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History of Tribeca Buildings
Plans for new tower at Independence Plaza have begun
Vornado Realty Trust and Stellar Management, which have been planning an additional tower for Independence Plaza for years, since 2018, have filed their plans with the Department of City Planning for an environmental review. The proposal sets out to explore the maximum allowable bulk for the site, which would include a 1090-foot, 72-story tower with 976 units. (The Commercial Observer caught the filings first; I caught up with an email to the developers’ press contact.)
The proposal assumes that approvals would be complete by mid-2027, demolition would take six months, and construction would begin by early 2028 with a 48-month construction period — getting us to 2032.
The tower would be residential, but there would be three additional buildings built to the edge of the property that are 85-feet tall to a setback, then rising again to 125 feet. The tower would be in line with Jay Street. The total is 1,110,943 zoning square feet on the development site. The 45 units currently on the site in the townhouses would be demolished and rebuilt elsewhere on the property.
The proposal says that 251 units of affordable housing would be provided under a zoning program called Universal Affordability Preference, which permits a height increase in exchange — from what I can tell it got them an additional 2 FAR, or 20 percent more height. But the affordable housing component has not been determined yet — it could be on site, off site, new construction, substantial rehabilitation or preservation of affordable units.
The parcel they are developing is called Parcel 3C, a designation left over from when those superblocks were first created in the late 1960s. It includes the southern-most tower at Independence Plaza, 310 Greenwich. (The three towers together have 1300 units.)
The new proposal includes 29,297 square feet of retail. The existing 232 parking spaces would remain with no additional proposed.
There are two bulk options for the tower — envelopes A and B. In both cases, the streetscape proposal would eliminate the existing recesses and arcades, mechanical vents and the parking entrance, which would be relocated to Harrison from Greenwich.
“The added density is consistent with the intent of the large-scale residential development [created in 1971] and current City goals to incentivize new housing for New Yorkers,” the proposal reads. “The Proposed Project is compatible with the surrounding context. The proposed contextual street walls along Greenwich Street are consistent with the loft buildings in the Tribeca West Historic District across the street to the east, and the proposed tower is consistent with the taller towers of Lower Manhattan.”
A spokesperson added: “We are proposing a modification to unlock the maximum amount of residential floor area allowed under the site’s current zoning to help the Mamdani Administration meet its goals of building as much housing as possible. We look forward to continuing to work with residents, neighbors and key stakeholders in the months ahead to ensure this project reflects the needs of both the city and the people that live and work here.”
Independence Plaza was planned as a large-scale residential development (LSRD) under a series of approvals in 1971 by the NYC Planning Commission, the (long gone) Board of Estimate and the Board of Standards and Appeals, allowing for up to 12 FAR. Completed in 1975, the three high-rise residential towers and townhouse-style rental buildings included 1,328 apartments but were not developed to the full FAR potential, leaving over 600,000 square feet remaining.
Because of that original zoning, the development proposal does not have to go through the city’s land use review process, but it does have to go through environmental review, the City Environmental Quality Review. The spokesperson for the development team added that this is still in the early planning phases to determine the best use of the allowable space and has not yet determined the size and scope of any new development. What it has determined is the maximum possible building envelope for the site, which is the 1,090-foot building.
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Great project. Streetscape improvements and removal of the parking driveway from Greenwich will be huge benefits to the community. Nice chunk of housing + affordable component. But would like to see some $$ extracted from the developer for 234 and Washington Market Park. 1k units is a lot of new people using already crowded infrastructure.
Yup, I’m with you generally. I’d always like to see more money for community benefits, since you know the developers are planning on making a killing (or they wouldn’t be doing it!).
With this and the resumption of construction at 2WTC, lots of action downtown; also assuming 5WTC will get going at some point in the nearish future.
this isn’t safe for the tenants or the businesses on the block. Vernado lies about affordable housing and doesn’t care about its tenants for years
Chris Marte told us during his reelection campaign that the development is not moving forward now and that is pushing for housing at the Chinatown jail which, which Chris has been advocating for years.
Neither of that has happened – I really don’t know what he does for this community, he’s no where to be seen and found. And none of his promises are kept
I cannot believe he said that, nor that anyone believed that.
This does seem like something that Chris would oppose. I don’t think he has shown ability to actually improve things visibly. I think he has good intentions but the follow through….
Yes good intentions, maybe, and nothing else. I think downtown these days is way over his head in every aspect. His office never responded to our inquiry about the ever expanding counterfeit bazaar and the trashing of our streets.
We need to review all the failures and figure out what we need our elected officials to do.
Even though building housing is worthwhile, the scale of this project is not in keeping with the community. Despite the proposal text: “… the proposed tower is consistent with the taller towers of Lower Manhattan,” 1,090 feet is likely higher than any other downtown residential properties, including those converted from commercial buildings. It’s curious that they’re adding no parking spaces in the development.
I suppose that Tribecans had design and height concerns when Independence Plaza upset the scale in the 1970’s. IP was not built to maximum capacity then. That does not seem to be the case now, if the developer and the city pursue the goal “… to unlock the maximum amount of residential floor area allowed …”
There is parking — the same that exists there now, however.
And see this post on height.
There was no “Tribeca” when IPN was built. The area from Citibank to Whole Foods complex was in an urban renewal area, with restrictions, but meant for development. What is needed is schools and playgrounds, and maybe some park space. Hard not to be a NIMBY here, we definitely need housing – but we also need to accommodate the children.
