NEW YORK | 15 Penn Plaza (Hotel Penn) | 1,200 FT / 388 M | 61 FLOORS

[OneWorldTradeCenter]

Originally Posted by NYguy

Of course. That community board (the same one up in arms over the Tower Verre) was never going to come out in favor of the tower. But this is the way the approval process works - they get to voice their opinions. It's the City Planning and City Council the gives the approvals. Of course, since both the office tower and the transit improvements are basically what the CPC wants for the site, the attention should not be on whether or not the bonuses are approved, but what Amanda Burden thinks of the design. She opened up that can of worms back during the Tower Verre approval process. And since this tower would be only a couple of blocks east of the Manhattan West tower of the same height - 1,216 ft - the Empire State argument doesn't hold here. I'd like to see what she has to say.

What is the ESB argument? That there should be no tower in Midtown that reaches the same height than the ESB (or a few meters shorter)?

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by OneWorldTradeCenter

What is the ESB argument? That there should be no tower in Midtown that reaches the same height than the ESB (or a few meters shorter)?

Amanda Burden's argument against the Tower Verre was that the design for the top of the tower wasn't good enough to be in the same "air space" as the top of the Empire State. As ridiculous now as it was then.

[OneWorldTradeCenter]

Originally Posted by NYguy

Amanda Burden's argument against the Tower Verre was that the design for the top of the tower wasn't good enough to be in the same "air space" as the top of the Empire State. As ridiculous now as it was then.

Rediculous. They should be glad the be home of several more supertalls.

[Dac150]

No real surprise from those results; you knew how it was going to turn out a week before the meeting even took place. Good news is that is counts for nearly nothing, but on the flipside, could be a prelude for what is to come. If past project proposals have taught us anything, it’s to be open to outcomes which are different from what is desired. So, keep your fingers crossed, but keep your minds open and realistic.

[Onn]

Very sad, some people just don't want anything done that could change the view out their window. It's pitiful. If you don't like tall buildings DON'T LIVE IN THE CITY.

[Dac150]

Again, no need to get worked up over a decision which doesn’t count towards the big picture. We all know about these people and their opinions, nothing new here. What’s positive is that this will now move onto the next steps.

[NYC4Life]

These same idiots are the ones bogging down other good projects, but on the flip side, thank God what we saw here at this meeting was just a matter of opinion. Community Board 5 must consist of people who have just moved in from Nebraska.

[NYguy]

http://www.archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=4441

Checking Out
Pelli's proposed Vornado tower would topple McKim, Mead & White Hotel Pennsylvania


Pelli Clarke Pelli's new tower would become the second tallest in Midtown if built.


Because Vornado is not sure how the building will be occupied in the future,
it has proposed two layouts, one for an anchor tenant (left) and one for multiple tenants.

Matt Chaban
4.16.2010

Of the dozens of buildings designed by McKim, Mead & White in New York City, nearly every one has become a protected landmark. One of the few unprotected could soon be headed for the wrecking ball, replaced by an office tower designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli that would surpass every skyscraper in Midtown but the Empire State Building.

Completed on 7th Avenue in 1919, almost a decade after its namesake depot across the street, the Hotel Pennsylvania was the third piece in a McKim, Mead & White trifecta that included Pennsylvania Station and the Farley Post Office. With one of those crown jewels already gone, and another set to be revamped (on February 16, Senator Charles Schumer announced $83 million in stimulus money for Moynihan Station), the Hotel Pennsylvania would be the last original piece of McKim, Mead & White’s work in the area.

Speculation about the hotel’s demise began in the late 1990s, when the Vornado Realty Trust took a controlling stake in the building. The latest plans, for a 1,190-foot-tall office tower, began in earnest two years ago, when Vornado began negotiations with Merrill Lynch to move its headquarters to the tower. The company’s board was set to vote on the matter when the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 effectively killed the deal.

Meanwhile, little was heard from the same preservation groups who decried the destruction of Pennsylvania Station. The Municipal Art Society actually backed the Vornado project, because at the time the developer was working on Moynihan Station. In a statement, MAS President Vin Cipolla acknowledged that the hotel may have “cultural significance” for many New Yorkers. He added, “The Municipal Art Society is taking a comprehensive look at the Far West Side and weighing how any new developments work in conjunction with that new station.”

Ultimately, a group of computer hackers who hold their annual convention at the hotel fought hardest for the building. Among them was Gregory Jones, who lobbied numerous politicians and civic groups. “All of them have snubbed out efforts to preserve the hotel,” he said. The local community board did vote for landmark designation, but the Landmarks Preservation Commission declined to hold a public hearing, deeming the hotel a later work exemplary of neither the firm nor the period.

