NEW YORK | 250 E. 57th ST | 715 FT / 218 M | 59 FLOORS - Page 4

Zerton · #61 Posted **Jun 19, 2008, 7:34 PM**

beautiful design. very elegant.

Fabb · #62 Posted **Jun 19, 2008, 7:35 PM**

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The plan is to build the schools first and then the apartment tower but as you know with the recent construction accidents, once the new school opens, the NIMBYs will then say construction on the tower will endanger (and also disturb) their "precious" children.

Well, if you use them as human shields, they will be endangered.

NYC4Life · #63 Posted **Jun 19, 2008, 7:42 PM**

Hopefully we won't be seeing towering cranes over the heads of elementary school students. The lowlife NIMBYs surely will be accountable for this. The same could be said over at Beekman.

ZZ-II · #64 Posted **Jun 19, 2008, 8:00 PM**

wonderful news, will fit great in midtown!

Lecom · #65 Posted **Jun 19, 2008, 8:01 PM**

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Originally Posted by NYC4Life

Anything to satisfy these NIMBY's. Now if we can just include a Chuck E Cheese over at the Seaport propolsal, perhaps it can move foward without much objection

Seriously, what's wrong with satisfying school demand? Personally, I see the addition of school space as a much more important element of this project than the tower, though it definitely is a nice bonus.

NYC4Life · #66 Posted **Jun 19, 2008, 8:46 PM**

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Originally Posted by Lecom

Seriously, what's wrong with satisfying school demand? Personally, I see the addition of school space as a much more important element of this project than the tower, though it definitely is a nice bonus.

Like antinimby already stated, it will probably come down to a safety issue since the school will be completed 1st, while the rest of the tower will remain under construction.

NYguy · #67 Posted **Jun 20, 2008, 5:59 AM**

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Originally Posted by Lecom

Seems like the school deal fends off any potential nimbys on this one. Anyone opposing this development would be seen as a child-hating monster, so thanks to the school perhaps the tower is immune.

Heh, I never thought I'd advocate using children as human shields, but here we go.

But not all NIMBYs have children. The closer this gets to the light, the more you'll hear grumbling from NIMBYs. And this tower's got 2 schools (new and upgraded) coming with it.

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The New York City Educational Construction Fund has closed the first phase of an agreement with the World Wide Group LLC to construct two new schools here in conjunction with a 59-story--up to 715 feet in height residential and retail tower at 250 E. 57th St. at Second Ave.

If it does indeed reach 700 ft, they'll grumble about a "70-story" tower being built...

NYguy · #68 Posted **Jun 20, 2008, 6:03 AM**

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Originally Posted by Lecom

Seriously, what's wrong with satisfying school demand?

I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I doubt that's what the developers are in business for.

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Lawyers for the New York City Educational Construction Fund announced yesterday that they had closed on the first phase of financing for the World Wide Group to construct a new elementary school and a new high school that would replace the High School for Art and Design. In return, the World Wide Group has secured a 75-year lease from the city for a 1.5-acre site at East 57th Street and Second Avenue, where it plans to construct 200,000 square feet of retail space and 488,000 square feet of residential space. The developer plans to build 300 residential units, an unspecified number of which will be dedicated to "affordable" housing.

This type of deal, which allows for the creation of new schools at no cost to taxpayers, was more common in the 1970s, and is being revived by the Bloomberg administration.

Two new schools, and "affordable" housing? It's good that the city has found more creative ways to get more schools built, at least where it is feasible. City gets new schools. Developer gets to build. Everyone happy. (In theory).

NYC4Life · #69 Posted **Jun 20, 2008, 6:17 AM**

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Originally Posted by NYguy

If it does indeed reach 700 ft, they'll grumble about a "70-story" tower being built...

Then maybe the schools should be built on the 70th floor itself

NYC4Life · #70 Posted **Jun 20, 2008, 6:19 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYguy

Two new schools, and "affordable" housing? It's good that the city has found more creative ways to get more schools built, at least where it is feasible. City gets new schools. Developer gets to build. Everyone happy. (In theory).

Soon enough the developers will have to acquire the Dept. of Education from the city and Bloomberg administration

NYguy · #71 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 1:05 PM**

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Originally Posted by NYC4Life

Soon enough the developers will have to acquire the Dept. of Education from the city and Bloomberg administration

Hey, its working for Bloomberg so far...

aliendroid · #72 Posted **Jul 27, 2008, 4:20 AM**

That's cool that they are building towers with schools in them in NY.

Any news on this one?

Antares41 · #73 Posted **Aug 6, 2008, 4:52 PM**

Some important news original posted in WNY regarding development of this magnificant bldg :

by Dana Rubinstein | August 5, 2008

"New York, NY (Aug. 5, 2008) – New York City-based real estate developers The World-Wide Group has secured Whole Foods Market® (NASDAQ: WFMI), the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket, as the anchor tenant for its mixed-use project at 57th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan. The Whole Foods store, scheduled to open in 2012, will occupy 47,000 square feet out of a total of 170,000 square feet being developed by World-Wide in two phases.

