NEW YORK | Highrise Developments Compilation Thread

[Hypothalamus]

Originally Posted by Submariner

Are those townhouses part of this development? If so, are they going to be razed?

I'm not positive. By the tone of the article, they seem to be part of the whole development, or 8 parcels. In that case, they may be razing them. At the least, they are associated with the air rights amounting to 280,000 sq ft.

[Hypothalamus]

NY Daily News:

Local merchants fear Flushing Commons could put them out of business
Developers plan to break ground on the $850 million housing and commercial project in March; 5.5-acre development to include a YMCA

BY CLARE TRAPASSO / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014, 5:37 PM


Local businesses worry that Flushing Commons, a residential and commercial development in downtown Flushing, could hurt their bottom lines. The $850 million development is to be built on a 1,100-spot, municipal parking lot that merchants say is heavily used by their customers.

.....
Flushing Commons, an $850 million residential and commercial development, is slated to go up on a 1,100-space, municipal parking lot in the spring. The city sold the 5.5-acre lot for $20 million on Dec. 30 to developers.
....

The first phase of the development, to be completed in 2017, will create 150 condos. The second phase, to be finished by 2021, will include 450 condos, a new YMCA, 1.5-acre plaza and ampitheatre and commercial space.

When completed, Flushing Commons will also have a 1,600-spot parking garage.
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[chris08876]

^^^^^^^^^

Love the green space. Almost looks like a mini college campus.

[Submariner]

Does anyone know what is going on at this site? Particularly, the brown patch of dirt roughly at the center of the picture? Right now, there is excavation work being done on this site - it looks as if they have attached a building to an already standing one, and are now working on yet another addition.

[Hypothalamus]

NY YIMBY:

Construction Update: 34 East 51st Street
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 13TH 2014 AT 6:00 AM

Construction is about to move above ground level at 34 East 51st Street, which will soon be a 21-story office building with almost 60,000 square feet of space. The developer is Sedesco, and the architect is SOM.

Though no designs have been made public, zoning diagrams are on-file with the Department of Buildings, and depict a fairly typical layout; the building’s lower levels will meet the street-wall, and a series of staggered setbacks will characterize the upper levels. As is typical with new office construction, the ceiling heights will be impressive, and 34 East 51st Street will stand 296 feet tall.
....

With foundations complete, the superstructure for 34 East 51st Street should be going vertical shortly, and completion is expected in January of 2015.

[Hypothalamus]

The Real Deal:

Flatbush site with rare tax abatement asks $20M
Hiten Samtani January 13, 2014 10:00AM


123 Linden Boulevard (Credit: Brownstoner)

A development site in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood with an unusual tax abatement is asking $20 million. Senior care provider New York Congregational Community Services is selling a four-story building at 123 Linden Boulevard that would allow for a 250,000-square-foot residential development.

The site could also be used to build a 316,000-square-foot community building under its current zoning, according to the Wall Street Journal. It is being marketed by Massey Knakal Realty Services’ James Nelson and Nick Mahedy.

A buyer could avail themselves of a 15-year tax abatement through the 421a program, which generally requires that at least 20 percent of new units in a new development be affordable. This site, however, is eligible for the tax abatement even if a purely market-rate apartment building were to be built, Nelson told the Journal.

Nelson added that the relatively affordable land – about $80 per buildable square foot compared to the $300 per buildable square foot in Brooklyn neighborhoods that are closer to Manhattan – would appeal to developers.

[Hypothalamus]

NY YIMBY:

Revealed: 232 Seventh Avenue
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 13TH 2014 AT 11:30 AM


232 Seventh Avenue pre-demolition -- image from Google Maps

Renderings are up for a new 16-story and 49-unit mixed-use project at 232 Seventh Avenue. The existing structures are about to be demolished, with permits for their removal already approved; the developer is ‘Chelsea 7 JV LLC’, and the architect is C3D.

The new 232 Seventh Avenue will be a major improvement over the site’s current occupants, which are fairly run-down. The design will enhance Seventh Avenue’s street-wall, and the first eleven floors are flush with the sidewalk, and feature a masonry facade. After a setback, the next five floors are characterized by large balconies, and masonry is replaced by metallic cladding. The first floor will be retail, and the entirety of the project will measure 53,000 square feet.
.....

Completion dates for the new building have not been released, but the 2016 timeframe would seem likely.

232 Seventh Avenue – image from C3D


232 Seventh Avenue – image from C3D

[LMich]

I'm glad they extended only to the terra-cotta clad building to the left. lol

[Hypothalamus]

NY YIMBY:

Revealed: 308 East 59th Street
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 14TH 2014 AT 6:00 AM


308 East 59th Street today -- image via Google

A new 16-story building will soon rise at 308 East 59th Street; the property will be a mix of residential and commercial space. The site’s developer is ABS Partners, and C3D is designing the project, with a page on the firm’s website giving additional details.

