NEW YORK | 388 Hudson St | 355 FT | 35 FLOORS

[NYguy]

https://nypost.com/2023/10/21/village-residents-seething-over-multiple-skyscraper-proposals/

Village residents seething over multiple skyscraper proposals





By Georgia Worrell
Published Oct. 21, 2023

Villagers are up in arms over a city-led scheme to construct a soaring affordable housing tower on Hudson Street — one of three massive structures critics fear will soon overshadow the historically low-rise area.

The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development on Sept. 12 unveiled four potential renderings of a building that could rise up to 355 feet at the city-owned lot at 388 Hudson Street between Clarkson and West Houston streets — making it the tallest building in Greenwich Village.

Two blocks west, excavation is underway to make room for two even taller developments — one, a 223-foot-tall structure at 570 Washington Street and next door, a 419-foot-tall building at 80 Clarkson Street — as parts of a $1.25 billion super-luxury residential complex with views of Pier 40.

“The last thing [New York City] needs is more towers, be they in Greenwich village or anywhere else,” said Lynn Ellsworth, coordinator of the Alliance for a Humanscale City, a non-profit that opposes out of scale development.

Neighbors of the Hudson Street lot welcomed the prospect of affordable housing but jeered the project as simply too big for the quaint neighborhood.

“Our primary concern is that it’s way too tall and out of proportion for the community,” said 78-year-old Mary Ann Arisman, who’s lived in the nabe for 36 years.

“It can be a good size building, but this tall tower aspect that the city seems to be pushing is kind of crazy for that site,” added 50-year Village resident Richard Blodgett, 80.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation called the plan “unacceptable,” and lamented that the proposed tallness of the structure would cast shadows on the adjacent J.J. Walker Park, as well as several blocks of the Village’s Historic District.

But West Village resident Sam Deutshe, who has lived in the area since March, cheered HPD’s proposal.

“I mean, life has a lot of trade-offs, and I sympathize with somebody who doesn’t want a shadow for a little bit of the year — but from my perspective, this is the perfect place to build affordable housing,” said Deutshe, 27.

The number of units the proposed 35-story tower will contain remains unclear — but all will be affordable, with rents figured out by a calculation of the area median income, the city said.

Ultimately, Community Board 2, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, the City Planning Commission, the City Council and the mayor will have to sign off on the final plan for the project.

Councilman Erik Bottcher, who represents the neighborhood, has vowed to “fully support” the project — which should hold plenty of weight. The full Council typically backs the wishes of the council member whose neighborhood is affected when deciding on land-use issues.

Midtown-based SLCE Architects, the owner of the projected 19-story, 176-unit Washington Street and 37-story, 133-unit Clarkson Street towers, has reportedly vowed to keep 30% of the project’s apartments affordable, while the rest will be priced around $5,000 per square foot — which translates to $3.5 million for a 700-square-foot studio.

Zeckendorf Development, Atlas Capital Group and the Baupost Group have teamed up to develop the lot, which is located in a primarily commercial area and an ‘as-of-right’ zone.

An as-of-right development complies with all applicable zoning regulations and does not require any discretion­ary action by the City Planning Commission or Board of Standards and Appeals. Most developments and enlargements in the city are as-of-right.

Applications to begin construction on the Washington Street and Clarkson Street towers have yet to be completed by the owner, a Department of Buildings spokesperson said.

[Busy Bee]

“The last thing [New York City] needs is more towers, be they in Greenwich village or anywhere else,” said Lynn Ellsworth, coordinator of the Alliance for a Humanscale City, a non-profit that opposes out of scale development."

Just sort of leaves you speechless.

[chris08876]

Maybe they all suffer from Macropsia? Where folks see disproportionally large objects in their visual field. Either way, there's treatment for that. By moving to the Sahara and not being in NYC or any city.

These folks would rather have an empty lot with nothing versus something that's added value to the city. Sickness with them.

“Our primary concern is that it’s way too tall and out of proportion for the community,” said 78-year-old Mary Ann Arisman, who’s lived in the nabe for 36 years.

[NYguy]

It's ridiculous. If anything, with the housing shortage in the city, New York needs MORE highrises built in MORE places.

