Sports Center received 10-year extension; filed house ruled as-of-right. In 1995, Chelsea Piers, L.P., owner and developer of Chelsea Piers at Piers 59-62 between West 17th and West 23rd Streets in Manhattan, received a special permit from BSA to operate a gym and sports facility on an 181,781-square-foot portion of Pier 60 that eventually became the Chelsea Piers Sports Center and Fieldhouse. The Sports Center contains an 115,960-square-foot health club with a pool and facilities for weightlifting, yoga, aerobics, boxing and pilates. The 65,821-square-foot Fieldhouse provides gymnastics, soccer, basketball, floor hockey, baseball and dance.
When the permit expired, Chelsea Piers requested a 10-year extension for the Sports Complex, but asked that the Fieldhouse be excluded from the permit since the space’s use was now as-of-right. Since the Fieldhouse’s use was uncertain during Chelsea Piers’ development, the owner’s original special permit included it. The owners ultimately decided to operate the Fieldhouse as-of-right under a use definition allowing “gymnasiums used exclusively for basketball, handball, paddleball, racquetball, squash and tennis.” (more…)
Developer reduced overall size, but increased street wall height. A Chelsea developer applied to BSA to construct an 11-story, 187-foot tall residential building with ground floor retail space on a manufacturing- zoned lot at Seventh Avenue and West 27th Street, arguing that the small, 1,683-square-foot lot size justified the use variance. The existing two-story building, containing Rosa’s Pizza and Manhattan’s Heros, would be demolished.
BSA objected to the height and size, stressing that the proposal would clash with neighboring buildings. When the developer slightly reduced the building’s size by 1,683 sq.ft., BSA maintained its objections. The final design called for ten stories, ten units and a total height of 130 feet, but increased the street wall height from 87 to 107 feet.
The developer submitted as-of- right feasibility studies showing that an 18-story office building would be infeasible due to the increased construction costs caused by the narrow and shallow lot and by the weak return on office space with such small floor plates. (more…)
Since taking office in January 2006, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has set land use policy and community board reform as priorities.
Stringer hired Anthony Borelli as his Director of Land Use, Planning and Development. Before joining the Borough President’s office, Borelli studied urban planning at Columbia University and worked with the university’s Urban Technical Assistance Project, which provides urban planning consultation to distressed communities. Borelli then served as District Manager of Community Board 4 for five years, where he dealt with the highly complex Hudson Yards and High Line/West Chelsea rezonings and large developments like the John Jay College expansion.
CityLand interviewed Borelli to discuss Borough President Stringer’s land use agenda. (more…)
Rezoning will allow Chelsea’s International Toy Center to be converted for residential use. 200 Fifth, LLC applied to rezone 200 Fifth Avenue and 1107 Broadway in Chelsea, Manhattan, to allow conversion of manufacturing/commercial buildings to residences with an expected 500 units. The buildings, located between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, along West 23rd and 25th Streets, are home to The International Toy Center and nearly 300 toy companies, many of which have been tenants since 1938. The map amendment would replace M1-6 with C5-2 on two blocks, permitting residential and commercial use without altering the FAR or height limits. 200 Fifth also applied for a special permit to construct a 54-space attended garage on the site to service the new residences.
At the February 8, 2006 Commission hearing, there were no speakers in opposition. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s representative, Anthony Borelli, advocated approval on condition that current tenants have access to the building for the February 2006 toy fair. The Toy Industry Association also spoke in favor and noted 200 Fifth’s agreement to allow tenants to remain for the toy fair and provide relocation assistance. A representative from the Economic Development Corporation spoke about its efforts to keep the toy industry in New York City by helping relocate the tenants. (more…)
Rendering of High Line Elevated Structure, affected in a follow-up zoning action in West Chelsea. All images created by Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Permission to reproduce images: courtesy The City of New York, (c) 2004.
Boundaries, frontage, easement access and lot coverage modified for High Line and Special West Chelsea district. In June 2005, the City Council approved several applications related to West Chelsea including the establishment of a Special West Chelsea District to support development of the High Line elevated public space, art galleries, marketrate housing, and affordable housing. 2 CityLand 83 (July 15, 2005). Public review of the proposed text amendments identified the need for additional modifications.
On October 27, 2005, the Planning Department filed an application for a Follow-Up Corrective Action, or FUCA, proposing modifications to the text amendments. The proposal clarified the boundaries, lot coverage calculations, and access requirements for the High Line Improvement Area; reduced minimum allowable frontage for development along the High Line; and identified Parks as the agency responsible for High Line maintenance and inspection. The proposal also added anti-harassment provisions similar to those created for the neighboring Special Hudson Yards District. 3 CityLand 5 (Feb. 15, 2006).
The Commission unanimously approved, finding that the application addressed needs identified during the approval process of the prior text amendments. (more…)
