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[NYguy]

http://www.nysun.com/article/55231

Extell Moves To Get a Piece of a Hotspot in the Making

By ELIOT BROWN
May 25, 2007


With a vision for the Hudson rail yards slowly taking shape, a top developer has plans to build a 600,000-square-foot mixed-use tower across the street, marking an early entry into the hotspot-to-be of Midtown West.

The Port Authority yesterday approved the sale of a 7,300-square-foot sliver of land to Extell Development for $17.1 million, moving the giant developer a step closer to construction on the site, which sits between 30th and 31st streets east of 10th Avenue.

A spokesman for Extell said the company is likely to soon begin construction work for the building, which will contain residential and commercial space and a hotel. Within the land transfer, Extell left a provision for a skyway that would run across the street to the High Line, the planned park to be built on elevated rail tracks.

The building would be one of the few early arrivals to the gradually transforming Hudson Yards district that runs on the West Side between about 28th and 42nd streets, an area that was rezoned to encourage new, denser development in 2004. Anchored by such city- and state-led projects as the planned development of an expanded Javits Center, a new train terminal by Pennsylvania Station, and the Hudson rail yards complex, the area promises to be almost unrecognizable in 15 years, and developers are slowly buying up land.

For Extell and the other few early developers that trickle in, real estate experts say being the first to build can be costly.

"The first project that goes up always takes a hit because you're taking the most risks — you have unestablished market rents," an analyst at Real Capital Analytics, Daniel Fasulo, said. "There's a lot of major developers acquiring land there right now, but it's basically a game of chicken between your neighbors."

Extell is said to be one of five firms planning a bid for development of the rail yards, which run between Tenth and Twelfth avenues. The city and state foresee a giant complex of residential and commercial towers atop the yards, with a spacious park running east to west envisioned for the center of the development.

The state, which owns the site, intends to issue a request for proposals in coming weeks for the development. The bid to complete the complex could go to a single or a team of developers, officials have said. They would be required to build an extremely costly platform over the rail yards before constructing the towers.

[NYguy]

This could be the tower for site 728A of the Hudson Yards redevelopment plan....
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/hyards/hy_development_information.pdf
(page 60)

Or the lot directly east. Both are directly south of the 450 W. 33rd:

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/77418257/original.jpg

[Jularc]

What is with all these stories and no renderings! I hate how these developers work in NYC. In other cities are usually anounce with some rendering. Just another tall tower in the city with no renderings yet! :rolleyes: I just get so desperate! LOL!

Anyway, great news! :tup:

A spokesman for Extell said the company is likely to soon begin construction work for the building, which will contain residential and commercial space and a hotel.

[NYguy]

What is with all these stories and no renderings! I hate how these developers work in NYC. In other cities are usually anounce with some rendering. Just another tall tower in the city with no renderings yet! :rolleyes: I just get so desperate! LOL!

Anyway, great news! :tup:

That's true. And this is another one to start work soon that we have no rendering of. That would make three along with Gehry's tower.

[NYguy]

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2007/05/25/2007-05-25_hudson_yards_plot_brings_17m.html

Hudson Yards plot brings $17M

BY BRIAN KATES
Friday, May 25th 2007


The development of Hudson Yards on Manhattan's far West Side inched forward yesterday with the Port Authority's deal to sell a tiny sliver of land near the Lincoln Tunnel for $17.1 million.

The sale of the 7,300-square-foot parcel to Extell Development will allow the real estate giant to expand a massive commercial and residential high-rise on adjacent property.

The 25-foot wide vacant lot, at W. 30th and W. 31st, between Dyer and 10th avenues, is in the Hudson Yards Development District next to the High Line, a former elevated rail line being transformed into a park.

Under the deal, Extell will build a skywalk over the Lincoln Tunnel access road to the new park.

Extell representatives did not return calls for comment.

Hudson Yards – bounded by W. 30th to W. 42nd, from Eighth Ave. to the Hudson River – is the largest tract of land available for development in Manhattan.

Plans call for creating a new neighborhood with housing, commercial buildings, school, cultural facility and parking, much of it built on huge platforms over the Long Island Rail Road's West Side yards.

The Metropolitan Transporation Authority, which owns most of the land involved, said it will seek proposals from developers by early next month.

Extell is expected to bid, as are several other major developers, including Vornado Realty, Brookfield Properties and Tishman Speyer Properties.

[NYguy]

The sale of the 7,300-square-foot parcel to Extell Development will allow the real estate giant to expand a massive commercial and residential high-rise on adjacent property.

I take it that means they are adding the site to the already planned tower at site 728A of the Hudson Yards. It's not exactly clear.

[djvandrake]

:omg: $2,342 a square foot for raw land? Yikes!

Is this typical for the Manhattan?

Great news, but yeah, how about a rendering from those developers! :haha:

[NYguy]

:omg: $2,342 a square foot for raw land? Yikes!
Is this typical for the Manhattan?

Great news, but yeah, how about a rendering from those developers! :haha:

Manhattan can be expensive, even on the west side. There may be a rendering out for the tower we just haven't seen. A lot slips under the radar. But this sits practically between two of the west side's largest developments - the MTA's railyard development, and Brookfields massive development over the open yards.

[NYguy]

http://www.nycondoblog.com/?p=171

http://www.nycondoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/356-10th-avenue.JPG
A new Extell development at the old Stuart Dean building site

Overview

Extell is underway developing a new residential project on 10th Avenue btw 30th and 31st streets. The filing isn’t new (about a year old) but progress on construction has been quite slow. My guess is that this space is dealing with some operational bumps but should be up sometime during 2009. Before we jump into the details (or what is currently known) let’s talk for a moment about what Extell has been up to since bursting on the New York scene and what other stuff has been going on in this far west neighborhood.

Extell’s past few projects have been a bit confusing. While most of their end products are very impressive, the majority of their land acquisitions are in less established neighborhoods with a higher risk factor. My inclination is that Gary Barnett (President of Extell) has a clear vision which divides him from the similarities of other developers. If you have enough faith in New York City condominium development (such as a willingness to create a blog about it…) you know that Manhattan still has a ways to go in terms of residential development. Barnett has the common sense of buying up plots of land that are less expensive in exchange for potentially earning a larger profit a few years down the road. The monstrous Trump site on the upper west side is a perfect, early example of this Extell practice. Trump was infuriated after the 77 acres were sold for about $1.8 billion because Extell had better intuition about the usage of the space.

Extell also did the Orion recently (a massive condo on west 42nd street) and 2633 Broadway (@ 99th street) which was made famous by a building collapse which occurred while clearing out the space for development.

Units and Pricing

The details of this development aren’t well known. I plan on doing some research here and updating shortly.

Area
Let’s be realistic: this isn’t a plot of land you’d drive by and feel enticed. In fact, its a very baron area, near the Hudson yards, south of the Jacob Javitz center with blocks full of factories and a whole bunch of nothing. The site was previously inhabited by Stuart Dean, a property maintenance and restoration firm, but has been cleared down. Ron Solarz of Eastern Consolidated Properties sold the land for Stuart Dean a couple of years ago. The neighborhood is badly in need of the construction facelift which we’re all waiting for.

