« Demolition collapse at Extell site in Manhattan | Main | A tale of two neighborhoods for company at center of collapse »
July 15, 2005
Developer Reviled on Upper West Side, Loved in Brooklyn
The NY Sun
by Jeremy Smerd
On the Upper West Side, residents have begun to lob the same criticisms at Extell’s development at Broadway and West 99th Street that the Brooklyn opponents of Forest City Ratner have used: that Extell’s high-rises would ruin the intimate flavor of the neighborhood.
Much to the chagrin of area Upper West Side residents, Extell purchased the air development rights from St. Michael’s Church on Amsterdam and 99th Street, which are transferable to Extell’s development, allowing them to build higher than normal zoning would allow.
NoLandGrab: As much as Brooklynites would like for Extell to save them from the arrogant vision of Ratner and Gehry, the West Side neighborhood activists have a point.
The difference between the two is that Extell appears to be working within NYC's planning guidelines and Forest City Ratner needs NY State to take over the project to skirt local zoning regulations.
Posted by lumi at July 15, 2005 7:53 AM