Today at the BSA: Voids Back on the Table

The presence of passionate neighbors and an eloquent letter of support initiated by Assembly Member Richard Gottfried including support from Congressman Jerrold Nadler, State Senator Brad Hoylman, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council Member Helen Rosenthal swayed the board to re-open the hearing in order to evaluate the greater than 10% mechanical deductions claimed by the developer across their multiple mechanical floors.

BSA Chair Perlmutter cited precedent of the 15 East 30th Street “SkyHouse” case, a case where a developer proposed 132 feet of void on the second, third and fourth floors so that the first residential floor began 155 feet (equivalent to fifteen stories) above the street.  In that case, the BSA denied an Appeal because there was not sufficient expert evidence otherwise.  In this case, our team has assembled a stable of experts and intends to see this argument through in order to right the record, and curb abuse of mechanical spaces for outsized buildings once and for all.

Our team questioned the DOB’s rigor in evaluating the myraid mechanical spaces, and the BSA has called on its sister agency to defend its work using the methodology they relied on in “SkyHouse”.   Although the City claims “the proposed mechanical deductions are substantially compliant” they will need a full month to prepare paperwork exhibiting this justification.