New 26-Story Tower Coming To Harlem NYCHA Campus, Plans Show

WEST HARLEM, NY — The city plans to allow a residential tower to be built on a West Harlem public housing campus, according to public records — but some in the neighborhood say they are blindsided by the news.

Plans submitted to the city this week describe a 26-story building that would be constructed at 1440 Amsterdam Ave., near West 131st Street. The empty lot is part of NYCHA's Manhattanville Houses campus, and previously housed a one-story Associated Supermarket before it was destroyed by fire in 2013.

The new tower would include 393 apartments, commercial space and a community facility. The listed owner is Yiannes Einhorn, a principal at the real-estate development company Grid Group.

News of the new development comes as the six-building, 1,200-unit Manhattanville Houses prepare to undergo major repairs through the agency's "PACT" program — a controversial plan in which NYCHA plans to enlist private companies to perform much-needed renovations to its deteriorating housing stock.

In a statement, NYCHA spokesperson Rochel Leah Goldblatt said that the agency "is currently contemplating the transfer of air rights and two small parcels of land to the adjacent property owner, but nothing has been finalized or sold."

Neighbors caught off-guard

Plans for the new building were submitted less than a week after NYCHA representatives first visited Community Board 9 to reveal that they had sold the site to a developer who intended to erect a new building, board chair Barry Weinberg told Patch.

The meeting was contentious: Weinberg said that board members had been pressing NYCHA for two years to explain its plans for the Manhattanville Houses, only to be caught off-guard by last week's announcement.

"They finally showed up, gave a briefing and were resistant to answering questions or possibly changing anything about the plans they had developed," Weinberg said.

Some board members suggested a large tower would negatively impact an area of the Manhattanville campus that was specifically "designed to balance light and air in every apartment," Weinberg said.

Goldblatt, the NYCHA spokesperson, pushed back on that assessment, saying that since this summer, "NYCHA has been meeting with Manhattanville residents, resident association leaders and local stakeholders, including elected officials, to communicate plans and receive feedback on both the PACT and air rights projects.

"All of the sale proceeds from the air rights deal will be dedicated to Manhattanville and used to supplement funding for the comprehensive PACT repairs and improvements," Goldblatt added.

In a statement sent after this article was published, Shaun Abreu, the neighborhood's incoming City Council member, also said he was "concerned about the lack of community input on this project.

"We cannot sell a precious resource in an area of serious need without getting the best deal for Manhattanville residents," Abreu said. " What commitments do we have for truly affordable housing? Does this effort build on other funding sources already dedicated to repairs?"

$222 million in repairs needed

So-called "infill" projects have sparked pushback at other NYCHA developments. In 2019, the agency dropped plans to build a 50-story private tower atop a playground at the Holmes Towers on the Upper East Side — which NYCHA said would raise $25 million for repairs, but which residents criticized for its size and lack of public input.

The upcoming renovations at Manhattanville Houses will cost $222 million, including repairs to apartments, building exteriors, common spaces and utilities, according to a presentation that NYCHA gave to tenants in July.

That presentation also hinted at the development: NYCHA told tenants that it was "in discussions with a neighboring private property owner" about selling air rights and land to create a 26-to-28-story building. Between 25 and 30 percent of the tower's apartments would be affordable, NYCHA said, vowing to include residents' input in shaping the building's design and amenities.

Weinberg said the new development will be guaranteed to have a supermarket, since the site has a city-designated "FRESH" tax incentive. In addition, the building would have a community room available for use by the Manhattanville resident association, as well as a parking garage for NYCHA residents replacing the spots being taken away by the development, according to the spokesperson.

The new tower would be designed by GLUCK+, an architecture firm whose other projects include a luxury condo building on Central Park North and a private school building in East Harlem.

Abreu, the incoming Council member, told Patch that he planned to meet with NYCHA after taking office on Jan. 1 to discuss the project.

This isn't the first time a development has been floated for the 1440 Amsterdam site. A seven-story condo building was supposed to be constructed there by 2020, but the plans by developer Lefkas Realty apparently fell through.

Have a Harlem news tip? Email reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.

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