$700 Million+ Harlem River Yards Mega-Project
A ginormous development project may soon be coming to the South Bronx waterfront. Dubbed Harlem River Yards, the mega-project plans to bring the City’s first dedicated soccer stadium, with 26,000 seats, designed by celebrated architect Rafael Viñoly. The total cost is projected at more than $700 million.
The partnership is comprised of The Related Cos., Somerset Partners, and the New York City Football Club, which would be the occupying team for the new stadium.
A tower dedicated to affordable housing will hold a 25,000 square foot medical facility at it's base, as well as 150,000 square feet of retail space.
The residential tower will hold approximately 550 affordable apartments.
New York State must first build a deck over a 13-acre rail yard in the South Bronx to allow for a massive waterfront development. The depressed urban area has been attracting more and more private investment as land costs rise elsewhere in the city.
The parcel sits along the Harlem River, just north of the Willis Avenue Bridge.
It is currently used as a transfer station to move goods between cross-country trains and trucks that traverse the tristate area—a use the state plans to maintain going forward.
The site is part of a 96-acre area called the Harlem River Yards, which is owned by state Department of Transportation and leased to a private company, which in turn leases out many of the buildings to industrial tenants.
Because the zone is governed by something called a general project plan, the state does not need to get any local approvals to change the zoning—say from manufacturing to residential or retail—which can instead be implemented through a state approval process.
In addition to maintaining the transfer station beneath the deck, the state wants proposals that cover opening access to the waterfront, boosting the local economy.
At 12.8 acres, the site is slightly less than half the size of the Hudson Yards development going up over rail yards on Manhattan's west side.
Two Mixed-Use Towers Planned for Williamsburg Waterfront
A new waterfront park and two mixed-use towers will soon come to the Williamsburg waterfront, north of the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment site.
Developers Two Trees Management—also behind the Domino megaproject—unveiled a proposal to build two mixed-use towers, up to 650-feet-tall, and a six-acre park with access to the East River. The waterfront development will stretch from Grand to North 3rd street on River Street.
“We put a world-class team here together ... and really challenged ourselves to build another park with the impact and significance and social benefits as Domino Park,” Jed Walentas, principal of Two Trees Management, said at a project presentation recently. “We really thought that this site was an opportunity to change the way that New Yorkers interacted with the river and the water.”
The huge towers will have 1,000 residential units, 250 of which will be below-market rate. They will also include a 47,000-square-foot YMCA, 30,000 square feet of retail space, and 57,000 square feet of office space.
“There’s this post-industrial possibility where we can actually reimagine the waterfront as sort of a living and lively urban and natural habitat.”
He added that one of the main missions of the project is to close the gap between Grand Ferry Park and the North 5th Pier to create a “continuous journey” of public space along the waterfront.
Perhaps one of the most noteworthy aspects of the project is its public waterfront park, which will have a circular esplanade extending into the East River, a sandy beach, tidal pools, a fishing pier, salt marsh, a boating cove on North 1st Street, and an amphitheater. There will also be community kiosks with 5,000 square feet worth of space available to community partners, kayak rental, among other things.
One of the project’s goals is to increase resiliency on the waterfront, “to really expand the river in order to create a softer shoreline and have one that has active ecological benefits as well as access benefits, and part of this strategy, is really to increase resilience,” Jed Walentas said during the project’s presentation.
“The idea of creating a series of break waters, including marsh lands and other types of things that actually slow down the waves and dissipate that energy so both the impact as well as the rebound actually get softened.”
The project will be built on the former Con Edison North First Street terminal site. Walentas said that construction should take around five years. Two Trees recently bought the 3.5-acre site for $150 million.
Massive Seven-Building South Bronx Waterfront Development
One of the largest and most expensive developments in the South Bronx is preparing to get underway. Developer Brookfield Properties has unveiled new renderings for its massive seven-building Bankside project along the Harlem River in Mott Haven.
The development will span 4.3 acres on either side of the Third Avenue Bridge, with more than 1,350 apartments (30 percent of which will be “affordable”), a new park fronting the Harlem River, and ground-floor retail that includes a tech-focused community center. All told, Brookfield will invest $950 million into the massive mixed-used project.