308 East 59th Street was bought in 2011 for $2.5 million, and development rights allow a 25,000 square foot structure. C3D’s rendering depicts an angular cantilever over an adjacent low-rise at 306 East 59th Street, and the project will certainly bring some modern flare to a neighborhood characterized by dingy low-rises and dated mid-century towers.

Whether the 25,000 square foot figure accounts for additional air rights from 306 East 59th Street remains to be seen, as no permits are on-file; thus, 308 East 59th Street is likely still in the planning phase, although the potential of the lot is obvious — and permits for interior demolition have been filed. Certainly, C3D’s design would be a great improvement for the neighborhood, while also proving that small-scale contemporary designs can exist beyond West Chelsea.

308 East 59th Street — image from C3D

[Hypothalamus]

Brownstoner:

Queens Plaza North Properties Hitting Market, Hotel Build Possible
by Emily 01/14/14 9:00am

The owner of 41-21 and 41-23 29th Street, three-story brick buildings off Queens Plaza North, plans to put the properties on the market for $18,100,000. LIC Post reports that the owner bought the buildings in the late 90s for less than $1,000,000, when the site zoning permitted a floor area ratio of 5.0. After upzonings in the neighborhood, the parcels now have a FAR of 12 with a zoning floor area of 32,724 square feet. A sales rep from Sotheby’s believes the lots are best suitable for a hotel development, considering the number of hotels in the immediate vicinity. A developer could build up to 18 stories with 80-rooms on the property in question. Tom Winter, of Tom Winter Architect, designed the hotel rendered above as an example of what’s possible.

[a very long weekend]

Originally Posted by tubeworm

NY YIMBY:


232 Seventh Avenue – image from C3D

wow, that's sweet, looks like all three commercial spaces will be replaced. could be a much better design, but otherwise, a great project for the area.

[Hypothalamus]

Originally Posted by Submariner

Does anyone know what is going on at this site? Right now, there is excavation work being done on this site...

That's Queens Plaza, a revamped area that has a few developments going up and/or planned.



Revamped Queens Plaza lures hotels, residential development
Julie Strickland January 15, 2014 05:20PM


Aerial view of Queens Plaza

A $45 million overhaul of Queens Plaza has led to a development boom around the new crosswalks, bike pathways, sidewalks and 1.5-acre park that the city recently built. The “gateway to Long Island City” was a den of prostitution and drug deals not long ago.

More than 5,000 apartments have either been added or are in process within two blocks of the plaza, city officials told the New York Times. Two hotels — a 16-story, 183-room Hilton Garden Inn and a 31-story Marriott with 160 hotel rooms and 135 rental apartments — are also under construction and will overlook a new park dubbed Dutch Kills Green.

A building plan was filed for a 14-story, 65-room Hotel Vetiver at 41-32 27th Street in November, and Developer Heatherwood Communities is also building a 58-story residential tower at 27-03 42nd Road, by Queens Plaza South.

Bringing new office buildings to the area, however, has lately proven more of a challenge. The Bloomberg administration aimed to turn Queens Plaza into the next Jersey City — which has attracted businesses like investment bank Goldman Sachs and now Forbes — but commercial brokers told the Times that such a renaissance is years away. That said, some commercial leases have been inked, including a 200,000-square-foot headquarters for airline JetBlue, in the Brewster Building at 27-01 Queens Plaza North, and the fully-leased 22-story tower 2 Gotham Center on Queens Plaza South.

“It’s been more of a trickle than a flood,” John Reinersten, senior vice president at CBRE, told the Times.

And while beautification efforts continue, commercial brokers said that the end of the city’s Relocation and Employment Assistance Program, last summer, which offered tax credits of as much as $3,000 per employee, has removed a huge potential carrot.

[Submariner]

That park cost 45 million?

[Submariner]

Does this: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/01/17/jonathan-kushner-plans-40-story-midtown-condo-tower/

have a thread yet?

[Hypothalamus]

New York YIMBY:

Construction Update: 21 West 20th Street
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 17TH 2014 AT 12:30 PM

A new 15-story residential building is under construction at 21 West 20th Street; the project’s developer is Gale International, and the architect of record is Beyer Blinder Belle. Permits were just approved on the 10th, and excavation is already well underway.

The development will be a combination of old and new; the bulk of the project will be contained in a new building at 19 West 20th Street, but the upper floors will extend over an existing building, at 21 West 20th. The interiors of the penthouse will measure nearly 7,000 square feet, with an additional 2,700 square feet of exterior space; the unit will span three floors in total, from 13 to 15, and is listed at $35 million.

In total, the development will have approximately 35,000 square feet of space, with thirteen residences; they will average nearly 3,000 square feet each, and the project definitely falls into the ‘luxury’ category, with asking prices at the other two penthouses north of $10 million.

