Negotiations Break Down Over Controversial HOK-Designed Palisades Office Building
HOK’s design for LG Electronics USA. (Courtesy HOK and Neoscape)
Conciliatory efforts have failed in the fight over LG Electronic’s plans to build 143-foot-high, HOK-designed office complex atop New Jersey’s Palisades across the Hudson River from Manhattan. The new headquarters, to be located in Englewood, has been the subject of much debate as several advocacy groups, individuals, and officials from the Metropolitan Museum say that the 8-story building would disrupt the idyllic view of the wooded Palisades from the Cloisters, the MET’s outpost in northern Manhattan.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Unveils Ten Proposals to Restore Waterfront Warehouses
Team Six’s Proposal for Empire Stores coffee warehouses (Courtesy of Brooklyn Bridge Park)
Proposals galore! Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) is moving full speed ahead with its plans to develop parcels of its 1.3-mile waterfront expanse. In September, the Park released a Request for Proposals seeking a developer to restore and makeover the crumbling Empire Stores warehouses into a lively mixed-use development consisting of office, commercial, and retail space, while also preserving the integrity of the massive historic structure.
Boston Proposes New Zoning to Help Spur More Urban Agriculture
The first phase of the Mayor’s Pilot Urban Agriculture Rezoning Project involved issuing an RFP seeking farmers to create a farm on two city-owned properties in South Dorchester. City Growers was selected and now operates two farms in Boston. (Courtesy of City Growers Boston/Facebook)
The city of Boston is laying the ground work to grow and simplify the process for urban farming throughout the city. Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) are introducing an amendment, Article 89, to the current zoning that would create opportunity for expanded urban agriculture activities such as rooftop farming and opening farm stands and markets.
New York City Looks to Activate Public Space on Downtown Manhattan’s Water Street
The plaza at 55 Water Street (Courtesy of DCP)
After Hurricane Sandy swept through the east coast, it left Water Street, a sleepy corridor in lower Manhattan, even more deserted. But now, Department of City Planning (DCP) has proposed a zoning text amendment to enliven the quiet downtown stretch by allowing for seating, art installations, food trucks, concerts, and other such events and amenities on privately owned public spaces (POPS). Sprinkled throughout the city, POPS are unique public areas that are maintained by developers for public use in return for more floor space in their development.
AIA Visits the Newark Waterfront to Discuss Long-term Resiliency Ideas Post-Hurricane Sandy
Damon Rich, Urban Designer for the City of Newark, gave tour of area damaged by flooding along Newark waterfront (Courtesy of Nicole Anderson/AN)
This week, AN accompanied members of the American Institute of Architects NY Chapter and AIA New Jersey on a boat tour of the Passaic River to examine the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the city of Newark and to discuss recovery efforts ranging from design solutions for rebuilding to resiliency strategies. Newark, like other parts of the Tri-state area, was hit particularly hard by the super storm and will serve as a point of discussion at the Post-Sandy Regional Working Group’s workshop on July 9th with urban planners, developers, stakeholders, and architects from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Details by Michael Van Valkenburgh Released for Main Street Section of Brooklyn Bridge Park
Much has been brewing at Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) over the last six months starting with the opening of Pier 5 to the completion of Squibb Park Pedestrian Bridge. And now, according to DUMBO NYC, the Park, along with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, recently unveiled plans at a community meeting to overhaul the Main Street section of its 1.3-mile waterfront stretch at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge.
Brooklyn Bridge Parks Releases 11 Designs for Waterfront DUMBO Site
Renderings from Team 1 (Courtesy of Brooklyn Bridge Park)
Another residential high-rise will soon join Brooklyn’s rapidly changing skyline. In response to Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Request for Proposals in December, nearly a dozen teams submitted designs for the vacant John Street Development Site at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO. Now BBP has released renderings from the eleven contenders, showing a wide range or proposals. The vacant 96,000-square-foot parcel, located at the corner of Pearl and John Streets, can accommodate up to 130 residential units, 101,000-sq-ft of residential space, and a whopping 110 parking spaces.
Four Firms Radically Re-Envision a New Penn Station and Madison Square Garden
SOM Reimagines Penn Station for MASNYC Design Challenge (Courtesy of SOM)
When Madison Square Garden’s 50-year special permit expired last year, it launched a fiery debate over the future of arena atop Penn Station. Critics, urban planners, and government officials have called for a 10-year term limit to encourage the relocation of MSG allowing for an overhaul of the crowded station. Today the Municipal Art Society of New York unveiled four different visions for a re-imagined Penn Station and MSG from firms Diller Scofidio + Renfro, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, SHoP Architects, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).
New Plaza Brings Needed Public Space to Holland Tunnel Entrance
Freeman Plaza West (Courtesy of Ryan Muir/Hudson Square Connection)
The entrance to the Holland Tunnel, a maze of traffic and complicated pedestrian crossings, finally has some much-needed open space. Thursday, the Hudson Square Connection, the Business Improvement District (BID) for the area, along with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, announced the opening of Freeman Plaza West, a new public space outfitted with bistro-style tables and chairs, umbrellas, and greenery, including four trees planted in honor of four members of Port Authority Police Department’s Holland Tunnel Command who lost their lives in the line of duty on September 11th 2001.
Four Firms Shortlisted To Rehab Gropius-Designed Embassy in Athens
Gropius-designed Athens Chancery. (Courtesy Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations)
The Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) announced yesterday its shortlist of design firms to rehabilitate the Walter Gropius-designed US Embassy building in Greece, known as the Athens Chancery. The four firms were selected out of an applicant pool of 56 submissions, and include: Ann Beha Architects, DesignLab Architects, Machado Silvetti / Baker, and Mark Cavagnero Associates.
Stalled Residential Tower in Lower Manhattan to Rise Next to Woolworth Building
(Courtesy Silverstein Properties / Bing Maps)
A giant residential skyscraper is slated to join Manhattan’s skyline— rising more than 130 feet above its neighbor, the Woolworth Building. Developer Silverstein Properties announced today that $950 million in funding has been secured to move forward with the construction of the Robert A.M. Stern Architects-designed tower at 30 Park Place in Lower Manhattan.
At a New York City Planning Commission review session this week, the staff at New York City Department of City Planning recommended a 15-year limit on the permit extension for Madison Square Garden (MSG), which would be an “aggressive but realistic” time frame to reach an agreement on the future of the arena. This gives MSG a few more years to come up with a plan for relocation or extensive improvements than the proposed 10-year renewal recommended by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Look for an extended story on the fate of Madison Square Garden in the next print issue of AN. (Photo: Wally Gobetz / Flickr)
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