The official news on the future of SPURA?the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area, better known as Manhattan's largest swath of undeveloped land?will come from the city tomorrow, but in the meantime, the Times has the early word on the area's fate. The complex planned for the site will be designed by SHoP?is there any major new NYC project the firm isn't involved with??and Beyer Blinder Belle. The developers are L&M Development Partners, BFC Partners, Taconic Investment Partners, and Grand Street Settlement, one of many teams vying for the gig. The megaproject will be called Essex Crossing. There are no renderings yet, but if you've come across any, please share them with us. UPDATE: Renderings and more project details are over here.
The many, many, many-year debate over the fate of the site included much discussion of affordable housing, and indeed, the developers' plan calls for half of the 1,000 apartments to be for low- to middle-income families. (Families displaced from the site 40 yeas ago would also have priority for housing.) There will also be retail, restaurants, office space, parks, a movie theater, and, just to confuse everyone, an Andy Warhol Museum. The Times uses the word "glassy" to describe the complex, which combined with SHoP's involvement gives us a picture of what the thing will look like. More details are surely to come.
· City Plans Redevelopment for Vacant Area in Lower Manhattan [NYT]
· SPURA coverage [Curbed]
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