GREENWICH VILLAGE — Plans to demolish a building in the Greenwich Village Historic District and construct four townhouses received a preliminary go-ahead Monday night, when the landmarks committee of Community Board 2 unanimously approved new designs for 145 Perry St.
Plans by architect David Helpern, who designed the SoHo Grand Hotel and NYU's Stern School of Business, call for four single-family townhouses of five stories each, Community Board 2 landmarks committee chair Sean Sweeney said.
Three of the buildings would be about 7,000 square feet. A fourth "mansion" on the corner of Perry and Washington streets would be 13,000 square feet, Sweeney said.
Sweeney said he was pleased with the designs and called them "beautiful and sophisticated."
"The design reinterprets historical buildings in a modern way and compliments the existing buildings in the Greenwich Village Historic District," he said.
The property, which is also known as 703-707 Washington St., has been home to years of development fights. In 2008, developer Scott Sabbagh and architect Morris Adjmi planned a seven-story luxury hotel for the corner and met strong community opposition.
In late 2010, the City Council approved zoning changes for the far West Village and imposed height limits of 80 feet on new construction and eliminated the bonus structure for hotel developments and other large-scale projects.
Helpern did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The corner of Perry and Washington streets is currently home to a two-story stucco building that was used as a freight loading station beginning in 1938, according to the Landmarks Preservation Committee.
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation executive director Andrew Berman said plans for the West Village site have come a long way.
"Following community advocacy, the size of the development has been reduced many times, and now, following the rezoning of the area we were able to get enacted last year, the hotel element has been completely eliminated," he said.
The plans will be voted on by all of Community Board 2 on Thursday night, and will be reviewed by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in a hearing on Sept. 27.
