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A plan to put a 13-story condo tower on top of a pair of 19th-century Upper West Side buildings cleared its first hurdle earlier this month. Now neighbors are trying to make sure it doesn’t clear the next one.
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They’ve launched a petition against Terra Developers’ plan for 500 Columbus Avenue, the Gristedes building on the northwest corner of West 84th Street. Terra bought the building in August for $28 million. The developer wants to restore the two 1895 buildings on the site and add a 19-unit condo tower above the northern half. It would rise 145 feet, or 161 feet including the elevator, stairs and mechanical equipment on top. Because the site is in the Upper West Side Historic District, the plan needs approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.The petition on Change.org, started October 16 by Serena Robbins, calls on City Council Member Gale Brewer and the Landmarks Preservation Commission to reject the proposal. It argues that the tower is far out of scale with the surrounding landmarks and doesn’t comply with the district’s preservation guidelines. It also says the building would cast shadows over nearby residential buildings, sidewalks, public spaces and a school, blocking views and light.
The petition warns that approving a building of this size in a historic district would set a damaging precedent, signaling to other developers that the neighborhood’s protections can be bypassed. It asks that anything built on the site stick to the historic district’s existing standards, including an appropriate height. It had 127 signatures as of Monday morning.
Light was the main concern when the plan went before Community Board 7’s Preservation Committee on October 8, as we reported last week. Roughly a dozen residents of 102 West 85th Street, the 12-story building directly behind the site, testified. Several said they had no problem with restoring the old buildings and took issue only with the tower. One resident said her first-floor studio would become “a dark apartment 24/7.” Others worried the project would set a precedent for taller buildings along Columbus Avenue.
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The development team argued that the site is unique because one of its two buildings was cut down to three stories in 1936, losing much of its original architecture, so it shouldn’t be treated as a model for anywhere else. Committee members expressed sympathy for the neighbors but noted that their review is limited to whether the design is appropriate for the historic district, and they voted to approve it with some recommended design tweaks. At least one member said he couldn’t get behind the size of the tower.The proposal goes to CB7’s full board on Wednesday, November 4, and residents can submit written testimony ahead of that meeting by emailing preservation@mcb7.org. The Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing is expected on Tuesday, November 10. The community board’s role is advisory; the commission makes the final call.
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