But Brookfield wasn’t originally attached to this development: The site was previously owned by Chetrit Group and Somerset Partners, which had originally planned a similarly enormous complex along the waterfront.
In 2018, those developers sold the sites to Brookfield for $165 million, for reasons that were not disclosed. Chetrit and Somerset are behind a handful of other developments throughout the South Bronx, and had unsuccessfully tried to rebrand the area as the “Piano District.”
When Brookfield took over, they kept some things—including the scope of the entire development and the architect of record, Hill West Architects—but changed up others, including the number of affordable units and the energy efficiency of the towers. The developers will aim for LEED certification.
Construction is already underway, and will be completed in two phases: The first will bring 450 apartments to the north side of the bridge at 2401 Third Avenue, with an expected completion date of 2021. The rest will rise on the south side of the bridge, at 101 Lincoln Avenue, with a completion date in 2022.
A significant chunk of space will also be given over to a new, 34,000-square-foot waterfront park, designed by MPFP, which will have sections for “passive and semi-active use,” according to the developers.
Mega $3.5B Waterfront Development Planned for Bronx
A
massive $3.5 billion project to redevelop an industrial wasteland on the Eastern edge of The Bronx could soon begin construction.
The project, known as Fordham Landing, will be located between the Harlem River and the Major Deegan Expressway, immediately adjacent to the University Heights Bridge.
For decades, the vacant lot at 320 West Fordham Road in the Fordham section of Bronx has sat desolate on the Harlem River.
The enormous project will cover 5 million square feet, including office space, a mix of affordable and market rate apartments, a new hotel and conference center, community spaces, and 12 acres of open spaces.
Developer Dynamic Star is planning to construct several large towers on the site. One of these will hold a 700,000-square-foot Life Sciences Center for the gene therapy industry and offices.
A total of 2,800 residential apartments are planned to be built under the 70/30 scheme, with 30 percent of units set aside as affordable and the rest as market rate.
Additional offerings will include retail space, a hotel, a conference center, community spaces, and an e-sports stadium.
The project’s 12.5 acres of outdoor space will be transformed into a welcoming waterfront oasis with esplanades, playing fields, and water activities like kayaking.
Additionally, a dilapidated cove between sections of the site would be turned into tidal gardens and wetlands with an urban beach and boathouse.
Fordham Landing would certainly have an impact on the surrounding community, which has not been forgotten in the plans.
The site is very close to the University Heights Metro North stop, and improvements to the station are being planned.
Additionally, a new K-5 elementary school is being planned for the local community.
A development this size 3 miles north from the current Port Morris/Mott Haven Harlem River Waterfront hot spot where thousands of units are planned or under construction simply demonstrates how eager developers are to develop anywhere there is sufficient land size in The Bronx.
Columbia University filed plans for a new 34-story residential tower in Harlem this week as part of its sprawling campus expansion.
The new project is set to rise at 600 West 125th Street with 142 apartments for graduate students and faculty—replacing a shuttered McDonald’s restaurant.
Columbia purchased the deed from the fast-food chain in 2004 for just over $2.7 million; the eatery will return as a ground-floor retail tenant once the building is completed.
The school expects the high-rise to reduce demand on the local housing market and help revamp the block with a handful of street improvements.
The new residential location will enliven the iconic intersection as well as 125th Street to the west with active ground-floor uses and streetscape improvements, creating a pedestrian-friendly corridor and gateway to the Manhattanville campus.
The university aims to begin construction in 2020 and complete the project by the summer of 2022. Builders on the project will seek to achieve at least LEED Silver, a sustainable design standard.
The building will also include a library, lounge, kids play room, and a gym.
Plans for the tower follow Columbia’s new Manhattanville Campus. The last of three buildings designed for the Harlem campus debuted in September 2018. Two more buildings are currently under construction at the 17-acre campus, which spans 125th to 133rd streets, between Broadway and Twelfth Avenue.
One of the largest and most expensive developments in the South Bronx is preparing to get underway. Developer Brookfield Properties has unveiled new renderings for its massive seven-building Bankside project along the Harlem River in Mott Haven.
The development will span 4.3 acres on either side of the Third Avenue Bridge, with more than 1,350 apartments (30 percent of which will be “affordable”), a new park fronting the Harlem River, and ground-floor retail that includes a tech-focused community center. All told, Brookfield will invest $950 million into the massive mixed-used project.
