NEW YORK | ABC Headquarters redevelopment | FT | FLOORS

[NYguy]

^ No doubt the NIMBYs will be watching this very closely.


An overview...

[Submariner]

^ No doubt the NIMBYs will be watching this very closely.

ABC should propose a superblock with a 2500 foot tower just to fuck with them.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by Submariner

^ No doubt the NIMBYs will be watching this very closely.

ABC should propose a superblock with a 2500 foot tower just to fuck with them.

Lol +1, may as well seize the opportunity.

The design looks really cool though, probably 7-800 feet?

[JMKeynes]

As per Yimby, that's not the design.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by Submariner

ABC should propose a superblock with a 2500 foot tower just to fuck with them.

Then the developers can shrink the tower by 40% or whatever, and claim they "worked diligently with community stakeholders and thank them for their valuable input in planning a tower in context with the treasured character of this historic neighborhood".

So a 1,500 ft. tower.

[uaarkson]

I did HVAC work in this building.

[Yesh222]

Not sure why they're doing this. The building right now (and the ESPN building across the street) looks like a castle. Disney's network headquarters for ABC looks like a castle. It's awesome.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by Yesh222

Not sure why they're doing this.

Because these are two of the most valuable residential development sites on the planet. They'll get crazy high prices for family-sized condos in this location.

ABC sold their holdings because they wanted newer, expanded space downtown, and the highest and best use for their former HQ and studios is residential.

ABC/Disney will have a grand new HQ tower in Hudson Square. Silverstein bought the two residential sites near Lincoln Center.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Yesh222

Not sure why they're doing this. The building right now (and the ESPN building across the street) looks like a castle. Disney's network headquarters for ABC looks like a castle. It's awesome.

Silverstein spent a billion dollars on these properties. He sold the sites by the river for $220 million. Which makes the properties nearest Lincoln Center still an expensive proposition. There will be some expensive condo development here.

Deutsche Bank is providing about $800 million in financing toward the developer’s $1 billion purchase of the massive American Broadcasting Company headquarters on the Upper West Side, which is expected to close next week, sources told The Real Deal.

The developer will likely demolish the existing buildings, but its plans were not immediately clear. Sources said the complex was marketed as both development opportunity for luxury residential condominiums or as a new office complex.

[NYguy]

After losing 50 W. 66th, NIMBYs set their sites on the next thing…



https://ilovetheupperwestside.com/la...t-66th-street/

Landmark West Loses Appeal Against 50 West 66th Street

Bobby Panza
May 3, 2022

BP: Is there anything that the community can do while this motion process is taking place?

Sean Khorsandi: To be honest, the lawyer is pursuing this because he’s knee-deep in this already. The community shouldn’t need to do anything. That’s at the root of the problem here. The community has already paid their taxes, which pays for the Department of Buildings to interpret the zoning resolution which they also paid for because they fund city planning. And they paid for the Board of Standards and Appeals and all of those salaries — that whole agency.


….. So, the other thing they can do besides paying attention is to take action. The immediate neighbors on the Upper West Side must take the threat of what’s going to happen at the Walt Disney Corporation’s ABC Campus seriously. The fight on 66th Street is already informing that. We now know that the same developer of 66th Street has purchased the ABC Campus and he could have done something similar there. But, even more, with even fewer restrictions, because that building, that block does not lie within the Lincoln Square special zoning district. However, we also know that we have the benefit now of having regulations and new laws on the books; namely, mechanical height limits, so it’s less lucrative to keep building mechanical floor after mechanical floor.

….. when ABC does move downtown and those 2.6 acres are redeveloped, the developer will know that the entire community is watching, but we also need to be vigilant about all these mechanical spaces and other loopholes.

Bobby Panza: Because we’re probably, if this is approved to move forward, we’re going to be seeing a lot of construction, a lot of scaffolding, a lot of trucks, a lot of noise. Sean, is the plan to completely demolish the ABC buildings and build something new, or are they going to build something on top of it?

Sean Khorsandi: So, the ABC site is a composition of several buildings. I believe two of them are in the historic district: the former Durland Riding Academy and 30 West 67th St. But 47 West 66 St., also known as the Barbara Walters Building, the ABC headquarters building, the WABC-TV building, and 7 Lincoln Square, all have zero landmarks protections.

All those buildings were designed by the firm Kohn, Pedersen, Fox (KPF). And it’s our expectation that, in time, all of those will be demolished. Partly because of the way the zoning lies where the bulk can sit. And even conversion of the office tower is unlikely because the floor plates don’t make sense for a residential adaptive reuse.

Bobby Panza: Is there anything else that we’re leaving out that we should talk about right now?

Sean Khorsandi: Well, you were asking one thing about what the community could do now and I think what everybody really needs to do is double down and focus their attention on the American Broadcasting Company site and our upcoming ULURP process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure application. Because, if we can get that site, as has been underway for months now, incorporated into the Lincoln Square Special District, it gives us another layer of protection.

The reality is, in a development of this scale, which the Upper West Side has not seen since the midcentury urban renewal era; it really should go through a public process. The community board should be involved, the community should be involved. And, unfortunately, as our planning situation has said, this would all be realized as of right development unless they go for something beyond the underlying zoning if they are looking to move bulk in certain ways. So, there’s a path of least resistance for a developer and, unfortunately, that cuts the community out and, hopefully, there’s a way for the community to stay involved and be part of the decision-making for their own neighborhood.

