[chris08876]

Plans for ‘condo on stilts’ halted over fire safety concerns, says DOB

Plans for a controversial Upper East Side “condo on stilts” are on hold due to fire safety concerns, according to the city’s Department of Buildings.

The city has requested the developers behind the 32-story tower at 249 East 62nd Street, designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, acquire written approval from the fire department “concerning the proposed conditions at the intermediate level outdoor space, including but not limited to FDNY emergency access and safety operations,” states a letter by Thomas Fariello, the acting DOB commissioner, to local elected officials and preservationists.

Fariello’s memo follows those groups expressing concerns over a “mechanical void,” a multi-story, exposed stretch of the building that would, in theory, house mechanical equipment. Critics argue that those are often used to boost a building’s height without drawing from its overall footprint. In doing so, developers could charge higher rates for the building’s upper units, critics say.

In January, the Department of City Planning released a long-awaited zoning amendment proposal that, among other things, would make voids count toward a residential building’s total floor area when they’re taller than 25 feet, or when those floors are located within 75 feet of one another.

But building officials have not outright declared the gap in the 62nd Street building—developed by Real Estate Inverlad and Third Palm Capital—a mechanical void because it is exposed to the open air or is “outdoor space,” as Fariello put it, and may wind up exempt from the zoning amendment. Preservationists find this troubling when this particular “building on stilts” galvanized the city and elected officials to crack down on excessive mechanical voids.

“There’s definitely an issue there when that’s the building we know has gotten the attention of the mayor and city planning,” said Rachel Levy, the executive director with Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, which pushed for the FDNY to review the 62nd Street tower’s plans. “The idea that that very building won’t actually be effected by this action is concerning and I think there’s some room for improvement there.”

===============
NYCurbed