A pair of new mixed-use towers containing hundreds of apartments and two car dealerships could rise on Manhattan’s West Side along what has historically been known as “Automobile Row,” records show.
Developers the Chapman Group, an Upper East Side-based national real estate firm with a focus on parking, and Friedland Properties, also based on the Upper East Side, are looking to rezone a swath of land adjacent to dog-friendly DeWitt Clinton Park in order to erect a 42-story building at 629 W. 54th St., which is currently occupied by a partially vacant 6-story structure, and a 38-story building at 801 11th Ave., which is currently occupied by a vacant 3-story car dealership, according to an application recently filed with the Department of City Planning.
The taller of the two buildings would contain about 617 dwelling units and 113,000 square feet of commercial space for an auto dealership, while the shorter would contain 447 dwelling units and about 85,000 square feet of commercial space, also for a car dealership, records show.
Chapman released an ad last year showcasing how the site, which sits just a few hundred feet from the Hudson River Greenway at the edge of the Special Clinton District — an area between West 41st and West 59th streets and west of Eighth Avenue that was created in 1974 to preserve and strengthen the residential character of the community — could accommodate a new residential tower of up to 45 stories as long as the city approved a rezoning of the property first, Crain’s reported in September. It now appears that Chapman has followed through with the endeavor, filing the request in partnership with Friedland through two separate limited liability companies last month.
The proposed project would span more than 1 million square feet across the two buildings, including 939,934 square feet of residential space and 199,750 square feet of commercial space for the car showrooms in an area already peppered with luxury dealerships for brands such as Audi, Land Rover and Lamborghini. There is no cost estimate associated with the project, and construction is expected to be completed in 2029, records show.
But in order to break ground, the city must first approve the rezoning. The developers are also seeking special permits to facilitate potential land transfers from Piers 59, 60, 61, 81, 83, 98 and the Chelsea Piers headhouse, according to the application. The Hudson River Park Trust would need to approve these.
A spokeswoman for the group told Crain’s that it is “willing to engage in business negotiations and required environmental reviews around the sale of some of our transferable development rights” and that “while this is just the beginning of a long process, if approved, the sales could help support creation of new public open space at Pier 76.”
Neither Friedman nor Chapman, which are also working together on a 46-story residential tower on the Upper East Side, responded to a request for comment by press time.
