This Is What the Lower East Side Skyline Could Look Like, More Tall Towers Planned
L to R: One Manhattan Square, 247 Cherry Street, 260 South Street, and 271-283 South Street. The above image, created by CityRealty.com, depicts the possible massing of the new towers; No official design has been releasedÂ
The hotly contested Two Bridges neighborhood–the area along the East River, near the footings of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges where the Lower East Side meets Chinatown–has been making headlines nearly every week, whether it be for a new supertall tower or local residents’ opposition to what they feel is out-of-scale development for the mostly low-rise and low-income neighborhood.
Just yesterday, The Lo-Down obtained information through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request that reveals preliminary plans for two more residential projects that together “would add more than 2,100 residential units and 1.7 million square feet” to the area. A building at 271-283 South Street may rise 60 stories, while another at 260 South Street could reach 66 stories. To put into perspective just how much this planned and under-construction new development will alter the LES skyline, CityRealty.com has put together this Google Earth rendering of all the proposed towers.
One Manhattan Square
The first tower to make its way into Two Bridges was Extell’s 850-foot One Manhattan Square at 250 South Street. The 80-story condo building is currently under construction, and units are expected to hit the market in September.
Rendering of 247 Cherry Street to the right of One Manhattan Square
One Manhattan Square was then surpassed by an adjacent, 900-foot tower from supertall team JDS and SHoP Architects, which may now reach all the way to 1,000 feet. The rental building is planned for 247 Cherry Street.
From the pre-application statements for 271-283 South Street
The next proposal came from Two Bridges Associates (L+M Partners and CIM Group), who are looking to erect two 50-story towers at 260 South Street, currently a parking lot that will be moved to the base of the building. Together, the buildings would hold about 1,400 units, but it should be noted that they are in the early planning stages and are not yet confirmed. In a statement, the developer said:
Our goals for this project include a number of meaningful community amenities and infrastructure improvements, as well as the preservation of existing affordable housing and the creation of new affordable housing. Planning for the project is still in the early stages. We look forward to sitting down with community stakeholders very soon to begin what we hope will be a productive, collaborative process over the coming year as our project undergoes environmental review.
The latest comes from Starret Group. 271-283 South Street would have 740 apartments. They will both offer affordable housing. As The Lo-Down reports:
Local elected officials have asked the Department of City Planning to put all of the proposals through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). If the agency agrees, the local community board, borough president and City Council would be able to weigh in on the impacts in the neighborhood.
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