Council refused Hines’s request to restore the 200 feet cut from the proposed MoMA tower. On October 14, 2009, the City Council approved a modified version of Hines Interests’ proposal to build a mixed-use tower adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art complex at 53 West 53rd Street in Midtown, Manhattan. The original proposal called for an 85-story, 1,250-foot tower that would include 51,949 sq.ft. of additional gallery space for MoMA, a 147,965 sq.ft. hotel, and 458,412 sq.ft. of residential floor area. In order to build the project, Hines requested approval to transfer a combined 411,000 sq.ft. of development rights from the landmarked University Club and St. Thomas Church.

At the City Planning Commission’s July 22 hearing, opponents expressed concerns about the project’s impact on the neighborhood, arguing the tower was inappropriate for the site’s mid-block location. The Commission approved the project, but it reduced the tower’s height by 200 feet, noting that the building did not merit reaching the height of the Empire State Building, the City’s tallest building. 6 CityLand 138 (Oct. 15, 2009). (read more…)