Aesthetically, 21 West 20th Street will be contextual with its historic surrounds; on-site renderings only depict the upper portions of the development, but the structure will maintain the existing street-wall for the entirety of its height, and the facade will be brick. Completion is anticipated in the spring of 2015.

21 West 20th Street — blurry construction shot as the doors swung open.


21 West 20th Street — penthouses will extend over the building on the left

[Hypothalamus]

West Village Church Plans 15-Story Building On Barrow Street
Friday, January 17, 2014, by Jessica Dailey

The Church of St. Luke in the Fields is joining the recent trend of nonprofits turning toward real estate development to beef up their bank accounts. The Villager reports that the West Village church wants to build a 15-story, 46-unit apartment building on its property at the corner of Greenwich and Barrow Streets. Church officials plan to grant developer Toll Brothers a 99-year lease to the site at 100 Barrow Street, and the venture would fund expansion of St. Luke's school, as well as a new mission building. During a community board meeting, the church pointed out that the 70,000-square-foot building they are proposing is much less than the 200,000-square-feet that's allowed under current zoning. The project would also be developed under the 80/20 affordable housing program, but board members still weren't pleased. The brick-and-glass design was not liked, and neither was the 153-foot height, even though it's shorter than the building across the street.

The church hopes to start construction on the tower and two-story school expansion this year, but first the plans need a stamp of approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, as the sit sits within the Greenwich Village Historic District. The school expansion would be constructed with yellow bricks and give the school nine new classrooms and a 4,000-square-foot gym. Construction of the mission, which would be "townhouse scale" would depend on the tower, as the church needs revenue from the apartments to be able to pay for the mission.
......

The plans go before the LPC on February 4.
.....

[Hypothalamus]

Crain's New York:

Brooklyn deal raises residential possibility
The sale of the building across from the City Point mega-project highlights not only downtown Brooklyn's large-scale development, but the desirability of sites citywide that can accommodate apartment towers.

BY DANIEL GEIGER
JANUARY 17, 2014 1:03 P.M.


Savanna acquired 141 Willoughby St. in downtown Brooklyn for an undisclosed price. Photo by ProperyShark.com.

The real estate investment firm Savanna has acquired a development site across the street from one of Brooklyn's largest construction projects.

Savanna purchased 141 Willoughby St., a three-story building in downtown Brooklyn, for an undisclosed price from the Institute of Design and Construction, a school that provides construction training and that occupied part of the property. The site could support a fresh development of up to 240,000 square feet.
.....

Savanna, which has been successful in the city in recent years buying real estate assets at opportune moments, like some other prominent owners, such as TF Cornerstone, is now taking its stake in the area's transformation.

"141 Willoughby St. is a prime location in downtown Brooklyn and we see tremendous future value in this ... property," Christopher Schlank, a managing partner at Savanna, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to be a part of the ongoing transformation of the immediate area."

Savanna can build up to 120,000 square feet of residential space on the site, according to Vincent Battista, president and chairman of the board for the Institute of Design and Construction. But, by securing a special permit from the city, up to double that amount of space can rise on the site. Mr. Battista said it was likely that Savanna could secure such a waiver, since the City Point development was zoned for high-rise development.

"Much of the surrounding area allows for large towers to be constructed," Mr. Battista said. "We expect that it is a reasonable request to change the zoning here so that this site too can benefit from higher density."

Neither Mr. Battista, nor Savanna, would disclose the purchase price in the deal, but Mr. Battista said it was structured in a way in which the Institute of Design and Construction will receive a bonus payment if Savanna is able to successfully rezone the land for a larger building. The school, which prepares as many as 120 students yearly for careers in the construction field with courses such as estimating and blueprint reading, will look for another home.
.....

[Perklol]

Another high rise should be allowed to rise there. But will it be near the other (high-rise)buildings?

[a very long weekend]

Originally Posted by tubeworm

West Village Church Plans 15-Story Building On Barrow Street
Friday, January 17, 2014, by Jessica Dailey

wow, that's just horrible at the street level, needs to be re-worked, especially at the corner. i see what they're doing with the set backs to attempt to lessen the impact of the height, sort of generous. these community board fools need to think big picture on this one, like come on, aside from the appalling ground floor, there's nothing not to like.

[Hypothalamus]

Originally Posted by Eveningsong

Another high rise should be allowed to rise there. But will it be near the other (high-rise)buildings?

I'm really not sure. Desertpunk @ SSC says it could rival other residential buildings in the area. I'm not sure if I did the math right, but if the possible new building had the same floor size as the currently building there, it would rise 20-25 stories. I would think they would make it thinner though, and expand ceiling heights a tad. I'm using the 240000 sq/ft air right figure here. After all, it's all about the views.