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Sutton Place Tower Plans Partially Approved by City, Records Show

By Shaye Weaver | April 28, 2017 1:26pm | Updated on May 1, 2017 8:52am
 A view of East 58th Street, where the new Sutton Place condominium tower will be constructed.
A view of East 58th Street, where the new Sutton Place condominium tower will be constructed.
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DNAinfo/Shaye Weaver

SUTTON PLACE — A developer seeking to build a 67-story apartment building still has "numerous" issues to resolve before the city will fully approve its plans and issue a permit to proceed with construction, according to the Department of Buildings.

On April 21, Gamma Real Estate's plans for an 850-foot tower at 430 E. 58th St. received partial approval because "numerous building code items" needed to be corrected on drawings that were submitted to the DOB, according to department spokesman Alex Schnell.

Schnell did not get into detail about what those corrections were, but said that foundation work plans were approved but no permits had been issued yet.

Gamma filed plans for a permit to start building the high-rise's foundation this month, according to Gamma president Jonathan Kalikow. The project includes 125 apartments, a yoga room, party room and a lounge.

"We fully intend to meet all additional requirements by the Department of Buildings — including engaging and informing the community — as construction moves forward," he said in a statement.

The partial approval is the latest development for the project since the company first filed its plans on Dec. 28, 2016. The initial application for a permit was rejected in January because it was "incomplete."

The project has received major criticism from neighbors from the very start, when original developer Joseph Beninati of Bauhouse Group began buying up properties and air rights from adjacent buildings. Beninati’s plan fell apart when he failed to receive enough financing, and in early 2016 he defaulted on a slew of loans and contracts, including an investment from Gamma.

Gamma then bought the property at a foreclosure auction and filed new plans.

Residents of the area have been fighting it along the way and are hoping to get certification from the Department of City Planning for a rezoning of the area, which would impose a height limit on new buildings in the neighborhood.

Kalikow promised that Gamma is committed to adding to the neighborhood's "rich legacy of exquisite architecture and design that first gave rise to the Sutton Place neighborhood, all while helping to grow the local economy, increase affordable housing stock and support to the ongoing redevelopment of Midtown East," he said in a statement.