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MAP: 9 Developments in SoHo and the Village to Watch For in 2015

By Danielle Tcholakian | February 17, 2015 7:43am
 Developments are on the rise in the Village and SoHo for 2015.
Developments to Watch in the Village and SoHo
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GREENWICH VILLAGE — Big changes are on the way to Greenwich Village and SoHo, with new schools, parks, retail space and apartments all in the works this year.

From New York University's massive expansion to a proposed floating park in the Hudson River, the projects will remake the face of the neighborhood, while also bringing amenities like new public space and affordable housing.

One of the biggest game changers could be the St. John's Terminal site at 550 Washington St., where Atlas Capital Group wants to use hundreds of thousands of square feet from the neighboring Pier 40 to build condos, retail space, affordable housing and possibly a hotel. The air rights sale would help the Hudson River Park Trust repair the crumbling Pier 40.

"It's our best hope for new affordable housing and a secure future for Pier 40 and Hudson River Park, and in a location that actually needs redevelopment," said Community Board 2 Chair Tobi Bergman.

Check out this map of these and other developments to watch for in 2015, with more information on each project below:

181 Mercer St.

What's planned: The first building in the NYU expansion plan.

Status: New York University picked architects at the end of 2014.

NYU's new building at the current site of the Coles Gym will be designed by Davis Brody Bond, the architects behind the underground 9/11 Memorial Museum, and KieranTimberlake, whose portfolio includes many large-scale projects for universities across the country.

There are no renderings yet: The university has promised an inclusive design process including meetings with the community, set to begin in the coming months.

The development is part of the university's NYU 2031 expansion, which must be built one building at a time per a deal with the city. 

Opponents of the expansion plan are still trying to stop the project, but the state's highest court has not yet decided if it will hear the case.

19 E. Houston St.

What's planned: A six-story mixed-use building by developers Madison Capital, with retail on the cellar, ground and second floors.

Status: Construction permits have not been issued yet, but the project has won approval through the city's land-use review process.

The triangular plot of land at 19 E. Houston St., by the entrance to the Broadway-Lafayette subway station, was previously home to a fruit stand. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority sold the lot to Madison Capital for $25.825 million in 2013, and since then the project has gone through land-use review but has not yet received permits from the Department of Buildings.

Representatives for the project did not respond to inquiries.

St. John's Terminal, 550 Washington St.

What's planned: A residential and retail development at the sprawling 1.3 million-square-foot St. John's Terminal building.

Status: The developers plan to start the city's land-use review early this year.

The Hudson River Park Trust plans to sell 250,000 square feet of air rights from Pier 40 to developers Atlas Capital Group for a major overhaul and expansion of the St. John's Terminal building.

The development, which spans more than three city blocks along the West Side Highway, would provide critically needed money to the Trust to repair Pier 40.

Early details of the proposal were revealed in handwritten notes from a meeting at Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer's office last year, including that the project may offer some affordable housing.

A spokesman for Atlas Capital Group said last week that there is "nothing new to report."

Pier55, Hudson River Park Near 14th Street

What's planned: A $130 million 2.7-acre park with an amphitheater on a new pier on the Hudson River.

Status: The Hudson River Park Trust just approved a 20-year lease for a nonprofit led by billionaire Barry Diller.

Diller and his wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, are funding the construction and maintenance of the new floating park. Construction is set to begin in 2016, with the park's completion slated for the spring of 2019. The park still has to apply for permits the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers before work can begin.

15 Renwick St.

What's planned: An 11-story steampunk-themed luxury development with 31 residences.

Status: The building topped off at its full height in late 2014 and will be done this fall.

One of Hudson Square's quirkier projects, 15 Renwick has a steampunk design that aims to attract "rich hipsters," the developer said.

Apartments in the building are already on the market, ranging from a little more than $2 million for a third-floor two-bedroom apartment to more than $7 million for one of the building's four duplex penthouses with attached private terraces. There will also be three triplex townhouse-style units.

75 Morton St.

What's planned: I.S. 323, a new middle school for 900 general education students and 100 special education students.

Status: The city took over the building last year, and the school is set to open in August 2017.

Representatives from the city's School Construction Authority presented a small group of local parents and education leaders with some general plans for the long-awaited school's layout last year, and promised a more detailed public presentation early this year.

A Department of Education spokesman did not respond to a request for an update.

110 University Place

What's planned: A 23-story residential project by developer Billy Macklowe.

Status: A spokesman for Macklowe said the development is "still very early in the process."

The city's oldest bowling alley, Bowlmor Lanes on University Place, was forced out last year to make way for a 308-foot-tall residential project.

In response, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation is pushing to change the area's zoning to prohibit future development of this scale. The group's proposal was endorsed by Community Board 2 last month, and was recently submitted to the City Planning Commission.

68 Charlton St.

What's planned: Two 22-story towers, which will bring Hudson Square's first affordable housing.

Status: The project is slated to be complete by the winter of 2016, according to a sign outside the construction site.

The 66 Charlton St. project, by Extell Development, will be more than 20 percent affordable, after Community Board 2 pushed for the developer to add more below-market units. 

BuzzBuzzHome unearthed what appears to be the development's first rendering.

The Greenwich Lane, 155 W. 11th St.

What's planned: 200 condo units in five residential buildings and five townhouses surrounding a 14,000-square-foot courtyard garden.

Status: Under construction, with the first residents moving in late this year.

The Greenwich Lane, the residential development at the former site of St. Vincent’s Hospital, is so sprawling that its sales office at 450 Sixth Ave. takes up all of an old supermarket. The New York Post recently reported that designer Michael Kors bought a three-bedroom, 3 1/2-bathroom penthouse unit for “$17 million to $21 million,” and online listings feature a 4-bedroom for $14.5 million.