Pier 97

Pier 97 has been, for the last several years, the home only of a sanitation facility and sanitation trucks owned by the Department of Sanitation. Now, under the direction of the Hudson River Trust and with fundraising from the Friends of the Hudson River, the Pier is being torn down, rebuilt and filled with recreational areas like the rest of the Piers.

Important Information:

• The Department of Sanitation agreed to move the sanitation building to the 57th St. Garage across the street over eight years ago. The garage was to be built in 2003, but when the DoS had not followed through on their promise to build and move by 2005, the Friends of Hudson River Park sued the city to keep them accountable, winning $18 million in the settlement that is going into the current construction. Delays also included a fire at the building last year. Information can be found at http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/124965/fire-damages-sanitation-department-facility-on-pier.
• To find out more about the difficulty in moving the Department of Sanitation, go to http://www.fohrp.org/news/default.aspx?&ArticleId=97
• As of July 28, 2011, the building is concentrated on constructing the pilings which form the structural basis of the Pier.
• The new pilings will be made of concrete and will last approximately 50 years, and are replacing outdated wooden pilings. This construction effort will last until the end of October, at which point, because it is taking place in water, construction cannot resume until next May. Land work will continue through the fall and winter.
• If $8 million more of funding comes through, likely from both the state and the city, then construction of the actual pier and deck will continue in the Spring of 2012 and continue into the spring and summer. If all goes according to plan, the new Pier should be finished by early 2013.
• The Pier will be part of Clinton Cove Park and will have a pier water taxi landing, a historic ship, a playground, basketball courts, open space and other amenities similar to those on other piers.
• The inconveniences to constituents should be minimal. When the deck is built in 2012, the bike path may experience disruption and the walkway will be narrowed.

Plans for Pier 97

To find out more about Pier 97, see http://pier97.com/

Hudson Hill Condominium at 462 West 58th Street

Hudson Hill is one of the developments that has been in progress in CB4 and School District 2 over the past several years. Four brownstones on the lot were bought four years ago and torn down to make way for all new construction of this now completed building.

Block: 1067
Landmark Status: No

Architect: FXFowle Architects
Developer: Alchemy Properties
Manager: Pan Am Equities
Sales and marketing: Alchemy Properties
Sales office telephone number: (212) 732-0372
Sales started: October 2007
Website: http://www.hudsonhillcondo.com/

Important Information:

• Because construction is completed, there should be no inconvenience in driving or walking around the Time Warner and Columbus Circle Area
• There have been 70 complaints, all registered 2009 or prior. They complain mainly of debris (which is no longer an issue) and unsafe site conditions. This resulted in six accused violations, of which three were found to be in violation.
• There is no record of the property transfer on ACRIS, the Department of Finance’s database.

To find out more, see Street Easy and the NYC Dept. of Buildings.

101 W. 87th St.

Yair Levy had planned to convert this building into condominiums, but underwent foreclosure and was accused of fraud. It was then bought by Fisher Brothers and BlackRock and is being developed by Bazbaz Development. To find out more about this deal and the fallout, click here and here.

Block:1218

Developer: Balbaz Development
President: Sonny Bazbaz
Attorney for Fisher Brothers: Martin Heistein (Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman, LLP)
Property Manager: David Frankel (Flatiron Real Estate Advisors, LLC)
Sales and marketing: Halstead
Sales office telephone: 212-381-2552

Important Information:

• 101 W 87th St has 2 beds, 2 baths, approximately 1,302 square feet, and was built in 1987
• The developer has proposed to shut down the only working elevator for 2 days despite there being at least four inhabitants of the building who cannot manage stairs.
• The ventilators in the building are not working and need to be fixed.
• People currently have access without being announced.  This is a recurrent issue.

200 Riverside Boulevard

200 Riverside Boulevard in Lincoln Square has been developed. It takes up the entire 182 foot block front of Freedom Place.

Block: 1171

Landmark Status: None

Realty Service: Massey Knakal
Architect: Costas Kondylis & Partners

Important Information:

• There have been 38 alleged violations, of which 16 were found to be in violation. Complaints were minor, mainly about things left in the street.

Find out more at streeteasy and NYC DOB.

