While most of YIMBY’s recent supertall coverage has focused on the 57th Street corridor projects like 220 Central Park South (nearly supertall) and 217 West 57th Street (Central Park Tower), there’s also a commercial supertall set to shine over Midtown, and it’s getting closer to beginning its ascent.
On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held public hearings on six proposed designations. One was for a complex in East New York, Brooklyn and the latter five were for properties in Midtown East.
New York City is full of amazing stories of transformation. Many neighborhoods are dramatically different from the way they were 100 years ago. That’s certainly true of Midtown East, the area around Grand Central Terminal, and it is on the cusp of a new era of transformation. Various city agencies are managing that transformation, which included a rezoning plan abandoned in 2013. It also includes preservation. That’s where the Landmarks Preservation Commission comes into play.
After the City Council greenlighted One Vanderbilt’s rezoning in May, it was only a matter of time until developer SL Green pushed forward with construction of the 67-story commercial tower. And on Friday, they filed plans for the project, under the property’s main address at 51 East 42nd Street.
A committee assigned to propose changes for Midtown East’s zoning is expected to submit plans with the City by June 30th, hopefully facilitating a rezoning that would be formally crafted by the Department of Planning. The rezoning may give developers a boost in FAR in return for funding transit improvements. Also, developers may be able to transfer air rights from landmarked buildings to other properties within the district as-of-right, according The Wall Street Journal.
