Huge Harlem Development Plan To Enter Public Review: Reports

HARLEM, NY — A proposal to add as many as 1,600 apartments to the six-building Lenox Terrace residential complex in Harlem could be back on track after years of inaction, according to multiple reports.

The city Department of City Planning will begin public review on the proposed expansion of the apartment complex in Febraury, Politico first reported. The plans were first proposed in 2009, but years of inaction have gone by after renderings were released in 2011, according to reports.

A set of new renderings were acquired and released Tuesday by New York YIMBY. The renderings show that five new towers will be built within the residential complex that spans a number of city blocks from Lenox to Fifth Avenue between West 132nd to 135th streets.

The redevelopment plans have also changed, YIMBY reported. The Olnick Organization, the apartment complex's developer, now plans to add 1,642 apartments — of which 411 to 493 will be offered at below-market rates — 40,000 square feet of retail space, 5,000 square feet of community facility space and about 200 parking spots, YIMBY reported.

In 2015, residents of Lenox Terrace denounced the developer's proposal to expand the apartment complex, DNAinfo reported. Residents claimed that the Olnick Organization had kept them in the dark concerning development plans and decried the addition of commercial space to the residential community.

Photo by Google Maps street view