NEW YORK | One Vanderbilt | 1,401 FT | 58 FLOORS

[Onn]

Originally Posted by CCs77

That guy never said it was going to be 1500 ft "to the roof", but just that it is going to be 1500 ft instead of 1450ft. So I guess he meant 1500 ft as the total height, including spire, and that the "actual submitted design" is, in fact, the one NYGuy showed. His exact words are:

No, but almost every time they've mentioned the height of the building so far they've excluded the height of the spire. If the design says "1500 ft", that could mean 1500 feet to roof + an additional 50 feet for the spire. The "actual submitted design" NYguy shows doesn't say 1,500 feet anywhere! 1,496 feet is likely not what the official paperwork says that the developer has filed with the city, just like with Nordstrom Tower (which, by the way, got a height increase from its last known roof height, not to mention an addition of a spire...)

[mrnyc]

really liking the base now, but as for the rest i'm not so sure. dont dislike, but its not stunning or anything, its just alright.

[NYguy]

^ I like the base more now as well. The top still needs more work, but we haven't seen enough about it, particularly the observation deck and event space.

Originally Posted by Onn

There's a rumor from WI_1982 on SSC that the tower may now be 1,500 foot to roof, with the spire on top of that. Apparently the renders NYguy has found are new to us but still relatively old. Take it with a grain of salt for now.

Originally Posted by CCs77

That guy never said it was going to be 1500 ft "to the roof", but just that it is going to be 1500 ft instead of 1450ft. So I guess he meant 1500 ft as the total height, including spire, and that the "actual submitted design" is, in fact, the one NYGuy showed.

The renders posted on the previous page are exactly what's going through the approvals process, starting today. The difference between the spire and building height has been mentioned previously.

Anyway, what does it mean in that graphic all those 10ft measures? it is like the building as a whatever 10 ft envelope in all sides.
Even at the top, you see that there is a line at 1494 ft to the top of the spire, but the spire is actually 10ft. bellow that line, and it is even measured.

The 10 ft envelope is given for potential design alterations to what is being approved.











A look at more of the finer details of the base (when a tenant is signed, like TD Bank, the appearance at street level would reflect that)...










Some of the tenant amenity space overlooking the city...










Blending in with the city...














The transit improvements will extend to some of the other nearby office buildings, but a look at some of the on site improvements...

[Onn]

Originally Posted by NYguy

The renders posted on the previous page are exactly what's going through the approvals process, starting today. The difference between the spire and building height has been mentioned previously.

Dang, the kid in me was hoping for a 1,600 foot tall to spire tower.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Onn

Dang, the kid in me was hoping for a 1,600 foot tall to spire tower.

Well, that may come at another site somewhere in Manhattan. You never know. This tower would be among the tallest in Manhattan, but it's not really one of the largest office towers. It will be about 1.4 msf of office space, compared to the WTC and Hudson Yards big boys of well over 2 msf of office space, some double the amount of space here. The thing about the towers here, even with a rezoning of 30 FAR, the footprints aren't as large as those other sites.

The desire of SL Green to give us a signature tower, as well as the rise of office floor plates in Manhattan are the main reasons this thing is so tall.

[NYguy]

Even more fun with graphics, plus new renders...



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[Perklol]

^where did you got those neat renders from?

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Eveningsong

^where did you got those neat renders from?

City Planning, the process is in full swing now.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/env_review/eis.shtml


http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/luproc/calbeg.shtml

[Perklol]

Originally Posted by NYguy

City Planning, the process is in full swing now.

Thank you.

[NYguy]

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/articl...ntral-rezoning

Review process starts for Grand Central rezoning

By Ryan Hutchins
Oct. 20, 2014

The Department of City Planning on Monday certified an application to rezone a stretch of East Midtown and allow developer SL Green Realty Corp. to construct a major skyscraper next to Grand Central Terminal.

The action marks the start of the public review process for the proposal, which the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio hopes to make a precursor to a much wider East Midtown rezoning. This first piece, focused on the five blocks that run between Vanderbilt and Madison avenues, would allow developers to fund public infrastructure improvements in exchange for the right to construct larger buildings without purchasing costly air rights.

...SL Green pointed to its own proposal as the first sign of what could follow. Its tower would rise 1,400 feet and be one of the city’s tallest buildings, becoming a new focal point at the center of the Manhattan.

“Midtown Manhattan is the engine that drives New York's economy and today we begin the process of investing in the future of this vital commercial district,” Marc Holliday, the chief executive of SL Green, said in a statement. “At the doorstep of our city's greatest transit hub, One Vanderbilt is already attracting interest from major tenants as the first state-of-the-art, transit-oriented office tower built in the heart of Midtown in a generation.”

The land-use review process typically takes seven months, starting at the community board level, moving to the borough president, the planning commission and ultimately the City Council. SL Green’s application to build the 65-story, 1.6-million-square foot 1 Vanderbilt will move concurrently with the rezoning.

While the chairwoman of Community Board 5 said the developer had provided so much detail about its plans that she considered it a new model for transparency, SL Green and the city will still have to deal with a vocal opponent to the plans. Grand Central owner Andrew Penson, through his company, has questioned the value of the transit-improvement package and suggested that air rights would sell for far more than SL Green will invest in upgrades.

http://commercialobserver.com/2014/1...r-application/

City Planning Certifies Vanderbilt Corridor Application


By Tobias Salinger
10/20/14

The Department of City Planning certified a five-block rezoning application today for a stretch of Vanderbilt Avenue adjacent to Grand Central Terminal in Midtown East that includes SL Green Realty Corp.‘s proposed 67-story, 1.3-million-square-foot 1 Vanderbilt office tower.

