Lenox Terrace Developer Modifies Rezoning Plan Before City Vote

HARLEM, NY — Developers of Harlem's historic Lenox Terrace apartment complex modified an application to rezone the site about one week before the City Planning Commission was set to vote on the project, according to plans filed with the city Thursday.

The Olnick Organization announced the modifications to its rezoning plan Thursday, stating that changes were being made due to concerned feedback from Lenox Terrace residents and opposition votes from Community Board 10 and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

Instead of asking for a commercial zoning designation for parts of Lenox Terrace, Olnick is now applying for a residential upzoning with a commercial overlay. A spokesperson for the developer said that the move should reassure residents that newly-planned commercial spaces will be used for small businesses rather than big-box stores.

"We appreciate the feedback we have received from residents, Community Board 10, and the Borough President," Seth Schochet, president of The Olnick Organization, said in a statement. "We believe this input has resulted in a better plan for Lenox Terrace, its residents and the community, and we look forward to continuing this productive dialogue in the weeks ahead."

Despite the modifications, the actual building plans for Lenox Terrace appear unchanged. Applications sent to the city Department of Planning Thursday reveal that Olnick still plans to build five 28-story residential towers throughout the Lenox Terrace site to add about 1,600 apartments to the existing 1,700-apartment complex.

Olnick has touted its expansion as the "largest private affordable housing initiative in Harlem." Of the 1,600 new apartments planned in the development, a quarter would be offered through the city's Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program.

The only real change in terms of what Olnick plans to construct is the removal of a six-story "podium" that was going to be built 470 Lenox Avenue. The narrow six-story structures are being built in front of the new towers, rising directly from the street line, in order to "provide increased light and air" near the new developments, according to plans filed with the city.

Olnick decided to scrap the podium near 470 Lenox Avenue to preserve views of the historic main entryway to Lenox Terrace, developers said Thursday.

Patch reached out to the Lenox Terrace Association of Concerned Tenants — a Lenox Terrace residents association that opposes Olnick's plans for the complex — for comment on the modifications. This article will be updated when the group responds. Residents of Lenox Terrace have previously voiced concerns with the project, claiming that it will tarnish the development's "cultural and historical significance as a center of African-American culture."

Central Harlem's Community Board 10 voted to oppose Olnick's rezoning application in November. Board members cited a number of issues with the project. Chief among the concerns was the size of the rezoning and its potential to bring a new wave of gentrification to Harlem. The board's resolution said members would not support any expansion that asked for zoning changes.

Manhattan Borough President followed the board's lead, voting against the project in December. The City Planning Commission is set to vote on the project during its Feb. 3 meeting.