One Vanderbilt. Image credit: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC

Early in January 2017 the City of New York began the official public approval process for a proposal to rezone East Midtown Manhattan. The proposal was based in part on a report by the East Midtown Steering Committee co-chaired by the Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and the District 4 Council Member Daniel Garodnick.

The new 2017 proposal is the third proposal for rezoning East Midtown. In 2013 the Bloomberg Administration proposed to rezone East Midtown, but was forced by opposition to withdraw the proposal.  In 2015 the City rezoned the limited area along the Vanderbilt Corridor adjacent to Grand Central Terminal.  Both the current 2017 proposal and the 2015 adopted Vanderbilt Corridor rezoning are an improvement over the Bloomberg Administration’s withdrawn proposal; a developer cannot just write a check to receive bonus floor area, but must build an improvement to the public realm.  Still, both the new proposal and the Vanderbilt Corridor rezoning represent “zoning-for-dollars,” and take zoning in a wrong direction.  How might we do better? (read more…)

Councilmember Daniel Garodnick delivers the keynote address of the East Midtown Rezoning panel. Image credit: Manhattan Chamber of Commerce

The Councilmember spoke to early details of what’s next after the Vanderbilt Corridor.  On July 16, 2015 City Councilmember Daniel Garodnick delivered the keynote address at the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce’s panel discussion on the East Midtown Rezoning.  (See CityLand’s complete video of the event here.)

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Architect’s rendering of One Vanderbilt Place and Grand Central Terminal. Image credit: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

Proposal returns to City Planning with additional infrastructure improvements.  On May 5, 2015 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to modify and approve the proposed One Vanderbilt skyscraper project and Vanderbilt Corridor rezoning plan.  (See previous CityLand coverage here.) The proposal as approved now includes a second transit hall on 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, as well as a 22 percent increase in the below-grade pedestrian space. The below-grade increase allows for direct transfer between subway riders and the future East Side Access extension of the Long Island Railroad without having to go up through Grand Central’s main concourse first. The modifications amount to an extra $10 million in infrastructure improvements, increasing developer SL Green’s total investment cost to $220 million after earlier modifications by the City Planning Commission.

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Councilmember Dan Garodnick led the questioning on the One Vanderbilt proposal. Image credit: William Alatriste / New York City Council

Representatives of the project and the Department of City Planning spoke during a four-hour hearing.  On April 13, 2015 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on One Vanderbilt, a proposed 1,450-foot commercial tower in East Midtown, as well as an accompanying proposal to rezone five blocks of Vanderbilt Avenue to create the Vanderbilt Corridor.  The building will be located adjacent to Grand Central Terminal, bounded by East 42nd Street to the south, East 43rd Street to the north, Madison Avenue to the west, and Vanderbilt Avenue to the east.  The rezoning intends to facilitate commercial development on the west side of Vanderbilt Avenue between East 42nd and East 47th Streets, and designate Vanderbilt Avenue between East 42nd and East 43rd Streets as a public pedestrian space.  As a part of the overall proposal, project applicant SL Green will invest $210 million in transit and infrastructure improvements to Grand Central.

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Architect’s rendering of One Vanderbilt Place and Grand Central Terminal. Image credit: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

The application seeks to rezone five blocks along Vanderbilt Avenue to permit construction of a new commercial tower.  On March 30, 2015 the City Planning Commission approved SL Green’s proposal to build One Vanderbilt, a 1,450-foot commercial tower, and establish the five-block Vanderbilt Corridor.  The building will be located on the block adjacent to Grand Central Terminal, bounded by East 42nd Street to the south, East 43rd Street to the north, Madison Avenue to the west, and Vanderbilt Avenue to the east.  The rezoning will affect the west side of Vanderbilt Avenue between East 42nd and East 47th Streets to facilitate commercial development and designate Vanderbilt Avenue between East 42nd and East 43rd Streets as a public place for pedestrian use.  As a part of the rezoning and construction proposal, SL Green will invest $210 million in transit and infrastructure improvements to Grand Central.

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