The announcement officially kicks off the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, sending the contentious plan for successive evaluations by Manhattan Community Boards 5 and 6, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, the City Planning Commission and finally to the City Council. The certification could also restart the momentum behind the larger 73-block Midtown East rezoning that failed in the City Council last year.

Officials with the Real Estate Board of New York welcomed news of the application’s certification.

“The Vanderbilt Corridor rezoning is an integral step to ensuring that Midtown Manhattan maintains its status as a global business center,” said REBNY President Steven Spinola in a prepared statement. “This project will result in brand new modern office space that tenants demand. This project includes detailed plans to improve the experience of commuting through Grand Central Terminal by adding staircases, opening up the mezzanine level to increase circulation and increasing space at track level which will ease congestion. These improvements will ensure that businesses will continue to be attracted to Midtown Manhattan and generate more tax revenue to fund vital city services.

[NYguy]

They don't have it exactly right on height here, but a vote for the development...


http://www.amny.com/opinion/editoria...rial-1.9526517

Grand Central skyscraper is tall on promise


By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
October 20, 2014

Here's the high concept: Real estate developer S.L. Green says it'll provide New York City with $210 million in urgently necessary East Side subway improvements -- provided the city lets it build a huge 1,400-foot-tall office tower on the west side of Grand Central Terminal in one of the most densely packed places in the galaxy.

We hope the city agrees. The land-use review procedure for 1 Vanderbilt started Monday -- seeking comments from workaday residents, transit professionals, planning gurus and project neighbors. A decision is expected in perhaps seven months. And while some questions demand detailed answers, the deal's essential outline is positive. The MTA needs to ensure to work toward the best project possible.

Its biggest selling point? That one's easy. In return for an OK to build far beyond the city's height limits, S.L. Green would invest $210 million in the packed, grungy Grand Central subway station to replace staircases, make the Times Square shuttle easier to find and use, and provide access to the long-awaited Long Island Rail Road's East Side Access line, among many other things. The city would not allow Green to occupy 1 Vanderbilt until the station improvements are done.

But isn't a 1,400-foot-high tower a bit much? Not necessarily. When finished, it would be the second-tallest office tower in New York -- outdone only by 1 World Trade Center at 1,776 feet. But with creation of a more modern transit network in midtown, bigger could be far better. At the moment many buildings in the east midtown commercial district are growing old and outdated -- too small for today's sprawling office demands and too old to handle the crushing push of modern electronics. If we want to keep up with Hong Kong and London, we can't rely on the city we built several generations ago.

Many regard 1 Vanderbilt as the vanguard of a push to bring midtown east up to global standards. We hope it is. The vitality of Manhattan has always relied in large part on an egalitarian transit system and a booming real estate market. There are many specific questions to ask about 1 Vanderbilt. But what we've seen is a fair start.

[NYC4Life]

Totally agree that the East Side needs more modern towers just like the West Side is currently doing.

[NYguy]

http://www.morningstar.com/earnings/...g-q3-2013.aspx

SL Green Realty Corp SLG
Q3 2013 Earnings Call Transcript

Marc Holliday - CEO:

....We think the market is very balanced. We think demand is reasonably good. And as this demand continues to clip along, there's going to be a need to look at how we're going to be able to house this new tenant demand into the future, and we get to the discussion about East Midtown rezoning. This is a very important rezoning proposal that's been put forth by the city to be voted on by the City Council sometime in the middle to end of November, of next month. They will be voting on a plan which would result in a limited number of sites receiving bulk and density increases beyond current zoning, including our site located right across the street from Grand Central Station at what is known as 1 Vanderbilt.

We believe the passage of this new zoning is essential for incentivizing the development of new buildings in one of Manhattan's most desirable commercial districts. The City's proposal is putting density right where density belongs, surrounding one of the busiest rail transportation hubs in the country, with over 1 million commuters and visitors daily.

This establishment of a district improvement fund, from which developers can purchase air rights at a cost of $250 per square foot, subject to future increases, is being established to fund necessary transportation and other important public-realm improvements, which were unveiled by the city within the past few weeks.

We've come this far and we certainly hope the Council will approve this rezoning proposal to encourage the selective renewal of East Midtown's commercial inventory.

[aquablue]

It's not even worth discussing, it's so obvious. If you are going to build tall buildings, this is where you would put them. This has to pass otherwise NY has lost its marbles.

[pico44]

Wow that building is soooooooo uuuuuuuggghhhhly

[chris08876]

^^^^^

Silence heathen!

Originally Posted by aquablue

It's not even worth discussing, it's so obvious. If you are going to build tall buildings, this is where you would put them. This has to pass otherwise NY has lost its marbles.

It will. The city needs to stay competitive. While we all love London and Shanghai, in the end, NYC needs to remain the place to do business in a dynamic environment, and towers such as this, and the future towers that will result from future zoning will secure it as the place to do business. From the city's standpoint, competition can be a nuisance sometimes, but because of it, towers such as this and many other improvements to the streetscape and city as a whole will occur.

[Onn]

Originally Posted by pico44

Wow that building is soooooooo uuuuuuuggghhhhly

Forgot to put on your glasses this morning?

[Ryanrule]

i wish they would extend the top, it doesnt match the scale of the main tower.

[JayPro]

I dunno...If anything, it's the spire that looks too stubby for the tower's dimensions.
Maybe something in the way of a simple lattice crown in addition?

[gttx]

Originally Posted by JayPro

I dunno...If anything, it's the spire that looks too stubby for the tower's dimensions.
Maybe something in the way of a simple lattice crown in addition?

If they would just get rid of the last stubby setback, I think the tower would be read much more cleanly. The space up there isn't occupiable anyway.