Tallest UWS Tower Gets City Approval After Revising Plans

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The tallest planned development on the Upper West Side has regained approval from the city to go forward with construction despite the tower's role in inspiring a new city rule to cut down on excessive void spaces.

Extell Development's planned 775-foot-tall tower known as 50 West 66th Street is once again in the city's good graces following a safety evaluation from the FDNY and revised building plans, a city Department of Buildings spokesman confirmed. The development was in limbo following the DOB's issuance of a "notice of intent to revoke permits" in January citing safety concerns for a planned void that spanned more than 150 feet.

Revised plans approved by the DOB and FDNY show that developers have cut 16 feet of void space from the building, and the large mechanical floor will be broken up into three separate floors and the 17th, 18th and 19th stories of the building. The 17th and 18th floors will be 64-feet-tall and the 19th floor will be 48 feet tall, a city Department of Buildings spokesman said.

"Safety is our highest priority, for residents and first responders alike. DOB has approved amended plans for the building’s mechanical floors that satisfy safety-related objections and bring the project into compliance with the city’s Zoning Resolution," DOB spokesman Andrew Rudansky said in a statement.

Revised plans include elevator stops in the mechanical floors which would allow firefighters access to the areas during emergencies. The city Department of Buildings maintains that the height of the void spaces is consistent with other developments in New York City.

The West 66th Street tower will go forward despite it being one of the inspirations for a new city rule to cut excessive mechanical void spaces. The City Planning Commission voted Wednesday to approve a regulation that would count mechanical spaces against a building's floor area when they are larger than 30 feet or if two mechanical spaces are located within 75 feet. It appears as though projects like 50 West 66th Street, which received city permits before the rule change, will not be affected.

Neighborhood preservationists argue that the excessively tall mechanical spaces at 50 West 66th Street allow Extell to build the residential portion of the development at higher elevations than should be allowed. Groups such as Landmark West! have filed a zoning challenge of the building which is supported by local politicians such as Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council Member Helen Rosenthal.

Rosenthal also accused Extell of using bait and switch tactics at the West 66th Street site by initially applying for a much smaller building. The City Council representative vowed to continue fighting the tower in a statement sent to Gothamist, which first reported the city's approval.

"I am deeply disappointed by the Department of Buildings’ decision regarding 50 W. 66th, but we always knew this was a possibility. More importantly, our community is completely resolved to fight on. For over two years, we’ve been pushing the developer, Extell, to be transparent about their plans," Rosenthal's statement reads.

Extell Development and architecture firm Snøhetta revealed the planned tower in November of 2017. The West 66th Street building will be more than 100 feet taller than 200 Amsterdam Avenue — another building that Upper West Side groups and politicians have challenged.