At last night’s meeting of Community Board 3 land use committee, there was an update on the big Essex Crossing project. Delancey Street Associates, the development consortium, is now well underway with phase one of the large mixed-use complex on the former Seward Park urban renewal site. Here are the highlights offered by Project Manager Isaac Henderson:
- Crews are now working on three of the four sites included in phase one. Last Thursday, they activated Site 1 on Ludlow Street, where a 15-story condo and commercial building will eventually rise.
- They’re now digging the foundations on Sites 1, 2 and 5. If you’re around the neighborhood during the day, you’ve no doubt heard the pile driving on the construction parcels. Henderson said the noisiest stages of construction should last for about two more months. It will take a total of about 10 months before the foundations are finished.
- Permits were just approved to put up construction fencing around Site 6, located east of Clinton Street. Delancey Street Associates anticipates starting construction there by the middle of next month (they’re waiting for financing to be finalized). The Site 6 building, including 100 apartments for seniors and Grand Street Settlement facilities, is expected to be finished first (hopefully by December 2017).
- Regarding reports that the Children’s Museum is eyeing Sites 3 and 4, Henderson said talks with the uptown institution are only preliminary. Conversations are continuing, but the parties are nowhere near ready to sign contracts.
- He also reiterated that no contract has been signed as of yet with NYU Langone Medical Center. In August, NYU posted an online announcement heralding the new 40,000 sq. ft. facility, but removed the press release following our story pointing to it. The center is planned for Site 6.
The first four buildings of Essex Crossing includes 556 apartments, a new Essex Street Market, a 14-screen Regal movie theater, a bowling alley concept called Splitsville Lanes, a Planet Fitness gym, among other amenities.