The city made some zoning changes a few years back to potentially accommodate a football stadium which would also double as a sports complex which could help boost the chances at NYC making a bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. The stadium and the Olympics are no longer a reality, but Extell still sees potential created by the new zoning. This includes a possible subway expansion and the ability to build very high (great views) and mix in some commercial and some hotel space. I’d say we’re looking at 2010-2012 until this area is anywhere near what Extell would need to sell residential space here for $1,500/foot.

[NYonward]

:omg: $2,342 a square foot for raw land? Yikes!

Is this typical for the Manhattan?

Great news, but yeah, how about a rendering from those developers! :haha:

It's more meaningful as $/sf of buildable square footage. At $2342 per buildable square foot, it's not a good deal.

[GFSNYC]

$17.1m? Looks like a so-so deal now, but Extell could drag its feet while locking in some construction costs/contracts now. If I had the money, I'd buy it up in a heartbeat. By the time a smallish 20-30 story residential goes up, the entire place would be a construction site, not a great place to live. Under the radar indeed, mediocre short term buy, phenominal long term find.

[NYguy]

With a vision for the Hudson rail yards slowly taking shape, a top developer has plans to build a 600,000-square-foot mixed-use tower across the street, marking an early entry into the hotspot-to-be of Midtown West.

A spokesman for Extell said the company is likely to soon begin construction work for the building, which will contain residential and commercial space and a hotel. Within the land transfer, Extell left a provision for a skyway that would run across the street to the High Line, the planned park to be built on elevated rail tracks.

Residential, commercial, and hotel is a lot to cram into that space. It's surprising that they would put commercial space there so soon, unless its just retail.

As far as a connection to the high line, it remains to be seen if that northern portion will be preserved.

[antinimby]

I take it that means they are adding the site to the already planned tower at site 728A of the Hudson Yards. It's not exactly clear.The logical conclusion I can draw is that they just purchased from the Port Authority an adjacent lot next to the Stuart Dean building site that Extell had already owned.

From the air, this should make it much clearer:

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/9356/extellhudsonyardsrj9.jpg

[Scruffy]

Holy shit. I was just there today and got pictures and was going to bring the news that Extell has signs up. damn. But yes, the first satellite pic is wrong. the one directly above is right. Its not a big site at all. So the fact that its going to be 700k sq feet bodes well for a 500-650 footer. I'm guessing. So I walked up and down every block of the west side area in nasty heat, but got good coverage. I found so many boutique hotels under construction, and got pics of the blocks that are going to be leveled. I'll filter them out throughout the week. It takes me a while.

But this Extell thing is awesome. I really thought that the Convention Center Hotel was going to be the first thing going. surprise.

[BayRidgeFever]

Cool, looking forward to it....I've been wondering about all the small hotels going up in the west side.

[NYguy]

The logical conclusion I can draw is that they just purchased from the Port Authority an adjacent lot next to the Stuart Dean building site that Extell had already owned.

From the air, this should make it much clearer:

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/9356/extellhudsonyardsrj9.jpg

Yeah, that's kind of what I thought when they mentioned the lot was just 25 ft wide. This is what threw me off...

The 25-foot wide vacant lot, at W. 30th and W. 31st, between Dyer and 10th avenues, is in the Hudson Yards Development District next to the High Line, a former elevated rail line being transformed into a park.

Under the deal, Extell will build a skywalk over the Lincoln Tunnel access road to the new park.

I took that to mean building east, not south. But south makes much more sense to connect to the high line. It's still a very small lot. Brookfield's 2 planned residential towers will give it some company just around the block as far as residents go.

[NYguy]

But this Extell thing is awesome. I really thought that the Convention Center Hotel was going to be the first thing going. surprise.

The Convention Center Hotel is supposed to start this year also, so it just may get a jump on this one. But Extell is only one of 3 bidding for that one, and at last report, their plans were for a 980 ft hotel.

[NYguy]

the first satellite pic is wrong. the one directly above is right.

By the way, these pics are of the same location, just different angles:

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/77418257/original.jpg

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/9356/extellhudsonyardsrj9.jpg

But they're just meant for location purposes. This is probably more likely the updated version of what you saw:

http://www.nycondoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/356-10th-avenue.JPG

[Scruffy]

By the way, these pics are of the same location, just different angles:


No you are right, i thought you were marking the territory with that circle thing in that first pic which is why i held my breath. you marked out B&H at 33 and 9th. I am praying that that is spared. Im at that place near weekly. But I see that that was mere coincidence.


According to this:
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/9356/extellhudsonyardsrj9.jpg

Which is the other site that Extell owns that may be connected via bridge?

The largish building to the south i saw to be post office related. its hulking and nasty and if thats to go, raises another question about Moinahan. When the plan was first announced long ago, the new penn station would be in the eastern half of Farley and the post office would retain the western half for their needs. Now with the introduction of MSG there, where is the post office going to conduct their business. Are we going to be left without a central post office. should we go out and rebuild a Grand Central Post Office if for nothing more than ego. These type of city institutions should reflect the grandness of the city and we shouldn't be just left with satellite P.O.s in all the neighborhoods.

The building to the north of that marked Extell site is the headquarters for Associated Press, PBS, and im pretty sure where MTA keeps its subway control center. Its a nasty hulk of a building that i have hoped would be razed and redeveloped long ago, before the west side stadium deal went bellyup. That is a huge footprint that could easily I think hold the needed trading floors an office building might need. And Across 10th ave and alongside the high line is an industrial site. I forget the name, and im not entirely sure if it was MTA related or not. Directly north of that you have a low rise and a long driveway of parked cars. Both are rail yard and MTA related.

[antinimby]

Here's my attempt at summarizing the details we know so far, visually:

The sale of the 7,300-square-foot parcel to Extell Development will allow the real estate giant to expand a massive commercial and residential high-rise on adjacent property.

Under the deal, Extell will build a skywalk over the Lincoln Tunnel access road to the new park.

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/3314/extellhudsonyards1ef4.jpg

Hope that makes it clearer. :)

[Lecom]

^Thanks for the info and the visuals guys

[Scruffy]

YES! The visuals totally cleared that up. Thank you. So the plan is 700k on that site. The size of the building and the smallness of the site dictates it will be a tower. Not a supertall by any means, but taller than the neighborhood has right now. I can deal with that.

[NYguy]

YES! The visuals totally cleared that up. Thank you. So the plan is 700k on that site. The size of the building and the smallness of the site dictates it will be a tower. Not a supertall by any means, but taller than the neighborhood has right now. I can deal with that.


Yeah, its no supertall, not even one of the largest towers in the Hudson Yards development planning. But its a major first step in developing that part of Manhattan. I expect Extell to go as high as they can for the residential/hotel units.