“We are pleased to sign such a strong anchor tenant for this pioneering mixed-use project,” said David Lowenfeld, Executive Vice President of The World-Wide Group. “Whole Foods has a proven track record of success in New York City as well as an established reputation for giving back to the community.”

In addition to the upscale retail center, the 1 million-square-foot development site will include two new public schools, the High School of Art and Design and PS 59, and a 59-story residential tower with a mix of rental and for-sale units. The World-Wide Group has leased the project site from the Educational Construction Fund, an arm of the New York City Board of Education. The unique mixture of uses being developed advances 57th Street as a world-class shopping district whole also accommodating the growing residential population of this neighborhood."

Lecom · #74 Posted **Aug 6, 2008, 4:57 PM**

That's exactly how they should develop the city. Put important amenities like a school and a supermarket in the base and add a tower on top.

NYC4Life · #75 Posted **Aug 6, 2008, 5:11 PM**

Crain's New York

August 05. 2008 4:52PM

Whole Foods to open first Upper East Side location

The store on East 57th Street and Second Avenue will serve Tudor City and the Upper East Side.

Adrianne Pasquarelli

Upper East Siders will finally get to shop at Whole Foods without heading across town. The organic grocer just signed a lease for its first East Side location at 250 E. 57th St., on Second Avenue, in a building currently under development by the World-Wide Group, the developer’s publicists said. The three-floor space, to be located above the High School of Art and Design and P.S. 59, will be 47,000 square feet. Construction is expected to be completed by 2012.

This will be the supermarket chain’s eighth New York City location, and will make the Big Apple home to the largest cluster of Whole Food stores. Chicago comes in at a close second with six locations.

While Midtown East residents rejoice—the nearest Whole Foods location is at Columbus Circle—industry insiders say the addition will benefit a neighborhood bereft of many supermarket options.

“That would be a great access point for a lot of East Side residents to take advantage of,” said David LaPierre, a senior vice president at CB Richard Ellis Inc. who is not connected to the deal. “It would be a great divide to hit that Tudor City crowd to the south and the Upper East Side residents to the north.”

He added that Manhattan could most likely support two more Whole Foods stores.

Whole Foods has traditionally been very popular with New Yorkers since its 2001 arrival, and the new store is expected to continue this trend.

“Historically, markets in New York City have either been bodegas or the homegrown supermarkets like D’Agostino’s and Gristede’s, which are much smaller,” said Andrew Moger, chief executive of BCD, a restaurant and retail development firm. “Whole Foods did not particularly dial down their store prototype when they came here, so it stands out.”

Dac150 · #76 Posted **Aug 6, 2008, 5:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lecom

Put important amenities like a school and a supermarket in the base and add a tower on top.

That seems to be the new trend. It's almost as if developers have found a loop hole by adding schools and community benefits within their towers in order to make it more smooth sailing during the approval process. To me it's a win win.

Lecom · #77 Posted **Aug 6, 2008, 5:22 PM**

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Originally Posted by Dac150

That seems to be the new trend. It's almost as if developers have found a loop hole by adding schools and community benefits within their towers in order to make it more smooth sailing during the approval process. To me it's a win win.

Exactly. On one hand, it's a loophole for the developers to make more money, and on the other it's an impetus for developing vital community elements. Cases like these are when community boards with their whining and demands actually do the city good. When there are no community demands whatsoever and the developers only do the most profitable thing, you end up with Dubai, where towers' bases are largely composed of parking garages rather than anything even remotely suited for the community around.

Dac150 · #78 Posted **Aug 6, 2008, 5:28 PM**

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Originally Posted by Lecom

Cases like these are when community boards with their whining and demands actually do the city good.

It's a great compromise. I have no problem with communtiy boards wanting community benefits. I also have no problem with developers building highrises. Put the two together and everyone wins. This is a tactic that should eliminate NIMBYism in this city. Of course there are going to be a few narrow minded NIMBY's, but this tactic should be a start.

Lecom · #79 Posted **Aug 6, 2008, 5:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dac150

It's a great compromise. I have no problem with communtiy boards wanting community benefits. I also have no problem with developers building highrises. Put the two together and everyone wins. This is a tactic that should eliminate NIMBYism in this city. Of course there are going to be a few narrow minded NIMBY's, but this tactic should be a start.

The only other major factor at play is infrastructure - whether the roads, trash collectors, subways, etc can handle all the people crammed in the highrises. However, this tower should be better off in hopefully 15 years or so when the Second Avenue subway is well underway.

Dac150 · #80 Posted **Aug 6, 2008, 5:45 PM**

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Originally Posted by Lecom

However, this tower should be better off in hopefully 15 years or so when the Second Avenue subway is well underway.

Initially it's going to be crowded, no doubt, but as time goes on and these infastructure elements get worked into the fabric, the crowd will even out. These are all elements that are taken into consideration and should not come as a surprise to both community boards and developers.