[NYguy]

https://nypost.com/2024/01/24/metro/nyc-...g-apple-for-affordable-housing-projects/

NYC Mayor Eric Adams to push plan for public sites across Big Apple for affordable housing projects





By Craig McCarthy and Emily Crane
Jan. 24, 2024

Mayor Eric Adams is set to use his State of the City address Wednesday to unveil a new push to use a slew of city-owned properties for affordable housing projects, The Post has learned.

The new plan will make use of public sites across the Big Apple in a bid to advance a total of 24 housing projects by the end of the year, according to an early snippet of Hizzoner’s speech obtained by The Post.

The ambitious project — dubbed “24 in 24” — will create or preserve more than 12,000 affordable homes scattered across the five boroughs, according to the mayor’s office.

“Our ’24 in 24’ plan to create and preserve affordable housing on 24 publicly-owned sites is another example of how we’re doing everything within our control to deliver housing and relief to New Yorkers when they need it most,” Adams said in a statement to The Post.

Among the locations already tipped to be part of the project is the Grand Concourse Library on 173rd Street in the Bronx and a Staten Island site located on the corner of Canal and Front streets.

At least three of the sites slated to be announced in Adams’ initial plan later Wednesday have already been floated as affordable housing developments, including 388 Hudson St. in the Greenwich Village.

In September, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development had unveiled four potential renderings of the soaring building, which could rise up to 355 feet at the city-owned lot — angering some residents in the quaint neighborhood.

Two other lots in Queens — including the Hunters Point South Parcel E and a parking lot on Ninth Avenue in Inwood — are also HPD-led projects that are among the initial sites included in the mayor’s new plan.

[NYguy]

https://www.6sqft.com/city-unveils-design-of-new-hudson-square-public-plaza/

City unveils design of new Hudson Square public plaza


By Aaron Ginsburg
February 4, 2025

New York City is moving forward with plans to turn part of a parking lot in Hudson Square into a new public plaza. The city’s Parks Department, DEP, and the Hudson Square Business Improvement District this week unveiled the design for Hudson-Houston Plaza, a new 0.26-acre open space at the intersection of Hudson and Houston Streets that will provide a much-needed public area for the neighborhood while allowing for continued DEP operations below ground. The northern half of the city-owned site will become an affordable housing development, known as 388 Hudson Street.

Designed by Matthews Nielsen Landscape Architects (MNLA), the public space draws inspiration from Eduardo Kobra’s “Ellis” mural, seen on the adjacent City-As-School building.

A new affordable housing development with community amenities is planned for the northern section of the site at 388 Hudson Street. As part of Mayor Eric Adams’ plan to build affordable housing projects on public land, the project is currently in the community visioning phase of the request for proposals process.

[ChiND]

I have wanted to see this horrendous lot redeveloped for a very long time. I used to live not too far away from there before I was reincarnated as a high school wrasslin’ star from Sheboygan. Reincarnation is real, Y’all!

[NYguy]

https://www.villagepreservation.org/images-of-proposed-development-at-388-hudson-street/

[NYguy]

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by ChiND

I have wanted to see this horrendous lot redeveloped for a very long time. I used to live not too far away from there before I was reincarnated as a high school wrasslin’ star from Sheboygan. Reincarnation is real, Y’all!

i believe the lot was staging for water tunnel 3 work for a long time, so it had been undevelopable.

anyway, my spouse’s office is next to it with a direct view, so i will update as work begins.

also, i imagine an eventual new rec center will have a tower over it for housing as well, which would be fine at that site.

[ChiND]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

i believe the lot was staging for water tunnel 3 work for a long time, so it had been undevelopable.

anyway, my spouse’s office is next to it with a direct view, so i will update as work begins.

also, i imagine an eventual new rec center will have a tower over it for housing as well, which would be fine at that site.

I recall that.

Does your wife work for Saatchi? Their North American HQ is across the street on Hudson.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

i imagine an eventual new rec center will have a tower over it for housing as well, which would be fine at that site.

They’re exploring putting the rec center on this site.

[NYguy]

Controversy brewing...


https://nypost.com/2025/02/07/us-news/ke...gered-by-site-demolition-advocates-fear/

Keith Haring mural at old NYC rec center featured in ‘Raging Bull’ could be endangered by site demolition, advocates fear





Rosenthal and Marie Pohl
Feb. 7, 2025

A historic Keith Haring mural at an aging former West Village community center featured in the classic flick “Raging Bull” could be in danger when the site is demolished, advocates fear.

The 116-year-old Tony Dapolito Recreation Center on Clarkson Street in Manhattan was set to be repaired when it closed in 2021, officials said at the time.

