Hearing Wed. On Proposed Transfer of Air Rights for St. Mark’s Place Office Tower

38-42 West 8th Street/179-181 MacDougal Street and 177 MacDougal Street currently (top) and proposed.

A developer has applied to transfer air rights from the landmarked house at 4 St. Mark’s Place to increase the size of a planned new office tower across the street at 3rd Avenue and St. Mark’s Place (view the application here). The planned 10-story, 175 ft. tall office tower is part of the growing wave of office development we are seeing in this area along 3rd and 4th Avenues and University Place and Broadway, spurred on by the growth of the expanding tech industry’s ‘Silicon Alley,’ and the recent approval by the City Council of the Mayor’s ‘Tech Hub’ just a few blocks away on 14th Street.

The transfer of air rights to increase the size of the planned tower by 20% is subject to the approval of various city agencies. We feel strongly that the city should not abet oversized and inappropriate office development in this area. The planned office tower displaces several long-time local businesses, as well as a nearly 200-year-old house.

Join us at the Community Board 3 Landmarks Committee hearing on the proposed air rights transfer this  Wednesday, February 13 at 6:30pm at the JASA Green Residence, 200 East 5th Street (east side of the Bowery).

February 11, 2019