Quote:
Originally Posted by JSsocal
I wonder if any of this change in stance has to do with the release of the Vornado designs, (where their tower is pushed to the far west of their site), giving 225 a wider view.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zapatan
ugh terrible news... which is the usual kind of news in NYC so no surprise there.
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Yes, it is a shame that the cantilever stands but part of me thinks that at the very least, the tower will get some sort of redesign. Think of some of the other super high end towers going up: Tower Verre, 30 Park Place, 220 CPS, 56 Leonard, 111w 57th, One57, 432 Park...all have unique design characteristics about them that set them apart from their peers. I guess you could call the cantilever 225w's defining feature, but everything else about it is underwhelming. Even the ultra minimalist 432 couldn't be accused of being dull - 225w looks like a child was playing around with the square tool on MS paint.
As for "the usual kind of news" I think there is a lot to look forward to in NYC. A few weeks ago I put together a list of all the 900+ foot towers going up in the city (either under construction, undergoing site prep or with all the necessary financing/tenants/permits secured to start construction) Here is that list:
Buildings over 900 feet currently going up or undergoing site prep:
1WTC:
1776 feet
225w 57th:
1423 feet
432 Park:
1398 feet
111w 57th:
1350 feet
Hudson Yards North:
1227 feet
3WTC:
1080 feet
Tower Verre:
1050 feet
One57:
1005 feet
Equinox Tower:
1000 feet (Is this confirmed?)
4WTC:
977 feet
220 CPS:
950 feet
99 Chruch:
937 feet
The Corset:
910 feet
425 Park Ave:
905 feet
10 Hudson Yards:
895 feet (It's close enough!
)
Buildings that are proposed that have the potential to break the 900 foot baseline:
Hudson Spire:
1800 feet+ (Possibly - there seems to be huge interest in a 1800 foot+ tower on this site)
2WTC:
1350 feet
3 Hudson Boulevard:
1060 feet (the developer seems particularly bullish on securing tenants this year)
80 South Street:
1018 feet (though not much has been heard from them)
50 Hudson Yards:
1000 feet+
One Vanderbilt:
1000 feet+
31w 57th:
900 feet+ (It will almost certainly be taller than 900 feet given it's location)
Manhattan West: (possibly one or more towers will be 900 feet tall, but nothing official yet)
Other noteworthy towers:
22 Thames:
882 feet
56 Leonard:
821 feet
50 West Street:
783 feet
610 Lexington Ave:
712 feet
250 East 57th:
708 feet (But I don't know if the redesign has changed the height at all)
Baccarat tower:
606 feet
625w 57th (pyramid):
467 feet
90-94 Fulton:
75 stories (proposed)
112-120 Fulton:
59 stories (proposed)
2392 57th:
59 stories (proposed)
55 Hudson Yards:
47 stories (proposed)
(are there any others I am missing?)
So, there are
15 towers 900 feet or taller that are underway or will begin to rise shortly. It's also fair to say that at least a few of the proposed 900 foot+ towers will eventually rise given the incremental improvement in the national economy and the red hot real estate market in NYC. If you recall, the agency who owns the land where the proposed HU Spire would rise said that they never had so many non-disclosure agreements signed in such a short period of time. Those are bold words, and given the appetite for growth combined with a relatively virgin build site free of many of the constraints that make tall towers elsewhere impossible, it would surprise me if there
wasn't a firm 1800+ foot proposal here.
Also, the midtown rezoning is set to be finalized by the end of this year. Mayor de Blaiso has been very vocal about the rezoning, in part because he want's to use it as a tool to raise money for causes he champions. I'm sure that will bring about at least a few new large proposals, because God knows the building stock in that part of the city needs to be updated.
Yes, I think it sucks that the 1,423 foot proposal will be built in place of the 1,550 foot proposal and yes, it is a shame to hear about towers like HU North and TV getting height reductions, but think about it like this - the WTC is coming back to life (better than before, IMO), 57th street is transforming from a chintzy tourist trap to one of the most desirable addresses in the world, an entire new city-within-a-city is being built on on the west side, fantastic new, large scale housing projects are popping up all over the city, etc, etc, etc. I wouldn't say things are bad, that's for sure.