New development potential of 26 million sq.ft. of office space and 13.6 million sq.ft. of residential; 24 acres of parks, a subway extension, and a new boulevard approved. On November 22, 2004, the Commission approved the Bloomberg Administration’s major urban planning initiative for Manhattan’s Hudson Yards, the area bounded by West 30th and West 43rd Streets, running from Seventh and Eighth Avenues to Twelfth Avenue.

The ten applications before the Commission would achieve a comprehensive redevelopment plan, the expansion of City services and a rezoning of the entire area. At the center of the plan for redevelopment is the transfer from the MTA to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services of the 30-acre, eastern portion of the Caemmerer Yard, spanning from West 30th to West 33rd Streets and from Tenth to Eleventh Avenues, for construction of a platform over the yard. (See C 040505 PQM.) The platform would facilitate future private development and the City’s construction of new parks. Further, the rail yard transfer would partially enable the No. 7 Flushing Line expansion, which is proposed to extend from Times Square to West 41st Street and Tenth Avenue, then south to West 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue. (See C 040504 PQM.) (more…)

Watchtower reduced height to gain approval of complex. On December 2, 2004, following extensive negotiations between the developer and Council Members Leticia James and David Yassky, the City Council approved the 736,400 sq.ft. development proposed by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., subject to a height reduction. The modification, which reduced the street-wall heights of the Front Street buildings to 82 ft. and a maximum height of 110 ft. away from the street, was the second modification agreed to by Watchtower to obtain City approval.

Watchtower assembled the 135,000 sq.ft. site, encompassing the entire 3-acre city block bounded by Front, Bridge, York and Jay Streets, during the 1980s and the 1990s, but left it vacant. It remains one of the only large, undeveloped parcels in the area, and its location, immediately adjacent to an “F” subway line entrance, makes it a vital entry point for DUMBO. (more…)

New 12-million gallon sewage storage facility to be built. The Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services sought approval of a 3.6-acre site selection for a combined sewage overflow storage facility to reduce stormwater sewage discharge emitted into Westchester Creek. The development required Commission approval for the site selection, acquisition of 155,900 sq.ft. of land and a special permit allowing the sewage facility in a residentially-zoned area of the Bronx.

The site is located along an unmapped street in the southwestern portion of the Bronx Psychiatric Center, roughly bounded on the north by Waters Place, east by Eastchester Road and west by Industrial Place. The sewage facility would include a two-story operation building, with air treatment and mechanical facilities, and a 25- foot deep underground storage tank, 348 ft. by 170 ft. in dimension. (more…)

Tower to have been built adjacent to Brooklyn Bridge withdrawn within hours of Council’s vote. With only one day remaining in the Council’s 50-day review deadline, Two Trees Management Co., the developer of a proposed 178-foot residential tower adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge side span, withdrew its application on October 13, 2004, the same day Council scheduled its vote.

The project was proposed for DUMBO along Water, Dock, and Front Streets, with a part of the site located directly beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The Planning Commission had approved the 178-foot tower with 200 residential units, 327 parking spaces, retail and community facilities space on August 25, 2004, only after the developer reduced the building’s height closest to the Brooklyn Bridge from 170 ft. to 88 ft., matching the Brooklyn Bridge roadway. Furthest from the Bridge, the building’s height remained 178 ft. (more…)

Commission approves iconic design for 518-foot mixed-use development in Harlem. On September 8, 2004, the City Planning Commission approved a 493,646-square-foot mixed-use development containing 230 hotel rooms, 100 residential units, office space, retail space, and a 369-space public parking garage. To achieve the size and design, the developer, 1800 Park Avenue LLC, sought a rezoning of the project site to allow the hotel and an increased floor area as well as two special permits to allow the parking garage and modify height and setback. Marriott International would lease the hotel component.

The project site, on the west side of Park Avenue at East 125th Street, is at a vital axis point of the Central and East Harlem neighborhoods and is immediately adjacent to the MTA MetroNorth 125th Street station. The area is primarily residential with mostly four to six-story residential buildings. The tallest building is 33-stories, located at 3rd Avenue and 123rd Street. (more…)