Harlem Board Blasts Developer Over Hamilton Heights Rezoning

HARLEM, NY — A developer's proposal to rezone a Hamilton Heights block to construct a new 17-story apartment tower was met with strong opposition from a neighborhood community board this week, as members questioned its size, affordability and the zoning changes required to build it.

Tuesday's public hearing by Community Board 9 centered on plans to build a 170-foot-tall tower on the corner of West 142nd Street and Riverside Drive — a site currently home to a vacant lot and three now-empty rowhouses that will be torn down to make way for the new project.

Speakers included two people who had been displaced from the rowhouses in recent years after they were purchased by the developers, a firm known as Soma LLC, which the former residents said used intimidation tactics to drive them out of their homes.

Developers, meanwhile, touted the 20 affordable apartments that would be included in the new building, along with 61 market-rate units. There was little sign, however, that neighbors were persuaded.

"It may be a good project somewhere else, but it’s not a good project on that corner," said Assemblymember Al Taylor.

After moving through the city's lengthy land use review process, developers hope to construct the building over an 18-month period.

"Knee on the neck"

The buildings set to be demolished at 635-639 West 142nd St. were acquired starting in 2013 by Olga Sosa-Marantz. Her stepson, Corin Marantz, inherited them after her death in 2014 and began acquiring more properties and seeking to develop them, he told the board Tuesday.

The block was rezoned in 2012 as part of an effort to limit the size of new developments in West Harlem. Now, the developers are seeking to undo that change by "upzoning" the site from R6A to R9A — an even higher-density scheme than the pre-2012 one, akin to "major thoroughfares" like West 96th Street, according to a city guide.

Developers defended the project's proposed 175-foot height, noting it sits across from buildings that rise above 140 feet and behind a 120-foot tower.

Still, neighbors expressed worries about the precedent that the rezoning would set. One person, who identified himself as Anderson and said he spoke for residents of the neighboring building at 644 Riverside Dr., evoked violent images in condemning the proposal.

"This request to rezone from an R6A to an R9A district will put a knee on the neck of this already beautiful and diverse community and suffocate residents," he said.

Liz Waytkus, who lived for five years in the rowhouse at 639 West 142nd St., said she had enjoyed the "sense of community" on the block before her building was sold to Soma in 2016. After that, she said, the owners forced her to leave and refused to grant her a lease extension to find a new home.

"Soma's history shows a lack of concern for our community and its needs. That they would even propose a 17-story building highlights their insensitivity and greed," said Sam T., another resident who described being pushed out of the rowhouses in a similar manner.

Waytkus has continued to care for a colony of 11 cats who live on the vacant lot at the end of the block, and which developers have pledged to re-home before starting construction.

Housing gain is disputed

The 20 affordable apartments would consist of 10 studios, five one-bedrooms, and four two-bedrooms and one three-bedroom, available to people making between 40 and 80 percent of the area median income. Rents would range between $771 for some studios and $2,306 for the three-bedroom.

Eric Palatnik, an attorney for the developers, said the new apartments were critically needed in West Harlem, where rents rose at a faster clip in recent years than they did in the rest of Manhattan.

Board members, though, questioned how much affordable housing would really be added, pointing out that the existing rowhouses contain 21 total apartments, including several that are rent-stabilized.

"There’s no net increase, necessarily, in affordable housing units," said Signe Mortensen, who chairs CB9's housing, land use and zoning committee.

Neighbors also questioned whether studio apartments would be large enough to house the large numbers of families that live in the area. Board member David Hanzal said he was "insulted" that developers could not immediately say how much rent costs at the existing apartments on the block.

Another skeptic included City Councilmember Mark Levine, who said he had "many questions about the affordability" of the new apartments, and found the building's height "to be wildly out of scale with this community."

An informal vote by 10 Community Board 9 members at the end of the meeting found unanimous opposition to the current proposal. The board will hold a final vote on the project at its May 20 full board meeting.

Developers have also laid out a "no-action" scenario for if the rezoning is not approved. In that case, rowhouses would still be demolished, but replaced with a modest six-story, 60-foot-tall building with 23 apartments.

Ultimately, the board has no power to stop the development, although its recommendation can influence the mayor and City Council, who get final say on new developments that go through the land use review process known as ULURP.

Previous coverage: Developer Seeks Hamilton Heights Rezoning For Apartment Tower