JDS is trudging ahead with plans to build a 1,000-foot skyscraper on the Lower East Side waterfront. The new building would rise at 247 Cherry Street, topping out at 77 stories and bringing 639 rental units to the area.
JDS teamed up with SHoP Architects to create the new tower. Renderings reveal a green terra cotta and glass exterior broken up by a few sky decks. The building would also host a community garden, meeting space, and ground floor retail. Of the tower’s proposed 639 rental units, 25% would be designated as affordable.
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This past Monday night, JDS and SHoP delivered a public presentation of their project at a meeting with Community Board 3. As Bowery Boogie spells out, Michael Stern of JDS and Gregg Pasquarelli of SHoP led their argument confidently at the meeting, answering every concern with a carefully crafted response. The team noted that historically, change in the area has never been popular. However, according to Stern, a current lack of affordable housing makes this project a necessity at a time when rents are rising and wages are not. Many in the audience remained wary about how exactly affordability was calculated with regards to the area.
The team also outlined a plan to protect the new building from future storms by elevating critical infrastructure, adding protective walls, and installing generators. They also detailed a plan for upgrades to the 10-story Two Bridges Senior Apartments at 80 Rutgers Slip. The plans include upgrades to common spaces, new community space, and flood resiliency upgrades. Also coming will be new neighborhood, and new landscaped areas that will be designed by SCAPE,
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Further dismay at the meeting was centered around the fact that there is currently a law suit involving the 500,000 square feet of air rights JDS purchased from local nonprofits Settlement Housing Fund and the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council for $51 million. JDS had no comment. Updates for the project can be tracked here.
Contributing Writer
Katy Cornell
Katy Cornell is a Long Island native with a passion for writing about real estate in the big city. She recently graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in English and is a frequent contributor to CityRealty's Market Insight and NYC real estate blog 6sqft.
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