But Brookfield wasn’t originally attached to this development: The site was previously owned by Chetrit Group and Somerset Partners, which had originally planned a similarly enormous complex along the waterfront.
In 2018, those developers sold the sites to Brookfield for $165 million, for reasons that were not disclosed. Chetrit and Somerset are behind a handful of other developments throughout the South Bronx, and had unsuccessfully tried to rebrand the area as the “Piano District.”
When Brookfield took over, they kept some things—including the scope of the entire development and the architect of record, Hill West Architects—but changed up others, including the number of affordable units and the energy efficiency of the towers. The developers will aim for LEED certification.
Construction is already underway, and will be completed in two phases: The first will bring 450 apartments to the north side of the bridge at 2401 Third Avenue, with an expected completion date of 2021. The rest will rise on the south side of the bridge, at 101 Lincoln Avenue, with a completion date in 2022.
A significant chunk of space will also be given over to a new, 34,000-square-foot waterfront park, designed by MPFP, which will have sections for “passive and semi-active use,” according to the developers.
A new waterfront park and two mixed-use towers will soon come to the Williamsburg waterfront, north of the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment site.
Developers Two Trees Management—also behind the Domino megaproject—unveiled a proposal to build two mixed-use towers, up to 650-feet-tall, and a six-acre park with access to the East River. The waterfront development will stretch from Grand to North 3rd street on River Street.
“We put a world-class team here together ... and really challenged ourselves to build another park with the impact and significance and social benefits as Domino Park,” Jed Walentas, principal of Two Trees Management, said at a project presentation recently. “We really thought that this site was an opportunity to change the way that New Yorkers interacted with the river and the water.”
The huge towers will have 1,000 residential units, 250 of which will be below-market rate. They will also include a 47,000-square-foot YMCA, 30,000 square feet of retail space, and 57,000 square feet of office space.
“There’s this post-industrial possibility where we can actually reimagine the waterfront as sort of a living and lively urban and natural habitat.”
He added that one of the main missions of the project is to close the gap between Grand Ferry Park and the North 5th Pier to create a “continuous journey” of public space along the waterfront.
Perhaps one of the most noteworthy aspects of the project is its public waterfront park, which will have a circular esplanade extending into the East River, a sandy beach, tidal pools, a fishing pier, salt marsh, a boating cove on North 1st Street, and an amphitheater. There will also be community kiosks with 5,000 square feet worth of space available to community partners, kayak rental, among other things.
One of the project’s goals is to increase resiliency on the waterfront, “to really expand the river in order to create a softer shoreline and have one that has active ecological benefits as well as access benefits, and part of this strategy, is really to increase resilience,” Jed Walentas said during the project’s presentation.
“The idea of creating a series of break waters, including marsh lands and other types of things that actually slow down the waves and dissipate that energy so both the impact as well as the rebound actually get softened.”
The project will be built on the former Con Edison North First Street terminal site. Walentas said that construction should take around five years. Two Trees recently bought the 3.5-acre site for $150 million.
New developments continue to rise in Downtown Brooklyn and its surrounding areas; just a couple of weeks ago, the tallest office tower in the borough topped out on Albee Square, and back in the summer, a 57-story tower also topped out on Hoyt Street.
Now, Gotham Organization has announced that it plans to develop a new 24-story residential tower and Brooklyn Music School facility not far from there, in Fort Greene.
The project will be a 167,000-square-foot mixed-use structure designed by FXCollaborative, and will include a new 20,000-square-foot facility for the Brooklyn Music School, located adjacent to its existing building at 126 St. Felix Street.
The building, located at 130 St. Felix Street, will have a neo-Romanesque design with a pattern of vertical windows and light-colored brick and limestone in its facade. The enlarged BMS facility, which will be owned by the school, will allow for additional and more diverse programming.
The development will have 120 new residential units, approximately 36 of which will be allocated for moderate income homes. Those homes will be sold to households earning between 70 to 100 percent of the area median income.
The developers say that the residences will “cater to families so that they can grow and put down roots in the local community, rather than exhausting income on rent.” The remaining units will be market-rate.
