City Releases RFP for 35-Story ‘NextGen’ Housing Tower at LaGuardia Houses
That new 35-story tower at the LaGuardia Houses on the Lower East Side is one step closer to happening. The city last week released its Request for Proposals (“RFP”) to construct another beast of a development near the waterfront.
As previously reported, the cash-strapped agency is proposing the mixed-income rental tower as part of their NextGen Neighborhoods Program to activate “underutilized” spaces on NYCHA land. In this case, it’s the slip of land that functions as parking lot and home to a trash compactor – equating to “approximately 18,000 square feet and bounded by Madison Street, the NYCHA campus and the Little Flower Playground,” according to HPD.
The city is calling for nearly 500 apartments in the tower (at 50-50 affordable to market-rate mix), plus a ground-floor community facility. The new construction will occupy the “underutilized” plot.
Submission deadline is June 1, and the city will choose the winner shortly thereafter, with their decision based on how closely the developers mirror the concerns of the community. Funny, since there hasn’t been much outreach since last June.
LaGuardia Houses was selected for the NextGen program given its high repair needs, available land, and revenue potential. At present, the city estimates $70 million in capital repairs are required to rehabilitate the 60-year-old buildings. Apartment interiors and exteriors comprise the lion’s share of that estimate at $36 million and $19 million respectively. Six of the nine buildings in the complex were damaged during Hurricane Sandy, and will reportedly receive $26 million for said repairs.
Recent Stories
One Year Later, ‘Fiore Escape’ COVID Sessions Still Captivate
One year after first captivating passersby at Essex and Grand Streets, the free fire escape concert series is back for another. Indeed, musician Jill Fiore will perform anew from the second floor of her Essex Street tenement (above Delancey Car Service). The next so-called “Fiore Escape” show is slated for October 15, as announced on […]
Parks Department Installs Fence at Allen Mall Bathhouse in Response to Nadja Rose Madder
The Parks Department is upping the ante on deterring a homeless artist from painting and gathering at the Allen Street Bathhouse. Earlier this week, the city began assembling an eight-foot chain-link enclosure to (partially) fence in the sidewalk plaza. It is on this spot that transgender artist Nadja Rose Madder has been transforming the brickwork […]
Extell Residents in Cherry Street Tower Bark Foul Over Abundance of Dogs Despite No Pet Policy
Residents of Extell’s “affordable tower” at 227 Cherry Street are barking foul over the proliferation of pitbulls, despite the no-pet policy. We are told by current tenants that leases contain a strict stipulation prohibiting pets in apartments, and that management (Wavecrest) seems deaf and/or slow to act about the apparent violations. By some estimates, there […]
Aggro Panhandler Hurls Brick at Pickle Guys Worker in Brutal Attack
An aggro panhandler outside Pickle Guys on Grand Street attacked an employee after he was asked to move away from the store entrance, cops said. The suspect had been aggressively begging at around 8:20am last Wednesday when the 63-year-old worker told him to disperse. That didn’t sit well; the pugilist picked up a nearby chair […]
Educational Alliance Executive Becomes New Head of Manhattan JCC
From the Lower East Side to the Upper West Side. Rabbi Joanna Samuels, the sitting executive director of the Manny Cantor Center at the Educational Alliance, is set to become the new chief executive director of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. Her new gig begins early next year, marking a significant transition at one of […]
