Behind the permits: Super-sized real estate projects of 2014 (纽约新地标!)

Behind the permits: Super-sized real estate projects of 2014 (纽约新地标!)


December 24, 2014

The construction boom rolled on in New York City in 2014, with developers filing plans for new glassy towers, new residential complexes and new office skyscrapers on a near daily basis. During the year, The Real Deal, with help from PropertyShark, compiled a monthly roundup of the largest plans filed with the city’s Department of Buildings. In this year-end review, we take a big-picture view of some of the biggest and most interesting projects, based on permit applications.

30 Hudson Yards

Multiple towers in Hudson Yards
The year’s biggest permit applications were those for towers in the massive Hudson Yards development. In July, the Related Companies applied for a 3.4 million-square-foot office building, located at 500 West 33rd Street/30 Hudson Yards, with a large retail component. The 68-story tower will include roughly 2.6 million square feet of office space. A month later, the Moinian Group applied to construct 400 11th Avenue/3 Hudson Boulevard. While the application with the Department of Buildings asks for 466,256 square feet of commercial space, the building’s website indicated the entire tower will be 1.8 million square feet. The permit filed with the DOB also states that the building will be 15 stories and will include 72 parking spaces. The building’s website indicates the tower will be 66 stories tall. According to plans filed on Sept. 17, 401 Ninth Avenue will stand 69 stories and 995 feet tall. 

The next 388 Bridge?
Brooklyn’s tallest residential tower — 388 Bridge Street — might get a run for its money. JEMB Realty applied to construct a 65-story mixed-use bulding at 420 Albee Square. The plans called for a 751,548-square-foot tower. SLCE Architects is the designer of record. The 679-foot-tall building will house 620 units across 480,345 square feet, according to the plans filed in September. The building will include a 271,203-square-foot commercial component.

A rendering of the Domino factory conversion

The new Domino Sugar Factory
David and Jed Walentas, who head up Two Trees Management, applied for permits to construct towers at their proposed Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment along the Brooklyn waterfront. In August, Two Trees applied to build a 30-story tower at 262 Kent Avenue. This was the third tower of the firm’s waterfront development in Williamsburg, according to the permit application filed with the Department of Buildings over the summer. The building will have 93 residential units. Ismael Leyva is the architect of record. In September, the developers applied to construct a 16-story residential building with 522 units at 325 Kent Avenue. The building will be roughly 383,000 square feet and will include some retail space as well as a community facility.

33 Eagle Street

Greenpoint Landing
Developer Greenpoint Landing Associates, an affiliate of the Manhattan-based Park Tower Group, filed for building permits in March to construct two affordable residential apartment properties in Brooklyn. The two affordable housing buildings — at 21 Commercial Street and 33 Eagle Street — are part of a joint venture with L&M that will be part of the massive Greenpoint Landing waterfront development. Gary Handel of Handel Architects is the architect of record.

Rendering for the new Virgin Hotel at 1227 Broadway

New Virgin hotel in NoMad
John Lam is looking to build a new Virgin Hotel at 1227 Broadway. His LAM Group applied for a permit to construct the 38-story structure at 30th Street and Broadway in NoMad. The application filed with the Department of Buildings in November calls for a roughly 300,000-square-foot building with 460 rooms. VOA Architecture is the architect of record.

The former 5Pointz

5Pointz
Queens saw a number of  applications this year for large projects. One of the most talked about — and one of the biggest — was the plan to build a new mixed-use residential development at 22-44 Jackson Avenue, the former location of artists’ haven 5Pointz. David and Jerry Wolkoff are developing the site. The project totals more than a million square feet and will include 1,000 apartments, 210 of which will be below market rate.

JDS and Chetrit’s 340 Flatbush Avenue extension
JEMB Realty is not the only developer vying to build the tallest tower in Brooklyn. This summer, JDS Development Group and the Chetrit Group filed plans to build a 70-story, 775-foot-tall building at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension, after they jointly acquired it for $43.5 million in June. SHoP is the architect on the project.

Tishman Speyer’s three-tower project on Jackson Avenue
Tishman Speyer was responsible for the biggest permit application in November, when the developer applied for approval to construct three adjacent towers in Long Island City. The properties — at 28-10 Jackson Avenue, 28-34 Jackson Avenue and 30-02 Queens Boulevard — are expected to bring 1,800 residential units to the area. The height of the towers ranges from 33 to 53 stories.

Potential rendering for the new mixed-use tower on Trinity Place

New Trinity Church tower
Trinity Church Development applied in August to construct a 44-story tower at 68 Trinity Place. The proposed tower will stand 499 feet tall, according to the plans. Trinity Church will take up 93,180 square feet across the first seven floors of the building. In total, the application called for 250,995 square feet of residential space, divided among 111 apartments.

86 Fleet Place in Brooklyn

Red Apple Group’s Myrtle Avenue Development
Former mayoral candidate and supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis applied for a permit to construct the largest building of his Red Apple Group’s Myrtle Avenue development in September. The plans for 68 Fleet Place called for 32 floors and 384,239 square feet of residential space. The new tower will be across the street from the company’s 160 Myrtle Avenue, where construction is already underway.