Gotham bought the empty lot within the Brooklyn Academy of Music historic district for $5.5 million back in 2015. Gotham plans a groundbreaking for the project in 2021.
New Jersey-based developer is planning to construct a 13-story, mixed-use property in The Heights section of Jersey City.
The new building will be the neighborhood’s tallest structure at about 144 feet tall.
The project, located at 15 Nardone Place, will rise on an assemblage of six adjacent lots that are currently home to two low-rise commercial buildings, five multi-story residential structures, a gas station, and associated parking areas.
The new development would replace all existing properties. According to plans, the structure will cover 351,847 square feet between two connected buildings that share a common podium.
The project will create an Aloft-brand hotel with 305 guest rooms, 84 residential units, a ground-floor café, a top-floor restaurant, as well as other amenities.
Residential units will include nine three-bedroom apartments, 15 two-bedroom units, 48 one-bedroom units, and 12 studios. Indoor parking for approximately 143 vehicles will occupy the building’s podium level.
MVMK Architecture is the project designer, with developer 15 Nardone LLC coordinating the project’s construction.
The Related Companies plan to build yet another tower on Roosevelt Island.
This new project calls for a 29-story mixed-use building at 430 Main Street, located on the east side of the island near the Roosevelt Island subway station.
The developer is also responsible for the recently topped-off Riverwalk Park rental development on Roosevelt Island.
This project, known as Riverwalk 9, is the ninth and final component in the nine-building Riverwalk rental complex.
The new structure will rise 298 feet tall and encompass 309,311 square feet, with 265,056 square feet designated for residential space and 3,744 square feet for commercial use. The building will have 365 rental apartments averaging 726 square feet each.
Fourteen apartment units will be located on the second through 14th floors, with thirteen units each on floors 15 through 28.
The building’s first floor will house offices; tenant recreational area, concierge and a dog wash room. Other building amenities will include a bike storage room, children's play room, tenant gym, yoga/stretching room, tenant lounge, two party rooms and outdoor roof terrace.
Riverwalk 9 is being designed by Handel Architects.
310 East 86th Street
Another playfully designed residential building is slated to begin construction at 310 East 86th Street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Designed by ODA Architecture, the new building is reminiscent of the firm’s previous designs, which are characterized by expressive cubic features.
The 68-unit tower will have a series of boxy setbacks and graceful cantilevers that will incorporate private outdoor spaces on the upper levels.
Plans called for a 21-story, 145,000-square-foot structure covering five neighboring parcels.
Residential amenities include a music room, a laundry room, a children’s playroom, and a teen-oriented lounge. The building will also include ground floor retail space.
New 35-Story Residential Tower slated for Kips Bay
368 Third Avenue in Kips Bay will soon be the site of a new 35-story mixed-use residential tower. Located between East 26th Street and East 27th Street, the building is designed by SLCE Architects.
Plans call for a 388-foot tall, 145,000-square-foot structure with 100 rental apartments, averaging around 1,110 square feet apiece.
The slender building will rise prominently over the surrounding low-rise structures, and allow it to be seen clearly from across the East River.
Three to four apartments will cover floors 2 through 25, with two units per floor on the next six levels, and two penthouses on the top two floors.
Amenities will feature a fitness room, a residential lounge, and a children’s playroom. The building will include 3,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.
The property was formerly occupied by five pre-war structures that ranged from four to six stories high and housed 53 apartments which have been razed for the construction of the new tower.
Minrav Development purchased the site for $64 million and estimates a completion date in the fourth quarter of 2021.
SL Green Realty plans a dramatic transformation for their existing 13-story office building at One Madison Avenue.
Designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox, the plan calls for 18 new floors of Class-A office space, tenant amenities, and more than an acre of outdoor terraces built atop the existing building.
The present 13-story structure will first be reduced to nine floors to serve as a podium for the 18 new floors to be constructed above.
Designed as a marquee glass tower, the new structure will have nearly 1.5 million square feet of rentable space, offering 60-foot column-free spans and 14-foot ceilings on each level.
Private terraces overlooking Madison Square Park will be featured on the podium roof, at the 10th and 11th floors, and at the pinnacle of the new tower.
Also included as part of the redevelopment and expansion, are a revitalized lobby and entry areas, expanded retail space, a new auditorium, and additional events space.
