Areas under study by the Department of City Planning for inclusion into the Special West Chelsea District. Area “A” is currently slated for expansion. Image credit: DCP

Proposal extends Special District bulk regulations and clarifies language in the zoning text.  On January 13, 2015 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to approve the expansion of the Special West Chelsea District. The proposal was designed by the Department of City Planning and Manhattan Community Board 4 to expand the district by one partial block between West 15th Street to the north, West 14th Street to the south, 9th Avenue to the east, and 10th Avenue to the west in order to reinforce the residential character of West Chelsea. The proposal was approved by the City Planning Commission on December 17, 2014.

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Rendering of the new Irish Arts Center on 11th Avenue. Image credit: Ciaran O’Connor, Office of Public Works, Ireland

Program will permit a new 30,000-square foot facility and expansion of community garden. On September 10, 2014, the City Council voted unanimously to approve an application which would facilitate the Irish Arts Center’s construction of a new facility and expand the existing Juan Alonso Community Garden. The application was proposed by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The new Irish Arts Center will be located on 11th Avenue between West 51st Street and West 52nd Street. The Garden expansion will improve a 1,255-square foot paved driveway at 555 West 51st Street and incorporate the space into the existing public garden. (read more…)

Areas under study by the Department of City Planning for inclusion into the Special West Chelsea District. “Area A” (at bottom) is currently before the City Planning Commission. Image credit: DCP

CPC certified application to increase the district’s footprint.  On September 2, 2014, the City Planning Commission held a review session on the Department of City Planning’s proposal to expand the Special West Chelsea District.  The proposal would expand the district by one partial block, generally bounded by West 15th Street to the north, West 14th Street to the south, 9th Avenue to the east, and 10th Avenue to the west.  The existing West Chelsea district is generally bounded between West 30th Street to the north, West 15th Street to the south, 11th Avenue to the west, and 9th Avenue to the east.  The district was originally formed with the intent of developing the High Line into a public open space, and the surrounding West Chelsea neighborhood into a mixed-use residential community.  (See previous CityLand coverage here.)

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Rendering of proposed mixed-use building at 625 West 57th Street. Image Courtesy: Durst Development LLC.

New development plan promises period of residential affordability, lively streetscape, and small public space in Manhattan. On December 19, 2012, the City Planning Commission approved Durst Development LLC’s mixed-use development project at 625 West 57th Street. A unique, pyramid-shaped, 35-story building between West 57th and 58th Streets will be the centerpiece of the project. The building will contain 753 rental units including 151 affordable units, ground floor retail space, and a 285-space accessory parking garage. The development project will also include a conversion of a Manhattan Mini Storage building at 600 West 58th Street to community facility, residential, or retail uses. Finally, an access drive will be built connecting West 57th and West 58th Streets to provide access to the new building’s parking garage and lobby. (See CityLand’s past coverage here).

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Rendering of proposed mixed-use building at 625 West 57th Street. Image Courtesy: Durst Development LLC.

99-year ground lease hinders owner’s ability to provide permanent affordable housing. Durst Development LLC proposed a mixed-use, Large-Scale General Development (LSGD) project on multiple lots in Manhattan adjacent to the Hudson River. The property block is bounded by West 57th and West 58th Streets, and 11th and 12th Avenues. The west side of the block is currently a vacant lot, while on the east side of the block is The Helena – a residential and retail building also owned by Durst – and a Manhattan Mini Storage. On the surrounding blocks are the former Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Powerhouse to the north, now operating as a Con Edison steam station, and car dealerships and a City Department of Sanitation garage to the south. (read more…)

Chelsea Market exterior at 75 Ninth Avenue, Manhattan. Credit: Chelsea Market.

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Affordable housing contribution would be used by nearby Fulton Houses if floor area bonus utilized. On October 25, 2012, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved Jamestown Properties’ modified expansion plan for Chelsea Market at 75 Ninth Avenue in Manhattan. The Market is a complex of 18 different buildings occupying the entire block bounded by West 14th and West 15th Streets and Ninth and Tenth Avenues. A section of the High Line Park cuts through the Market along Tenth Avenue. The expansion would facilitate the growth of Chelsea Market’s creative and media office use, as well as provide financial and practical benefits to the High Line.

The proposed expansion plan includes a 240,000-square-foot office space enlargement for 85 Tenth Avenue and a 90,000-square-foot enlargement at 75 Ninth Avenue for hotel use. The plan also extends the Special West Chelsea District to include the entire Chelsea Market block. The Special West Chelsea District was created in 2005. 2 CityLand 83 (July 15, 2005). The inclusion would facilitate the proposed expansion by retaining the block’s M1-5 zoning designation, and by allowing an increase in the maximum floor area ratio on the site from 5.0 to 7.5 FAR upon Jamestown making a financial contribution to the High Line Improvement Fund. Jamestown also promised to provide the High Line with amenities such as public restrooms and a freight elevator. (read more…)