NEW YORK | ABC Headquarters redevelopment | (1,250 - 420) FT | 86 & 25 FLOORS

[NYguy]

They never learn….

https://www.westsidespirit.com/news/exte...-on-w-66th-st-a-new-flashpoint-YB4715188

Extell’s 1,200-Foot Tower Plan on W. 66th St. a New Flashpoint
Community Board 7 and local leaders are pressing for the implementation of below-market units in Extell’s newest super skyscraper, which will be the tallest building on the Upper West Side.


OTTO FRITTON
15 JUN 2025

In recent weeks, plans have been publicized, revealing a proposed supertall residential skyscraper on 77 West 66th Street. The skyscraper, developed by Extell, may span 90 stories and be 1,200 feet tall, standing alone as the tallest building on the Upper West Side by an extensive margin. Massive in scope, the site borders West 67th Street to the north, West 66th Street to the south, and Columbus Avenue to the west.

Extell’s new skyscraper currently falls within the local community group Community Board 7. CB7 has asked the developer to include affordable housing in their building plans, requesting that the Department of City Planning (DCP) review the project and dedicate 20 percent of the total building space to below-market-rate housing.

In an appearance before CB7 Land Use Committee in late May to discuss the new plan, Gary Barnett, the founder and chairman of Extell Development said he was open to including two buildings with a total of 100 units of affordable housing in the new plan.

It is important to note that CB7 in its citizen advisory role, cannot require 20 percent of the total residential units to be under the market rate.

However, even CB7’s recent push recommending that a new zoning amendmentt e adopted by the City Planning Dept. may avoid that added requirement for the developer. Under current regulations, the 77 West 66th Street site does not necessitate a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) and can be developed as an “as of right” under existing rules.

Currently, Councilmember Gale Brewer is calling for permanent on-site affordable housing. According to the May 6, 2025 Community Board 7 resolution, the party believes that 20 percent is an appropriate target for affordable housing. CB7 also advocates for these units to remain as permanent affordable housing units so that it could not be converted at some point down the road.

While Councilmembers, Community Board 7, and the developer hash out details, public sentiment has already spilled onto social media. Some NYC residents have taken to the platform Nextdoor and the comment sections of a New York Yimby article to voice their grievances.

….. Regardless of how high Extell’s planned skyscraper extends, one question looms large: do citizens or developers get to shape the skyline?

[ChiND]

This is going to be incredible!!!!

[mrnyc]

they are more oblivious of doing the actual work of making the zoning rules they want clear and ironclad upfront and not ex post facto whining and trying to shove something in.

[ChiND]

https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2025/06/16/gary-barnett-reveals-plans-for-uws-supertall/

[Crawford]

Wow, just put a spire on it, and it's the Uptown ESB. Love it!

[TREPYE]

Originally Posted by ChiND

https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2025/06/16/gary-barnett-reveals-plans-for-uws-supertall/

If Extell produces another blight to the skyline, like the Central Park Tower, I may actually root for the NIMBYs in this development. There's no need for another awful 1200-foot massing-fill exercise that further besmirches the NYC skyline.

I am all for supertalls so long as they are not superoffensive to look at like CPT. In fact, I look forward to meeting Gary B. one day and directly asking him: why would you develop such an AWFUL-looking tower, let along the one with the highest roof in NYC?? Now his brand is associated with horrendous architecture/craptitecture.

[ChiND]

Originally Posted by TREPYE

If Extell produces another blight to the skyline, like the Central Park Tower, I may actually root for the NIMBYs in this development. There's no need for another awful 1200-foot massing-fill exercise that further besmirches the NYC skyline.

I am all for supertalls so long as they are not superoffensive to look at like CPT. In fact, I look forward to meeting Gary B. one day and directly asking him: why would you develop such an AWFUL-looking tower, let along the one with the highest roof in NYC?? Now his brand is associated with horrendous architecture/craptitecture.

I like CPT.

Anyway, this UWS tower raises the bar for Related, Sedecso, and Soloviev.

[Crawford]

CPT is fine. It's an above-average building.

But this thread isn't about CPT. And this building doesn't look anything like CPT.

[ChiND]

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Wow, just put a spire on it, and it's the Uptown ESB. Love it!

That is the ESB. Extell hasn’t revealed a design yet.

[NYguy]

I think it’s worth going back and listening to that meeting and the explanations for why we are where we are……

Originally Posted by NYguy

Gary Barnett speaks...



• Video Link




View the full CB meeting for City Planning's explanation of why they aren't rezoning the site...



• Video Link

The people at the meeting seemed to grasp the reality of where they were - with the exception of Gale Brewer, who seems to want to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But if they want to whine until they get an even taller tower, that’s on them.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Wow, just put a spire on it, and it's the Uptown ESB. Love it!

I'm quite confident that is the ESB and not in fact the new tower.

[ChiND]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

I'm quite confident that is the ESB and not in fact the new tower.

I thought it was a new tower that looked like the ESB. It looks a little glassier than the ESB, especially at the base. Anyway, this headline for the article, together with the image of a tower which looks just like the ESB sans tower, suggested it to me:

"Gary Barnett reveals plans for Upper West Side supertall at former Disney campus."

Perhaps they were trying to show how there will be an ESB-sized tower on the UWS.

[Busy Bee]

It's just an illustration. The spire is upside down beside it. i have no idea what anything about Barnetts project has to do with the ESB.

[ChiND]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

It's just an illustration. The spire is upside down beside it. i have no idea what anything about Barnetts project has to do with the ESB.

Good observation. I suspect that they're trying to make the point that it will be an ESB-sized tower on the UWS.

To be honest, after Gary sanctioned the ultra-lame design for 570 5th, I wasn't too confident that he would build anything earth-shattering elsewhere.

Of all of the new towers planned in the Plaza District, I'm reasonably confident about the quality only of Related's 625 Madison. I hope to be pleasantly surprised by Soloviev, but his father didn't exactly have a great track record for stunning architecture, so I'm not getting my hopes up.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

It's just an illustration. The spire is upside down beside it. i have no idea what anything about Barnetts project has to do with the ESB.

Just graphics and New York. The Empire State Building is the most famous supertall skyscraper in New York, if not the world. And it's also indicative of the height.

[NYguy]

NIMBYs aren't about peace. They're always about the fight, win or lose. They have nothing better to do. (by the way, the size of the ESB without the antenna is what they really mean)




https://www.linkedin.com/posts/therealde...-tower-activity-7340434607680462849-yvFH

[ChiND]

Has anyone been by this site? My friend told me that there’s scaffolding on the ABC site.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by ChiND

Has anyone been by this site? My friend told me that there’s scaffolding on the ABC site.

People have reported this is correct.

[ChiND]

Originally Posted by NYguy

People have reported this is correct.

That's good news. I look forward to seeing how the Mormom temple turns out. It was hideous. The renderings at the site suggest that they're adding more glass, which will address the concrete bunker look.