NEW YORK | 221-243 East 94th St | 524 FT | 46 FLOORS

[NYguy]

They managed to get a height cut anyway.


https://www.ourtownny.com/news/deal-...ower-IY3221965

Deal Reached To Boost Affordable Units & Lower Height At E. 94th St. Tower
The agreement will apply to 231 East 94th St., which will now be a 414 ft. tower located between Second and Third Avenue. It will also now include 146 affordable units instead of 113. City Council Member Julie Menin took credit for negotiating the deal with the developers, Freidland Properties and the Chapman Group.


JACK AHERN
13 MAR 2024

A rezoning plan for a residential tower that a developer wants to build on to E. 94th St. has new parameters, which boost the number of affordable housing units and knock 70 feet off its height.

It’s the result of an agreement negotiated between Council Member Julie Menin and the project’s principal developers, Freidland Properties and the Chapman Group. The deal was stamped by the New York City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, and will be the first Upper East Side development to participate in the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) zoning program.

In a nod to constituents who wanted a shorter tower and more affordable housing, the deal will both lower the building’s height from 484 ft. to 414 ft. and increase its affordable units by 29 percent, to 149 apartments.

”We refused to accept that lowering the height and increasing the number of affordable units are mutually exclusive,” said Council Member Menin. “By securing this unprecedented agreement, we are ensuring that this development aligns with the priorities of the Upper East Side community and Community Board 8.”

These affordable units will reportedly encompass studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments in the 46 story tower. After the deal, the affordable units now comprise 30 percent of all units in the building, up from its intial 25 percent.

In a further nod to locals worried about potential noise pollution that the ongoing construction will generate, a “Community Construction Task Force” will be convened to address noise mitigation strategies for the project. It will reportedly be composed of concerned locals, Community Board 8 members, and Menin.

Other elements of the deal include a $150,000 developer donation that will be directed towards improvements and “beautification enhancements” at James Cagney Plaza, located on E. 91st St.

Menin said that the developers agreed to make “efforts” to install a childcare facility on the ground floor of the development, and that the developers will “work with City agencies to pursue housing vouchers” for residents that need affordable units.

Crucially, the developers have also negotiated an agreement with 32BJ, who will represent’s the building’s service workers. Council Member Menin also noted that they’re holding out on bargaining with the New York City District Council of Carpenters, which would be predicated on a replacement of the now-expired 421-a tax break–which was granted to developers that build affordable housing. Some local elected officials are pressing the New York state legislature to renew some version of the tax break.

It seems that the carpenter’s union is optimistic about the rezoning. “It takes guts, a community-first focus, and leadership to get this done and thankfully Council Member Menin has all three,” said Joseph Geiger, the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the organization. “This project is the kind of model we must follow if we are to truly solve both the housing and affordability crisis so that New York City remains the greatest city in the world.”

Valerie Mason, the chair of Community Board 8 as well as the president of the East 72nd Street Neighborhood Association, expressed happiness with the updated plan as well: “Council Member Julie Menin and her team have succeeded both in increasing the number of affordable apartments to be included in the building while at the same time reducing the building’s height. Not many districts can boast this double-sided win.”

[Busy Bee]

Whatever, just get it built. I'm assuming this will be wider than the previous renderings? Not sure how that will work for the east and west elevation lot line windows as they don't own the air rights over the adjacent low-rise buildings. Ironically they will probably have to push the base to the max height to make up the lost sq ft which removes the nice effort they made to make it feel scale contextual with the existing neighborhood. God I hate nimby's.