on the ground than the towers above them. The Riverside South Planning Corporation, a non-profit that oversees the original master plan for development, also advocates the continuation of 60th Street, but it proposes a wall of towers on the north side with the creation of a public park on the block to the south. Not only are they skeptical of how public the park at the center of a major development would be, but Paul Elston, president of the corporation, said it would be less stifling on McKim, Mead & White’s old IRC power station on 59th Street. The corporation has proposed transforming the Con Ed-owned building into a cultural institution akin to the Tate Modern. The Coalition for a Livable West Side proposed an approach similar to that at Gramercy Park. A public park would be created first running north-south in the middle of the site, with four development plots surrounding it—two east of the park, two west. Finally, Paul Wellen, one of the architects of the original plan, abandoned the corporation’s plan for something he said was more reasonable. He proposed leaving Portzamparc’s plan intact, except eliminate a mid-size tower at the middle of the complex, thus reducing its overall balk and opening up the IRT station. Nielsen said these approaches were unfeasible, however, because they ignore issues such as creating a certain critically New York density and that 59th Street is a major Department of Sanitation route, to which the park should not be exposed. “These were things we were aware of, but we could not consider them,” Portzamparc said. What shape the project takes will begin to be decided this winter, when the developer said it would initiate the public review process—it needs a special waver to deviate from the original plans for a studio, as well as to seek greater density. While the local community board has yet to take a position on the project, Page Cowley, an architect and co-chair of the board’s land-use committee, said the considerable community outreach undertaken by the developer has been heartening. As for the designs, Cowley said that while they are impressive, many questions remain. “Schools, parks, and cars are probably bigger concerns than the architecture here,” Cowley said. “Because it’s bound to put a strain on other resources in the neighborhood.” http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2435/...26e18c102a.jpg The Riverside South Planning Corporation prefers building north of 60th Street and creating the park to its south. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2670/...8e9c7b544a.jpg Part of the rationale for the north-south approach is that it gives the adjacent McKim, Mead & White-designed IRT powerstation on the south side of 59th Street. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2637/...f563d2f4fb.jpg The Coalition for a Livable West Side looks to Gramercy Park for a model. By wrapping 60th Street around the park, the complex becomes most pedestrian friendly. It also allows for the construction of the park first, around which the towers can rise. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/...bd8cac3d9d.jpg Paul Wellen, who helped design the original Riverside South plan in the 1980s, argued that radical approaches would never succeed with the developer, so he simply proposed removing one of the towers, helping to open up the project to the surroundings and the IRT station |
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I understand your thinking. But what I don't like about that plan is that it's basically an alternative, or "outside' plan - meaning they have no connection to the development whatsover. I don't like the idea that these outside groups think they can just come in and throw whatever they think is "livable" on the table, regardless of whatever the plan looks like. We see it happen all the time, whether it be Atlantic Yards, the Con Ed site, or even the Hudson Yards, these groups always come out with the "livable" alternative. If this were a bidding war for the site, that would be fine. This site plan is different, for sure. http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...61e726b6_o.jpg http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...941b80d4_o.jpg But judging from the rest of Riverside South, people aren't always thrilled when towers are made to fit in. How interesting are the buildings being completed there now? I think that's one of the reasons Extell is trying for something a little different. It's still a work in progress, but I think if done right, it could be another unique slice of the west side, like Lincoln Center. |
^And that ship is the USS New York, the ship is brand new and has steel from the WTC in its hull.
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What's with the unused part of the West Side Highway viaduct?
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I think that these buildings go well with the other Trump Building and create a great skyline from New Jersey and Central Park. I hope it gets started!
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http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/0...ide_center.php
West Siders Will Walk on Water at Revised Riverside Center http://cdn0.curbednetwork.com/cache/...1b015232_o.jpg Thursday, March 18, 2010, by Joey Quote:
__________________________ Here's the story http://westsideindependent.com/2010/...erside-center/ Extell Unveils New (Improved?) Riverside Center http://westsideindependent.com/wp-co...l2-300x200.jpg Community Board member examines Extell's model. But where are all of the tiny people? by Avi - March 18, 2010 Quote:
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Pics from the last story
http://westsideindependent.com/2010/...erside-center/ Old and new models http://westsideindependent.com/wp-co...nter-model.jpg http://westsideindependent.com/wp-co...ter-model2.jpg http://westsideindependent.com/wp-co...de-center4.jpg Height reductions and additions http://westsideindependent.com/wp-co...de-center2.jpg |
It looks like they want to increase the height? am i right?
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What a rarity, buildings increasing in height.
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