All stories about "Extell"

1) The Ariel West, one of a pair of new Extell condo buildings so beloved by their Upper West Side neighbors that the neighborhood was immediately downzoned, is scooping up always-pregnant View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and her third-string QB husband as tenants. The couple bought a $3.25 million four-bedroom apartment in the 99th Street tower for their brood, which hopefully goes better than our last run-in with an Ariel 4BR. [Manhattan Transfers/Max Abelson]

2) After an initial burst of boldface buyers—Sting, Denzel Washington, Jeff Gordon—the roster at 15 Central Park West has been one boring banker after another. Now, finally, someone else we've heard of! Norman Lear closed on a 38th Floor condo in the "Tower" for $10 million. The TV legend may be 86, but he'll be damned if he's kept out of the best show in town. [The Real Deal]

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We haven't paid much attention to the bidding process over at the Aqueduct in eastern Queens near Jamaica, because the proposals for the slumping state-owned track involve casino gambling, and our local leaders are not the biggest fans. We didn't want to get our hopes up, being the degenerate gamblers we are. But things have changed, and the state could really use the money, so the Times reports today that the "racino" plan—horse racing and 4,500 video gambling machines—is being fast-tracked, no pun intended. And holy crap, what a development this would be. There are three bids remaining, all of varying degrees of ambition, but one thing is clear: a major entertainment complex/debauched gambling den will most likely open just 21 A-Train stops from Manhattan! Could this be the end of those annoying Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods commercials?! Out of sheer excitement, we headed over to the Aqueduct's website to find out exactly where this thing is. If the trippy map doesn't disorient you enough, the various proposals certainly will.

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We don't get to the Diamond District News very often, but frankly, we should. Especially if they're going to report fun stories like this one. We all know that Gary Barnett, maverick leader of developer Extell, is pissing off the diamond dudes with his planned 40-story tenant stealer, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and located at 44 West 47th Street. The protests from local landlords have all but subsided, their will shattered by The Barn, but the DDN post-mortem on the whole affair involves a breakdown of all the properties and air rights Extell acquired on 46th and 47th Street to aid the deal. And holy crapballs, it's a lot of land. A Curbed tipster forwarded along the story, and under the totally awesome title "How much does Gary Barnett really own?" (it's a question we sometimes lie awake in bed pondering), the financial burden incurred by Extell is detailed. Folks, they spent over $15 million on air!

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Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

Location: 535 West End Avenue, at 86th Street
Size: 20 stories, 22 half- and full-floor units
Prices: $8,750,000 to $21,000,000
Architect: Lucien Lagrange Architects
Developer: Extell
Sales & Marketing: Corcoran Sunshine

For all those who wonder why they don't build them like they used to, this one is for you. Extell's new ultra-luxury development caught some heat in the Times and elsewhere for its "pre-war" marketing, despite being new construction. It's "pre-war style," they responded, and the truth is we were ready and willing to pile on the mockery, but the building is now open for business, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Staggeringly so. Current rendering kings dbox handled the images, and we don't think we're being outrageous when we say this could turn out to be another 15 Central Park West (minus the park part). The building is the first New York City project from French architect and former SOM partner Lucien Lagrange. The apartments are gigantic—3,744 to 8,451 square feet—as are the prices (only three apartments are currently listed). The question is, will high-end buyers searching for trophy properties be drawn to this McClassic? Given 15 CPW's success and the gimme gimme gimme state of the luxury market, most likely. There are really too many details to get into in this space, so click through the gallery for the complete guided tour.

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When the details of the five bids for the Hudson Yards were released back in November, Times architecture oracle Nicolai Ouroussoff slammed the process as "a grim referendum on the state of large-scale planning in New York City," before anointing Extell's Steven Holl-designed proposal as the only one worth a lick. Now that Tishman Speyer has been selected by the MTA as the winning developer, it's not surprising that Ouroussoff is singing the same tune, though the lyrics are slightly different. Today, he writes that the Hudson Yards are "a damning indictment of large-scale development in New York," while still singing the praises of Extell's bid. Ouroussoff's take is that the Hudson Yards will be a depressing office park cut off from the rest of the city via a wall of skyscrapers that some people will have the misfortune of living in, and it's an opinion that most people would probably agree with. Meanwhile, in a Times news analysis, Charles Bagli writes that the final architecture will probably look nothing like the current plans anyway, and perhaps not even Tishman Speyer can navigate the minefield that will accompany this ten- to twenty-year build-out. Folks, this is going to be a fun next couple of decades. Join us, won't you?
· Profit and Public Good Clash in Grand Plans [NYT]
· For Railyards, the Hard Part Is Still Ahead [NYT]
· Yardsmania: OK, So Now What? [Curbed]

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Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

