Sutton Place rezoning proposal finds consensus at City Planning

The city has reached an agreement with the new owners of the troubled Sutton Place tower site on how its height restrictions could potentially be regulated.

Gamma Real Estate’s proposed 800-foot tower at 430 East 58th Street (formerly known as 3 Sutton Place) might have to comply with “tower on a base standards,” meaning that about half of the building would have to be built below 150 feet, reports Politico (h/t The Real Deal). The agreement would also mean that the project would not have to adhere to height limits or affordable housing requirements. It would have to agree to scale requirements.

Neighborhood groups like the East River Fifties Alliance took issue with the height of 3 Sutton Place when it was first proposed but it remains to be seen how they will respond to the new plans. As for Gamma Real Estate, TRD reports that the group does not support the latest proposal. A hearing is scheduled for October 18.

When former site owners, the Bauhouse Group, proposed a 900-foot skyscraper, community members and elected officials rallied against the project and pushed for a rezoning project that would prevent the tower from materializing in the low-rise neighborhood. After a series of legal woes, the site eventually sold to Gamma Real Estate through a foreclosure sale. Earlier this year, Gamma tapped Danish architect Thomas Juul-Hansen to design a new tower.

• City reaches deal over efforts to cap height of Gamma’s Sutton Place tower [The Real Deal]
• Sutton Place tower developer loses legal battle [Curbed]
• Thomas Juul-Hansen tapped to design new Midtown East skyscraper [Curbed]