Coalition Opposes Extell-Carlyle Group's Riverside Center Overdevelopment

Riverside Center - Battery Park City on the Upper West Side

 

We will aggressively fight the Extell proposed Riverside Center (West 59th-West 61st Street, West End Avenue to Riverside Boulevard) by hiring consultants (Traffic, Sewage, Urban Planner etc.) who will thoroughly examine Extell's Draft Environmental Statement.

We, the community are up against powerful forces - the Extell Development Corporation and its partner, the Carlyle Group now have Orange Sands LLC, an Oman limited liability company as investors with a $613 million loan to Extell for the Riverside Center project. Gary Barnett, President of Extell, would not disclose if the Oman investors are private or government-related.

In order to protect the health, environment and quality of life on the Upper West Side (because no development occurs in isolation) we must, with your help, fight this proposal. There will be important meetings to attend. We will notify you of dates, times and places.

7-month Public Review Process

We have heard that on April 26, 2010, the Department of City Planning (DCP) will "certify" the horrendous Extell proposal for the development of Riverside South between 59th and 61st Streets (Parcels L/M/N) for which special permits are needed. "Certification" begins the 7-month Public Review session

A few basic facts:
Residential units:
Extell proposes to build 2,500 residential. Adding an additional 2,500 units, as proposed, would bring the total number of residential units to 7,992, an increase of 2,292 units over the approved limit of 5,700 units in the 1992 Riverside South Restrictive Declaration.

Parking:
The 1992 Restrictive Declaration provided for a total of 3,500 parking spaces in Riverside South from 59th to 72nd Streets. Extell is requesting 1,800 parking spaces in Riverside Center (59th-61st Street). The 1992 Restrictive Declaration provided for a maximum of 743 parking spaces on this site. Extell's proposal adds a total of 1,057 additional parking spaces to the maximum number set forth in the 1992 Restrictive Declaration.

Extell's proposed garage would cover over thirteen acres and would be the largest in Manhattan.

Proposed Out-of-Scale Towers on West End Avenue:
Extell's planned building for West 61st Street and West End Avenue has been increased in height to 53 stories and its planned building on West 59th Street and West End Avenue has been increased to 54 stories.

Coalition's position:
The City Planning Commission must insist that Extell adhere to the maximum density in the 1992 Restrictive Declaration for this site (59th -61st Street). The City Planning Commission must deny the increase in zoning that Extell has asked for.

In addition:
There must be a Public Park and all the streets built upfront by the developer;
the entire Public School, not just the shell of the school must be built by the developer;
there must be a minimum of 20% affordable housing units;

and parking spaces must be limited to 743 parking spaces as per the 1992 Restrictive Declaration. Since parking is in part a function of density, limiting spaces is one indirect way of reducing density and reducing traffic.

The Coalition submitted a plan to Community Board 7 which: adheres to the 1992 Restrictive Declaration allowable square footage; does not require excavation beneath the park; gives the community a park at the beginning; and eliminates over six acres of potential parking.

We thank you for your membership and support.

Many, many thanks.

Madeleine Polayes and Batya Lewton, on behalf of CLW and the residents of the Upper West Side

--This was sent by the Coalition for a Livable West Side to its members.

Comments

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The Coalition has somewhat exaggerated the degree to which Extell would exceed the limits of the 1992 restrictive declaration. Aside from site L/M/N, when Riverside South is completed, it will have 4,492 dwelling units and 2,611 parking spaces. Extell's plan would add 2,500 dwelling units and 1,800 parking spaces, producing a total of 6,992 dwelling units and 4,411 parking spaces. Those totals exceed the restrictive declaration limits of 5,700 and 3,500 by 1,292 and 911.