Reply With Quoteits going to be a 20 stopry residential building built by the clarett organization.
Opus - 2770 Broadway - Condo
I've sited what may be a construction site of a new building (probably a Columbia U. building) If any of you remember there used to be a movie theater at that site. I was just wondering if any of you might know about it.
its going to be a 20 stopry residential building built by the clarett organization.
2770 Broadway
20 stories 210 feet
Gerner Kronick and Valcarcel Architects
Proposed 2003-2005?
The OPUS Condominiums at Straus Park Tower II
2770 Broadway
6 stories
Gerner Kronick and Valcarcel Architects
Proposed 2003-2005?
http://www.columbiaspectator.com/vne.../3f69719a66c01
Published on September 18, 2003
Developers Unveil Plan For Condos At Olympia
A 20-story complex will rise above the former site of the Olympia Theatre.
By ISAAC VITA KOHN
Spectator Staff Writer
Bright, warm sunlight shines down through the open air above a quiet construction site at Broadway and 107th Street, as it has since the Olympia Theater was demolished several months ago.
But the sunshine won't last long.
Rumors of a large-scale condominium development have circulated for months, and community members were dismayed to learn last night that their worst fears were coming true. The OPUS Condominiums at Straus Park will soon be rising 20 stories above the rubble, along with another 6-story building on 108th earmarked for low-income housing.
The plans for the 210-foot luxury apartment building were unveiled at a voluntary presentation made by the building's architects and developers to the Land Use Committee of Manhattan Community Board 7. The Clarett Group is developing the site and the plans were designed by Gerner Kronick and Valcarcel Architects.
Clarett's managing partners, Neil Klarfield and Veronica Hackett, both participated in the presentation, as did their attorney, Ken Lowenstein, and Randy Gerner, one of the architects.
Dozens of concerned residents attended the meeting and expressed their opposition to the plans, but CB7 has no power to block the construction. Because the developers are proceeding "as of right"--that is, because they are not seeking changes or exceptions to existing zoning regulations--the plans are not subject to formal community board review and the board's approval is not needed for the project to move forward.
To be sure, working within the existing zoning has not proven to be an onerous restriction for the Clarett Group. The site's zoning designation--known as R10--is the highest density residential zoning level in New York City, allowing construction of a building with as much as 10 square feet of floor space for each square foot of land. Moreover, in certain cases, this maximum floor-area ratio of 10:1 can be extended to as much as 12:1--that is, 12 square feet of floor space for each square foot of land. This additional zoning bonus is granted only in cases when a developer includes a large plaza or arcade.
Or low-income housing.
The Clarett Group is planning to construct a small building earmarked for low-income housing under the Inclusionary Housing Program. This smaller building will consist of five one-bedroom apartments in a six-story structure at 220 West 108th Street, near Amsterdam Avenue. They will be reserved for tenants making less than 80% of New York City's median income level, although the exact rents will be determined by the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
With the help of the zoning bonus, the Clarett Group can build one of the bulkiest buildings allowed in a residential zone. All told, the plans for the condominium building call for 64 apartments, ranging in size from two-bedroom to five-bedroom units, with an average size of 1,700 square feet. The building's total floor area will be approximately 145,000 square feet.
Many residents cried foul, and 69th District State Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell spoke up on their behalf.
"I don't believe in 'as of right,'" O'Donnell remarked after the presentation.
Some residents particularly objected to the zoning bonus offered under the Inclusionary Housing Program, noting that the additional floor area allowed by the bonus far exceeded the size of the low-income housing building. The low-income development consists of 6,300 square feet of floor area, whereas the bonus allowed an additional 20,000 square feet to be built into the condominium building, according to the developers. One resident at the meeting called the low-income building "a sacrificial lamb."
Land Use Committee Co-Chair Hope Cohen noted that the committee is currently conducting a separate study of the Inclusionary Housing Program.
The committee members and many other attendees urged the developers to hold an additional meeting where community members could raise specific concerns about the building.
O'Donnell praised the developers for making the voluntary presentation to the committee and the community last night, and offered his office as a potential resource in facilitating further communication with the community. He also suggested that relatively minor changes to the building plans might make a big difference to neighborhood residents.
O'Donnell was not the only attendee to call for additional dialogue. He was joined by representatives from the Friends of Straus Park, the residential co-op across the street from the new building site, and Landmark West, an Upper West Side preservation advocacy group.
Chris Dunn--representing the co-op across 107th Street--reiterated his hope for additional dialogue. "I think they'd be making a serious mistake if they didn't listen to what people in the community had to say," he said.
But local resident Steve Strauss was not optimistic.
"I doubt anything will happen," he said.
"The building's enormous, given the site [and] what's around it," Dunn continued. "It does not fit in."
Thanks for the article. It seems that the NIMBYs have been ignored though. They seem to be excavating for the subterraninan floors.
Sounds like a pretty good project. That area could use some new construction, especially where (inexplicably) one and two-story buildings linger. NIMBYs will oppose anything. Any pictures?
The developers should have included a cinema to replace the Olympia.
Well, right now there's just excavation equipment so there really isn't much to see.
I'm surprised there hasn't been an update on this in so long. The building is topped out.
From cityrealty.com:
Built on the site of the former Olympia movie theater, The Opus is a 22-story condominium apartment building on which construction began in 2003 and was scheduled for completion in early 2005.
It is located at 2770 Broadway on the southeast corner at 107th Street directly across Broadway from Straus Park, the northern terminus of West End Avenue. Broadway is sharply angled at this location and the building mirrors this with its “prow” that faces north.
Designed by Randolph Gerner of GKV Architects, it was developed by The Clarett Group, whose principals are Vernonica Hackett and Neil Klarfeld, and Prudential Real Estate Investors. The Clarett Group also developed the Montrose at 308 East 38th Street and, with Post Properties, the Post Toscana at 389 East 89th Street and the Post Luminaria at 385 First Avenue. The Clarett Group and Prudential Real Estate Investors bought this site from Eastern Consolidated Properties Inc., which operates Clearview cinemas, for $16,600,000 and they also acquired a nearby property on West 108th Street for “inclusionary housing” that permitted them to build additional space on this site.
The 64-unit building features 2-to-5-bedroom apartments with initial prices ranging from $850,000 $3,000,000. Most of the units are classic “sixes” and “sevens” and have flexible living and dining rooms that can be converted to extra bedrooms. The building has a children’s playroom with books and a video library. It also has floor-to-ceiling windows and all apartments have Whirlpool washers and dryers, the kitchens have marble countertops, cherry wood cabinets and stainless-steel appliances from Kitchen-Aid. Bathrooms have Italian cararra marble.
The red rusticated-brick building features curved balconies with glass balustrades at its northwest corner and has two setbacks with terraces. There are only two apartments per floor on the top five floors. It has a landscaped roofdeck, a residents’ courtyard, a fitness center, a bicycle room and owner storage. Twelve of the apartments have gas-burning fireplaces and some ceilings are 11 feet high.
Only one block from Riverside Drive, this location is also close to many attractive restaurants with sidewalk cafes just a few blocks to the north and Columbia University is also not far away to the north.
Not just topped out, pretty much finished. A month or two ago it looked complete.
Yeah, its been done for at least four months, and I think it looks good. BTW, nobody's mentioned the project on 110th and Broadway (NE corner). They've got a crane going, its going to be 11 stories I think. This corner has really come along, ever since Columbia built their condo + private school development on the SE corner.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks