Residents of Two Bridges packed Rutgers Community Center at last night's Community Board 3 meeting to voice concerns over mega-developer Extell's newest development, a 68-story market rate condo tower and a separate 13-story affordable housing building on the same parcel of land. Shouts rang out over the loss of a Pathmark, formerly housed on the site, and the affordability of an incoming grocery store that will be on the first floor of the market rate tower, which is now addressed 250 South Street. The 205-unit affordable building, on the other hand, will be called 229 Cherry Street. The community lambasted the plan for separate market rate and affordable buildings as "economic segregation," but Extell leader Gary Barnett and his suited-up team of company reps stood by the decision.
Barnett said financing for a mixed-affordable and market rate tower would be impossible, and "we don't live in a perfect world," so Extell's only viable option was the current plan.
A supermarket of some kind will be reinstated, primarily housed in 250 South Street, but also wrapping around into the first floor of 229 Cherry. Barnett even took audience member suggestions for supermarket vendors for the nearly 25,000-square-foot space, as he claimed Extell has not yet contacted any grocers.
Designed by Dattner Architects, the affordable tower will have a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, a fitness center and yoga room, a resident lounge, a rooftop garden, and public parking below ground. The 8,000-square-foot first floor will also house a drug store. As previously reported, here's the unit and pricing breakdown: 49 studios, starting at $833/month; 51 one-bedrooms, starting at $895/month; and 105 two-bedrooms, starting at $1,082/month. The apartments will be available to families earning 60 percent or below the area median income.
Extell, however, did not get into the pricing or amenities for 250 South, but we can assume they'll be leagues above its sister tower at 229 Cherry. The design for 250 South, undertaken by Adamson Associates, is still in progress, Barnett said.
The old Pathmark is currently being demolished, and excavation for 229 Cherry should begin within the next few months. Both buildings should be complete by the end of 2017.
Maggie Livingstone
· Extell's Lower East Side Tower Will Have Affordable Little Sister [Curbed]
· 227 Cherry Street coverage [Curbed]
· Gary Barnett and Extell Reveal What We Should Expect from their Pathmark Site Development [Bowery Boogie]
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