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Manhattan CD08 Projects
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Manhattan Community District 08
505 Park Avenue, Suite 620 New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212.758.4340 Fax: 212.758.4616 Email: info@cb8m.com
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2nd Avenue Subway
Plans for a subway line along Second Avenue date back to 1929. In fact, a plan developed in the 1960s resulted in the construction of several tunnel segments before work was suspended due to the city's financial crisis. In 1995, MTA began the Manhattan East Side Alternatives (MESA) Study. The project's goal was to recommend a course of action to reduce overcrowding and delays on the Lexington Avenue line, and to improve transit accessibility for residents on the Far East Side of Manhattan.
On April 12, 2007, ground was broken on the new subway line's first phase, which will run down Second Avenue from 96th Street to 63rd Street. The plan for ultimate build out of the line calls for the subway to run north to 125th Street and south to Hanover Square in the Financial District. The first phase of construction is estimated to cost $3.8 billion while construction of the entire project is estimated to cost around $13 billion. The first phase of what is now also known as the “T” line is scheduled to be completed in 2013 but there is no timetable for the rest of the project.
In November 2005, New York State voters approved the Transportation Bond Act, which contained $450 million for the project. This is in addition to the $1.05 billion the State has committed to the project and the anticipated federal commitment of at least $1.3 billion.
There are several sources of concern about the project. Some local residents are concerned about the relocation of residents in 60 residential buildings along the planned route. Partnership for New York City, a group of business executives, has published a study that, while not opposing the new subway, found that other projects, including a $6 billion rail link from lower Manhattan to Kennedy Airport, or the $2.1 billion No. 7 subway extension, would bring greater economic development. In addition, questions remain regarding financing of much of the rest of the line after the first phase is complete with full build out estimated to cost another $10 billion.
Recent headlines
Environmental Review Will Delay Components of 2nd Ave Subway Construction
July 31, 2008
NY1
U.S. Senate Provides $250 Million for Second Avenue Subway
July 11, 2008
NY1
Major Projects on Hold As Cement Truck Drivers Strike
July 2, 2008
New York Times
980 Madison Tower
Aby Rosen, co-founder of RFR Realty, has unveiled plans to construct a 30-story residential tower at 980 Madison Avenue on property acquired in 2004 for $126 million from the Peter Sharp Foundation. Designed by Lord Norman Foster, the modern glass structure comprised of interlocking elliptical forms will rise out of the old five-story limestone-clad Parke-Bernet Gallery building, now a spare office building between 76th and 77th Streets. The tower would contain about 18 full-floor units and duplexes spread spaciously on 22 floors.
Supporters of the project cite its bold and progressive architectural design and community amenities including 24,000 square feet of contemporary exhibition space as well as a rooftop sculpture garden. Opponents of the project claim that the project is inappropriate to the protected character of the Upper East Side Historic District and that it would set a terrifying precedent for new development in historic districts citywide. On October 17, 2006 a Community Board 8 committee voted 6-3 to reject the project in its entirety, a decision that now goes before the full board. The board’s decision, though only advisory, will be taken into account by agencies, including the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Department of City Planning, that will ultimately decide on the plan.
On Jan. 17, 2007, without formally voting, the Landmarks Preservation Commission declined to approve the addition or support a zoning waiver, two steps that would have been essential for the project to go forward. The commission encouraged Mr. Rosen come back with another proposal for an addition to the building but hinted that only a much smaller structure would be approved.
Recent headlines
New Proposals for 980 Madison Ave to be Presented to LPC
June 17, 2008
New York Sun
Times Architecture Critic Evaluates New Design for Parke-Bernet Gallery
May 14, 2008
New York Times
Back to Drawing Board for 980 Madison Tower, Says LPC
January 17, 2007
Bloomberg.com
Hunter College Health-Professions Tower
Hunter College President, Jennifer Raab, announced plans to sell off the school’s 3.5-acre Kips Bay nursing campus near 25th Street and F.D.R. Drive, and build a 16-story building for science and health professions programs at 67th Street and Second Avenue, closer to its overcrowded main campus on the Upper East Side. Hunter wants to replace it with up to 14 stories of classrooms and labs (and two stories for mechanical equipment) that would consolidate the science labs, now located elsewhere on the main campus, as well as the nursing, nutrition, and physical therapy classrooms and labs that are in Kips Bay. The Governor and the state legislature have already approved a $78 million allocation for Hunter’s new science building.
Opponents decry the planned displacement of the 80-year-old Julia Richman Education Complex, a set of six elementary, middle and high schools. Many of the complex’s residents and neighbors object that even if the new school building were state-of-the-art, the swap would put them in a worse location, obviate millions of dollars of renovations, and ruin an increasingly productive relationship with the community. The private developer that bids on the one million square feet of development rights on East 25th Street would have to build a new campus for Julia Richman on the property, according to the NYC Department of Education’s instructions, and also accommodate the 600 dorm rooms that are currently there, either keeping them on the site or moving them elsewhere.
Hunter put out a request for proposals in December 2007 for the Kips Bay site. The deadline was recently extended from March to May 22nd. Among the bidders for the site is NYU, which is also looking to expand for a student body that is growing in size and lacks sufficient classroom and research space. This location is close to the existing NYU Medical Campus and could be an ideal place for the university’s expansions. Details are yet to be released on any of the proposals since the extension was put into place, however Community Board 6 is said to favor any medical-related additions contributing to the existing health corridor for which the area is known.
Recent headlines
NYU bids on Kips Bay CUNY Site
March 18, 2008
New York Observer
Students Protest Hunter College Expansion
November 15, 2006
New York Sun