1) Can a change of address break a curse? P. Diddy's old 12-story townhouse at 813 Park Avenue has bounced between developers and brokerages with no buyers in sight. Now divided into three huge apartments, 813 Park is looking for a fresh start with a new address, 807 Park Avenue, and interiors by designer Eric Cohler. The real curse, however, may be that those jaw-dropping 17-foot-tall ceilings in the living rooms don't carry over to the other rooms. The above photos come from $12.99 million Townhouse #2 listing. [Big Deal/Josh Barbanel]

2) Back in August 2006, the Times reported that a slowdown in the superhot market was bringing the concept known as "compromise" back to the table. In December, there was a "stalemate" between buyers and sellers. Now, it appears that we're back to compromise. Whew, what a ride! ['Responding to a Less Heated Market'/Christine Haughney]

3) The massive condo conversion of the Manhattan House has the stink of desperation all over it. With the June 30 deadline of delivering 87 signed contracts approaching, the developers are trying a new stunt to generate interest: hosting the 2008 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in its five 20-story towers. The Kips Bay Decorator Show House is traditionally held in, you know, a house. [Big Deal/Josh Barbanel]

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The name "diamond" derives from the ancient Greek word meaning "invincible" (thanks, Wikipedia!), but the guys in charge of the precious stones have folded quicker than an Atlantic City tourist. The protests against Extell's new 40-story tower planned for the Diamond District have all but subsided, the Post's Steve Cuozzo reports, because the local landlords—who are worried about getting driven out of business by the new Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed office building—figured the project is "inevitable." Diamond dudes, do we need to remind you that there's still a legal challenge to the Trump Soho (hearing set for tomorrow, btw) and the thing is already 40+ stories out of the ground? Inevitability means nothing when it comes to real estate development in New York. Cuozzo also reports that foundation plans have been filed with the Buildings Department, and the scheme is still in place to have the diamond tenants enter the building through 44 West 47th Street, with the other commercial tenants getting their own lobby on 46th Street. Lehman Brothers are rumored to be taking some space, but Extell's Gary Barnett refused to confirm or deny.
· Realty Check [NYP/Cuozzo]
· Extell's Diamond District Tower Revealed [Curbed]
· Gary Barnett, Maverick, is Making Diamond Dudes Mad [Curbed]

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UPPER EAST SIDE—The WindowGate scandal at the Lucida is a controversy that refuses to die. Actually, there's no real controversy, but "WindowGate" just sounded catchy. The latest: "Photos of another 'broken window' at the Lucida (or perhaps the same one) reveal that the curtainwall windows themselves are not broken, it's the (probably temporary) protective coating on the windows! When the coating breaks off, you can see the window underneath is actually extremely reflective. I imagine when the rest of the protective panels come off after completion, the building is going to be a giant mirror for the ugly Petco building across the street." Delightful. [CurbedWire Inbox]

UPPER WEST SIDE—Following up on our reader report on closings at Extell's Avery in the developer's wacky Riverside South community comes official word that, indeed, closings are in full swing and folks are moving in. The Avery is 90% sold, we're told. [CurbedWire Inbox]

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Say goodbye to the next 15 minutes of your life. The NY Condo Blog has put together a 1-100 ranking of Manhattan condo buildings, based on location, layouts, interior finishes, amenities, and that most tempting of mistresses, investment potential. As if the recent lukewarm reaction to flips in The Plaza weren't indication enough that the feud is over, the Zeckendorfs' record-setting 15 Central Park West is #1 here, too. The Plaza is #2, and in a bit of a shocker (only because it's been quiet for so long), Ian Schrager's 50 Gramercy Park North takes the bronze. The much-discussed Stanhope Hotel 995 Fifth Avenue is fourth, maybe because rebrandings and press mentions as a "hobbit hole" aren't factored in. Stanhope (sorry, we just can't stop) developer Extell has four projects in the Top 10. All the favorites are there, including BLUE (#87), YVES (#67) and One Ten 3rd (#44). Folks, this is a fun one.
· Top 100 New York Condos [NYCondoBlog]

With a decision on the Hudson Yards bids supposedly one month away, the MTA has chucked a curveball right at the groins of competing developers Extell, Related, Tishman Speyer, Vornado/Durst and Brookfield Properties. Over the weekend, Charles Bagli reported in the Times that the MTA has cold feet about selling the 26 acres of prime waterfront land currently serving as the West Side rail yards. Now, the MTA has two new requests: the winning developer gets a 99-year lease, and the MTA gets an "equity-type interest" in any project built on the land. Whoa now! It's like the cash-strapped MTA woke up one day and was like, "Oh crap, we forgot about the billions more we could be making off this one piece of land!" But how will the developers react to these new demands? As Bagli points out, the move comes right when commercial developers are growing uneasy about the market and the economy. One anonymous bidder told the Times, "I think these people don't realize what the financial climate is like." Another classic case of the unpredictable MTA doing its thing, or an awesome muscle move because—in the end—the winner will pay whatever it takes to get the deal done?
· New Bids Are Sought for Building on Railyards [NYT]
· Yardsmania Nonshocker: Underdogs Still Underdogs [Curbed]
· Yardsmania: Is Related's Murdochville Inevitable? [Curbed]
· Curbed Poll Reminder: The Hudson Yards Winner Is... [Curbed]

The Post has an interesting look at the development boom north of 57th Street on the Far West Side, where residential buildings with silly names (Adagio, Sessanta, etc.) are popping up despite their distance from civilization. A second article takes an even more up-close look at the most fascinating chunk of that boom: Extell's wacky Riverside South community, a half dozen buildings planned for the new extension of Riverside Boulevard from 64th Street down to 59th Street. We already know about the first two buildings, the Rushmore and the Avery (L-R, respectively), and Katherine Dykstra offers up some interesting sales figures on both, as well as what's to come for the village that will one day have parks, bowling, ice skating and spas right along the majestic West Side Highway.

