Community District
Find the planning projects in your community district.
All Projects
- 125th Street Corridor
- 2nd Avenue Subway
- 421-a tax incentive program
- 980 Madison Tower
- Access to the Region's Core (ARC)
- Albee Square Mall Tower
- Atlantic Yards
- Bayside Rezoning
- Bayswater/Far Rockaway Rezoning
- Bedford Stuyvesant Rezoning
- Briarwood Rezoning
- Bricktown Centre
- Brig Redevelopment, Wallabout Brooklyn
- Brooklyn Academy of Music Cultural District
- Brooklyn Greenway
- Brooklyn Navy Yard
- Bush Terminal Park
- Clinton Hill/Ft. Greene Rezoning
- College Point Police Academy
- Columbia University Expansion
- Columbus Circle
- Con Ed Site Redevelopment
- Coney Island Development
- Cooper Square Urban Renewal Area
- Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel
- Domino Sugar Factory
- Downtown Brooklyn
- Downtown JFK-LIRR Link
- DUMBO Rezoning
- Dyker Heights/Fort Hamilton Rezoning
- East River Plaza
- East River Science Park
- East River Waterfront
- East Side Access
- Far Rockaway and Mott Creek Rezoning
- Far West Village Rezoning
- Federal Housing Policy
- Fieldston Landmark Designation
- Flushing Development
- Fordham Expansion
- Forest Hills Rezoning
- Fresh Kills Master Plan
- Fulton Street Transit Center
- Gansevoort Marine Transfer Station
- Garment District Rezoning
- Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market
- General Theological Seminary Tower (Chelsea)
- Governors Island
- Gowanus Development
- Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning
- High Line Redevelopment + Whitney Museum
- HUB Retail and Office Center
- Hudson Railyards
- Hudson River Park
- Hudson Yards Rezoning & Development
- Hunter College Health-Professions Tower
- Hunts Point Vision Plan
- Inwood/Sherman Creek Waterfront Rezoning
- Jamaica, Queens Development and Rezoning
- Javits Convention Center Expansion
- JetBlue JFK Terminal
- Kingsbridge Armory
- Kissena Park Rezoning
- Lincoln Center Redevelopment
- Long Island City
- Lower East Side Rezoning
- Lower Manhattan Development
- Maspeth - Woodside Rezoning
- Mets Stadium Construction
- Middle Village-Glendale Rezoning
- Midwood Rezoning
- Mott Haven School Campus
- Moynihan Station
- Museum for African Art
- New Madison Square Garden
- New Rego Park, Queens Mall
- New York City Building Code
- New York City Hospital Redevelopment
- New York Diamond Tower
- New York Historical Society Tower
- No. 7 Line Extension
- North Brother Island
- North Tribeca Rezoning
- NYC 2012 Olympic Bid
- NYU Development
- One Madison Ave Clocktower
- P.S. 64 Redevelopment
- PlaNYC 2030
- Plaza Hotel Redevelopment
- Policy Developments - Landmarks
- Public Place
- Queens Botanical Garden
- Queens Plaza
- Queens West
- Randalls Island Water Park and Playing Fields
- Red Hook Cruise Terminal
- Red Hook Development
- Renaissance Ballroom and Renaissance Casino
- Seventh Regiment Armory (Park Ave.)
- Silvercup West
- SoHo Sanitation Garage
- Solid Waste Management Plan
- South Bronx Jail Plan
- South Ferry Terminal Project
- South Street Seaport Redevelopment
- South Village Historic District
- Springfield Gardens Rezoning
- St. Vincent’s Expansion
- Stapleton Waterfront District
- Starrett City
- Staten Island NASCAR Track
- Staten Island North Shore Light Rail
- Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village
- Sunnyside Yards Platform
- The Caledonia (Chelsea)
- Trump Soho Hotel Condominiums
- Union Square Redesign
- Union-Utopia Rezoning
- United Nations Renovation
- Upper West Side Rezoning Proposal
- Uptown New York (East Harlem)
- Van Cortlandt Park Filtration Plant
- Via Verde - New Housing New York Legacy Project
- Washington Square Park Redesign
- West-Park Presbyterian Church Tower
- White Plains Courtyard
- Whitestone Rezoning
- Willets Point Development
- World Trade Center Redevelopment
- Yankee Stadium Construction
QUICK LINKS
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.
New Proposals for 980 Madison Ave to be Presented to LPC
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 | New York Sun | Topic: Housing
Aby Rosen and Norman Foster have scaled back their proposal for the tower to be built at 980 Madison Avenue after a veto to the group’s original proposal seventeen months ago. The new plan, which proposes a five-story residential tower and one level of penthouses rather than a 22-story tower, is set for a Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) hearing today and a Community Board 8 vote tomorrow.
Times Architecture Critic Evaluates New Design for Parke-Bernet Gallery
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 | New York Times | Topic: Historic Preservation & Landmarks
After plans for a 30-story glass tower atop 980 Madison were scuttled last year, the architect has redrawn plans, which include a much lower profile that the developer hopes will be more welcomed by neighbors. The new plans involve a bronze box-like structure that will sit directly on top of the existing building. The new design is significantly shorter, which means that it will not require a zoning variance, so the only approval needed is from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff calls the new design “more polite and less original” than the first, and notes that the lower profile is “a calculated response to the bottom-line politics of building on the Upper East Side.”
