Long-Vacant Hell's Kitchen Lot Could Finally Be Developed

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — A lot near the Javits Center that has sat empty for years could finally be built upon, as the state announced Thursday it was seeking proposals for what it called "one of the last remaining vacant parcels on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan."

The full-block, 1.2-acre lot, on 11th Avenue between 35th and 36th streets, is also known as Site K. Mostly undeveloped, the lot's northwest corner houses an above-ground subway ventilation shaft.

On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office announced a Request for Proposals for the site, which the state is seeking to redevelop as part of the governor's grand vision for a new Midtown West.

Proposed developments for the state-owned site could be entirely commercial, or a mix of commercial and residential. Lowell Kern, who chairs the neighborhood's Community Board 4, said the board was "very pleased" that the state acknowledged its preference that affordable housing be built there.

"We look forward to working with [Empire State Development] and the selected developer to deliver for our neighborhood," Kern said.

Residential buildings would need to include at least 30 percent affordable apartments, available to households earning 80 percent of the area median income, the state said.

Proposals would also have to comply with the neighborhood's zoning restrictions, which limit the density of both commercial and mixed-use developments. The deadline for developers to submit a proposal is 2 p.m. on May 6.

In January, Cuomo announced plans for a large-scale redevelopment of Midtown West, comprised of an expanded Penn Station, a revitalized Port Authority Bus Complex, an extension of the High Line and new buildings containing hundreds of affordable housing units.

Cuomo said the project would "form a new, vibrant, exciting district" covering an L-shaped, 140-acre area of the neighborhood — including Site K.

The plan also included a 50-percent expansion of the Javits Center, which has already begun and will wrap up this year, according to Cuomo.

"As we continue to advance our work on the Javits Center expansion, this project presents a unique development opportunity at the front door of one of New York's most highly trafficked destinations," Eric Gertler, incoming CEO of the state's Empire State Development Corporation, said in a news release.

Read the full Request for Proposals here.

Related coverage: Midtown West To Be Transformed In Major Redevelopment, Cuomo Vows