CB4 Committee Examines Rezoning of Far West Side Apt Towers Near Hudson River Park

Two luxury towers proposed for Hell’s Kitchen’s Far West Side received a tentative nod from a community board committee—but only after sharp rebukes over their glassy, out-of-context design and demands for deeper middle-income affordability.

Manhattan’s Community Board 4’s Land Use Committee on January 14 gave a tentative nod of approval if certain conditions are met at the proposed DeWitt Clinton North development. But board members did not hold back on criticisms during the recent meeting. Many members of both the committee and speakers from the community emphasized the need for more affordable apartments to be incorporated and to alter some aspects of the design.

The project, led by developers from Friedland Properties and The Chapman Group, calls for two residential/mixed-use buildings on Hell’s Kitchen Far West Side: a 44-story building at 629 W. 54th street and a 38-story building at 801 11th avenue. Together, the buildings offer over a thousand apartment units with 273 of them being “permanently affordable” under the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program.

The development in rezoning the two buildings also includes purchasing 148,000 square feet of unused air rights from Hudson River Park Piers. This would generate almost $30 million for Hudson River Park improvements.

While many some aspects of the development such as affordability and expanding the job market were praised, several members also expressed sharp concerns.

Committee co-chairs Paul Devlin and Dolores Rubin, along with other members, criticized the towers’ heavy use of glass facades, calling them out of character with Hell’s Kitchen’s aesthetic. “We were not interested in seeing the Extel Riverside West glassy thing come south,” Devlin noted, referencing the nearby high rises.

The Land Use and Transportation committee is pushing for non-glassy materials and a reduced height to minimize shadows along the Hudson River.

The inclusion of hundreds of affordable apartments in the two building received a lot of praise. One member of the community, Theo Perez, stating “it is more important now than ever to create both affordable housing and good jobs which uphold the industry standards in the city.” The construction is pushing for over 200 permanently affordable apartments and 15 permanent building jobs. However, board members emphasized the need for more family-size apartments, noting the over-abundance of studios and one bedrooms in the city.

One of the major concerns committee members discussed was the allocation of air-rights proceeds going directly to the Hudson River Park, despite the towers overlooking DeWitt Clinton Park. Members argued for direct developer contributions to upgrade the local park to offset increased usage. One speaker highlighted that “the people are going to use the park right across the street,” referencing the DeWitt Clinton Park.

Councilmember Gale Brewer, whose district includes the sites, attended parts of the process and told W42ST in a January 16 interview that she plans to “go along with what the board says,” praising CB4’s zoning expertise. “It’s not just housing... It has to be done correctly,” she said.

Brewer stressed that developers should be required to contribute beyond the air-rights revenue, noting such direct ties to specific parks are not uncommon in city approvals.

The full CB4 board is set to review and take a final vote on Feb. 4. The committee’s conditional approval—unanimous on a motion that stipulates the developers make design and financial changes for the park in ongoing negotiations.