'Most Unusual Apartment Building' in NYC Gets Penultimate Approval

Despite Community Board concerns about the project's lack of affordable housing, a Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG) designed angular apartment building for developers Durst/Fetner received penultimate approval last week from City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden and her colleagues. "It was the second-to-last step in the arduous months-long public review process, in many ways made all the easier by a dynamic design that has made this arguably the most unusual apartment building in the city," says Chaban.

“'Our approval will facilitate development of a significant new building with a distinctive pyramid-like shaped design and thoughtful site plan that integrates the full block site into the evolving residential, institutional, and commercial neighborhood surrounding it,' Ms. Burden said before voting in favor of the project."

“In all, this is an exciting project on a pivotal site that will benefit its occupants, the neighborhood and the city as a whole,” Ms. Burden said.

Those pesky affordability concerns won't go away, however. According to Chaban, "local Councilwoman Gail Brewer has insisted the developers had better get negotiating, because she is willing to torpedo the project at the City Council—the final step in the public review process, where Ms. Brewer will have almost total say over the project—if her constituents do not get what they want."