The 1.1 million-square-foot granite building is fully leased by Credit Suisse, which will move out when its lease expires in December or next year.
Construction is expected to begin in early-2021, following the expiration of tenant lease.
Lenox Hill Hospital is planning a colossal $2.5-billion expansion beginning with a new 41-story residential building on part of the hospital’s Upper East Side property. The 490-foot-tall condominium tower will sit on the corner of East 76th Street and Park Avenue and include about 200 units.
A second 30-story tower will be built on the opposite Park Avenue corner at East 77th Street.
The building will feature a new Mother-Baby Hospital, increasing the emergency room to nearly four times its current size to 56,000 square feet, as well as new operating rooms, and patient rooms.
Plans call for a total of 1.3 million square feet, up from the hospital’s current 780,000 square feet at 100 East 77th Street.
Lenox Hill plans to build on its reputation for maternity care—Beyoncé delivered her first child at the hospital in 2012—with a new Mother-Baby Hospital, which will have a separate Park Avenue entrance. The hospital will add labor and delivery suites and expand its neonatal intensive care unit.
Northwell is also building a block-long, 250,000-square-foot outpatient care facility on Third Avenue between 76th Street and 77th Street. That facility will include a cancer and ambulatory surgery center, as well as medical offices.
Off-street ambulance bays for six ambulances, larger, deeper loading docks, subway station improvements, an atrium and other publicly accessible spaces are also part of the ambitious project.
“Lenox Hill Hospital is one of the most storied institutions in Manhattan, serving communities throughout the city for over 160 years,” said Michael Dowling, president and chief executive officer of Northwell Health, adding that the residential tower was added to “offset costs for rebuilding the hospital.”
"We have spoken to some of the top real estate people," Dowling said. "That building would throw off a substantial amount of money."
Lenox Hill's campus occupies a city block from East 76th Street to East 77th Street between Lexington and Park avenues. Its campus is made up of 10 buildings—the newest one built in 1972.
The project will take an estimated six to eight years to complete, and has been broken up into three phases to allow for the continued operation of hospital facilities while the new development is constructed.
Northwell Health expects to begin construction on the first tower next year.
Since acquiring Lenox Hill Hospital in 2010, Northwell has spent more than $200 million on renovations.
But to make the facility's patient rooms private, rather than multi-bed, and to add technology to its operating rooms, a more complete overhaul is needed.
It will cost approximately $2.5 billion to completely rebuild the iconic Upper East Side institution, which was founded in 1857.
Northwell Health is the largest private employer in the state, with 68,000 employees.
A massive $3.5 billion project to redevelop an industrial wasteland on the Eastern edge of The Bronx could soon begin construction.
The project, known as Fordham Landing, will be located between the Harlem River and the Major Deegan Expressway, immediately adjacent to the University Heights Bridge.
For decades, the vacant lot at 320 West Fordham Road in the Fordham section of Bronx has sat desolate on the Harlem River.
The enormous project will cover 5 million square feet, including office space, a mix of affordable and market rate apartments, a new hotel and conference center, community spaces, and 12 acres of open spaces.
Developer Dynamic Star is planning to construct several large towers on the site. One of these will hold a 700,000-square-foot Life Sciences Center for the gene therapy industry and offices.
A total of 2,800 residential apartments are planned to be built under the 70/30 scheme, with 30 percent of units set aside as affordable and the rest as market rate.
Additional offerings will include retail space, a hotel, a conference center, community spaces, and an e-sports stadium.
The project’s 12.5 acres of outdoor space will be transformed into a welcoming waterfront oasis with esplanades, playing fields, and water activities like kayaking.
Additionally, a dilapidated cove between sections of the site would be turned into tidal gardens and wetlands with an urban beach and boathouse.
Fordham Landing would certainly have an impact on the surrounding community, which has not been forgotten in the plans.
The site is very close to the University Heights Metro North stop, and improvements to the station are being planned.
Additionally, a new K-5 elementary school is being planned for the local community.
A development this size 3 miles north from the current Port Morris/Mott Haven Harlem River Waterfront hot spot where thousands of units are planned or under construction simply demonstrates how eager developers are to develop anywhere there is sufficient land size in The Bronx.
