Tall & Urban News

Site of Upcoming 15-Story Building in Harlem to Host Apartments, Not Offices in New York City

New York (c) Jermaine Ee
New York (c) Jermaine Ee
28 September 2022 | New York City, United States

Instead of an office building, developer Extell will construct a large apartment tower on the site of the former Pathmark supermarket on East 125th Street, according to newly filed documents—an apparent change from the company's former plans.

The full-block site between Third and Lexington avenues has been empty for over two years, even after Extell revealed plans in early 2020 to build a nine-story office building on the block's east side. Extell later said that it was seeking tenants for the new development. 

In late September 2022, Extell filed new plans with the city for a 15-story apartment building on the Third Avenue side of the block, containing about 543 apartments with a 6,200-square-foot (576-square-meter) supermarket space set to be occupied by Brooklyn Fare. Harlem residents have posted complaints about the lack of fresh food options in the neighborhood since a previous grocery store closed. The new grocery store would take advantage of New York City's FRESH program, which grants developers zoning bonuses or tax breaks in exchange for putting supermarket space in new buildings. 

Extell is also asking for special approval from the City Planning Commission to build one story higher than the zoning-permitted 14 floors, and exceed the block's 145-foot (44.1) building height cap by about 15 feet (4.5 meters).

For more on this story, go to Patch.