Residential Development for 137-139 Attorney Pitched to CB3

A long-vacant L-shaped plot of real estate on northern Attorney Street is ripe for some new development.

The three gravel lots comprising 137-139 Attorney and 181 Stanton have collectively remained dormant rat dens for more than three decades on the Lower East Side.  Graffiti and overgrowth are pretty much the only constants here. That and the recent placement of a Misrahi “for sale” sign on premises. Now the estate of the late infamous owner William Gottlieb are hoping to pair up with the Department of Housing Preservation and Develpment (HPD) to construct a new five-story building onsite, and appeared before Community Board 3 last night for their blessings.

Why HPD? Well, Gottlieb owns 137 Attorney Street, which is the keystone property for any possible development on the corner. Otherwise the land is just too narrow to turn a profit. The other two plots in question belong to the city. Architects Wormser + Associates are proposing to combine the three lots for the residential development. To paraphrase the perfect analogy suggested by board member David McWater, the situation is much like the game of Monopoly. Unless one entity is controlling all three properties, no houses/hotels are permitted.

Here are the vitals of the project, boiled down for ease:

• 3 adjacent lots, each measuring roughly 18′ x 75′.
• 5-story residential building with rear yard.
• 14 total units (1BR & 2 BR) – 3 of which are earmarked for “affordable housing.”
• 1 bedroom units will be 650 square-feet; two-bedroom units are a split between 850 and 1,000 square-feet.

CB3 voted to support the project under the stipulations that those involved maximize affordable housing, hire local contractors, and that the HPD return in two months to better explain the whole project. Needless to say, the ball is now rolling on more development in this quiet neighborhood cul-de-sac.

137-139 Attorney Development