Contested Upper West Side condo launches sales from $2.625M

Less than a month after 200 Amsterdam, an Upper West Side condo tower, topped out at 52 stories and revealed its priciest penthouses, sales have launched at the development.

Developed by SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan America, the project—located between 69th and 70th streets—has also faced its share of legal challenges. It has been opposed by advocacy groups and elected officials, who argue that it was built on an unlawfully crafted, “gerrymandered” lot.

The project was initially approved by the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals in 2018, but following a legal challenge by the Municipal Arts Society (MAS) and the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development (CFESD), a Supreme Court judge asked the BSA to reevaluate it in March. The BSA approved it again in June, and opponents promptly filed a new Article 78 challenge in July. In the event the challenge fails, MAS has yet to determine its next steps, but advocates with the CFESD say they will consider bringing their fight to higher courts.

But that hasn’t stopped the developers from pressing forward with a sales launch. The development will have 112 one- to five-bedroom condos, eight full-floor, and two duplex penthouses. Some details of the properties’s interiors include brushed nickel inlay, oak and marble floors, and Calacatta marble hood in its kitchen islands.

Elkus Manfredi Architects designed the tower as a “contemporary interpretation” of NYC’s pre-war buildings, the developers say. The building’s facade was inspired by Art Deco architecture, and has faceted panels, an insulated glass curtain wall with aluminum framing, and large windows. Architecture and design firm CetraRuddy is in charge of the building’s interiors.

One-bedrooms start at $2.625 million, two-bedrooms at $3.65 million, three-bedrooms at $4.895 million, four-bedrooms at $7.3 million, and five-bedrooms at $7.975 million. Brown Harris Stevens Development Marketing is handling the development’s sales.

The building’s amenities include a spa with a saltwater pool and a fitness center; children’s playroom; and a complimentary yearlong membership to Lincoln Center.

Barring any additional challenges or hurdles, it is expected to be completed in 2020.