But now the city contends the building is too far gone to fix – and critics fear its demolition could impact the site’s 18-foot-tall, outdoor, poolside mural painted by the iconic late street artist in 1987.

“If demolition does move forward, we would strongly advocate for measures to preserve the mural in some form,” said Gil Vazquez, executive director of the Keith Haring Foundation, to The Post.

City Hall policy adviser Zachary Campbell said at a recent hearing that the city intends to keep the site – which was featured in the 1980 Academy Award-winning Martin Scorsese film “Raging Bull” – for some kind of “public park use.”

The pool was where Robert DeNiro’s “Raging Bull” character Jake met Vickie, played by Cathy Moriarty.

“We would like to explore building an aquatics [center] … and building a new outdoor pool there essentially,” a Parks rep said at the hearing.

Manhattan Borough Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura added that a vision for the future of the site isn’t fully realized because the agency is still seeking funding for the project.

The building is landmarked because it is located in the Greenwich Village Historic District and also because of its history as the former Carmine Street Public Baths.

Manhattan’s Community Board 2 passed a resolution last year imploring the city to restore the building rather than raze it.

But officials said Wednesday that the decades-old recreation center – with amenities including indoor and outdoor pools and basketball courts – still suffered from crumbling facades, non-fire-code-compliant stairs and corroding steel beams that are “pushing the building apart.”

.....Rich Caccappolo, Manhattan Community Board 2 Parks & Waterfront chair, said, “When you walk around, you get a sense that the building is in a … very difficult-to-salvage state.

“And I ask: Is it worth salvaging?”

Village Preservation, an advocacy group dedicated to architectural and cultural preservation in the area, believes an “oversized tower” akin to the Gansevoort Square proposal — which could end up featuring a 60-story residential skyscraper — will replace the rec center.

“There is no reason to demolish the building,” Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, told The Post. “It’s a waste of money, [and] it’s environmentally the wrong thing to do. It’s always greener to reuse a building, if you can, rather than tear it down and build a new one.”

A letter to Mayor Eric Adams signed by the Preservation League of New York State, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, Historic Districts Council and other groups last year similarly argues the notion that the structure is too difficult to repair “is entirely unfounded.

“Countless historic landmarks throughout New York City that have been restored, repaired, and preserved have also been altered over time,” the letter reads.

“It is alarming to hear city officials claim that deterioration at this building, the maintenance of which is the responsibility of the City itself, should be a green light for demolition.”

[NYguy]

https://www.villagepreservation.org/camp...lopment-confirming-oversized-tower-plan/

City Issues Request for Proposals for 388 Hudson Street Development, Confirming Oversized Tower Plan





February 18, 2025

While the RFP included a few elements we and the public had called for, the Mayor’s plan still called for a vastly oversized structure, unnecessarily inflated in size with a four-story recreation center at its base.

Unnecessarily adding the three above-ground full floors of the public recreation center at the wider base means it will likely be about five stories taller than it needs to be. If the existing Tony Dapolito Recreation Center were restored as we are fighting for, less space would be needed here for the center and it could remain in below-ground and other areas where housing can’t be located and wouldn’t increase the size of the building. But the City is REQUIRING developers include at least four stories for a recreation center.

[NYguy]

https://www.6sqft.com/adams-allocates-52m-to-replace-west-village-rec-center/

Adams allocates $52M to replace West Village rec center in proposed budget





By Aaron Ginsburg
May 12, 2025

Mayor Eric Adams is allocating $51.8 million to rebuild a beloved, but run-down, recreation center in the West Village. The 100-year-old Tony Dapolito Recreation Center has been closed since 2019 due to significant structural issues, including foundation damage. Under his proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, Adams includes funding for the Parks Department to demolish the existing building on Clarkson Street and construct a modern facility across the street as part of a new mixed-use development.

The existing facility, over a century old, has long served as a vital neighborhood hub offering year-round programming. Built in 1908 as a public bathhouse, the recreation center includes a three-lane indoor pool, a five-lane outdoor pool, locker rooms, a basketball court and gymnasium, fitness equipment, and instructional and support rooms, according to a NYC Parks presentation.

In February, the city released a request for proposals (RFP) for 388 Hudson Street, a 14,000-square-foot vacant lot owned by the Department of Environmental Protection. The city is looking for a mixed-use development with 100 percent affordable housing and a new recreation center. As 6sqft previously reported, the facility should include an indoor pool, gym, and a separate lobby and entrance from the project’s residential component, as the RFP notes.