2182-2186 Broadway

There have been a stretch of stores closing on the block of Broadway between 77th and 78th St. including Ruby Foo’s, the Manhattan Diner, Cosi, a Tae Kwon Do Center, Curl Up & Dye hai salon, the World of Nuts & Ice Cream.  The land is all owned by Friedland Properties, and it has been verified that they intend to build a 20-story residential building with commercial storefronts on the ground level. This building is being built “as of right”, which means that it accords with all zoning laws and therefore is not subject to discretionary action by the City Planning Commission. To find out more about “as-of-right” building, see the NYC Zoning Glossary – http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/zone/glossary.shtml. The application to the DOB was filed in February and initially rejected; however, this is a common step in the process, and the as-of-right status means that the application is likely to be accepted.

Block: 1169
Landmark Status: None

Developers: Friedland Properties
Telephone: 212- 744-3300
Website: http://friedlandproperties.com/about.cfm

Important Information

• New York Magazine has an article about the block, arguing that it would be a tragedy to allow this block of low buildings and accessible stores to be replaced by taller, impersonal buildings. They claim it would ruin the feel of that block and indeed endanger the existence of blocks like it. The whole article is here: http://nymag.com/arts/architecture/reviews/uws-davidson-review-2011-8/
• Several restaurants including Cosi, S. J. Kim’s Tae Kwon Do school, and Ruby Foo are already closed or are slated to close. Susie’s Nail Salon, Laile Rowe and Manhattan Diner will be closing, some because Friedland Properties informed them they would be demolished.
• The co-owner of Manhattan Diner gave an interview (an article about it can be found here http://www.dnainfo.com/20110215/upper-west-side/upper-west-side-diner-forced-close-after-11-years) about being forced to close.
• Friedland Properties has been accused of refusing to negotiate rents.
• There will be 172,473 square feet of residential space and 18,689 square feet of commercial space.
• When development begins, it is possible that there will be some inconvenience and construction on the entire block.
• The building has received 14 complaints, mostly about after hours work and working without a permit. This has resulted in 13 accused violations and 5 found violations.
• The property has 1 open DOB and 2 open ECB “Work Without A Permit” Violations.

Find out more from DNAinfo and the NYC DOB.

845 West End Avenue

A classic, pre-war condominium has been restored.

Block: 1889
Landmark Status: Calendared

Architect: Cetra/Ruddy
Developer: Sterling American Properties & Atlas Capital
Sales and marketing: Corcoran
Sales office telephone: 212-784-9845
Sales start: June 2010
Website: http://www.845wea.com

Important Information

• This property has received 50 complaints, mostly regarding building stability, permit issues and worker endangerment. This has resulted in 32 accused violation, of which 18 were found to be in violation.
• There should be no walking or driving interference in the area.

Find out more at streeteasy and the NYC Department of Buildings

 

 

 

 

The Laureate at 2150 Broadway

The Laureate at 2150 Broadway is being developed.

Block: 1167
Landmark Status: No

Architect: SLCE Architects
Developer: The Stahl Organization
Interiors: Deborah Berke
Sales and marketing: Brown Harris Stevens
Sales office address: 2150 Broadway
Sales office telephone: 212-877-7600
Sales start: Feb 2011
Website: http://www.laureatenyc.com

Important Information

• There have been 32 complaints about this development, most regarding after hours work and working conditions resulting in 39 accused violations of which 26 were found to be in violation.
• There should be no interference with driving or walking in the nearby area

Find out more at from streeteasy and from the NYC Dept of Buildings.

The Apthorp at 390 West End Avenue

The Apthorp at 390 West End Avenue is being developed.

Block: 1170
Landmark Status: Yes

Architect: Clinton & Russell (original); BP Architects (current)
Developer: Apthorp Associates LLC
Manager: Broadwall Management of Apthorp LLC
Sales and marketing: Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group
Sales office tel: 212.799.2211
Sales start: Fall 2008
Website: http://www.theapthorp.com/

Important information:

• There have been 77 complaints about this property, most involving illegal construction, plumbing or other work, which have resulted in 35 accused violations, 22 of which have been found to be actual violations.
• There should be no interference with driving or walking in the nearby area.

Find out more at http://streeteasy.com/nyc/building/the-apthorp