City Planning Commission holding public hearing today on air-rights transfer for 3 St. Mark's Place

[EVG file photo]

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Updated 5 p.m.
Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera came out against the transfer today.

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The City Planning Commission is holding a public hearing today on the application to transfer air rights to allow the pending office building at the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place to grow 20 percent larger than the current zoning allows.

As you likely know, a 10-floor office building is in the works for 3 St. Mark's Place. The total size of this new building has yet to be officially determined. Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) wants to transfer the air rights from the landmarked Hamilton-Holly House at 4 St. Mark's Place to add more square footage.

This marks the second stage for the application. In round one, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to support the plan this past June, and issued a report to the City Planning Commission to allow the proposal under a specific zoning resolution. The opposition to the application included Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, as well as Community Board 3 and other community groups, including Village Preservation. (Read about their efforts here.)

Stage two's route as part of the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure will ultimately end up before City Council, who will have the final vote at a future date.

REEC picked up the 99-year leasehold for the properties here for nearly $150 million in November 2017. Their development plans call for a 68,224-square-foot building with eight floors of office space, a fitness center, roof deck and retail.


[A rendering of 3 St. Mark's Place]

REEC is reportedly eyeing rents in the area of a Midtown-esque $150 per square foot.

Today's hearing is in the basement concourse of 120 Broadway between Cedar and Pine. The festivities start at 10, though this is the last item on the agenda. No word yet on an exact time.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Demolition permits filed for northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

• End is nearing for the businesses on the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

• New building plans revealed for 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

• Concern over potential air-rights transfer for new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue

Will the 6-shots-of-anything-for-$12 sign at the former Continental go down with the building?

We've already noted the arrival of the sidewalk bridge around the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place ... as workers enter the next phase of demolition ...



The Continental was the last business here to close, wrapping it up on New Year's Eve.

The bar's six-shots-of-anything-for-$12 sign remains intact on the marquee under the sidewalk bridge...



We mentioned this on Twitter over the weekend. There was some interest in the sign...

Serious question: can someone grab this for me https://t.co/nBdYSVTYkE

— Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) May 4, 2019

And other things on the corner...

I’m eyein’ the Korilla flag.

— Jacob Ford (@unitof) May 4, 2019

After retiring the live music in the fall of 2006, the Continental became home of the five-shots-of-anything-for-$10 promotion before that changed to five-shots-of-anything-for-$12 in the spring of 2017. (Then later six shots...)


[Via Google Street View]

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Continental's 5-shot deal bumped from $10 to $12

Demolition permits filed for northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

End is nearing for the businesses on the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

New building plans revealed for 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Concern over potential air-rights transfer for new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue

Developers of 3 St. Mark's Place are looking to increase the size of their proposed office building at 3rd Avenue to 10 floors with air-rights deal

The lobbyists behind the air-rights transfer and zoning variance for 3 St. Mark's Place

Thursday's parting shots

EVG reader Dan Scheffey took these photos earlier today... showing the ongoing demolition on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place... and subsequent road work...



Welcome to the neighborhood!

Asbestos abatement notices arrive on the northwest corner of St. Mark's Place & 3rd Avenue

This past Friday, Asbestos Abatement notices were posted to two of the buildings that will demolished on the northeast corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue.

The notices were spotted at the former Papaya King at 3 St. Mark's Place...





... and the former McDonald's at 27 Third Ave. ...



Permits were filed on March 15 to demolish the low-rise buildings here at 3 St. Mark’s Place, 23 and 25-27 Third Avenue.

A seven-story, 66,000-square-foot office building with ground-floor retail is reportedly slated for this corner. However, plans for this new building haven't been made public to date.

The Continental is one of two remaining businesses on the corner (the other being part of the First Rich Gift Shop/piercing studio). The bar received a three-month reprieve, and will remain in business until October.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Shake Shack effect? McDonald's on 3rd Avenue at St. Mark's Place has closed after 20 years

Report: Northeast corner of St. Mark's Place and 3rd Ave. fetching $50 million for development site

Report: NE corner of St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue will yield to a 7-story office building

Demolition permits filed for northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

A look at some prime St. Mark's Place retail for rent

The former Kulture space is for rent at 23 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Here are a few of the features for the 1,700-square-foot space, per the listing:

• Neighbor Tenants: Chipotle, Mamouns, Szechaun Mountain House, St. Marks Market, Korilla BBQ, Barcode, Flywheel, Orange Theory Fitnesss, Shake Shack
• Central East Village location steps from Astor Place
• At the base of a 41 unit residential building
• Extremey active foot traffic in a buzzing 24/7 neighborhood
• ADA access in place
• Column free
• Close to the 4, 6 subway station and St. Mark's Citi Bike Station

There isn't any mention of the rent.

Before Kulture, which opened in 2011, the space was the short-lived St. Mark's Cafe, Red Mango, Quizno's and, until June 2008, the CBGB shop...



Kulture, the tattoo-piercings-jewelry-smoke shop, moved a few storefronts to the east — to 31 St. Mark's Place — at the start of 2018...

Boarding up the former Papaya King on St. Mark's Place

On Wednesday, workers boarded up the entrance to the former Papaya King on St. Mark's Place at Third Avenue...

Not sure why this happened ... perhaps to prep for the eventual demolition of this assemblage of buildings on the corner. (Background here.) There aren't any demo permits on file yet. Plus, the timeline isn't clear on when this corner will come down. The Continental around the corner announced that they would close after August 2018.

