Extell Development has been pretty cagey about revealing the designs of its massive luxury tower on the former Pathmark site in the Two Bridges area. But New York YIMBY has gotten its hands on the first renderings.
A single exterior drawing does not show a wide view of the monstrous building, which is currently expected to rise 56 stories. But here’s the entrance of “250 South St.,” indicating a fancy circle drive and a glassy exterior. Â Another image shows a public area with lounge chairs and a garden in the middle. YIMBY also has a rendering of an indoor swimming pool.
It’s been a foregone conclusion that Extell intended to build a luxury project on the site near the Manhattan Bridge. But given the developer’s penchant for creating $100 million apartments, there’s been a lot of speculation as to how “high end” the project in the low-and middle-income community would end up being. Curbed weighed in this morning, writing:
Extell’s Pathmark-replacing Lower East Side tower sure is going to be flashy. While that fate really wasn’t up for debate considering the major development company’s track record with buildings like the Nordstrom Tower, One 57, and One Riverside Park, the first rollout of renderings for the contested site just unflinchingly proved it.
In recent days, residents have taken note of some fancy marketing photos on the website of photographer Jacob Pritchard for “One Manhattan Square,” the rumored name of the project. It features lots of images portraying the Lower East Side in the least scruffy way possible.
Weeks ago, Extell posted a vague image on the construction fence along Cherry Street, after residents and elected officials complained that the developer was ignoring Buildings Department regulations. While it indicates the tower will rise to 71 stories, permits were later filed reducing the height.
The complex is now slated to be a total of 773,611 sq. ft. All but 25,000 sq. ft. is reserved for residential use. Extell is also planning to build a 13-story affordable tower alongside the larger luxury project. Local activists have protested the scale of the project as well as its emphasis on luxury.
