Friday, February 08, 2008

More luxury development in Chinatown

LESRRD's warnings of luxury development in Chinatown have fallen on deaf ears north of Houston Street where the political influences on Community District 3 reside. Chinatown is seriously underrepresented on the Community Board.

Our warnings and predictions have been overtaken by reality. Besides the luxury hotel going up at Hester & Bowery, there's this on a multiple lot site at Canal & Eldridge in Chinatown around the corner from the Eldridge Street Synagogue (from Curbed):

"1) Chinatown: Regarding the mysterious pillars going up at Canal and Eldridge, a commenter files this detailed report: "It will have a three-story commercial base (one floor of stores and two floors of medical offices), then a setback and a floor that will be occupied by a day care center, then an additional setback and twelve floors of apartments. There will also be a commercial parking garage in the cellar levels. The residential portion will be a tower, with floor plates of only about 2,000 square feet, whereas the ground floor will have a footprint of about 7,500 square feet, and there will be one or two apartments per floor. Architect: Peter Poon. (No, Peter Poon does not just design hotels for Sam Chang.)""

One or two apartments per floor implies luxury. Peter Poon is also responsible for a hotel tower on Canal to the west of Chinatown. I'm told that Canal has seen several new constructions recently. I haven't had a chance to check them all out.

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