Conceptual vision for development along the Gowanus. Rendering by SCAPE for developers Domain Companies, Monadnock Construction, and Property Markets Group
A recent study by Apartment List found that the United States added over 9 million net new housing units from 2010 to 2020, thus increasing the housing stock by 6.9 percent. However, the growth has not been evenly distributed: The New York metro area only added 309,000 new housing units in that same time period, increasing its stock by only 4 percent and making it the 24th slowest growing among the nation’s 100 largest metro areas.
Also between 2010 and 2020, New York added 1,307,000 new jobs for an increase of 16 percent. As good as that is for the local economy, it also demonstrates that the housing market has failed to keep pace with growth: A healthy housing market should ideally add one new housing unit for every one to two new jobs, but New York added 4.2 new jobs for every new housing unit, thus throwing the imbalance into sharp relief. And between encouraging vaccination rates and the reopening of offices, schools, and other businesses, housing demand is only expected to rise.
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Data via Apartment List
The Apartment List study found that suburban areas saw the greatest concentration of housing growth, but New York is nevertheless trying. Three Gowanus property owners presented a vision for their neighborhood that features a pristine waterway, abundant green space, and more than 8,000 new housing units, over 3,000 of which would be affordable. However, this cannot take place without a rezoning. This can be extremely time-consuming to begin with, but community groups filed a lawsuit arguing that virtual public hearings were insufficient to allow the process to move forward. In Manhattan, the rezoning of Soho and Noho has met with similar resistance.
The rezonings and affordability crisis will be key responsibilities for the next mayor of New York City. Indeed, at a recent mayoral forum hosted by the Real Estate Board of New York, housing was a key issue for candidates in attendance. Eric Adams opened the session by discussing the need for more affordable housing and calling for better coordination between different agencies. Andrew Yang emphasized the connection between public safety and real estate values, and called for the conversion of empty buildings to affordable housing so as to stave off urban blight. Kathryn Garcia, meanwhile, doubled down on the New York City Housing Authority, saying, “NYCHA does not need a new plan, [it] needs to execute on the plan it has.”
The mayoral primary is Tuesday, June 22, and early voting began on Saturday, June 12. In the meantime, developers and designers remain hard at work, and construction is ongoing all over the city. Below, see a selection of some of the most exciting projects in the works.
New York Historical Society expansion, Central Park West
Robert A.M. Stern Architects
While the Landmarks Preservation Commission (“Landmarks”) was unable to come to a decision about the proposed removal of the Theodore Roosevelt equestrian statue at the American Museum of Natural History, the commissioners were unanimous in their approval of the New York Historical Society’s application for an expansion. The proposal calls for the demolition of a free-standing wall, new construction to be built on the lot, reconstruction of the stack tower in the exact configuration and volume of the existing one, and the renovation of interiors to help with accessibility.
The presentation by Robert A.M. Stern Architects pertains to a parcel of land purchased by the historical society in the 1930s for the express purpose of building an annex. Since then, though, the historical society’s designation as a “triple landmark” (an individual landmark located in both the Central Park West-76th Street Historic District and the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District) meant this could not take place without Landmarks approval, which it has been seeking since 1983. The historical society has also outgrown its existing space due to enormous growth and new partnerships.
Upon completion, the museum’s addition will feature new gallery and classroom space, mezzanine office space, an outdoor sculpture garden, and top-floor gallery space to serve as the future home of the LGBTQ+ Museum, the first of its kind in the United States. The new stack tower will expand on-site conservation functions and add a pair of rooms that could serve as meeting rooms or classrooms. To the delight of some, the quarry that provided stone for the original design by Walker & Gillette is still open and would provide materials for the addition.
Community Board 7, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Landmark West, the Historic Districts Council, the Victorian Society, Landmarks Conservancy, and local residents all expressed support for the addition and spoke in glowing terms about the presentation, the design, the expansion of the historical society’s offerings, and the respect the museum showed the community. Commissioner Michael Goldblum described the design and presentation as “a textbook proposal,” and other commissioners agreed with his sentiments.
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246 West 46th Street, Midtown West
Conceptual design for 740 Eighth Avenue by RB Systems
While no one knows how long it will take for New York tourism to fully bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic, hotel occupancy rates are on the upswing and, according to a report by CBRE, may hit normal levels by 2025. Seeing a rebound in sight, Extell Development under 726 Eighth LLC has permits for a 40-story, 108-room hotel at 246 West 46th Street (740 Eighth Avenue) in the heart of the Theater District. At an expected 1,120 feet high, it would make a significant impact on the Midtown West skyline.
SLCE Architecture is the designer of record. Extell acquired the bulk of the site from Boston Properties and Related Companies who once floated a scheme for a 40-story office tower designed by SOM. More recently, RB Systems released a conceptual design for the site depicting a slender, 400-meter tower with offices and an observation deck.
Extell's submitted plan specifies that the tower will include over 100 hotel rooms, a gym, lounge, business center, spa, third-floor terraces, 33rd-floor roof bar, 34th-floor pool bar, and 39th and 40th-floor observation deck.
SLCE Architecture is the designer of record. Extell acquired the bulk of the site from Boston Properties and Related Companies who once floated a scheme for a 40-story office tower designed by SOM. More recently, RB Systems released a conceptual design for the site depicting a slender, 400-meter tower with offices and an observation deck.
Extell's submitted plan specifies that the tower will include over 100 hotel rooms, a gym, lounge, business center, spa, third-floor terraces, 33rd-floor roof bar, 34th-floor pool bar, and 39th and 40th-floor observation deck.
Development site as of June 2021 (CityRealty)
Harlem Hospital Center
Last week, the Public Design Commission of the City of New York announced the winners of the 39th Annual Awards for Excellence in Design. Among them was the Public Health Laboratory at the Harlem Hospital Center, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill and located adjacent to the hospital.
The new building is designed to accommodate testing and services for a wide range of clinical and environmental health concerns, and will enhance the city’s ability to respond to public health challenges. A pedestrian-scaled masonry podium will feature essential support functions, the laboratory’s administrative functions, the hospital’s community-facing program, and a green roof. On top, five floors of state-of-the-art laboratory space will be housed in a glass and metal-clad volume, which steps up to accommodate various laboratory sizes. This aspect will also provide passive solar shading in compliance with the city’s sustainability goals.
The new building is designed to accommodate testing and services for a wide range of clinical and environmental health concerns, and will enhance the city’s ability to respond to public health challenges. A pedestrian-scaled masonry podium will feature essential support functions, the laboratory’s administrative functions, the hospital’s community-facing program, and a green roof. On top, five floors of state-of-the-art laboratory space will be housed in a glass and metal-clad volume, which steps up to accommodate various laboratory sizes. This aspect will also provide passive solar shading in compliance with the city’s sustainability goals.
This honor comes hot on the heels of the announcement that Mayor de Blasio and the Economic Development Council will double the city’s investment in life sciences to $1 billion as part of LifeSci NYC. The program was established in 2016 to position New York City as a global leader in life sciences; since then, the importance of life sciences cannot be overstated in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. As the initiative is also expected to generate 40,000 new jobs, Mayor de Blasio said, “It’s the key to our economic and public health recovery, and it will produce more effective and more equitable health outcomes for New Yorkers across the five boroughs.”
Wildflower Studios, Astoria
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The Tribeca Festival is underway, but Robert De Niro’s ambitions for film in New York have expanded to Astoria: An environmental assessment statement form has been filed for Wildflower Studios, which has been described as a “vertical village” for film production on top of a former Steinway & Sons piano storage facility. Renderings by Bjarke Ingels Group were released in September 2019, but the design has been modified since then.
The proposed 715,000-square-foot development would include excess development rights from the Steinway Piano Factory. The studio would feature approximately 416,000 square feet of production space - sound stages, dressing rooms/wardrobe areas, pre- and post-production rooms, common areas, and hospitality areas - as well as approximately 251,000 square feet of loading facilities, 310 attended off-street parking spaces, and mechanical rooms.
Wildflower Studios would also feature a waterfront public access area along Luyster Creek with a circulation path, seating, and landscaping. Additionally, in concession to rising waters caused by climate change, it would include coastal buffer plantings, bioretention basins, a new protective rip-rap stone revetment, and an earth-stabilized precast sea wall.
According to the environmental assessment statement form, site preparation began in late 2020. If the rezoning and permits are approved, construction is expected to start in 2021 with completion estimated for the fourth quarter of 2023.
According to the environmental assessment statement form, site preparation began in late 2020. If the rezoning and permits are approved, construction is expected to start in 2021 with completion estimated for the fourth quarter of 2023.
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Bais Rivkah Seminary Campus, Crown Heights
On Sunday, June 13, a groundbreaking ceremony took place for a new, $25 million Crown Heights campus for the Bais Rivkah Seminary. The seminary has grown at a steady pace since its founding in 1963, and the student body is outgrowing its current campus. Morah Chana Gorowitz, the longtime dean, said in a statement, “The creation of a new campus will enable us to create a center for the young women in our seminary to live, learn, farbreng, and grow - both inside and outside the classroom.”
Renderings of a futuristic-looking building depict a zigzagging stone facade, oversized windows, and outdoor terraces on every floor. It will house 16 classrooms, lecture rooms, a social hall, a gym, an exercise room, a pool, and an outdoor deck. It will also offer over 200 dormitory beds, which will allow students to live on campus and thus cultivate a stronger sense of community than if they were living in apartments scattered all over the city, as they have recently had to do.
Renderings of a futuristic-looking building depict a zigzagging stone facade, oversized windows, and outdoor terraces on every floor. It will house 16 classrooms, lecture rooms, a social hall, a gym, an exercise room, a pool, and an outdoor deck. It will also offer over 200 dormitory beds, which will allow students to live on campus and thus cultivate a stronger sense of community than if they were living in apartments scattered all over the city, as they have recently had to do.
Rendering via Bais Rivkah Seminary
Renderings via Fogarty Finger Architects
The Los Angeles-based Parkview Financial has just provided a $90 million construction loan for 1 Park Row, a 23-story building on the corner of Park Row and Ann Street in the Financial District. This will allow developer Circle F Capital, which is developing this project as 1 Park Row Development LLC, to proceed with construction in full force.
Renderings of the design by Fogarty Finger depict a glass tower with curved corners, floor-to-ceiling windows, and private outdoor space for select units. The project will feature 58 one- to three-bedroom condos on top of office and retail space, and residential amenities are expected to include a gym, package room, children’s playroom, and a common garden/terrace. Demolition of the six-story building currently on the site is underway, and completion is estimated for April 2023.
Renderings of the design by Fogarty Finger depict a glass tower with curved corners, floor-to-ceiling windows, and private outdoor space for select units. The project will feature 58 one- to three-bedroom condos on top of office and retail space, and residential amenities are expected to include a gym, package room, children’s playroom, and a common garden/terrace. Demolition of the six-story building currently on the site is underway, and completion is estimated for April 2023.
1 Park Row is taking shape across from City Hall Park on a stretch once dubbed Newspaper Row. It is now home to luxury real estate: 1 Park Row is down the street from 25 Park Row, which has seen impressive sales, and the recently completed No. 33 Park Row, the first New York City residential project from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. The location allows for close proximity to Tribeca shopping and dining, Brookfield Place, Oculus, and the Fulton Street transportation hub.
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Bluarch Architecture has just unveiled new renderings for 116-02 Curzon Road, a new residential building for Kew Gardens. Large curved balconies from the second floor up are highly reminiscent of those on Hero LIC, a luxury condo in Long Island City, and other parts of the building will have floor-to-ceiling glass balconies.
The eight-story building will have 23 apartments, and there will be no more than three units per floor. In addition to the balconies, amenities will include a basement laundry room, storage, and a bike room. Permits were approved last July, and filings indicate that construction is imminent, if not currently underway. A completion date estimate has not yet been provided.
The eight-story building will have 23 apartments, and there will be no more than three units per floor. In addition to the balconies, amenities will include a basement laundry room, storage, and a bike room. Permits were approved last July, and filings indicate that construction is imminent, if not currently underway. A completion date estimate has not yet been provided.
Rendering via Ariel Property Advisors
The area around Hudson Square is seeing some tall towers alongside the new addition to the skyline, and perhaps 440 West 36th Street is looking to catch up: Permits are under review for the expansion of a six-story residential building, located just north of Hudson Yards between Dyer Avenue and Tenth Avenue. Indeed, renderings provided by Ariel Property Advisors show that this would bring it in line with the tall building directly next door.
The horizontal and vertical expansion would bring the building to 10 stories and 116 feet high, and the 11 units in the building will go down to nine. Each floor will have one floor-through unit with a duplex penthouse on the ninth and tenth floors. An estimated completion date has not been provided.
The horizontal and vertical expansion would bring the building to 10 stories and 116 feet high, and the 11 units in the building will go down to nine. Each floor will have one floor-through unit with a duplex penthouse on the ninth and tenth floors. An estimated completion date has not been provided.
H Hotel, Midtown West
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In the wake of last year’s lockdown, the New York Post announced that the iconic Bryant Park Hotel would be converted to office space. However, those who wish to enjoy both park views and easy access to both Times Square and Grand Central Terminal will be in luck: Permits have been fully approved for H Hotel W39th, a 34-story hotel located at 58 West 39th Street.
Renderings by Peter Poon Architects depict a glass facade, two cantilevers, a curved roof, and an outdoor terrace. The 173-room hotel will directly overlook Bryant Park and the New York Public Library, and the sheer height will allow for gorgeous skyline views. Construction is underway, but a completion date has not been provided.
Renderings by Peter Poon Architects depict a glass facade, two cantilevers, a curved roof, and an outdoor terrace. The 173-room hotel will directly overlook Bryant Park and the New York Public Library, and the sheer height will allow for gorgeous skyline views. Construction is underway, but a completion date has not been provided.
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The three-story townhouse at 413 East 53rd Street looks unassuming compared to the high-rises on the block and the mansions elsewhere in Sutton Place, but it has quite a salacious past: According to Daytonian in New York, it was previously owned by a slumlord and operated as a tenement that housed the working class. Additionally, when hotels got too strict, some prostitutes received their clients in the building.
413 East 53rd Street was converted to a shop that would house the Murray Hill Sheet Metal Works, and sold to the Benevolent Society for the Propagation of Cremation in 1918, but neither business stayed long. It would later attract more high-brow tenants like The Oxford Antique Co., Inc., the Powgen Press, and Don Ruseau, Inc.
For its most recent incarnation, the property is being marketed as a single-family townhouse for $3.9 million. That makes it the least expensive townhouse in Beekman/Sutton Place, according to CityRealty listings, but that could be because it’s being sold in “as is” condition - gutted and vacant. However, a first-floor atrium, a second-floor terrace, exposed brick walls, working fireplaces, and numerous windows throughout offer promising bones. Renderings in the listing show a slick townhouse, but it would be nice if the buyer was able to keep and preserve the historic facade.
413 East 53rd Street was converted to a shop that would house the Murray Hill Sheet Metal Works, and sold to the Benevolent Society for the Propagation of Cremation in 1918, but neither business stayed long. It would later attract more high-brow tenants like The Oxford Antique Co., Inc., the Powgen Press, and Don Ruseau, Inc.
For its most recent incarnation, the property is being marketed as a single-family townhouse for $3.9 million. That makes it the least expensive townhouse in Beekman/Sutton Place, according to CityRealty listings, but that could be because it’s being sold in “as is” condition - gutted and vacant. However, a first-floor atrium, a second-floor terrace, exposed brick walls, working fireplaces, and numerous windows throughout offer promising bones. Renderings in the listing show a slick townhouse, but it would be nice if the buyer was able to keep and preserve the historic facade.
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Just complete the info below.
Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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