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

[NYguy]

https://nypost.com/2023/10/21/villag...per-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/...sing-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.