Two Bridges skyscrapers get City Planning approval

Three new buildings have cleared a major hurdle on their path to rising

Five months after beginning a public review process, the developers of a trio of skyscrapers on the Lower East Side have cleared a major hurdle. The Real Deal reports that the City Planning Commission has approved all three skyscrapers, which will bring thousands of apartments to the Two Bridges enclave on the East River. The vote passed 10-3.

As plans stand right now, JDS will build a 1,008-foot rental, designed by SHoP Architects, at 247 Cherry Street; L+M and CIM (under the auspices of Two Bridges Associates) will build a 798 and 728-foot tower, designed by Handel Architects, at 260 South Street; and Starrett will build a 724-foot tower, designed by Perkins Eastman, at 259 Clinton Street. Together these developments will bring a total of approximately 3,000 apartments to the neighborhood, of which 700 units will be affordable.

The developers have also promised numerous neighborhood improvements, such as park and playground upgrades, flood resiliency measures, a $12.5 million investment in a nearby NYCHA complex, and a new ADA-compliant entrance at the East Broadway F station. Those improvements helped sway some of the members of CPC, though there was some hesitation even among those who approved the project.

"This is nonetheless a challenging situation because the proposed buildings aren't minor in scale and will affect the surrounding neighborhood," CPC chair Marisa Lago said, according to TRD.

"We appreciate the consideration of the City Planning Commission and feedback from the community on numerous occasions over the past two years," a spokesperson for the developers involved in the project said in an email to Curbed, noting that they "will deliver lasting and meaningful benefits for the Two Bridges community."

The approval comes after a contentious public hearing in October, during which dozens of neighborhood residents—along with City Council member Margaret Chin and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer—denounced the proposal. The developers are not required to go through the city's complex uniform land use review procedure (ULURP), and opponents have criticized what they see as a neighborhood-destroying development.

"The idea that these immensely tall towers are 'minor modifications' is appalling," Brewer said in October. "These developments will have a negative impact and drastically and permanently alter the neighborhood."