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Pyramid Architect Makes His Case to Hell's Kitchen Community

By DNAinfo Staff on February 10, 2011 7:23am

By Tara Kyle

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

HELL'S KITCHEN — Neighbors who could one day live in the shadow of a Hudson River pyramid got their first opportunity to weigh in on Danish architect Bjarke Ingels' proposed project at an informal presentation Wednesday night.

Joined by developer Douglas Durst, Ingels told residents, City Councilwoman Gale Brewer and members of Community Board 4's Hell's Kitchen land use committee about his dreams for a residential complex between 57th and 58th streets and 11th and 12th Avenues.

The 700-unit complex would, Ingels said, create a bridge between the neighborhood and the waterfront, akin to projects in his hometown of Copenhagen such as the harbor pool. It would also meld the Danish habit of placing gardens in the center of residential complexes with the New York motif of dense skyscrapers.

Danish architect Bjarke Ingels.
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels.
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DNAinfo/Tara Kyle

The building's townhouses, which would rise above a first level of retail shops and a cultural space likely to be occupied by the International Center of Photography, would bear bay windows and balconies staggered in a "fish bone structure," Ingels said.

For all the design's architectural splendor, sticking points for the project's approval — the pyramid has yet to begin the city's seven-month land use review process — will include the perceived presence or absence of community benefits.

Brewer and CB4 members pressed Ingels and Durst to add more green space on the 110,000 square foot lot accessible to the public. Although an elevated courtyard forms the centerpiece of the structure, that area is slated for private use only.

"We're like a pain in the neck community, here in New York," Brewer said, before explaining that trees planted around the development's perimeter would not be enough.

Brewer also asked Durst to confirm that the largest retail space on the ground floor would not go to a Costco, some form of "urban Costco," or a "fake grocery like Walmart."

Durst said they would not bring in a tenant like that, and instead were looking for an actual grocery store, which would fill a need in the neighborhood.

The Board's emphasis on keeping affordable housing in the area will create another challenge for Durst and Ingels.

While the two plan to make 20 percent of units in the pyramid affordable, they have not agreed to make those apartments permanently affordable.

Ingels addresses CB4 members and Hell's Kitchen residents.
Ingels addresses CB4 members and Hell's Kitchen residents.
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DNAinfo/Tara Kyle

Several board members asserted that they are weary of deals that allow affordable housing commitments in the neighborhood to expire after 20 or 30 years.

"There's going to be a fight in this community for permanently affordable," Brewer said. "Just so you know, one way or another it's going to be permanent."