It’s a good looking building.
I agree and I have to admit that has colored my feelings about the Rube Goldberg zoning lot.
It reminds me of a Mesoamerican pyramid…without the dancing shadows and prophesies of doom.
From 2.22.20:
Thank you for the West Side Rag article linked above Waymond W. This is more valuable information on the continued story of 200 Amsterdam Avenue. I can’t say I agree with any of the objections stated in the article: all construction sites in NYC are currently active and deemed ‘essential’ . The other point regarding continued construction of the crown is that the developers are confident they will win the case against the Supreme Court Justice: so therefore they proceed building the crown. There seems to be no foundational truth or mutual understanding on most of the key issues: actual zoning regulations, supreme court ruling, DOB responsibility for original approval. One positive outcome - unintended consequence - of this discussion is we here in this Forum Thread are effectively DOXXING all parties to this boondoggle with each and every post publicly exposing the actions of: the DOB, Community Activists, Supreme Court Justice making the ruling, the developers, and others. My goodness, this project has turned to be fascinating; the ‘doxxing’ aspect is my main focus at this point. I will continue to post any new information as fast as I can find it: channeling my inner Julian Assange. HeHe
Sorry, have been away. I will try to find the ‘cite’ you mentioned.
Here is the ‘cite’ as per your request Chused.
According to Selver, the origins of the oddly shaped lot go back to 1987, when then-owners of the neighboring Lincoln Towers complex pieced together plots of vacant land for the purpose of development, including portions of existing tax lots. In 2007, this zoning lot was merged with other tax lots to form a larger zoning lot that included the 200 Amsterdam parcel.
“That’s the issue: whether or not you can have a zoning lot that’s composed of portions of tax lots, or whether you can only have a zoning lot that’s composed of core tax lots,” Selver said. And, according to Selver, history sides with the former. “It’s not that common, but it’s established,” he said, pointing to Park Avenue’s MetLife Building (formerly Pan Am) as the most prominent example of a project constructed in this way.
The Real Deal and others are reporting that the city law department at de Blasio’s request joined with the 200 Amsterdam developers in their appeal to the Appellate Dision.
“At DeBlasio’s” request: the city law department joined with the developers to work on the appeal to the Appellate Division. That is the kind of input that DOXXING is all about: here we all have a good opportunity to put the whole process under ‘public scrutiny’. My take-away here is that the Developer has ‘friends’ at City Hall; so it is no wonder they confidently continue on the completion of the crown. The Real Deal has the story; but I will try to ferret out the more salient details for the sake of public scrutiny. Julian Assange would be proud of the work we are doing here doxxing the development saga of 200 Amsterdam Avenue.
That is a handsome looking building: even when viewed from across the Hudson River. It would be a crying shame to see that Handsome Tower to get a ‘Hair Cut’ in the form of a 20 story trim-off-the-top.
Good update: so this is simply a stop work due to the virus - not any ruling on the case in general. I am continuing to seek out any information on the zoning and legislative decisions on the project. This tread is a unique opportunity for Doxxing this project. The goal here, for me, is to literally drag everyone involved out ‘into the sunlight’ so public scrutiny can be applied every step of the way. I work in the construction industry, so I may have more of a vested interest in this subject than most other forum members. YIMBY is widely read by most Architects, Builders, Developers in NYC - this I know as a fact. Please continue help with any news you may have and post here in the interest of ‘full transparency’ on the zoning battle.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9beRM5H6JX/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-AgZphnDHp/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QYSxWguV3/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-cOntbjPUv/
Thanks for the update Waymond Womano. I am following this thread closely as part my recent adventure into citizen journalism: in this case I am trying a form of DOXXING. If it were not directly related to the construction of 200 Amersterdam Ave it would be of no interest to anyone. The article is interesting but misleading: the Judge’s ruling would be a permanent stop and removal of 20 floors for the crown of the building - this now is only a temporary halt due to COVID-19. I do look for more inside information on the legal proceedings; but all that news seems shrouded in secrecy. I like this opportunity to bring news from darkness, to light: Where We Go One, We Go All. 