[NYguy]

JUNE 17, 2007

A 600,000 sf residential tower is a pretty good size for this small lot.
I expect a minimum 50-story tower from Extell...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/80736598/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/80736617/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/80736598/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/80736617/large.jpg

[NYguy]

http://www.panynj.gov/AboutthePortAuthority/pdf/Minutes_0507.pdf

LINCOLN TUNNEL – DECLARATION OF SURPLUS PROPERTY AND TRANSFER OF TITLE OF WEST 30TH STREET PROPERTY

It was recommended that the Board authorize: (1) the declaration of approximately 7,300 square feet of vacant land located between West 30th and West 31st Streets and between Tenth Avenue and Dyer Avenue (tax map designation Block 728, part of Lot 1) in the Hudson Yards Development District of the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York (the Property), as surplus property; and (2) the Executive Director to: (a) enter into a contract of sale with Extell 31/10 LLC (Extell) for the conveyance of fee title to the Property for the sum of $17,155,000; (b) grant Extell a perpetual light-and-air easement over an adjacent parcel of land of approximately 4,200 square feet owned by the Port Authority, located to the south of the Property, for the sum of $500,000; and (c) grant a perpetual easement to Extell for the construction and maintenance of a pedestrian skyway over an adjacent parcel of land owned by the Port Authority, located to the southwest of the Property, for an amount to be negotiated by the Executive Director of not less than $500,000 in 2007 dollars.

Extell is developing a mixed-use commercial and residential high-rise building consisting of approximately 600,000 to 650,000 square feet (the Extell Development) on the lot adjacent to the Property. As part of the transaction, Extell would be granted a 30-foot-wide light-and-air easement over a portion of the Lincoln Tunnel access road, and a sliver of land between the Property and such access road, for the sum of $500,000.

The Port Authority has owned the Property for approximately 50 years. It is one of many parcels that originally were acquired by the Port Authority for tunnel-related purposes and has approximately 300 feet of frontage on a Lincoln Tunnel Express Roadway located to the north of West 30th Street.

The approximately 7,300-square-foot Property has an average width of approximately 25 feet and consists of a concrete public sidewalk and vacant land leading to the ramp to the Lincoln Tunnel. The entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel lies ten blocks to the north of the Property. Under current zoning regulations, the Property’s development rights can only be transferred to adjacent property owners, which consist of Extell and one other building owner.

The Property would be conveyed in “as is” condition, and the Port Authority would have no liability, either express or implied, as to the condition, title, design, operation, or fitness of the Property. The contract of sale additionally would provide that the Port Authority would receive a payment for a portion of the increase in the value of the Property, based on a re-appraisal of the Property to determine appreciation, upon the occurrence of a triggering event, as defined in the contract.

The Extell Development is adjacent to the new High Line Park, a portion of which is now under construction. Extell is proposing to provide public access to the park via a pedestrian skyway that would be constructed, in part, over the westerly edge of Lot 1, directly over the Lincoln Tunnel Access Road. In connection with this proposal, the Executive Director would be authorized to grant a perpetual easement to Extell for the construction and maintenance of a pedestrian skyway over Lot 1 when the redevelopment of the High Line as a park extending to the corner of 30th Street and Tenth Avenue is approved and funded, in consideration of a fee to be paid to the Port Authority of not less than $500,000 in 2007 dollars.

The Port Authority would have the right to approve the design, construction and maintenance of the skyway. In addition, the Port Authority would have the right to connect to the skyway for access to High Line Park from Port Authority property. However, the Executive Director would not be able to grant the proposed easement after the tenth anniversary of the closing of title to the Property. Further, the skyway easement would extinguish in the event the public does not have access to the skyway from the Property or the High Line is no longer used as a public park.

[NYguy]

Knew I wouldn't be disappointed with this one...
Posted on curbed.com

Steven Holl's 'Towering S' Revealed!

http://www.curbed.com/2007_07_hollnew2.jpg


Wednesday, July 25, 2007, by Lockhart

Whoa. Here's the architectural reveal of the month: Steven Holl's towering residential/hotel tower that's being developed by Extell on Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets, across the street from the Hudson Rail Yards.

Holl disclosed his involvement in this project on the Charlie Rose Show Monday night, and showed off some early renderings of the tower and the plan to build a bridge to connect it to the 30th Street spur of the High Line. Per CityRealty, "The rendering seemed to indicate that it would be more than 50 stories tall and that it would rise in three major setbacks and that the silhouette of the slender tower would somewhat resemble an elongated, angled 'S.'" Hard to get a sense of the S in the rendering above, but screengrabs from an alert member of Wired New York shows the sway. Early verdict: pretty damn awesome.

The more interesting angle, though, concerns the High Line. The 30th Street spur juts off the Hudson Yards portion of the raised train tracks (good photos of the spur here). That makes it part of the upper third of the High Line, the portion that Friends of the High Line says isn't yet guaranteed to survive the Hudson Yards redevelopment process. Yet Extell now says they're going to invest $2 million in a bridge from Holl's tower to the 30th Street spur—pretty good evidence, one might conclude, that the upper third of the High Line's going to survive the redevelopment around it just fine.

____________________________________________________

http://www.cityrealty.com/new_developments/news.cr?noteid=19402

Steven Holl designs major mixed-use tower on Tenth Avenue

24-JUL-07


The Extell Development Company, which is headed by Gary Burnett, has commissioned Steven Holl to design a major, mixed-use tower at 366 Tenth Avenue at the northern terminus of the High Line Park at 31st Street.

Mr. Holl showed a rendering of the planned tower last night on the Charlie Rose television program and said it would contain about 200,000 square feet of residential space, about 400 hotel rooms and art gallery and retail spaces.

The rendering seemed to indicate that it would be more than 50 stories tall and that it would rise in three major setbacks and that the silhouette of the slender tower would somewhat resemble an elongated, angled "S."

Mr. Holl said he had been worked on the project for about 18 months but contracts had only just been signed.

Mr. Holl is famous for his collaboration with Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects on the very impressive design of the Simmons Hall student residence building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That project is distinguished by its 18-inch deep windows and cut-out forms.

Mr. Holl has also won widespread praise for his recent major, luminous expansion of the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City, Missouri and a huge residential complex nearing completion in Beijing in which eight towers are connected by bridges at about the 20th floor, one of which contains a swimming pool.

Another major Holl design is Sail Hybrid, an expansion of a resort casino in Knokke-Hirst, Belgium.

In 1993, he collaborated with Vito Acconci on the clever flip-out design of the Storefront for Art and Architecture on Kenmare Street in SoHo, and more recently he designed the Higgins Hall Center at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

In May, the board of directors of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey authorized the sale of about 7,300 square feet of vacant land on Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets to the Extell for $17,155,000.

The board also authorized granting Extell a perpetual light-and-air easement over an adjacent parcel of land of about 4,300 square feet for $500,000 and another easement for the construction and maintenance of a pedestrian skyway over an adjacent parcel owned by the authority for an amount to be negotiated of not less than $500,000.

Extell Development had acquired the low-rise building occupied by Stuart Dean, the building facade restorers, at 366 Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Street for $23 million.

The site lies within the Hudson Yards district.

Mr. Holl told Mr. Rose that Extell plans to erect a $2 million bridge to connect it with the cross-town section of the elevated railway that is part of the west and east sections of the rail yards for which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently put out a request for development proposals.

Extell has become one of the city's most aggressive acquirers of property in recent years.

It is converting the former Stanhope Hotel at 995 Fifth Avenue to residential condominiums and nearing completion of the 60-story condo tower known as the Orion on West 42nd Street and two high-rise towers on Broadway at 99th Street. It and The Carlyle Group agreed to acquire three apartments buildings designed by Costas Kondylis and land between 59th and 65th Streets near the Hudson River from a consortium of Hong Kong investors and Donald Trump for $1.76 billion and a recent report in the press indicated that Extell has commissioned Christian de Portzamparc to design the next three major apartment buildings in that complex facing the Hudson River.