Vornado is now moving ahead with two plans: one tower for an as-yet unknown anchor tenant, and an alternate design to accommodate multiple tenants, both of which were certified by the City Planning Commission on February 8 and will go through the seven-month public review process. Both buildings house roughly two million square feet, or 42.5 percent in excess of current zoning. Boosters point to $100 million in transit improvements, including the reopening of a tunnel between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

A Vornado spokesperson declined to comment except to say that the developer has determined that “now is a good time to go forward with this project.” The community does not think so, however, as the board voted against the project 36-1 last night, despite "a parade of landlords and business" brought out by Vornado, according to the Observer, to sing the project's praises. The person with real clout over the project, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, told AN she would consider the project and its merits only when it reached her desk in a few months.

[Fabb]

The version for multiple tenants seems to be thinner. The podium makes it less elegant though.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Fabb

The version for multiple tenants seems to be thinner. The podium makes it less elegant though.

I think it's just the angle, and the fact that it's set back from 7th Avenue. The tower still fills the width of the block from 33rd to 32nd.

[NYguy]

We are now in the "borough president" phase of the approval process...




A reminder, the approval process works through this way...

CB (community board)..................60 days
BP (borough president).................30 days
CP (city planning)........................60 days, public hearing held
CC (city council)..........................50 days

There are a few other scenarios that could play out, but unlikely.

[OneWorldTradeCenter]

They have to find tenants before they start construction. However, I hope it will be approved.

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...fTYk5AZ3559c8J

By STEVE CUOZZO
April 27, 2010

As the New York Observer reported, Community Board 5 delivered a split decision on Vornado's 15 Penn Plaza tower plan: 36-1 against.

But at the April 15 public hearing, Vornado wheeled in some surprising support for its proposal, which would involve building $100 million-plus in transit improvements at Herald Square and Penn Station in exchange for zoning bonuses that would allow a tower of over 2 million square feet -- nearly twice what it can build as-of-right.

In addition to predictable yea's from the Real Estate Board of New York and construction unions, there was backing from the Regional Plan Association, which has opposed many large-scale commercial projects, Columbia University's Real Estate Development Program and the NYC Transit Riders' Council.

There was also a pro-Vornado brief from Durst Fetner, a partnership that owns the Epic apartment building nearby.

Partner Douglas Durst is said to have promised his backing in exchange for Vornado chopping 13 feet off its project's height of 1,216 feet so it would be one foot shorter than Durst's One Bryant Park, the new Bank of America tower that has a gala "grand opening" on May 20 -- "but no one's sure if Douglas was being tongue-in-cheek," an insider chuckled.

Never too late to extend that spire...

[scalziand]

Durst is implying that BOA is 1204ft tall, not 1200. Interesting.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by scalziand

Durst is implying that BOA is 1204ft tall, not 1200. Interesting.

Either that, or someone got their numbers wrong (Durst, or the "insider").

the new Bank of America tower that has a gala "grand opening" on May 20

Maybe we'll know after the "grand opening"....

[NYguy]

Here's that community board resolution from last month...
http://www.cb5.org/cb5/resolutions/a...#15_penn_plaza

It's almost hilarious reading through the length of it, to finally get to this bit at the end...

WHEREAS, By proposing what would be the third tallest building in New York City and a major addition to the city's skyline, Community Board Five is disappointed that the proposed building/s designs are bulky, uninspired, massive, and fail to seize this opportunity to add beauty and distinction to the New York City skyline and streetscape; and

WHEREAS, By building such an enormous building in this location the applicants will place significant burdens on the neighborhood's traffic, noise, infrastructure, air quality and other quality of life conditions and therefore the transit bonus and upzoning are only justifiable if there are also equally significant improvements to the transit infrastructure in the area, as well as to the community's ability to seek relief from any exceptional increase in density including but not limited to green space, arts facilities, and other public amenities; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That Community Board Five recommends denial of the application for a Zoning Map Amendment and various Zoning Text Amendments, Special Permit for a Floor Area Bonus, Special Permit to Modify Height and Setback, and Acquisition of Easements to permit the development and construction of a new 2,052,667 office building on the current site of the Hotel Pennsylvania on Seventh Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Streets.

The above resolution passed by a vote of 36 in favor, 1 opposed, 1 abstaining.

Keep in mind that this is the same cummunity board that nearly rioted against the Tower Verre when reading this quote:

Community Board Five is disappointed that the proposed building/s designs are bulky, uninspired, massive, and fail to seize this opportunity to add beauty and distinction to the New York City skyline

Funny how the argument changes to suit whatever position they want to have against something getting built.

[NYC4Life]

Community Board 5 is slowly killing away the landscape of Midtown, while at the same time making themselves look like asses. NIMBYISM just disgusts me.

[hunser]

i don't know, but slowly i'm beginning to feel sorry for those people. they need some professional help, seriously.

[Zapatan]

Well that sucks, but it still might get built, that doesn't mean it's canceled or anything.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

Well that sucks, but it still might get built, that doesn't mean it's canceled or anything.

Of course not. They can't take the same tactics they've used with the Tower Verre because this tower would be in a zone of towers just as tall. So instead they attack the design as something unworthy, perhaps hoping Amanda Burden would be sympathetic to that.

City Planning will be taking this up soon.