A vacant lot in the Flatiron District is on its way to getting a new building. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved an application for a single-family residence at 34 West 21st Street.
Last November, YIMBY reported that the 18-story, 288-unit mixed-use project at 7 West 21st Street, in the Flatiron District, topped out. Since then, much of the façade has been installed on both street fronts — the building spans the block between 21st and 22nd streets — as seen in photos taken by Tectonic. The latest building permits indicate the project encompasses 289,809 square feet. Both buildings will be connected up to the ground floor, where 13,076 square feet of retail is planned. The residential units above will be rentals, averaging 904 square feet apiece. Twenty percent (58 units) will rent at below-market rates through the affordable housing lottery. Friedland Properties is the developer. Morris Adjmi Architects is the design architect, with the Stephen B. Jacobs Group serving as the executive architect. Completion is expected in 2017. The new building sits within the Ladies’ Mile Historic District.
Breaking Ground, with the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), has proposed to convert the five-story former La Semana hotel at 25 West 24th Street, in the Flatiron District, into a 47-bed homeless shelter, DNAinfo reported. The facility would be an emergency shelter for street-homeless individuals. Housing there would be temporary until the city could move individuals to more sustainable living arrangements. After opposition from neighborhood residents grew before a recently scheduled meeting, officials decided to postpone the discussion until later this month. DHS doesn’t need the local Community Board’s approval and plans to move forward with the conversion as-of-right, according to its spokesperson. La Semana closed earlier this year after accumulating years of nightmarish reviews on TripAdvisor.
Just how in control of a historic district is the Landmarks Preservation Commission? The answer is very in control, as illustrated by one recent approval in the Flatiron District. Think of the commission as a curator.
A NoMad hotel will be getting a facelift. The Landmarks Preservation Commission recently approved work to be done at the Broadway Plaza Hotel, located at 1155 Broadway, in the Madison Square North Historic District.
