God's Love We Deliver, a nonprofit that delivers more 1 million meals to people who are sick and homebound, outgrew its two-story building at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Spring Street years ago. To expand its headquarters without relocating, God's Love sold $4 million of its air rights to the developer of a 14-story building next door. In turn, this allows the developer to build a bigger building, which pissed off the neighbors, some of who feel that the nonprofit should have never been allowed to sell their air rights to a private developer in the first place. The Times now has more details about the $26 million God's Love renovation, and part of the plan is bound to be seen as controversial from the naysaying neighbors: the residents of the new condo will have unrestricted access to the open spaces of the charity.
The new third floor of God's Love will host the volunteer lounge and a terrace, and there will be a rooftop garden, a feature made possible by the air rights sale to Quinlan Development Group. The city did not need to approve the air rights sale, but it did alter God's Love's deed to allow the condo residents' access to its open spaces. Quinlan specifically sought this change because its building at 180 Sixth Avenue?which only grew wider and longer with the additional square feet, not taller?would not have met the zoning requirements for open space without it. A member of South Village Neighbors, the group legally fighting the sale of air rights, told the Times, "There is something so profoundly cynical that a public open space requirement be fulfilled by providing a nonprofit's roof garden to people who are going to be living in $3 million luxury condos."
· SoHo Nonprofit's Expansion Upsets Some Neighbors [NYT]
· Neighborhood Beefs [Curbed]
· 180 Sixth Avenue coverage [Curbed]
Loading comments...