Paul Selver testifies before the Board of Standards and Appeals. Image credit: BSA
Board distinguished the application from relevant case law. On July 28th, the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to reopen and amend a variance for the applicant, 124 West 24th Street Condominium, to facilitate the conveyance of unused development rights. The site from which the rights were to be transferred was the subject of a previous Board variance and could not be transferred without Board approval.
Rendering of development at 298-308 Lafayette Street, view from Houston Street toward the west. Image Credit: CookFox Architects.
Commissioners embrace plan by CookFox Architects that would replace gas station, garage, bar and billboard. On April 9, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness for the construction of a new, seven-story building at 298-308 Lafayette Street. The three lots face the Puck Building and are at the corner of Lafayette and Houston Streets in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District Extension. The plan calls for the demolition of three existing structures that currently occupy the site. This includes the demolition of the Puck Fair bar, Houston Car Care, a BP gas station, and a billboard. The new building will be used for office and retail space.
Developer Marcello Porcelli, President of LargaVista Companies, said the plan utilizes the site for “a higher and better use” than its current occupants. Porcelli said “we were extremely selective in choosing the right steward for this design process,” and that sustainability was a “guiding principle” of the project.