[Hudson11]

looks like it wasn't posted here but Extell bought the remaining buildings from Silverstein a few months back.

[NYguy]

The fearmongers are already at it.


https://www.landmarkwest.org/abc/

What does this mean?

Likely more neighbors, and more contextual buildings than if we take no action.
The existing underlying zoning of the site is for standard towers. Modelling our scenario after typical recent residential constructions in standard tower districts, George Janes & Associates created a potential scenario of what could be built as-of-right with no special permit nor community involvement.

The 75’x90′ floor plates mimic similar towers recently completed or under construction such as 111 West 57th Street and 432 Park Avenue, and envision full floor, 360-degree views for each unit. The two tower scheme will allow for oblique views of the park from both towers.

Envisioned in two phases, the “east” tower would cap out at the engineering limits of construction and elevator technology rising over 1600-feet with 14-foot standard floor to floor heights, and the “west” tower would cap out at over 1200-feet tall, with the same 14-foot standard floor to floor heights. For reference, the tallest building currently constructed on the Upper West Side (as of April 2021) is 200 Amsterdam Avenue capped at 668-feet tall. This would mean each tower could be nearly twice as tall.

In the diagram, yellow represents residential floors, and gray are presumed mechanical floors. These are represented as 25′ voids which complies with the current zoned limit but repeats them at 20-floor intervals. Should a developer wish, these could repeat every 75-feet of occupiable space, or with 14-foot tall floors, every 5-6 floors rather than every 20.

As with the earlier “with action” scenario above, this is our “Reasonable Worst Case Development Scenario” (RWCDS) without action. Again, it is important to note that this is not a rendering nor intended to be an architectural representation but rather a massing study of what could be possible should no extension of the special district be adopted.

In both scenarios the developer retains all available Floor Area Ratio and does not loose a square inch of development potential. This action would only further direct the form of the building complying with similar neighborhood tower-on-base buildings such as 1965 Broadway (The Raymour & Flanigan/Pottery Barn building) or 1930 Broadway (The Bed, Bath & Beyond/Lululemon building). These scenarios require a specific percentage of floor area be realized below a height of 150-feet. This action still DOES NOT set a height limit.

[Crawford]

Great news! Hopefully we get two enormous supertalls.

The NIMBY tears will be hilarious.

Also, the prices will be absurd, perhaps recordbreaking. This is an even better residential location than along Billionaire's Row.

[JMKeynes]

Wow! I didn't think that regulations allowed towers that tall on the UWS.

[MAC123]

With that much massing NYC may even keep the "tallest residential building in the world"

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by JMKeynes

Wow! I didn't think that regulations allowed towers that tall on the UWS.

That’s not the actual proposal. They’re just showing what could be built using available FAR. It’s a fear tactic to stir up the NIMBY’s. Sure, Extell is known for building tall, and Barnett is winning the battle accross the street. But they will be against whatever is proposed there.

[JMKeynes]

Originally Posted by NYguy

That’s not the actual proposal. They’re just showing what could be built using available FAR. It’s a fear tactic to stir up the NIMBY’s. Sure, Extell is known for building tall, and Barnett is winning the battle accross the street. But they will be against whatever is proposed there.

I realize that, but I didn’t think that you could build that tall in that area near CPW. I thought the area was a historic district. Extell’s new Snohetta tower is tall, but it’s not outrageously tall.

[Raysiri]

Wasn’t expecting two soon-to-be-potential supertalls rising in the West Side. 0_0

[chris08876]

^^^

It's just the potential based on the zoning/FAR.

That would be nice though if something of that level rose.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by JMKeynes

I realize that, but I didn’t think that you could build that tall in that area near CPW. I thought the area was a historic district. Extell’s new Snohetta tower is tall, but it’s not outrageously tall.

That's what their argument is. They want to expand the historic district.


https://www.landmarkwest.org/abc/

LANDMARK WEST! examined the history of the LSSD, its history and intent. Conspicuously, block 1119 in Manhattan, largely occupied by the American Broadcasting Company’s Corporate Headquarters and studio buildings was omitted from the LSSD in order to give them flexibility in their operations.

Given their presence on the block from the nascent days of television starting as early as 1948, this was a reasonable zoning choice. Now that the purpose for this decision (ABC) is vacating, we believe that the underlying zoning should conform to the immediate adjacent neighborhood, and not simply run with the land. This is a proactive effort to reintegrate this block into the community.

.....The existing underlying zoning of the site is for standard towers. Modelling our scenario after typical recent residential constructions in standard tower districts, George Janes & Associates created a potential scenario of what could be built as-of-right with no special permit nor community involvement.

Envisioned in two phases, the “east” tower would cap out at the engineering limits of construction and elevator technology rising over 1600-feet with 14-foot standard floor to floor heights, and the “west” tower would cap out at over 1200-feet tall, with the same 14-foot standard floor to floor heights. For reference, the tallest building currently constructed on the Upper West Side (as of April 2021) is 200 Amsterdam Avenue capped at 668-feet tall. This would mean each tower could be nearly twice as tall.

But it's not like that area hasn't seen supertall proposals before. Trump tried to put the world's tallest over there, and there were at least a couple of proposals for a tallest at nearby Columbus Circle. I doubt you would see a 1,600 ft tower on this site, but Extell is known for building tall. Even 1,200 ft would stand out a lot here.


More scare tactics...