Taconic Partners, the developer of the Essex Crossing megaproject, is officially not interested in Shalom Eisner's Eastern Dispensary Building at 75 Essex Street, located right next to their site. But privately it sounds like they are very interested, as an email between unidentified parties intercepted by Bowery Boogie reveals.
A rep for Taconic issued the following statement after it was first reported that 75 Essex could be enveloped by the megaproject: "We are not considering a purchase at this time. We explored the idea over the summer but did not see a way forward with the parameters the owner was seeking." But apparently that was a bit of trickery on Taconic's part. The amusingly villainous-sounding email reads:
A lot of issues. People talking. The expansion is under wraps for now, but money talks and we have it.
Now that Eisner knows about his air rights, anything is possible. Keep your mouths shut. We don't know yet how that info. got to some local blog. The property comes with 31,776 square feet of unused air rights, which Eisner recently said he would be interested in putting towards his own condo development. He even told a Community Board 3 subcommittee that he would be willing to reverse his position on the building being landmarked, as long as he was still allowed to build a huge addition on top of it. To what degree Eisner is bluffing—re-raising Taconic's bluff that they weren't interested in buying the building—is unclear, but he is set go before the full CB3 board and then the Landmarks Preservation Commission, so Taconic will have to make their move at some point. And if there's anything we know about Taconic, it's that 1) money talks, 2) they have it, and 3) keep your mouths shut.
· Email Reveals Probable Expansion of Essex Crossing to Include Eastern Dispensary Building at 75 Essex [EXCLUSIVE] [Bowery Boogie]
· 75 Essex Street [Curbed]