UWS Will Fight New Tallest Development: City Councilmember

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side's city council representative has vowed to fight a development that would become the neighborhood's tallest building.

Days after Extell Development and architecture firm Snøhetta revealed plans to build a 775-foot-tall development on the Upper West Side, City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal said she would "fight this current proposal with every tool at my disposal."

Rosenthal and other local elected officials sounded the alarm on Extell Development's plans for a development site on West 66th Street between Central Park West and Columbus avenue earlier this summer. In June, Rosenthal, State Senator Brad Hoylman and State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried wrote a letter to Extell's Gary Barnett demanding that the high-powered developer reveal his ultimate plans for the site.

In 2015, Extell filed plans for a 25-story building on the site, which would be three-times smaller than the building Extell unveiled Monday. After proposing the 25-story building, Extell continued to acquire air rights, sparking fear that a much larger development could be the ultimate plan.

“This is classic 'bait-n-switch.' Based on these new renderings, it is clear that Extell did not present neighbors or the Department of Buildings with a truthful description of their plans," Rosenthal said Wednesday in a statement. "Without the complete plans, DOB granted permits to excavate a foundation that would support a 25-story building — one-third of Extell’s intended building. This raises serious process concerns."

Extell's newly revealed development would rise 775 feet tall and house 127 condos. The building will be more than 100 feet taller than 200 Amsterdam Avenue, which was was previously the tallest proposed building in the neighborhood.

Rosenthal said the planned tower is "far too tall for the context of our neighborhood" and would cast shadows on nearby Central Park. Extell's plans represent a growing trend of over-development on the Upper West Side, Rosenthal warned.

The Snøhetta-designed building contains three district sections: a mixed-use base, a body tower and a "crown" at the top of the building. Each is designed to reflect the character and style of the surrounding area, the design firm said in a press release.

Rendering by Binyan Studios Courtesy Snøhetta