Essex Crossing has generated much ink and interest, but it has by no means cornered the market on Lower East Side development. Directly across from the new mega-development, Gotham Organization has secured funding for the first phase of a new two-building development that will span the length of Broome Street and create a total of 493 new rental units upon completion. Dattner Architects has been retained as the project's designer.
On the heels of a successful rezoning, the financing will advance a 30-story building at 55 Suffolk Street set to comprise commercial space for small-scale retailers, a state-of-the-art, 40,000-square-foot headquarters for the Chinese American Planning Council, and 378 new rental residences, 25% of which will be affordable. Permits show that amenities will include a bike room, package room, laundry rooms, a lounge, a fitness center, a business/study center, an accessory terrace, a courtyard, and a roof terrace with a pool.
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The second phase of development will bring a 16-story mid-rise building to 60 Norfolk Street. In addition to 115 units dedicated to affordable senior housing, this project will create a new congregation space and cultural heritage center for the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Synagogue (BHH), whose original house of worship was largely destroyed in a fire. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved further demolition of the fire-damaged synagogue structure in October 2018, thus clearing the way for construction of a new building.