Ben Shaoul's new building going up at 98-100 Avenue A between East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street continues to intrigue and confuse local zoning enthusiasts.
We've gone through the various
DOB permits and have come away generally
confused.
EVG reader something structural shares our curiosity and confusion... so we took another step-by-step look here to see if we can figure out what is going on, mainly how many stories will this thing end up?
1.
A new building permit was filed for and issued for a total floor area of 27,693 sf and a total FAR of 3.41. The description is "APPLICATION BEING FILED TO CONSTRUCT A NEW 6 STORY BUILDING." That suggests a pretty standard filing in R7A. Maximum FAR of 3.45 inclusive of commercial. OK!
2. A complaint was filed "NB UNDER CONSTRUCTION EXCEDS THE BULK AND HEIGHT OF THE PROPOSED 6 STY BLDG" on
9/28/15. A cursory look at the
accepted ZD-1 confirms it looks nothing like what's out there. With us so far, right?
3. DOB (BEST Squad High Rise unit) stopped by 9/30/15 and issued a partial Stop Work Order. There's no indication if this was for zoning, or one of the other 8-10 violations they received for safety, protection of adjacent properties, etc.
4. Two weeks later, on 10/14/15 their Architect of Record filed a new PAA. The documents haven't been scanned yet, but:
- The PW1 now says "APPLICATION BEING FILED TO CONSTRUCT
A NEW 8-STORY BUILDING."
- The residential floor area went to 30,399 sf with an additional 6,775 sf for commercial. Total FAR is 6.60, up from 3.41.
- The comments on the filing? "FILING PAA HEREWITH TO AMEND PW1: FLOOR RANGE, JOB DESCRIPTION, ZONING CHARACT ERISTICS, BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS, SCHEDULE A AND REVISE PLANS." AKA: filing for a different building. And the city approved this amended plan exam just yesterday,
per DOB records.
Meanwhile, the structure was topped out before they even filed the amendment. So there you go. Plenty for zoning enthusiasts to mull over.
The new building's
Schedule A shows 38 units ... and retail stores on the ground floor. Last month,
it was announced that the building will house 33 condos, ranging in price from $1.3 million to $2.3 million. In addition,
as previously noted, the retail space will house a 12,000-square foot Blink Fitness center.
Previously on EV Grieve:
A little bit of Hollywood on Avenue A
Inside the abandoned theater at East Village Farms on Avenue A
New Facebook group is advocating for a Trader Joe's on Avenue A
Workers back demolishing what's left of 98-100 Avenue A
Rest assured, there isn't a fire in the hole at 98-100 Avenue A
Ben Shaoul's 98-100 Avenue A emerging from the dewatering hole
Life next to 98-100 Avenue A
Condos at Ben Shaoul's 98-100 Avenue A will start at $1.3 million; high-end gym eyed for retail space