In addition, Extell has a couple of development sites on West 57th Street.

http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1185317419_extelholl2.jpg

[Dale]

Wow! Never saw that coming.

[NYguy]

Shots from curbed.com (via wirednewyork.com)

http://www.curbed.com/2007_07_towerings.jpg

[NYguy]

Extell has become one of the city's most aggressive acquirers of property in recent years.

It is converting the former Stanhope Hotel at 995 Fifth Avenue to residential condominiums and nearing completion of the 60-story condo tower known as the Orion on West 42nd Street and two high-rise towers on Broadway at 99th Street. It and The Carlyle Group agreed to acquire three apartments buildings designed by Costas Kondylis and land between 59th and 65th Streets near the Hudson River from a consortium of Hong Kong investors and Donald Trump for $1.76 billion and a recent report in the press indicated that Extell has commissioned Christian de Portzamparc to design the next three major apartment buildings in that complex facing the Hudson River.

In addition, Extell has a couple of development sites on West 57th Street.

Extell is also one of the companies expected to bid for the railyards directly accross the street, and is one of the 3 that bid for the convention center hotel (just a few blocks north of this one) with a proposal for a 980 ft tall hotel.

The interview:
http://www.charlierose.com/guests/steven-holl

[Dale]

700' ? 800' ?

[Antares41]

I guess closer to 700ft. It appears to be roughly greater than 3x the height of that ugly little pyramid building on the lower left.

[NYguy]

I guess closer to 700ft. It appears to be roughly greater than 3x the height of that ugly little pyramid building on the lower left.

Yeah, 700 ft is what I estimated from the rendering. Being the first to rise in the area, it will be very dominant. By the way, the arhitect stated in the interview that they are already digging at the site, which would put this one in site prep.

[NYguy]

Site as it was last month:

JUNE 17, 2007

A 600,000 sf residential tower is a pretty good size for this small lot.
I expect a minimum 50-story tower from Extell...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/80736598/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/80736617/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/80736598/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/80736617/large.jpg

[Scruffy]

Damn. that is sweet

[CoolCzech]

http://www.curbed.com/2007_07_hollnew2.jpg

http://www.curbed.com/2007_07_towerings.jpg


Wow. This is what I expected Beekman Place to look like.

[Thskyscraper]

So it's actually going to look like an 's',lol This looks good and the height seems great.

[NYguy]

Very thin and sleek. This could end up being the Calatrava (80 South St) that we never got. I would be very interested to see how Extell would tie this in with the towers planned for the rail yards. Extell is expected to be one of the bidders for that large project.

[NYguy]

http://www.therealdeal.net/issues/SEPTEMBER_2007/1188602318.php

Major players gobble up Hudson Yards sites
Big builders set to converge on far West Side

By Lauren Elkies
September 2007

http://www.therealdeal.net//issues/SEPTEMBER_2007/images/1188602318.jpg

A view of the rail yards at Ninth Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets.

Development of the Hudson Yards area is still in its infancy, but big builders have been amassing large swaths of land on the far West Side with plans to infuse the area with major residential and commercial projects.

This month, The Real Deal set out to take a detailed look at what many see as the area of Manhattan poised for the greatest amount of development going forward, with a block-by-block chart and map of projects planned for the neighborhood as well as recent property sales.

Of course, the big boys of development -- including Vornado, Related, Brookfield, the Moinian Group, Rockrose and Extell Development -- have accrued sizeable holdings in the area, stretching roughly between 30th and 42nd streets from the Hudson River to Eighth Avenue.

Comparatively smaller players -- names like Circle Properties and Lalezarian Developers -- are also snapping up buildings and development sites.

Extell may lead the way with the greatest number of large planned projects, bids or recent buys, with a total of five. The firm has already completed one condo building in the area, the Orion; has plans for a mixed-use tower and an office tower; is bidding on a massive hotel project; and just purchased a tract of land on 34th Street.

But it's the Related Companies, Brookfield Properties and Vornado Realty Trust that may end up covering the widest amount of land, even with fewer total projects in the works.

All three companies are among the bidders to develop the massive 26-acre Hudson Rail Yards, owned by the MTA, which run from 30th to 33rd streets and from 10th to 12th avenues.

In addition, Vornado and Related are the companies planning to develop Moynihan Station, which includes rebuilding Penn Station and Madison Square Garden on the site of the Farley Post Office.

For its part, Brookfield is planning four office towers that would total 4.7 million square feet on Ninth Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets.


Just the beginning

Even with all the goings-on, there are still available sites in the Hudson Yards district.

"All the top developers in the city are looking in a very detailed way at what's going on in the neighborhood," said Robert Knakal, chairman and founding partner of Massey Knakal Realty Services.

While deals and projects have been in the works, there has been little by way of tangible results.

"It's an area that's going to be a major development site, but it's at the beginning," said Richard Bassuk, president of the real estate finance and brokerage firm the Singer & Bassuk Organization.

The Singer & Bassuk Organization has been in discussions with clients about development options in the area.

"Nothing's gotten built in that neighborhood ... because much of [the] zoning is commercial and it's not clear how to make that work yet," said Gary Barnett, president of Extell.

His company is developing a site at 31st Street and 10th Avenue. There will be an office and gallery on the bottom floors, a hotel in the middle and condos above the hotel, Barnett said.

On the site of famed Copacabana nightclub on 11th Avenue between 33rd and 34th streets, Extell plans a new, 1.5-million-square-foot office tower.


Twelfth Avenue freezeout

Some developers have become gun-shy because of the many unknown factors in the Hudson Yards area. A walk around the Hudson Yards reveals a district filled with derelict industrial buildings, vacant parking lots, functioning automobile shops and cordoned-off blocks of construction.

Some major public and quasi-public projects have yet to start. In addition to the rail yards, another major project for which the state will select a developer is the building of a headquarters hotel for the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Meanwhile, the expansion of the Javits Center itself has yet to get under way. The Spitzer administration is now considering a proposal that would increase the new space from 300,000 square feet to 550,000 square feet -- and at $4 billion, double the cost of the overhaul proposed under Governor Pataki.

An even more massive public project yet to start is the extension of the No. 7 subway line to 34th Street and 11th Avenue.

On a smaller scale, there's also uncertainty about the future of the northern portion of the High Line, a one-and-a-half mile abandoned elevated railway that ends at 34th Street in the area of the western rail yards.

"There's a lot of wait-and-see attitude," said Jack Botero, a Manhattan-based associate director of the national multi-housing group of Marcus & Millichap.

Botero said he has been acting as a consultant to two successful parking lot owners in the Hudson Yards area who are trying to determine if they should hold onto their lots or sell them.

Brookfield Properties' CEO has said the company's plans on Ninth Avenue will be put on hold if there is no movement on the extension of the No. 7 train.

Meanwhile, Barnett said, "No one has a clear handle on what things are worth there."


Rentals aplenty

But there is no doubt that the Hudson Yards area is slated for major commercial and residential development, made possible by the 2005 rezoning of the area from a manufacturing district to a commercial and residential one.

Some developers are still proceeding with their plans.