After the city chooses a developer, the 388 Hudson Street project will go through the uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) process.

[NYguy]

https://nypost.com/2025/08/07/us-news/ny...plex-preserve-iconic-keith-haring-mural/

NYC unveils $164M plan for sprawling, new rec center to replace aging pool complex, preserve iconic Keith Haring mural





By Hannah Fierick
Aug. 7, 2025

The city is committing $164 million to build a sprawling new rec center with two pools, an indoor gym, and public open space to replace the beloved, but aging West Village rec center where Keith Haring scrawled his iconic figures in the 80s.

The state-of-the-art facility will replace the 116-year-old Tony Dapolito Recreation Center on Clarkson Street that closed in 2021, City Hall announced Thursday.

As part of the plan, officials will preserve the 18-foot-tall historic mural the late street artist painted at the outdoor pool in 1987, following community uproar over its unknown fate.

The news is a major development for the shuttered Tony Dapolito pool building — which neighbors and activists have been fighting to preserve — along with Haring’s mural that adorns the poolside

“The project will explore ways to honor the site’s history, including the potential reuse of exterior building elements along Seventh Avenue and Clarkson Street,” city officials said.

The city reaffirmed its promise to restore the mural “as part of the site’s reimagining.”

The new blueprints come after the city announced a $51 million plan in May to rebuild the pool complex — which some locals said was not enough.

The revised plan was given a funding boost in part by the 10-year capital plan included in the recently adopted city budget. The $164 million number takes into account $51 million that had been set aside for the parks department’s budget for the revamping of the Tony Dapolito building.

The revitalization plan will encompass most of a block bound by Leroy, Hudson, and Clarkson Streets and 7th Avenue — which will become the site of the outdoor aquatics complex. An adjacent field to the west of the complex will remain.

A separate, mapped-out rec center will take shape at 388 Hudson Street — which will boast an ADA-accessible indoor pool, gym, and programming spaces.

Additional outdoor public space called the Hudson Houston Plaza will be created for pedestrians to take advantage of.

The Hudson Houston Plaza will go into procurement imminently — separate from the outdoor pool area – while 388 Hudson is in the review process and officials are expected to choose a developer by early 2026, according to the Parks Department.

The outdoor pool will be developed with the Department of Design and Construction. It’s not immediately clear when the development process will begin.

[NYguy]

https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/news/086-25...ment-combining-affordable-housing-public

DEP-Owned Lot to Become First of its Kind Development Combining Affordable Housing and a Public Recreation Center

Camber Property Group, Services for the UnderServed, and Essence Development, chosen to develop Herzog & de Meuron-designed mixed-use building at 388 Hudson Street





December 18, 2025

Today, after a months-long competitive review process following the announcement of the 388 Hudson Street Request for Proposals, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD), Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks), and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are proud to announce that Camber Property Group, Services for the UnderServed (S:US), and Essence Development have been selected to develop Hudson Mosaic.

"This first-ever combination of affordable housing with a recreation center offers a model of what innovative housing solutions with community input should look like," said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr. "Hudson Mosaic will deliver much-needed housing and resources, and I am proud of the extensive community engagement, coordination between city agencies, and bold vision that brought this project to life. I congratulate our partners at HPD, NYC Parks, DEP, and at Camber Property Group, Services for the UnderServed, and Essence Development for reaching this key milestone."

"Amidst a generational housing crisis, we are transforming precious City-owned land into not just new and affordable homes, but into rich and vibrant community assets," said Acting Commissioner of HPD Ahmed Tigani. "Hudson Mosaic is a demonstration of HPD's commitment to building homes and neighborhoods that give every New Yorker the chance to thrive and live a life with dignity. Through collaboration with Parks and DEP, as well as with this incredible development team that we've designated today, we are meeting the highest bar for community engagement and design excellence — all while moving with urgency to deliver the housing and supportive services that many New Yorkers so desperately need. Once completed, Hudson Mosaic will stand as a representation of what is possible when we all come together and deliver for hardworking New Yorkers."

[ChiND]

That's a decent building, and I'm elated that the eternally-empty lot is finally being developed.

[NYguy]

[ChiND]

The closeups of the facade look great. This is going to be a nice addition to a beautiful area.