The saga continues for the former P.S. 64, now entering its 10th year of sitting empty. A listing for 350 E. 10th St. appeared today at Massey Knakal. Here are the details:
The property is currently an approximate 152,000 rentable square foot H-shaped building located in the heart of the East Village, adjacent to Tompkins Square Park. The structure runs block-through from East 9th Street to East 10th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C and features 150’ of frontage on both sides of the block. The property previously operated as a public school and is situated to become a tremendous benefit to the neighborhood as there continues to be a shortage of educational facilities throughout New York City. Ideally, the highest and best use for the property would be to renovate the existing structure and convert it into a modern school or college dormitory. Numerous educational and institutional campus’s are located just a few blocks away from the subject and their student body continues to grow year after year creating an on-going demand for student housing. Prospective users have a rare opportunity to redevelop and transform this 100 year old building into a new modern facility which will provide a variety of educational options.
So, as you know, there's a long, complicated history here. Briefly. Gregg Singer bought the formerly city-owned building in 1998 for $3.15 million. His plan: a 23-story megadorm. But, in the face of strong community opposition, he was never able to get those plans off the ground, and the building sits rotting (with help from the owner). The Villager has extensively covered this story through the years. Check out their archives here.
The new marketing materials come with some fresh renderings...
Anyway, we've seen rebranding campaigns here before... such as in 2009.
This past November, a handful of East Village residents met at Theatre 80 to discuss the possibility of turning the space into a community center and nonprofit space.
Will something finally happen to the space now?
Previously on EV Grieve:
Will old PS 64 get a theater for nonprofit groups?
Rebranded P.S. 64 up for grabs: Please welcome University House at Tompkins Square Park to the neighborhood
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an NYU DORM here would be like dropping a gargantuan load of toxic manure right into the heart of beautiful alphabet city.
here is the key sentence from the post..
"But, in the face of strong community opposition, he was never able to get those plans off the ground"
EAST VILLAGERS UNITE!!!!
I think we need another NYU Dorm with a small Chase branch and a 711 on the ground floor. A sports bar would be cool, too.
ReplyDeletecommunity center community center
ReplyDeletecommunity center community center
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...but if it "can't" be a community center, I was wondering if 50 non-profits could pool their resources and divide up the real estate.
ReplyDeleteEach get 3,000 sq ft. of space. Or something like that...
Old ones graduate to their own digs, and hungry new ones come in. Constant churn.
Or maybe I'm just dreaming.
Too good to be true, Shawn. That management of that alone would cost millions. Luxury condos, here we come.
ReplyDeleteWhy couldn't it be converted into the nursing home the Blombergers are removing from our neighborhood? Oh right, that is something needed by humans, not the 1%.
ReplyDeleteAffordable housing for the 65 and over locals (EV/LES) that are going to lose their current rentals as the prices continue to go insanely higher.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure this is to rational an idea to go anywhere but at least I got my 2 cents in.
Can someone explain who is planning to pay for this community center etc...why should a developer be stuck on the hook for a community that just says no and refuses to evolve. I love that everyone thinks that developers are so rich they should foot the bill for everyone else. Get a grip and realize that having anything there is better than nothing at all.
ReplyDelete@ anon 1:48 pm - The developer was dumb enough to buy a building that is zoned as a community-use facility, meaning it can't be converted to housing of any kind. He was also dumb enough to buy a very old building that got landmarked, so he can't tear it down. The developer was also dumb enough to turn down a few reasonable offers before the zoning changed that prohibits dorms in the neighborhood. The reason this building sits vacant is not because of the community it is because the developer who owns it is dumb and greedy like most of the developers who come into our community. Oh feel free to subsitute arrogant for dumb if that is your preference.
ReplyDeleteMost recently he could have sold it for a tidy profit to an organization that runs charter schools, albeit not a public school like it was, but at least a school.
Uh, stop pontificating, you clueless twit.
DeleteThe landmarking and zoning changes came AFTER the building was bought.
Seems the aging radicals in the EV still cant come to terms w private property....
Gee, let's make it a SQUAT!!!!
Uncle Waltie said...
ReplyDeleteI think we need another NYU Dorm with a small Chase branch and a 711 on the ground floor. A sports bar would be cool, too.
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You forgot nail salon and dry cleaners.
Actually, anonymous: the stipulation that the property remain for community use ONLY was made abundantly clear at the city auction, and Gregg Singer—who may have already been anointed as the winning bidder prior to the auction—was well aware that there were restrictions on the building's use.
ReplyDeleteHe apparently thought it would be easy to overturn these restrictions, and has ended up fighting not only activists but City Hall.
http://ny.curbed.com/tags/charas
We lost Cabrini and Bialystoker assisted living/nursing homes. And long time elderly residents are being evicted (by many means) from their communities. Perhaps we need to insist, if we are to have yet another college student dorm that we also require half of the building to be affordable housing for the elderly.
ReplyDeleteNYU, Columbia these are very wealthy institutions.
We are one of the richest cities in the world - it is the political will that must be found.
We have resources.