Tribeca has enough places for children – it’s overkill
The Pier 26 playground(a block away) just opened up earlier this year. Why are we building and expanding infrastructure if not for more residents?
(Pam’s coverage of development issues is so amazing.)
I choose to focus on the positive: 976 new homes, in a fantastic location — a heart of Tribeca, transit-rich, amid considerable green space. More NY voters! More transit use! More life in Tribeca!
To the previous commenter (@G) who wants schools and playgrounds: do you not know that schools are added or subtracted based on the current and forecasted population of children? 976 new homes will mean lots of schoolkids not to mention more patrons for our stores, restaurants, shops that we love and want to keep.
For sure, a new 72-story tower will change things — quite a lot close by and with real outward ripples. I get it.
For the record, my bedroom window will be less than 300 feet from the new tower. Meaning: I will be “impacted.”
And where will the new school children go? PS 150 relocated downtown from this site – with no plans to replace it there. 234 has been overcrowded for 35 years. Spruce Street and 89 are also at or beyond capacity. They’d need a whole new school – and there’s no plan for one in this development.
Terrible for the neighborhood. Too tall, ugly does not add anything to Tribeca just more congestion and people. It will block and disturb the architecture of Tribeca.
Vornado has built 3 of the most ugly and brutalist buildings in the city. They are not great to live in or look at. No one else think it is odd they are being entrusted to build a fourth. Not a NIMBY but what buildings look and feel like matters. Not of course to Mandami or de Blasio who take real pleasure in sticking it to neighborhoods they hate – tribeca, the village, soho, UWS etc . They see a building like this as leveling everyone in the city dowm but to the people who actually have to live in them and look at them for decades it matters. Let’s build it but not have the same Robert Moses inspired neighborhood breakers do it.
Vornado was not involved in building the original 3 buildings, they bought an interest in them much later.
and we fought just to keep some affordable. So if you really believe the lies , believe them. Disaster for tenants in 310 Greenwich and the whole block
Oh, fantastic. Just what low-rise, historic Tribeca needed: a casual 1,090-foot glass splinter piercing the sky at Independence Plaza. Because nothing says “harmonious urban planning” quite like dropping an entire Chrysler Building monolith right into a neighborhood. Actually, the Chrysler Building is shorter at 1,046 feet … just sit with that for a moment. Anyway, as far as the environment goes … can you say wind tunnels, blocked sunlight for all those lofts east of Greenwich St. (or no sun at all), and giant shadows?
This is nothing more than corporate greed run completely amok and building to the absolute limit of what is allowed. Shameful, Epstein class type development. I’m all for new housing, but Vornado has done nothing to explain or justify this to the neighborhood. Their words ring empty.
Obscene! Talk about a middle finger to the neighborhood…
If you think that Vornado, a company run by an advisor and business partner of President Trump, who has likened the phrase “tax the rich” to a racial slur, is going create a project with this community’s interests at heart or create any affordable housing — you should really reconsider the mental gymnastics you are doing to convince yourself this is a good idea.
If Vornado’s press release has you nodding along, I’ve got some lovely Manhattan real estate I’d like to discuss with you — it’s a real steal, spans the East River, and comes with stunning views.
If 1000 new apartments are being built, what schools, markets, infrastructure are being built? While we need more housing 1000 seems excessive.
with greater supply, maybe it will bring the cost to buy or rent down to a less hair-raising level in the area (I live in Tribeca)
hahahahahah
you mean how like the super-talls built around Central Park brought prices down around there? Or the way rents cratered to record lows like $4k for a 1 bed in “DUMBO” and Downtown Brooklyn once they started putting up skyscrapers there?
This may make it easier for someone seeking a $6-10k/month apartment to find a place, but is utterly meaningless to the middle class people who need housing most.
For now Independence Plaza remains the last place in Tribeca to find a single working class soul…but not for long as it continues to transition from community centered NORC where people lived for 30+ years and raised families to a glorified frat house dorm where a 2 year lease is a “long term” tenant.
I think this is going to be a terrible eyesore and disrupt the skyline. It’ll be within 278 feet of the height of the World Trade Center, slightly over 80% as high. It is way out of proportion to the other buildings in the neighborhood, not including the hideous Jenga building. Residential buildings at this scale are dehumanizing.
And how do they define “affordable housing”? It doesn’t even need to be in the same neighborhood, and it can just be cosmetic rehabilitation of existing housing elsewhere. What’s going to happen to the 45 units and their families that may need to be relocated for over two years? What are their new rental charges going to be?
The City’s wastewater system is already at capacity, and so is the use of drinking water. Holland Tunnel traffic is congested with bottlenecks everywhere, as is mass transit. This is not the kind of housing Mayor Mamdani wants or that the City needs. It will “heighten” economic disparities and displace middle-class families as prices rise in response to a population with more disposable income.
Hank, I agree with you.
Please keep us posted on what actions the community can take to prevent this horror from happening. Developers never care about anything other than how much money they will make…
As a resident of TriBeCa for nearly 50 years, anyone supporting this ‘knows the price of everything and the value of nothing’…
(Thank you, Oscar Wilde.)
TriBeCa has lost its soul…
So, so tired of these monsters invading the city and making it less and less welcoming and humane with every passing day.
Is it true that District 2’s downtown schools are under-scribed? I heard kids from Brooklyn are applying for out-of-district admission.