Rockrose has started work on two projects in the area, which will have residential and commercial components. At 455 West 37th Street, which runs from 37th to 38th streets and from 10th Avenue halfway down the block to Ninth Avenue, the company has begun construction of a 394-unit rental building, according to Sofia Estevez, senior vice president at Rockrose.

On the west side of the street at 505 West 37th Street, the company has broken ground on a two-tower, 835-unit rental building, which will extend from 37th to 38th streets and from 10th Avenue halfway down the block to 11th Avenue.

Moinian has started construction on its rental and retail tower at 605 West 42nd Street.

Developers on the far West Side face a conundrum: In a market where construction and land costs are high, how do you keep rents low enough to draw tenants and retailers, but high enough to make a profit?

"People aren't going to take a less convenient location unless the price is right," Bassuk noted.

For the residential portions of its far West Side buildings, Rockrose is not planning on slashing rents dramatically to draw would-be dwellers to the still-remote location, Estevez said. Still, rents in the buildings will average $6 per square foot, or 10 percent less than at a new building in a more established area, such as at the company's 110-114 Horatio Street, where rents average $66 a square foot.

Rockrose is planning, however, to bring retail to the area at a slightly discounted rate, Estevez said. At 455 West 37th Street, there will be a supermarket and a high-end restaurant. (A Time Warner Center restaurateur is reportedly interested in the space.) Restaurant space will also be built at 505 West 37th Street.

"We'll decide what else the neighborhood needs when we're closer," Estevez said. But making room for those services will come at a cost. "I do anticipate we will have to subsidize" the rents, she noted.


Inn development

The far West Side also appears ripe for hotel development.

Moinian, Extell and Texas-based Faulkner USA are all jockeying for the right to develop the Javits hotel project.

Would-be developers of the hotel said they do not expect to adjust room rates because of the location.

"The pricing model is likely the highest convention center hotel rate in the nation. We made no concession for the location because we have determined that it is a high-value submarket in the city," Moinian's spokesperson said.

Moinian's current proposal calls for a massive 1,275-room hotel designed by architecture firm Gensler.

Barnett of Extell said that his company has proposed a 70-story-plus "iconic" Hyatt hotel with a more luxurious Grand Hyatt at the top, separated by a sky lobby.

The hotel market is faring well in the city, and if most hotels stay small and offer limited services, they will be easy to run and profitable on the far West Side, said Eric Anton, an executive director at Eastern Consolidated.

Extell is also including a hotel in its project at 31st Street and 10th Avenue. Prolific hotelier McSam Hotel Group, meanwhile, bought four parcels of land on West 38th and 39th Streets.

"Everyone's talking hotel, hotel, hotel, hotel," Anton said.

____________________________________________________

Graphic of developments...
http://www.therealdeal.net/pdf/HudsonYards_MajorSites.pdf

[NYguy]

Posted on wirednewyork.com

http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=3&allisn=0001421127&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=

-61 Stories

-774 ft


http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1185317419_extelholl2.jpg

[NYguy]

http://www.cityrealty.com/new_developments/news.cr?page=3

Holl mixed-use tower at 360 Tenth Avenue will rise 774 feet

20-SEP-07

Plans on file with the Department of Buildings indicate that the mixed-use tower planned by the Extell Development Company, which is headed by Gary Burnett, at 360 Tenth Avenue at the northern terminus of the High Line Park at 31st Street will be 774 feet high and have 61 stories.

Extell has commissioned Steven Holl to design the tower and James Davidson of SLCE is listed as the architect of record.

According to the application filed with the city for a new building September 17, 2007, the building will have parking for 169 cars, a health club on the second floor, offices on floors 3 to 10, a hotel on floors 13 to 36 and 153 apartments on floors 38 through 61 with 8 apartments a floor on floors 38 through 51, 7 apartments on floors 52 to 56 and 4 apartments on floors 57 to 61.

Mr. Holl showed a rendering of the planned tower July 23, 2007 on the Charlie Rose television program and said it would contain about 200,000 square feet of residential space, about 400 hotel rooms and art gallery and retail spaces.

The rendering indicated that it would rise in three major setbacks and that the silhouette would somewhat resemble an elongated, angled "S."

Mr. Holl is famous for his collaboration with Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects on the very impressive design of the Simmons Hall student residence building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That project is distinguished by its 18-inch deep windows and cut-out forms.

Mr. Holl has also won widespread praise for his recent major, luminous expansion of the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City, Missouri and a huge residential complex nearing completion in Beijing in which eight towers are connected by bridges at about the 20th floor, one of which contains a swimming pool.

Another major Holl design is Sail Hybrid, an expansion of a resort casino in Knokke-Hirst, Belgium.

In 1993, he collaborated with Vito Acconci on the clever flip-out design of the Storefront for Art and Architecture on Kenmare Street in SoHo.

In May, the board of directors of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey authorized the sale of about 7,300 square feet of vacant land on Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets to the Extell for $17,155,000.

The board also authorized granting Extell a perpetual light-and-air easement over an adjacent parcel of land of about 4,300 square feet for $500,000 and another easement for the construction and maintenance of a pedestrian skyway over an adjacent parcel owned by the authority for an amount to be negotiated of not less than $500,000.

Extell Development had acquired the low-rise building occupied by Stuart Dean, the building facade restorers, at 366 Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Street for $23 million.

Mr. Holl told Mr. Rose that Extell plans to erect a $2 million bridge to connect it with the cross-town section of the elevated railway that is part of the west and east sections of the rail yards for which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently put out a request for development proposals.

Extell has become one of the city's most aggressive acquirers of property in recent years.

It is converting the former Stanhope Hotel at 995 Fifth Avenue to residential condominiums and nearing completion of the 60-story condo tower known as the Orion on West 42nd Street and two high-rise towers on Broadway at 99th Street. It and The Carlyle Group agreed to acquire three apartments buildings designed by Costas Kondylis and land between 59th and 65th Streets near the Hudson River from a consortium of Hong Kong investors and Donald Trump for $1.76 billion and a recent report in the press indicated that Extell has commissioned Christian de Portzamparc to design the next three major apartment buildings in that complex facing the Hudson River.

In addition, Extell has a couple of development sites on West 57th Street.

http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1190321095_10av360.jpg

[Dac150]

I wish it were a little taller, but 774ft isn't bad at all. It'll be a nice addition no doubt for that area. It does look taller in that rendering though.

[NYguy]

I wish it were a little taller, but 774ft isn't bad at all. It'll be a nice addition no doubt for that area. It does look taller in that rendering though.

It's taller than can be expected for that very small lot...

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/9356/extellhudsonyardsrj9.jpg

It's a 700,000 sf tower. Still, at 774 ft, its far taller than anything in the immediate area now, though that will change. By the end of the week, its possible we may know what potentially will be built over the railyards...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/86781190/original.jpg

[ZZ-II]

great project, NY rules :)

[NYguy]

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/86781190/original.jpg

With two towers already bordering the railyards, it makes me wonder what Extell will propose as part of its bid...

[NYguy]

http://www.curbed.com/2007_07_hollnew2.jpg

http://www.curbed.com/2007_07_towerings.jpg


The tower would rise very prominently in this photo at the end of the high line spur - if this spur survives the railyards...

