Continuing the discussion from NEW YORK | Hudson District - Hell’s Kitchen Subdistrict:
30-Story Rental Apartment on West 38th St. Moves Forward
Friday, May 16, 2014, by Curbed Staff
Plans for a residential tower at 509 West 38th Street were first revealed more than two years ago, and last night at a Community Board 4 meeting, Iliad Development shared more information. The site is located in Hudson Yards Special Zoning District, and it used to be occupied by a four-story industrial building, which Iliad demolished a few years ago. Iliad confirmed that the building will indeed rise 30 stories as previously reported, and it will be comprised of 225 apartments, consisting of studios, one bedrooms, and two bedrooms. To achieve the maximum height and additional air rights, the developers contributed to a district improvement fund and designated a portion of their square footage for community facilities. The tower sites at the corner of Tenth Avenue, and will be fronted on the west side by the pedestrian greenway Hudson Yards Boulevard.
Of the 225 apartments, 46 will be affordable—15 studios, 25 one-bedrooms, and sic two-bedroom. Theses homes will be affordable to families make no more than 60 percent of the Area Median Income, which means the studio units will start at $800, and the one-bedrooms at $1,000 (no sales information for the two-beds). The board seemed pleased with the distribution of the affordable units throughout the building, but voted to require a written statement from Iliad that the fixtures used between the market rate and affordable units are of comparable quality.
A representative from Ismael Leyva Architects, the project’s architect of record, provided details about the amenities package. This includes a roof deck, which will “have no pool,” and a gym, which, as he assured the board “would be no Equinox.” BKSK Architects created the design. The façade, built of brick, steel, and glass, will “reflect the nature of the Hudson Yards area” and provide some relief from the ubiquitous, super reflective glass buildings that seems more at home in Miami. Floors three to five of the building will be held as community facilities, providing 29,000 square feet of space. The developer has signed on the Fencers Club, a NYC non-profit established in 1883, to occupy 20,000 square feet.
No new building permits have been issued, but filings with the Department of Buildings show that pre-construction work at the site has been ongoing since 2012. The rendering above was revealed in 2012; it’s unclear if the design is still the same, as at the meeting last night only a small, basic, black and white image was shown.
