Briarwood, a low-slung and middle-class neighborhood in central Queens, was largely downzoned to prevent development in 2008. But the developer-friendly zoning along Queens Boulevard was left in place. There, not too far from the Briarwood stop on the E and F trains, one builder plans to replace a small roadside diner with a seven-story, mixed-use apartment building.
Two years ago, developer Adam Gordon announced he had partnered with EMS Capital to convert an 11-story storage building at 305 East 61st Street on the Upper East Side into a high-end art storage facility. Those plans never materialized, and now the owners have filed plans for a more typical residential conversion.
Last week, Anbau Enterprises held a groundbreaking ceremony for their planned 13-story, 19-unit mixed-use project at 207 West 79th Street, on the Upper West Side. Foundation work appears to have completed, which means the ceremony likely indicates the project will soon begin its ascent skyward. The latest building permits show that the project will encompass 71,568 square feet. There will be 5,194 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, followed by 19 condominiums averaging a spacious 2,887 square feet apiece. Amenities include a fitness center, private residential storage space, laundry facilities, and storage for 10 bikes. Morris Adjmi Architects is designing the exterior and interior spaces. The project was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in October of 2014. The project required the LPC’s approval since it sits within the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District. Completion is expected in 2017.
When YIMBY dove into the history of 101-111 Murray Street in TriBeCa earlier this summer, foundation work was underway for a planned 58-story, 157-unit residential tower. Construction on the project is now three stories above street level, as seen in photos posted to the YIMBY Forums by user rbrome. The latest building permits indicate the tower, to rise 800 feet, will encompass 479,278 square feet. The ground floor will host 2,088 square feet of retail, followed by residential units starting on the fourth floor. The apartments, condominiums, should average 2,356 square feet apiece. They will be accompanied by 20,000 square feet of luxury amenities. Fisher Brothers, Witkoff, and New Valley are the developers. Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates is the design architect while Goldstein, Hill & West Architects is serving as the executive architect. MR Architecture + Décor and Rockwell Group are designing the interiors, and Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects is designing the area around the base. Completion is expected in 2018.
A proposal to add four stories of residential space to a single-story commercial building in Queens is still on hold. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, for the second time, declined to approve the plan for 35-64 85th Street.
