{"id":102291,"date":"2026-01-16T15:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T15:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/102291\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T15:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T15:16:11","slug":"cm-brewer-tells-developers-on-far-west-side-towers-follow-community-board-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/102291\/","title":{"rendered":"CM Brewer Tells Developers on Far West Side Towers: \u201cFollow Community Board 4\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Councilmember Gale Brewer delivered a clear message to developers behind a proposed pair of residential skyscrapers on Hell\u2019s Kitchen\u2019s Far West Side \u2014 a project that would bring more than 1,000 apartments to the blocks near DeWitt Clinton Park and Hudson River Park.<\/p>\n

\"GaleCouncilmember Gale Brewer speaking at a MCB4 meeting in December 2025. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

\u201cI will go along with what the board says,\u201d Brewer said in a phone interview with W42ST after attending Manhattan Community Board 4\u2019s Clinton\/Hell\u2019s Kitchen Land Use meeting on Wednesday evening. She said she plans to \u201cfollow very closely\u201d the board\u2019s recommendations, citing its \u201chigh level of knowledge about zoning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her involvement matters because the City Council has the final say on major land use changes, and in practice it typically follows the lead of the local Councilmember \u2014 a norm known as \u201cmember deference.\u201d The project is now in ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure<\/a>), the City\u2019s public review process for major zoning and development decisions, and would move from Community Board review by the end of February to Borough President review in March, then to the City Planning Commission in April and May, before reaching the City Council for a final vote in June or July.<\/p>\n

The proposal, known as DeWitt Clinton Park North, would allow two residential towers at car dealership locations: one planned for 629 W54th Street on 12th Avenue, and the other for 801 11th Avenue between W55 and W56th Streets. Together, the plan would create more than 1,000 apartments, with a portion set aside as permanently affordable under the city\u2019s inclusionary housing rules.<\/p>\n

\"DeWittThe DeWitt Clinton Park North development project presented by developers to MCB4 during Wednesday\u2019s meeting. Rendering: Hill West Architects<\/p>\n

At the meeting, the development team\u2019s presentation was led by Wesley Ryan of Fried Frank, the applicants\u2019 land-use attorney, speaking on behalf of The Chapman Group and Friedland Properties, the developers behind the two-tower proposal. Ryan described the plan as a paired rezoning designed to unlock new housing and park funding at the same time. \u201cWe are here to discuss those rezonings of two sites\u2026 to facilitate the development of two mixed-use buildings north of DeWitt Clinton Park,\u201d he told the committee.<\/p>\n

He said the sites would be rezoned to allow residential use and additional height tied to the purchase of Hudson River Park air rights, resulting in \u201capproximately 1,094 residential units, 273 of which would be permanently affordable.\u201d Ryan added that the air-rights purchase would generate \u201cnot less than\u2026 $29 million\u201d for park improvements in Community District 4, and asked the board to support the application.<\/p>\n

Community Board members noted they have been tracking the plan for nearly a year. The board previously discussed the proposal<\/a> and, in February 2025, submitted a detailed letter<\/a> to the Department of City Planning outlining concerns and recommendations. At this week\u2019s meeting, several committee members indicated that the version now moving through the process reflects limited changes compared with what they had already flagged.<\/p>\n

Land Use co-chair Paul Devlin also criticized the timeline, saying the volunteer committee had been given too little time to review a large and complicated application.<\/p>\n

\"PaulMCB4 Clinton\/Hell\u2019s Kitchen Land Use co-chair Paul Devlin speaking at meeting in December 2025. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t sign off on this kind of stuff\u2026 with 10 days of lead time,\u201d Devlin said.<\/p>\n

Brewer said she supports new housing, but stressed that the project must be shaped to fit the neighborhood \u2014 and deliver meaningful public benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just housing,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has to be done correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her comments to W42ST, Brewer said she wants the towers to feel like residential buildings rather than commercial ones, and highlighted priorities including a less glass-heavy design, a stronger building base, and more family-sized apartments. She also said the developers should contribute to nearby DeWitt Clinton Park, which would see increased use if the new buildings are approved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese guys look directly over DeWitt Clinton Park,\u201d Brewer said. \u201cWe want that park to be funded by the developer.\u201d She added that upgrades to the park could cost \u201c$6 or 7 million or more\u201d and noted that, during rezonings, it\u2019s not unusual for a developer to make a direct contribution to NYC Parks so the funds are protected and tied to a specific park.<\/p>\n

\"DeWittRendering 801 11th Avenue<\/p>\n

\"DeWittRendering 629 W54th St<\/p>\n

\"DeWittAerial Rendering 629 W54th St
\nRenderings of the DeWitt Clinton Park North development project presented by developers to MCB4 during Wednesday\u2019s meeting. Renderings: Hill West Architects<\/p>\n

The plan is also tied to the future of Hudson River Park \u2014 and specifically Pier 76 in Hell\u2019s Kitchen, the former NYPD tow pound that has long been promised as new parkland but still requires major capital investment.<\/p>\n

To build larger than current zoning allows, the development team is seeking to purchase unused air rights from Hudson River Park piers and transfer them inland. At Wednesday\u2019s meeting, Hudson River Park Trust representatives said the special district rules set a minimum price of $200 per square foot, and that the deal under discussion totals 148,000 square feet \u2014 generating not less than $29.7 million for the park. But Land Use co-chair Devlin questioned whether that figure reflects true market value, calling $200 per square foot a \u201cridiculously below market value.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an email to W42ST after the meeting, Hudson River Park Trust executive vice president Robert Atterbury said the $200 figure is meant as a protective floor, not the expected final price. He said that if ULURP is approved, the Trust would wait until the developers formally notify it they want to proceed with an air-rights purchase, then commission site-by-site appraisals \u201cto make sure the purchase prices reflect current market value,\u201d followed by a public hearing and comment period required by law. Atterbury said the Trust expects the appraised value will be higher, but \u201ccan\u2019t predict with certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the framework presented at the meeting, 80 percent of the proceeds would be directed toward Pier 76, while 20 percent would support broader Hudson River Park capital and maintenance needs.<\/p>\n

\"RobertHudson River Park Trust executive vice president Robert Atterbury speaking at an MCB4 meeting in March 2024. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

Atterbury added that the Trust has already secured $85 million in state capital funding toward Pier 76\u2019s infrastructure costs, is seeking a matching commitment from the City, and has said the Trust would contribute an additional $50 million \u2014 with air-rights revenue potentially helping close the remaining gap. He said the existing structure at Pier 76 will need to be removed, and that rebuilding a pier of its scale for full public park use will be \u201cvery costly,\u201d calling it one of the Trust\u2019s highest overall priorities.<\/p>\n

The MCB4 committee is expected to continue reviewing the proposal in the coming weeks as it advances through the city approval process. To meet the official timetable, the Land Use committee will need to bring a draft recommendation letter to MCB4\u2019s full board meeting on February 4 for approval \u2014 giving members and the public only a short window to weigh in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Councilmember Gale Brewer delivered a clear message to developers behind a proposed pair of residential skyscrapers on Hell\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":102292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[75,84,83,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-102291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}