CHELSEA — A developer's plans to knock down two buildings in an historic district near Union Square to make room for new apartment towers, was shot down by the local community board, who say the integrity of the neighborhood and the retail options there should be preserved.
Developer C.A. White wants to tear down two buildings at 21 W. 17th St. and 16 W. 18th St. to build 13- and 11-story apartment buildings in their place.
The current buildings, which are significantly shorter, are occupied by a Rent a Runway shop and an empty storefront, formerly home to the restaurant BLT. They're also a part of the Ladies Mile Historic District, and would ultimately need approval from the Landmark Preservation Commission to be altered.
The plans for the new building was first presented to Community Board 5's landmarks committee on Tuesday. And while the group praised the project's design — comprised of terra-cotta facades and aluminum window frames — members were concerned about the plan's lack of retail on the ground floor.
The Ladies Mile — the area bound by Fifth and Sixth avenues, and Broadway, from 14th to 23rd streets — is known for it's retail. Historically the neighborhood was filled with department stores and upscale shops.
"The context of the streetscape is retail on the ground floor," said Layla Law-Gisiko, chair of the CB5 committee. "Removing retail at the ground floor would be very problematic to the neighborhood's historic language."
The committee voted to reject the proposal to demolish buildings at the site, but in a separate resolution decided to approve the design, created by the project's architect Morris Adjmi, provided retail space be included in the plan.
“We don’t want good design to go to waste, but these sites are not appropriate for Morris Adjmi’s talent,” Law-Gisiko said.
Adjmi, who has won approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for buildings in the historic district in the past, assured members of the committee on Tuesday that he had designed the two buildings specifically with the aesthetic of the neighborhood in mind.
The buildings would stand flush with neighboring buildings and match the historic flourishes common to the historic district, according to Adjimi.
Representing C.A. White, a Connecticut real-estate company, Adjmi argued that despite the two buildings’ presence in the historic district, both have undergone such substantial changes over the years that they have little historic value.
The plan now heads to CB5's full board for a vote on June 9, and from there will go to the LPC for consideration.
Adjmi filed plans with the city for new buildings in December, and was rejected, records show, but the reason for dismissal wasn't immediately clear.
For neighbors at the meeting on Tuesday, concerns ranged from the loss of retail space to the effect the added height of the new buildings would have on the streetscape.
“One thing I worry you haven’t considered is how the tunnel effect could affect the airflow on the street,” said Susan Abanor, who said she has lived in the neighborhood for 40 years.
