Crane Installed At 200 Amsterdam Construction Site: Report

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The tower that was once the tallest planned development on the Upper West Side may soon rise above its foundation, according to reports.

A crane was installed at the 200 Amsterdam Avenue construction site over the weekend, signaling that builders are ready to take the planned 668-foot apartment tower vertical, New York Yimby first reported. Workers are set to begin pouring concrete at the building's ground floor, according to the report.

The development has drawn the ire of elected officials and preservation groups on the Upper West Side who argue that the building is out-of-scale with the rest of the residential neighborhood. In July, the city Board of Standards and Appeals ruled in favor of developer SJP Properties in a challenge on the city Department of Buildings' decision to award the firm development rights for the tower.

The Committee for Environmentally Sound Development has been fighting 200 Amsterdam since late 2017 when it filed a challenge against the development with the Department of Buildings. The group has accused developers of gerrymandering 200 Amsterdam's zoning lot to obtain out-of-scale building rights. The 200 Amsterdam lot is combined with parts of five other tax lots, which should violate a Zoning Resolution condition determining what makes an appropriate zoning lot, the group argues.

City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal has backed the group's challenges against the building. On Tuesday, Rosenthal, several other elected officials and the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development released a joint statement stating they are "disappointed but no deterred," by the board's decision.

Throughout the board's deliberations on 200 Amsterdam, developers noted that construction on the building's foundation began back in fall of 2017. Before the Board of Appeals decision, SJP Properties had to overcome a DOB a stop work order due to a zoning challenge from preservationists and an internal audit.

Developers expect 200 Amsterdam to be completed by 2020, New York YIMBY reported.

Read the full New York YIMBY article here.

Photo by Google Maps street view