COVID-19 accomplishes what judge's ruling could not: A halt to construction at 200 Amsterdam

By CityRealty Staff | From Future New York Monday, April 6, 2020

If you’d rather not watch Tiger King, the construction progress at 200 Amsterdam Avenue provides plenty of drama even as most of New York is shut down in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. On March 27, Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered a halt to all non-essential construction to curtail the spread of the virus. But to the consternation of local opponents, work continued on the building even in the wake of the order. At the end of last week, developer SJP Properties announced that it was completing safety work on the site, and West Side Rag recently reported that the site will be vacated as soon as all the water is pumped out of the elevator’s pits so as not to damage electrical parts.

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200 Amsterdam Avenue's admirers and detractors alike would seem to agree that only the virus has put a stop to the building's progress: In February 2020, a State Supreme Court judge ruled that the building’s permit must be revoked, and that all floors that exceed the zoning limit must come down. According to one interpretation of the law, this could be 20 stories or more. The ruling came nearly six months after construction topped out, and work continued on the building’s crown as the developers and city appealed the decision.

According to a spokesperson for 200 Amsterdam, construction is currently stopped and workers are only performing basic maintenance work to ensure the construction site is safe and secure.“Per the plan we submitted to the city, and which was approved by DOB on April 3, the majority of site safety work for 200 Amsterdam was completed last week. We will continue to monitor the site and ensure that it is secure through daily maintenance checks, as outlined in our plan, until the time when New York condominium projects are authorized to return to full-scale construction activities."

The Municipal Arts Society and community groups have long contended that the 668-foot, 52-story building was taking shape on a “gerrymandered” 39-sided lot, and the news comes as vindication to them. However, architecture critic Carter Horsley notes that “the ruling sent shock waves through the real estate industry,” with developers wondering what this could mean for other nearly-completed buildings.

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200 Amsterdam Avenue’s proximity to Lincoln Center inspired a professional-grade music rehearsal room, a children’s playroom decorated in a musical motif, and a complimentary one-year membership to the world-famous performing arts center. Additional amenities include a 75’ indoor saltwater pool, sauna and steam room, gym curated by The Wright Fit, wood-paneled library, and club room with billiards table.

It is not clear how these would be affected by the ruling, but its address near Central Park, Riverside Park, Trader Joe’s, popular Upper West Side restaurants, and the 72nd Street local and express trains remains unchanged. Listings have been taken down in the wake of the ruling, but the office of the New York Attorney General had approved an offering plan with an $855.8 million sellout price at the end of 2017.