Fire-damaged building in historic SoHo to be restored and increased in height. Morty Lipkis, owner of 44 Mercer Street, a 2,480-square-foot lot in SoHo, proposed to replace a vacant fire-damaged building zoned for manufacturing with a 102-foot tall, seven-story mixed-use building. The proposed building would serve residential and retail uses with 12,549- square-feet of floor space, requiring variances for use and rear yard size. The site’s current two-story structure abuts a rear building and offers no rear yard space.

Lipkis argued that the site’s narrow 27-foot width and the abutting rear building made it impossible to realize a reasonable rate of return while conforming to the district’s manufacturing and 40-foot rear yard requirements. Lipkis further stated that the proposed 24-foot rear yard would improve existing conditions. Lipkis submitted alternate designs for office use and residential use with a 30-foot rear yard, but argued that he could not realize a reasonable return under either scenario. (read more…)