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/10/08/nyregion/08highline.large.jpg
NY Times

[NYguy]

Looks like Steven Holl will be designing more than just this tower on the west side...


http://www.observer.com/2007/architects-new-west-side

The Architects of The New West Side

http://www.observer.com/files/imagecache/article/files/Steven-Holl-web.jpg
Steven Holl's dream for Beijing

by Matthew Schuerman
October 11, 2007

A fancy architect may not speak as loudly as cash, but it could give you an edge in the fight to lay claim to 26 acres of Manhattan real estate. Clearly, that’s the thought of a number of the developers who are working on proposals for the Western Rail Yards, which are due at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s offices by 5 p.m. today.

Gary Barnett’s Extell Development, which has slowly warmed to the whole starchitect game, has commissioned Steven Holl

[NYguy]

http://www.observer.com/2007/west-side-port-authority-extell-land-sale-goes-official

Extell Closes on 10th Avenue Parcel for Holl's Wacky Tower

by Eliot Brown
November 9, 2007

Maverick developer Gary Barnett and his Extell Development Company have closed on a sliver of Port Authority-owned land at 31st Street and 10th Avenue for about $17 million, property records show. The 7,500-square-foot piece of land was the final parcel needed by Extell in preparation for its planned 61-story, 780,000-square-foot mixed-use tower set to rise, as the company had been assembling a lot around a former Stuart Dean-owned building for years.

The developers have been reticent to release any renderings of their skinny tower, though their offbeat architect, Steven Holl, revealed a decidedly un-detailed, blurry image of the wavy structure on the Charlie Rose show earlier this year, providing fodder for the blogosphere.

The planned tower, which could connect to the High Line viaduct-turned-parkland, sits just across the street from the Western rail yards where Extell has submitted a bid to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to develop the 26-acre site.

While designs of the bids have yet to be shown to the public, perhaps Extell is planning something to match the 31st Street tower. Their architect for the massive complex: Steven Holl.

[CoolCzech]

http://www.observer.com/files/imagecache/article/files/Steven-Holl-web.jpg
Steven Holl's dream for Beijing




It looks like a couple of the also-ran proposals for the WTC rebuild... I didn't like this concept then, and don't care for it now. I hope the westside sticks with distinctive, tall towers.

[Dac150]

I agree. I don't know where architecture is going these days, but that above (IMO) is just..........well, not good. This all brings back a concern of mine. Architects need to know where they are building. The "anything goes" attitude is wonderful for the people of Manhattan, but not for the buildings.

[Lecom]

Whoever has a spare million out here, go now and byt any plot of land immediately adjacent to the redevelopment area. It is guaranteed that you will easily make your money back and then some within the next ten years, even if you buy a lot that's not zoned for anything above five stories. Buy me a 12-pack of Miller Genuine Draft once you do this as a "thank you" for a good call (well, maybe it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the area is going to skyrocket, but buy me a 12-pack anyway).

[NYguy]

It looks like a couple of the also-ran proposals for the WTC rebuild... I didn't like this concept then, and don't care for it now. I hope the westside sticks with distinctive, tall towers.

That's not a plan for the railyards, which has a specific site plan.

[Fabb]

I can't believe I wasn't aware of this fantastic and mysterious project.
The title of the thread should include "774 ft" somewhere...

[NYguy]

I can't believe I wasn't aware of this fantastic and mysterious project.
The title of the thread should include "774 ft" somewhere...

Already mentioned to the moderators. But it will likely be around 800 ft or so.

[NYguy]

This tower will be built regardless of whether or not Extell gets the railyards bid.
Steven Holl is designing both developments, and here they are together:

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/89033643/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/89033680/large.jpg

[Fabb]

The model looks good, but it gives no clue about the cladding.

[NYguy]

The model looks good, but it gives no clue about the cladding.

They're nearing construction, so I'm hoping something will be revealed soon, and we won't have another Gehry situation...

[Fabb]

I love those irregular lines.
The tyranny of geometry was starting to be suffocating.

[Dac150]

Looking foward to seeing a rendering. Now we are starting to get to the good part in all this Westside development.

[NYguy]

Looking foward to seeing a rendering. Now we are starting to get to the good part in all this Westside development.

Yeah. I would still like to see the design for Extell's planned WPC, which was left out (although its being designed by a different firm).

[CoolCzech]

Is Extell's WPC also just a "proposal," in need of City approval, or is that something more likely to actually get built?

[NYguy]

Is Extell's WPC also just a "proposal," in need of City approval, or is that something more likely to actually get built?

No, everthing in the Hudson Yards has been rezoned already. The only thing that was left out of that rezoning was the western half of the railyard development. At the time it was to be the site of the JETS stadium.

Extell's WPC is one of the 4 towers that make up the "four corners", or the intersection of 34th street, and the planned Hudson Boulevard. It will also be above or next to the 7 train terminal.

[NYguy]

More views of the model...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/89337689/medium.jpg_http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/89337658/medium.jpg_http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/89337611/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/89337689/large.jpg

[Big John]

According to Emporis 360 Tenth Avenue is now under construction.
Can someone confirm that?

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=360tenthavenuenue-newyorkcity-ny-usa

[NYguy]

According to Emporis 360 Tenth Avenue is now under construction.
Can someone confirm that?

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=360tenthavenuenue-newyorkcity-ny-usa

They must have confirmed it already.

[Scruffy]

No it is not under construction. The site is cleared, there are still some rubble piles, but no digging for the foundations have started yet. I was there today. took some pics. coming up in a minute

[Scruffy]

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC00280.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC00283.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC00285.jpg

[antinimby]

I didn't think it would be. Not in the current real estate market anyway and especially in this part of town.

[pico44]

Poor Steven Holl. He is in my not-so-humble-opinion the greatest living American architect and he can't get anything built in his hometown. and this building would have been a real looker too.

sigh

[Big John]

No it is not under construction. The site is cleared, there are still some rubble piles, but no digging for the foundations have started yet. I was there today. took some pics. coming up in a minute

Thanks for your quick response and your nice pics Scruffy!

At the moment 360 Tenth Avenue is definitely not under construction.:(

I'm hoping construction will start soon!

[NYguy]

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC00285.jpg

Could be another "lake Related".


Poor Steven Holl. He is in my not-so-humble-opinion the greatest living American architect
and he can't get anything built in his hometown. and this building would have been a real looker too.

Has he been dropped already?

[Crawford]

Poor Steven Holl. He is in my not-so-humble-opinion the greatest living American architect and he can't get anything built in his hometown. and this building would have been a real looker too.

sigh

Holl is the architect for this project. Nothing has changed.

Buildings don't just pop out of the ground in a few months.

Given that Extell has Israeli deep pockets financing most of this stuff, I wouldn't be surprised to see this U/C by this time next year.

[NYguy]

http://chelseanow.com/cn_88/bridgingthegap.html

Bridging the gap, from Hud. Yds. to the High Line

http://chelseanow.com/cn_88/yards.gif

Extell founder and architect Steven Holl gestures to his firm’s vision of the Hudson Yards during the bidding process in December. The tower seen at the far left of the rendering appears similar to Extell’s plans for a “hybrid tower” seeking to adjoin the High Line.


By Chris Lombardi
May 30 - June 5, 2008

While details of the newly announced Hudson Yards development remain swathed in mystery, one project at the northeast corner of the site is moving forward—and not at the hands of winning bidder The Related Companies.