On the site of the Hotel Pennsylvania, at 401 Seventh Avenue, a massive 1,400-foot skyscraper called “Penn15” will soon occupy the small morsel of empty sky sandwiched between the Empire State Building and Hudson Yards.
Vornado Realty Trust has big plans to construct one of the largest office buildings in New York City, a massive 2.8-million-square-foot tower designed by Rafael Vinoly, rising more than 1,400-feet into the Midtown sky.
Contrary to recent reports, Facebook has no plans to occupy the new tower.
The Internet giant has already committed to One Madison Avenue in Gramarcy Patrk, which ElectricWeb will spotlight in our next issue.
Regardless, the new building design will be built around open floor plans and numerous outdoor spaces designed to lure technology tenants.
Variable stacked floor plates would be interspersed and cantilevered atop one another, with each of the tower’s five components totaling 560,000 square feet apiece.
Its design has been described by some commentators as a Jenga block tower, only made out of glass and green space instead of wood blocks.
The design of the base of the tower would be particularly elegant, featuring a terraced garden atop the first floor, and a soaring glass atrium in the middle of the structure.
The new skyscraper will be both taller and bulkier than the Empire State Building, just a few blocks to the east.
While Penn15’s rooftop would stand 1,400 feet above street level, its interior will only include 48 usable floors, with 43 of those dedicated to office space.
The bottom of the tower would span three floors, including the lobby, ground floor retail stores, conference space, a restaurant, and two theaters, one of which will accommodate up to 700 people.
The developer has long considered plans to renovate the 1919-vintage hotel with a major hotel company, convert it into a huge convention center and entertainment venue or demolish and replace it.
The famed Hotel Pennsylvania, at 15 Penn Plaza, and its 1,000 rooms has fallen victim to increasingly lurid headlines following its renovation.
A baby’s death there earlier this year was ruled a homicide, there have been multiple suicides and accidental deaths at the property in recent years, and Internet reviews are overwhelmingly terrible with many guests believing the hotel to be haunted.
Matthew Gold, President of Midtown Electric Supply and personal friend, passed away peacefully on October 19th, 2019 surrounded by his loved ones.
Matt is survived by his loving wife Inessa; his three daughters, Jessica, Stacey, and Rebecca; his stepson Andrew his 2 brothers, Tim and Jonathan and his mother Yvonne Gold; his 3 grandchildren and his nieces and nephews. He was a proud pet owner of Great Dane Lacey and Cockatoo Daisy.
Matthew was born in Glen Cove in 1955 and grew up in Manhasset Hills, spending many winters living in Miami.
He attended Herricks High School, graduating in 1973. Matthew graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Psychology.
He was the President of Midtown Electric Supply for 27 years. He was also co-chairman of the Israel Bonds Electrical Industry Division for many years as well as being a board member of the UJA Electrical Industry Division.
Matthew spent his years traveling the world, enjoying the outdoors, vacationing at his second home in Vermont, and enjoying beautiful sunsets at his home in Glen Cove. He had a big heart.
Matthew was happiest when he was surrounded by his family and friends and will be missed by everyone he touched. He lived a full life. He bravely fought cancer for 15 months. Matthew's final days were spent at home surrounded by his family and loved ones.
May his memory be a blessing for all who knew him.
Donations can be made to Glen Cove Hospital, Northwell Health Foundation, in memory of Matthew Gold.
New Jersey-based developer is planning to construct a 13-story, mixed-use property in The Heights section of Jersey City.
The new building will be the neighborhood’s tallest structure at about 144 feet tall.
The project, located at 15 Nardone Place, will rise on an assemblage of six adjacent lots that are currently home to two low-rise commercial buildings, five multi-story residential structures, a gas station, and associated parking areas.
The new development would replace all existing properties. According to plans, the structure will cover 351,847 square feet between two connected buildings that share a common podium.
The project will create an Aloft-brand hotel with 305 guest rooms, 84 residential units, a ground-floor café, a top-floor restaurant, as well as other amenities.
Residential units will include nine three-bedroom apartments, 15 two-bedroom units, 48 one-bedroom units, and 12 studios. Indoor parking for approximately 143 vehicles will occupy the building’s podium level.
MVMK Architecture is the project designer, with developer 15 Nardone LLC coordinating the project’s construction.
