In recent weeks, plans have been publicized, revealing a proposed supertall residential skyscraper at 77 W. 66th St. The skyscraper, developed by Extell, may span 90 stories and be 1,200 feet tall, standing alone as the tallest building on the Upper West Side by an extensive margin. Massive in scope, the site borders West 67th Street to the north, West 66th Street to the south, and Columbus Avenue to the west.
Before Extell’s plans, 77 W. 66th St. housed the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and the broadcasting facilities for ESPN and various ABC shows. The building went through multiple owners quickly, including Disney, Silverstein Properties, and Taconic Investment Partners.
In 2022, Extell formally took ownership, purchasing 77 W. 66th St. and 54 W. 67th St. for a combined $931 million.
Months later, the first blueprints for the supertall skyscraper were revealed, showing multiple towers, the highest reaching 1,577 feet. However, applications eventually stalled, and the would-be tallest building on the Upper West Side was scrapped at that time.
Extell’s new skyscraper currently falls within the purview of local community group Community Board 7. CB7 has asked the developer to include affordable housing in their building plans, requesting that the Department of City Planning (DCP) review the project and dedicate 20 percent of the total building space to below-market-rate housing.
In an appearance before the CB7 Land Use Committee in late May to discuss the new plan, Gary Barnett, founder and chairman of Extell Development, said he was open to including two buildings with a total of 100 units of affordable housing in the new plan.
“I think there’s enough on the table, voluntarily, to get a lot of good done here,” Barnett said at the time, according to the West Side Rag.
It is important to note that CB7, an advisory body, cannot require 20 percent of the total residential units to be under the market rate.
However, even CB7’s recent push recommending that a new zoning amendment be adopted by the City Planning Department may avoid that added requirement for the developer. Under current regulations, the 77 W. 66th St. site does not necessitate a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) and can be developed “as of right” under existing rules.
An “as of right” developent is one that complies with all applicable zoning regulations and does not require any additional discretionary action such as a special permit or variance by the City Planning Commission. It allows developers to proceed without needing many of the standard special approvals or public review processes.
This streamlines and facilitates the development of new residential housing, but it hampers CB7’s ability to influence projects, as additional permits are no longer required. The ongoing situation illustrates the broader tension between developer plans and community voices.
Currently, City Council Member Gale Brewer is calling for permanent on-site affordable housing in the Extell project. According to the May 6, 2025, CB7 resolution, the advisory body also advocates for these units to remain as permanent affordable housing units so they cannot be converted to market rate at some point down the road. CB7 thinks 20 percent of the total number of planned apartments is an appropriate target for affordable housing.
Additionally, aside from affordable housing debates, local groups like Landmark West! have also emphasized that any new development should respect the historical context of Lincoln Square and the Upper West Side.
According to Sam Goldsmith, a spokesperson for Brewer, recent meetings between the developer and CB7 have led to an “agreement to keep negotiating,” but no concrete commitments.
“There was no commitment made, which is fine,” Goldsmith said. “What came out of that meeting was an agreement to have subsequent meetings to talk about how affordability and how affordable units can be worked into the development.”
While Council members, Community Board 7, and the developer hash out details, public sentiment has already spilled onto social media. Some NYC residents have taken to the platform Nextdoor and the comment sections of a New York Yimby article to voice their grievances.
Public opinion has been mixed on a Nextdoor post from user Lora Tenenbaum, alerting people to the proposed tower. Some community members are excited by the building’s potential benefits, but others express concern about the potentially irreversible consequences.
”I’m monumentally excited! . . . It can skip tedious ULURP discussion, and we can build thousands of units of housing in one of my most highly sought after neighborhoods in the world!,” user Daniel C. commented.
”Oh my . . . I hope they don’t ruin the beautiful view and skyline surrounding Central Park. Once one goes up . . . there won’t be [anything] stopping the others from being built. It will change everything,” user Marie L. countered.
In the New York Yimby article, however, public opinion skews negative, with most citizens displeased about the prospect of a novel skyscraper.
”Demolishing nearly an entire block so you can build an out-of-place supertall seems like a poor use of space and an abuse of the intent of zoning. I’m actually not opposed to the height (though the design needs work). It’s the underutilization of the remaining site to get that height which bothers me,” one user commented.
Many users questioned the necessity of the tower, as well as its larger impact on the surrounding neighborhood and the precedent it might set.
Another user responded sharply. “Ridiculous. This is literally just a few blocks north of the Nordstrom tower. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with standing out among shorter buildings, in fact it’s what we should always hope for. The great myth that new buildings should always be ‘contextual’ is one of the most destructive and despicable lie peddled by NIMBYs.”
Regardless of how high Extell’s planned skyscraper extends, one question looms large: Do citizens or developers get to shape the skyline?