While financial schemes for the rail yards rise and fall, a project conceived by runner-up yards bidder Extell Development Corp., consisting of a 62-story “hybrid tower” with bridge connectivity to the High Line, recently saw the light of day at the local community board.

On May 19, Board Four’s Chelsea Preservation and Planning Committee got its first look at that bridge, an undulating glass link to the currently under-construction High Line. Extell co-founder Chris McVoy described the mixed-use tower and bridge in architect’s poetry—which includes residences, office space, a hotel and gallery space—but still had to weather inquiries from the committee about the project’s glass-and-steel design.

The reason for the early glimpse was the building’s proposed connection to the High Line itself, the 1.45-mile former elevated railway stretching from Gansevoort St. and 12th Ave. to 30th St. and 10th Ave., which is now being converted into a public park. Any connection to the former rail line requires consent from the city Department of Transportation, which was the only reason Extell approached Board 4 about the building to be located at 30th St. and 10th Ave. It otherwise fits well within the 2005 Hudson Yards rezoning.

In particular, the new building was designed to complement the much-debated northern section of the High Line, far from the planned new Downtown Whitney Museum and the High Line Ballroom farther south. Built to run freight directly into former warehouses and factories, the line swerves east and loops around the Hudson Yards between 10th and 12th Ave., from 30th to 33rd Streets, in a formation referred to as “the spur.” Now, nearly three decades after trains stopped running, “the line comes out and… just ends,” Peter Mullan, director of planning for Friends of the High Line, told Chelsea Now. “We’d been thinking about what to do there… about having stairs, elevator access to that section of the park.”

Another person with similar thoughts about this portion was Extell founder and architect Steven Holl, whose office sits nearby on W. 30th St., less than a block from the new project. After the last boxcar on the railroad went across 28 years ago, Holl told an audience at Cooper Union in December, he began to sketch possible uses, including one drawing that envisioned apartment houses built atop the line. Now, after the 2005 rezoning, “we see that everything in Chelsea is going to be built up,” Holl said.

Those December remarks were made as Holl and McVoy presented Extell’s bid for the Hudson Yards, a surreal-looking plan that proposed bridge-suspension technology to support eight towers over 15 miles of green space. That plan preserved the “spur,” and proposed a mixed-use tower for the yards’ northeastern point.

A similar tower was already in the works long before Extell’s bid for the yards, Mullan said. He added that Holl had approached Friends of the High Line in early 2007 to propose a direct connection between their new tower and the High Line. At a time when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was still considering demolition of the northern “spur,” FHL was pleased with a project that embraced the northern end, Mullan said. He worked with McVoy as Extell developed its proposal for a bridge across 10th Ave. to the spur. Mullan was also at McVoy’s side on May 19 as the Extell exec met with the Board 4 committee to explain the bridge.

After recapping his company’s long romance with the High Line, McVoy began to point to renderings showing the details, including stairs to the High Line and a bridge giving full, second-floor access to the park. While the bridge is made of I-beams, he said, it will have “glass phalanges [and] canopies that dance with the light.” On the first floor, he noted, an outdoor cafe, restaurant and gallery would all be open to the public.

Even the building itself, McVoy added, is shaped in a “sinuous” way that mirrors the twisting route of the High Line. “There’s a great dialogue between them,” he added.

However, the committee expressed two main concerns with the plan: public access and whether the bridge would be contextual with its surroundings.

“It’s great to have a Holl building anchoring the High Line,” committee member Bret Fifer said. “I see the second-floor access to the park. What about first-floor use?”

McVoy responded that that the first floor would act exclusively for the gallery space and lobbies for the residences, office space and hotel. “They’ll feel full of life,” he said.

Fifer persisted, saying that given the High Line’s emphasis on developing second-level space, his concerns were focused more on the ground floor. “What about life on the sidewalk?” he asked. Another board member shook his head, telling Fifer, “Hey, around here if you walk on 30th Street, you take your life and your lungs in your hands. Second-floor access is crucial.”

Others were concerned about the bridge blocking the potential of the spur as a public space. Committee chairperson and former board chairperson Lee Compton said that uses of the space have already been covered. “Now you’re talking about a thoroughfare,” he said. “There’s no question that the High Line is good for the building, but is the building good for the High Line?”

Mullan responded that the spur is the widest piece of the High Line. “We’d envisioned something more programmatically intense for the area,” he said, “but that’s still not impossible.”

McVoy quickly agreed, adding somewhat merrily, “If someone wants to have an event catered by the café, it’s not incompatible!”

The committee’s discussion grew more heated concerning the designs—both of the bridge and the building itself. When reminded that Extell’s building needs no variances and thus little approval, committee member Corey Johnson sighed. “That slab of glass, that needs approval, no?” he asked. “I don’t find it that attractive, I don’t think it’s contextual, I think it’s very clunky.”

McVoy smiled. “Context is being sensitive to the space and the material around it,” he said. “The High Line is an important industrial artifact of its time. We think it’s important to build something that is of our time.”

Mullan then chimed it, saying that the building and bridge “have the potential to make a terrific contribution,” he said. “In terms of proportion, basic strategy, I’m basically supportive of the design, including the glass.”

Other committee members pitched in with their suggestions, to McVoy and Mullan’s evident relief. “I would like the transition move from modernity to something resembling the High Line,” said committee member Eugene Glaberman.

McVoy replied that they were hoping to complement the planned new Whitney Museum further south in the Meatpacking District. “Maybe we can use similar materials,” he added.

“How about using one of the original locomotives as an element?” asked committee member Robert Trentlyon. “I love that idea!” Mullan said.

Ultimately, despite the desire of some members to stall the advance of all that glass, the committee agreed to approve the bridge. They askend, though, that the city and Extell provide public bathrooms, agree on maintenance of the public/private spaces, and consider the possible loss of “programmatic space.”

Asked about the meeting this week, Mullan told Chelsea Now that while people may have concerns about such massive, modernist projects, the Friends of the High Line’s principles are the same as Extell’s. “The High Line is a marvel of its time. Just as with the Guggenheim, we can match it with marvels of our time,” he said. As for the scale, Mullan said it wasn’t much bigger than the other 35 to 50 building projects in what FHL calls “the High Line District.”

In any event, “we will develop the park whether or not the bridge gets built,” Mullan added. “One of the things that’s interesting about the High Line is these spurs,” including the larger one at 30th Street and two to the south. “It has these fingers that essentially reach out into the neighborhoods. So it’s totally appropriate that the neighborhood reach back.”

______________________________________

Another rendering posted on wirednewyork.com

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98124065/original.jpg

[CGII]

Very classy. Given Holl's design history I'm expecting a unique glaze of glass to add lots of charachter to this building.

[Scruffy]

nice.

i was just there yesterday taking pics of the high line from Gansevoort to 30th. Still no activity at this site

[ZZ-II]

hope we'll see something soon, can't wait :)

[NYguy]

nice.

i was just there yesterday taking pics of the high line from Gansevoort to 30th. Still no activity at this site


Expect something by the end of the year. It seems they're still in design phases and are working on the connection to the High Line.