Back to Drawing Board for 980 Madison Tower, Says LPC
Wednesday, January 17, 2007 | Bloomberg.com | Topic: Historic Preservation & Landmarks
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) ruled that developer Aby Rosen must scale down the size of a proposed 30-story tower designed by Norman Foster on the Upper East Side. Referencing the tower’s incongruence with the historical environment of the neighborhood, Commission Chairman Robert Tierney argued that placing the tower above the Parke-Bernet Galleries building on 980 Madison would be inappropriate due to height and scale. Rosen and Foster will be allowed to modify their design. Debate over the 980 Madison tower has been intense in recent months, arousing a variety of discussions among the preservation and architecture communities.
980 Madison Design up for Vote at Landmarks Commission
Monday, January 15, 2007 | New York Sun | Topic: Historic Preservation & Landmarks
On Tuesday January 16th the Landmarks Commission will vote to either approve, reject, or request modifications to the plan to develop a 22-floor story apartment building atop the Parke-Benet Building at 980 Madison. Opponents are hoping that plans will be rejected, and are concerned about the implications for future modifications to historic sites if plans are approved. Proponents support the plan as a welcome modern addition to the neighborhood’s architecture. The developer has stated that he is willing to modify the design so that it better complements the original building.
Long Architectural History Behind 980 Madison Avenue
Friday, December 08, 2006 | New York Times | Topic: Historic Preservation & Landmarks
Developer hopes to restore the Parke-Bernet Galleries to its highly-regarded 1949 appearance as part of plan to construct a 30-floor tower on top of the building. The Landmark Commission is expected to weight the benefits of the restoration along with potential benefits or negatives of the proposed tower in deciding whether or not to approve the plan.
Design On The Upper East Side: A Debate About Modernism
Wednesday, December 06, 2006 | BusinessWeek | Topic: Urban Design & Architecture
The controversial 980 Madison Tower, a 30-story addition to the Parke-Bernet building by Norman Foster, has developed into a clash between preservationists and designers. Many in the preservation community frame arguments against Foster’s towers in terms of tradition, authenticity, and history, while many in the design community in favor of the addition speak of modernism, change, and renewal.
980 Madison Tower Developer Seeks Public Support
Tuesday, December 05, 2006 | New York Post | Topic: Historic Preservation & Landmarks
Aby Rosen, the developer of 980 Madison Tower, a 30-story addition to the Parke-Bernet Gallery building on the Upper East Side, is seeking public support for his controversial proposal. In the face of strong citizen opposition, Rosen has attempted to elicit support for a project that opponents believe will significantly alter the skyline of the Upper East Side. The Landmarks Preservation Commission, the city agency responsible for deciding the fate of the tower, will close the door on submissions today.
The Economic Cost Of Landmarked Buildings
Wednesday, November 29, 2006 | New York Sun | Topic: Historic Preservation & Landmarks
With 980 Madison Tower as a background, Edward Glaeser criticizes the preservationist movement. Glaeser maintains that the unintentional effect of overzealous building preservation is a substantial decrease in affordable housing for middle and lower-income residents. According to Glaeser, aesthetic concerns should not triumph over economic.
Criticism Of The Landmarks Preservation Commission
Sunday, November 26, 2006 | New York Times | Topic: Urban Design & Architecture
Novelist Tom Wolfe writes an op-ed for the New York Times in which he expresses the view that the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission has become little more than a rubber stamp for developers. The author cites the proposed tower atop an historic structure at 980 Madison Avenue as one project that will likely receive approval without resistance from the Commission.
A Developer Relies On His Reputation
Thursday, October 26, 2006 | New York Times | Topic: Urban Design & Architecture
The developer of the proposed 30-story glass tower atop a 1950 building at 980 Madison Avenue is well known in the New York art world and is using some prominent contacts to further the cause of his latest project. According the New York Times, the developer, Aby Rosen, has established a track record of acquiring architectural touchstones like Lever House, the Seagram Building and the Gramercy Park Hotel and renovating them, at considerable effort and expense. While many neighborhood residents oppose the tower, his supporters are pointing to his track record as proof that the project will be a valuable addition to the neighborhood.
Landmarks Commission Hears Views on Foster Tower
Wednesday, October 25, 2006 | New York Post | Topic: Land Use
The Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the proposal for a 30-story tower on Madison Avenue. Critics say the Norman Foster-designed building would be out of place in the neighborhood of row houses and small buildings. Proponents say that the design is consistent with other significant pieces of modern architecture on the Upper East Side.
Community Board Says No To Tower
Thursday, October 19, 2006 | New York Times | Topic: Economic Development
The Upper East Side community board has voted against the proposed 30-story skyscraper at 980 Madison Avenue, designed by Norman Foster. The vote, while not legally binding, will be considered by city agencies in the decision-making process related to the addition to the Parke-Bernet Gallery.
Proposed for Madison Avenue Tower Awaits Landmark Question
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 | New York Sun | Topic: Historic Preservation & Landmarks
Lord Foster's firm presented designs for 980 Madison in front of a crowded community board meeting. Several neighbors spoke out against the tower. One local resident, Daniel Goldberg, said the proposal was "like a glass dagger plunged into the heart of the Upper East Side."
Community Board Rejects Upper East Side Tower
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 | New York Times | Topic: Historic Preservation & Landmarks
A community board committee voted 6-3 to reject a 30-story apartment tower designed by Norman Foster last night after Upper East Side residents expressed outrage over the project planned for 980 Madison Avenue, opposite the Carlyle Hotel.