Or maybe the plywood went up to keep people from camping out inside the front entrance...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Papaya King closes on St. Mark's Place ahead of new development

The Continental says it will close late next summer

Speaking out against a 'Silicon Alley' in this neighborhood

A coalition of community groups and preservationists hosted a rally last evening titled "Don't Turn Our Neighborhood Into Silicon Alley" on on Third Avenue outside 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star ... and across the street from where a 7-story office building is in the works for the northeast corner of the Avenue at St. Mark's Place...



An estimated 50-75 residents turned out... as well as several elected local officials, such as State Sen. Brad Hoylman.
EVG contributor Peter Brownscombe shared these photos... Curbed has a recap of the rally here, which the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) organized ...

It’s the latest new development that’s destroying the fabric of these neighborhoods, local residents argued at the rally on Wednesday. While Greenwich and East Villagers, along with their outgoing City Council member, Rosie Mendez, have been demanding protections for this area for years, this latest push for rezoning was prompted by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement of a new tech hub at the old P.C. Richard & Son on East 14th Street.

And...

GVSHP is encouraging the mayor to create height restrictions in the area, that would limit building heights to between 80 to 145 feet, and would have incentives for creating affordable housing. [GVSHP Executive Director Andrew] Berman said he wasn’t opposed to the tech hub per se, but was unable to get behind it without all the other neighborhood protections in place. The tech hub can only be approved through a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), and will ultimately come before the City Council for final approval. The incoming City Council member from the area, Carlina Rivera, also backs the zoning protections, so it remains to be seen how the Mayor’s project will fare.

Bedford + Bowery has coverage here.

State Assembly member Deborah Glick said preserving the residential, mixed-use character of the neighborhood was important to maintaining the vibrancy of the East Village and that she was disappointed in the proposed developments. “Seeing New York homogenized during the Bloomberg administration – we thought it would come to an end but it’s only getting worse,” she said. “I want to say to Bill de Blasio: Don’t turn yourself into Bloomberg 2.0. We deserve to keep our open skies, air and light – don’t suffocate us just for a quick buck from developer.”

There's a 'Don't Turn Our Neighborhood Into Silicon Alley' rally on Wednesday evening

As you may know, there are plans in the works to demolish the three-building assemblage on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place for a 7-story office building.

In addition, new office and residential buildings are going up or in development on parts of Broadway below 14th Street and University Place ... as well as the Moxy hotel on 11th Street. Not to mention Mayor de Blasio's plan for a 20-plus-story tech hub on 14th Street at Irving Place.

On Wednesday evening, a coalition of community groups and preservationists are hosting a rally titled "Don't Turn Our Neighborhood Into Silicon Alley" on St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue.

The Greenwich Village Society of Historic Preservation (GVSHP) has background on the developments:

Why is this happening? Because this area is lacking in good zoning or landmark protections that allow this kind of demolition and inappropriate development, and the tech industry sees this neighborhood as the hot new area for expansion, extending “Silicon Alley” down from Union Square and up from Astor Place. And now the Mayor and developers want approvals from the City Council for a huge new “Tech Hub” on 14th Street that will accelerate all these trends.

We’re demanding zoning and landmark protections that would preserve historic buildings, keep new development in scale, protect the residential character of this area, and promote affordable housing. But the Mayor OPPOSES this plan ...

GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman has an op-ed on the matter in the Gotham Gazette here.

Preservationists scored one victory along this corridor earlier this month when the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) approved a proposal to landmark the circa-1866 cast-iron buildings at 827-831 Broadway between 12th Street and 13th Street. There was a proposal to build a 14-story office building on the site. The developers are now seeking to add a four-story addition to the existing structure.

The rally is Wednesday evening at 5:30 on Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Behold Civic Hall, the high-tech future of Union Square — and NYC

Report: NE corner of St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue will yield to a 7-story office building

Plans are in the works to redevelop the three-building assemblage on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

According to The Real Deal:

[Real Estate Equities Corporation REEC], led by Brandon Miller and Mark Siegel, is planning to demolish the existing low-rise buildings at 3 St. Mark’s Place, 23 and 25-27 Third Avenue to make way for one new property. Plans call for a seven-story, 66,000-square-foot office building, including 6,000 square feet of corner retail.

That will mean the end of the businesses along here, including the Continental, Korilla BBQ, E Smoke Shop and Papaya King. (The former McDonald's structure is also part of the new development.)



REEC picked up the 99-year leasehold for the properties for a little more than $150 million, per The Real Deal.

In June 2015, The Real Deal reported that real-estate investor Arthur Shapolsky was in contract to buy the corner buildings for roughly $50 million.

However, Joseph Gabay, whose family owns the properties, told me this past June that they had not been sold despite the continued rumors.

That situation has apparently changed. Gabay did not respond to an email to confirm this deal.

As of last evening, there weren't any new permits on file with the Department of Buildings indicating any new work on the properties. There isn't any word just yet on a timeline for the businesses to close.

The development will likely fuel more talk of the Midtown Southification of this part of the neighborhood with 51 Astor Place/IBM Watson Building/Death Star right across the Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Shake Shack effect? McDonald's on 3rd Avenue at St. Mark's Place has closed after 20 years

Report: Northeast corner of St. Mark's Place and 3rd Ave. fetching $50 million for development site