Buildings Department documents filed today hint at the future of this conspicuous parcel on the southeast corner of East Houston Street and Orchard Street. Preliminary plans have now been submitted for a 10-story, 113,246 square foot mixed use building at 196 Orchard St.
The name on the application is Marc Ravner, a partner in controversial developer Ben Shaoul’s Magnum Real Estate Group. The project is slated to include 83 apartments, 13,000 square feet of commercial space and 4,800 square feet for community facilities. 196 Orchard is the current home of Karaoke Boho.
Public records previously filed indicate that an LLC controlled by Magnum agreed to purchase the site, along with 198 Orchard St. and 187 East Houston St. The transaction is scheduled to be finalized in January.
Businesses on the parcels have been closing in recent months, including beloved Turkish spot Bereket, which went out of business last summer. Today’s paperwork only references 196 Orchard, but given the size of the planned building, the other parcels are likely in play as well.