The reason for the early glimpse was the building’s proposed connection to the High Line itself, the 1.45-mile former elevated railway stretching from Gansevoort St. and 12th Ave. to 30th St. and 10th Ave., which is now being converted into a public park. Any connection to the former rail line requires consent from the city Department of Transportation, which was the only reason Extell approached Board 4 about the building to be located at 30th St. and 10th Ave. It otherwise fits well within the 2005 Hudson Yards rezoning.

Holl had approached Friends of the High Line in early 2007 to propose a direct connection between their new tower and the High Line. At a time when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was still considering demolition of the northern “spur,” FHL was pleased with a project that embraced the northern end, Mullan said. He worked with McVoy as Extell developed its proposal for a bridge across 10th Ave. to the spur. Mullan was also at McVoy’s side on May 19 as the Extell exec met with the Board 4 committee to explain the bridge.

The committee’s discussion grew more heated concerning the designs—both of the bridge and the building itself. When reminded that Extell’s building needs no variances and thus little approval, committee member Corey Johnson sighed.

As it is with most of the west side proposals, this tower can be built under current zoning.

[Lecom]

Looks like a design variation of the Bloomberg Tower, with a certain Deconstructivist touch.

[NYguy]

http://www.observer.com/2008/jerry-speyer-s-loss-gary-barnett-s-gain-far-west-side

Jerry Speyer's Loss Gary Barnett's Gain on Far West Side

http://www.observer.com/files/imagecache/vertical/files/breaks_speyer.jpg

by Eliot Brown
June 17, 2008

Jerry Speyer’s loss at the West Side rail yards seems to be working out pretty well for Gary Barnett.

With Mr. Speyer defeated—the chairman of Tishman Speyer Properties fumbled the $1 billion deal with the state to buy the site’s development rights in May, ultimately backing out of an agreement—so, too, has fallen his plan to raze a piece of a former elevated rail line that runs along the rail yards on 30th Street.

Enter Mr. Barnett.

The president of Extell Development is planning a 61-story Steven Holl-designed mixed-use tower on the northeast corner of 10th Avenue and 30th Street, from which he plans an elevated pedestrian bridge to the section of rail line.

That rail line section is a spur of the 1.5-mile High Line, the rail viaduct turned parkland that runs from Chelsea to the rail yards and has created a halo of rising property values at its perimeter. One would imagine that the building’s walkway to the spur, which itself is planned for parkland conversion now that Stephen Ross’ Related Companies has supplanted Tishman Speyer as the developer, would give a healthy boost to rents at the Extell building as well. Related has said it intends to preserve the spur.

So what will become of the spur?

The details are up to Related, and will be determined as it develops the rail yards; but Robert Hammond, co-founder of the group Friends of the High Line, said the space presents great design possibilities, as it is wider than much of the rest of the viaduct.

“There’s an opportunity for a public gathering space there,” he said.

[Fabb]

Too sleek ?
I think that the area requires some raw beauty, something less feminine.

I can live with it though.

[scalziand]

I think this tower is fine. This tower isn't feminine, though. It may have a waistline, but it also has strong shoulders.

[NYC2ATX]

A nice tower, no doubt about it. Glad to see the presence of Steven Holl, as well as some more exciting plans in that area, what with the ups and downs of the Hudson Yards.

[NYguy]

I think this tower is fine. This tower isn't feminine, though. It may have a waistline, but it also has strong shoulders.

Compare to what we saw earlier...

http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1185317419_extelholl2.jpg_http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98124065/original.jpg

[philvia]

it still looks very much the same to me.

the first render is crappy with little detail, taken at a slighter straighter angle, and at night.
to me it still looks like the setbacks and curves are the same. but whatever :P

[scalziand]

Yeah, I don't think that the design of the tower changed, but, we just got better renders.

[NYguy]

It only changed slightly, if you look at the "creases". A few are eliminated. This tower looks more office than residential, similar to the way the Orion does.

[aliendroid]

Nice tower, any news about it?

[NYguy]

Nice tower, any news about it?

Haven't heard or seen any. I won't be back for another couple of weeks, so I'm a little behind on the developments.

[Lost Island]

I've been seeing this tower in the UC diagram here for a couple of weeks now......Move?

[Zapatan]

was this building put on hold? It says it's under construction on the diagrams but I guess that's a mistake.

[NYguy]

This one looks officially done for...
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Bank+foreclosing+on+Extell+site.-a0211362341

Real Estate Weekly

Bank foreclosing on Extell site.

Daniel Geiger
October 28, 2009

Barclays has begun foreclosure proceedings on a development parcel owned by Extell Development Company on the far West Side.

The London-based bank filed suit against Extell over the weekend, claiming that the real estate firm has defaulted on a $28.8 million mortgage Barclays loaned the company in 2005.

The lawsuit names Extell's chief executive, Gary Barnett, as a personal guarantor on the debt, meaning he is responsible for paying portions of the mortgage if proceeds from a foreclosure saleforeclosure sale aren't sufficient to recoup the loan amount.

The guarantee could put Barnett on the hook for millions, especially since it would appear difficult to sell the land for the amount he paid. Real estate prices have dropped dramatically during the economic downturn, but perhaps no property type has fallen in the city more precipitously than land, whose value is typically tied to the economic prospects of the real estate that can be built on it.

According to according to the suit, Barnett borrowed the money to consolidate under a single, senior mortgage the debt from a collection of smaller parcels he had amassed to create the development site.

According to written reports, Barnett had planned to raise a soaring mixed-use skyscraper on the site, which is located at 350-366 Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets, during a period when the area appeared to be an important new frontier New Frontier

Barnett's parcel sits across the street from the West Side rail yards, a site envisioned as a westward expansion of midtown with millions of square feet of new commercial and residential space planned.

Perhaps sensing the opportunity to develop an adjacent property and be at the forefront of an emerging area, Barnett paid handsomely to amass a parcel on the relatively small block-front large enough to raise what he planned would be a soaring 600,000 s/f tower. Included in the project were even plans to construct a costly sky bridge over Tenth Avenue linking the property to the High Line.

Barnett was reported to have spent $23 million to buy up a property known as the Stuart Dean building in 2005, a low-rise structure he later demolished to clear the bulk of the site. Barnett later paid the Port Authority over $17 million for a 7,300 s/f section of land to expand the parcel in 2007.

Barclay's complaint, which was filed in State Supreme Court last Friday, states that Barnett failed to make an $84,021.38 interest payment for the loan that was due on June 9 and that there was no longer enough funds in an interest reserve to cover the missed amount.

Barclays says that it is owed close to $30 million after factoring in interest on the loan, which is now accruing at a higher rate because the mortgage is in default. In July alone, the bank said that $205,527.84 in interest at this default rate had been added to the mortgage balance, along with $14,477.46 in late fees

The bank notes that: "Barnett is liable for the full payment of all accrued and unpaid interest, including payment of any deficiency between the amount finally adjudged to be due and owing due and owing on the consolidated mortgage consolidated mortgage

Barnett did not responds to request for comment.

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

dead not dead whats going on here?

[Dac150]

^^^You really had to bump this thread...when news surfaces it will be posted.:rolleyes:

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

^^^You really had to bump this thread...when news surfaces it will be posted.:rolleyes:

i was asking because in the previous post the bank foreclosed so i was wondering if it killed the project.

[patriotizzy]

i was asking because in the previous post the bank foreclosed so i was wondering if it killed the project.

I really want to know too.