Extell Scales Back Riverside South Plan
Extell Development Co., the group behind the Riverside South megaproject, followed through with plans to scale back the commercial and residential complex.
The developer has tinkered with the plan for more than a year since the public first saw renderings of the proposal in 2008.
The latest rendition of the five-building, mixed-use project was shown at a March 17 meeting of Community Board 7’s Riverside South Working Group.
In Extell’s new plan, 1.8 million square feet of commercial space was replaced with 2,500 apartments, totaling 2.4 million square feet of residential space. Twelve percent of that is planned for affordable housing. Read more
‘Chirp’ Your Property Price
If you have ever taken a cab in New York City, chances are you have seen advertisements for Bid on the City, a real estate service that lets you bid on high-end commercial and residential properties in New York City. If the owner accepts your bid on a property, which is typically worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, you get to purchase it.
REchirp.com works with a similar concept: Interested buyers or renters go to the website, browse the listings and make a bid or a “chirp.” If your chirp is accepted by the owner, you get to start negotiations. Read more
Riverside South: Shift from Commercial to Residential Space
A proposal by Riverside South developer Extell Development Co. to increase square footage on the south end of the site came under fire during a Jan. 13 Community Board 7 meeting.
According to a statement released by the board’s Committee for Environmentally Sound Development, the proposed changes to the original 1992 agreement are substantive. In the original agreement, the area between West 59th and 61st streets was limited to 2.4 million square feet of developed space and 570 residential units; the developer is now proposing to increase the square footage to 3.1 million square feet and add almost five times the number of apartments: 2,750 units. Read more
CITY TO SWEEP ILLEGAL FOOD VENDORS
Food trucks, the latest street-food alternative to the classic hot dog cart, have been springing up throughout the Upper West Side. But Council Member Gale Brewer said she has received complaints and questions from constituents who are concerned that the trucks are parked illegally in front of homes and maybe be lacking proper permits.
“The trucks are noisy. They have generators. And there’s cooking going on in residential areas,” Brewer said.
In response to a letter penned by the Council member, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said it will request a sweep of the Upper West Side to bust vendors who are operating in prohibited areas or without a license.
The health commissioner asked that anyone who spots a potentially illegal food vendor call 311 and make a report that will be sent directly to the department.
