Renderings Reveal Controversial Upper East Side Tower

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — New renderings provide the first glimpse of residential tower that's set to rise on the Upper East Side and has some neighborhood preservationists up in arms.

New York YIMBY had the exclusive reveal of new renderings for the Rafael Viñoly-designed 249 East 62nd Street. The skyscraper is a planned 510-foot-tall tower set to rise between Second and Third avenues.

The high-rise may have a unique design, but it has its detractors. Neighborhood preservation group the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts filed a zoning challenge against the building late last year.

The community group claims that the new development skirts the city zoning rules because a proposed 152-foot-tall void in the center of the building allows the tower to reach unprecedented heights. The 152-foot-tall space will contain three stories of "mechanical rooms" and "structural support" as well as a one story of building amenities, according to building plans filed with the city.

"The void is vastly larger than necessary for any possible mechanical use, and the space is entirely deducted from the building's floor area calculation, making it a particularly egregious example of zoning loopholes in action," the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts said in a press release.

The new development will rise 510 feet and contain just 83 apartment units, according to plans filed with the DOB. All of the 98,526 square feet of residential space will be located on the building's first 12 stories or the 11 stories that are stacked on top of the 152-foot-tall mechanical section of the building, according to development plans. Plans also call for an addition three stories of mechanical rooms starting on the tower's 30th floor.

Check out the new renderings at New York YIMBY

Photo courtesy Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts