Latest Construction Update: More of the Same

If you/re curious about how quickly Union Square’s retail rentals are recovering, go read this report.

It served the neighborhood well for years from the corner of University and 13th, but Vietnamese restaurant L’Annam is no more. So long, lemongrass chicken.

From the NY TIMES:

As bikes abound and roads grow narrower, New York can seem to be turning its back on cars. The rapid disappearance of gas stations may not be helping things either.

Parking garages are befalling similar fates, which may not be that surprising: Often humdrum, and built for function, they rarely seem to be the focus of preservation efforts, and developers have long eyed their sites for their potential.

But in Greenwich Village, two garages are being incorporated into condo developments, at 12 East 13th Street, with eight units, and 17 East 12th Street, with nine.

On East 13th, near Fifth Avenue, DHA Capital and Continental Properties are at work on a garage once used mainly by Hertz, the rental car company, which also had a ground-floor office. With eight floors, the garage was built in 1930, before modern zoning laws were imposed on the low-slung area, limiting height.

Indeed, had the developers torn down the garage and built new, it is doubtful that a new structure could have been as bulky as what is there now, which meant converting was a better option, said Dan Hollander, DHA’s managing principal.

Still, the developers could shift some things around; by shaving off the back of the building and adding that mass to the top, they were able to boost the height to 12 stories.

Other alternations are needed. The windows were not big enough for residential use, so they are being enlarged, as the building also gains a new facade, Mr. Hollander said. But starting with a foundation and walls cut some construction costs on the $75 million project, he added; similarly, the condo will take less time to complete, about 16 months, versus 24 months for ground-up construction.

DHA is also keeping a parking area, but for 11 cars, not 100 as before, and just on the second floor. Residents will drive into the original bay, then a robotic lift will pick up the vehicle and stow it.

Starting at $7.5 million for a three-bedroom, the units went on sale in April, although no contracts had been signed by late June.

An almost identical game plan is being followed on East 12th Street, where Rigby Asset Management is removing walls and floors from the back of the eight-story building to allow it to grow to 11 stories, giving apartments more light and air. There, too, a floor will be kept for parking, on the ground floor, for nine cars; and the same automated apparatus as at East 13th Street will serve as attendant. The nine condos, most of which have four bedrooms, are much pricier, however, starting at $14 million. Sales began at the end of June.

“You get column-free space and tall ceilings,” said Peter Armstrong, Rigby’s managing partner, who previously converted a garage at 73 Wooster Street into a six-unit condo. “You feel like an artist with a blank canvas.”

 

Lots of new tech neighbors, listed here.

Next week (April 11 to April 15), Contractors will continue to excavate earth and rock, and load out material. We will continue to underpin both adjacent buildings with DOB approval of our means and methods. Drilling of tie-backs, lagging and sheeting around the perimeter will progress as well. The following week (April 18 to April 23), we will continue rock excavation and loading out, as well as underpinning both adjacent buildings, lagging and sheeting.

Next week (November 4th to November 8th ), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on the academic floors inside the building.

The following week (November 11th to November 15th), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on academic floors.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday and Sunday, November 2nd and 3rd for interior activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.