HELL'S KITCHEN—The Windermere at 57th Street and Ninth Avenue is the most-emailed-about building in Curbed history. Trapped in litigation for decades—with the latest update concerning the remaining seven tenants, 200+ violations and an owner stuck in a Japanese hospital—the landmark now has some scaffolding up, per the photo above sent by a tipster. DOB shows some permits for facade repair, among other things. Does this mean the owner recovered? [CurbedWire Inbox]

UPPER WEST SIDE—Extell's Avery on Riverside Boulevard had perhaps the most expensive launch party in history. Now it's time to make some of that skrilla back. Writes a buyer: "I was the first closing at the Avery, 100 Riverside Blvd. Regarding your story on first closings, my closing at the Avery was held on Dec. 27, 2007. The building obtained a TCO in mid-December 2007. People are starting to move into the building while work continues on the upper floors." Noted. [CurbedWire Inbox]

SCARANOVILLE—Can crap architects achieve celebrity status? Sure! "I saw robert scarano on the f train today! I got on at 4th ave and he was already on...he got off at york ave. I sat right next to him. He was blackberry'n and I looked! but it was mainly boring stuff, like what do we need to get this signed off etc. creepy! i told him his buildings sucked and he said, yeah...(not really)" If you see the Scarano, please refrain from looking him in the eye, lest he drop the S on you.

When the Hudson Yards bidding process kicked off, Extell and Brookfield were branded as the long shots. The two companies are the small fries compared to the other developers, and they are the only proposals without an anchor tenant already announced. Now, Crain's is reporting that three of the five builders have each bid $1 billion for the rail yards, giving them the inside track. Guess which two are left out in the cold again? Yep, Extell and Brookfield. But the MTA will most likely end up combining elements from several bids into a grand master plan, so who knows, maybe the Hudson Yards will end up having some of Gary Barnett's DNA in it. Ew.
· MTA eyes 3 for W. Side job: report [NYDN]
· Yardsmania: Huge Crowd Packs Cooper Union [Curbed]
· Curbed Poll Reminder: The Hudson Yards Winner Is... [Curbed]

With everything going on in the Extell universe—the Ariels, the little thing called Hudson Yards—updates on the company's 40-story Diamond District have all but vanished. Until today! The Post's Steve Cuozzo unveiled what looks to be the first rendering of the office building planned for West 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. As Cuozzo writes, "Extell's 700,000 square-foot project aims to consolidate the diamond industry in one building - an initiative welcomed by some, but not all, in the gem trade." Truer words were never spoken. The building, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, would have an entrance on 47th Street for the diamond dudes, and a lobby on 46th Street for the regular, less-blingy office drones. Cuozzo also got a word in with Extell boss Gary Barnett about some of his other properties. The huge pit across from Carnegie Hall will be a hotel/condo building of at least 50 stories in stature. And as previously theorized, all those theater air rights Extell snatched up will go toward a 55-story hotel/condo at 135 West 45th Street. Gary, buddy, catch your breath a little, would ya?
· Realty Check [NYP]
· Gary Barnett, Maverick, is Making Diamond Dudes Mad [Curbed]

Extell's bottom line would look far less impressive without the stats padding of its Upper West Side developments, but the company just can't seem to stop ticking people off up there. This time around, the Sun reports that a community group called the Riverside South Planning Corporation is asking a judge to block Extell's development at 80 Riverside Boulevard, arguing that the glassy towers do not follow the design guidelines agreed to by Donald Trump in the early 90s when he owned the land—guidelines that were passed on to following landowners. The problem? Too much of that sweet, sweet glass. But this little squabble is coming a little late in the game, no? After all, 80 Riverside Boulevard is the Rushmore, and our records indicate that it's been doing its thing for a while now. What's your game, mysterious Riverside South Planning Corporation?
· UWS Group Asks Judge To Block Development [Sun]
· Rushmore Making Friends With Neighbors [Curbed]
· The Rushmore [Official Site]

Now that all the instant reaction to the Hudson Yards proposals clustereff has died down, it's time for the propaganda war to begin. In the end, the unpredictable MTA possesses the only opinion that matters, but that won't stop the developers from scoring every press mention as either a win or loss for their cause. Extell already took home a huge victory in securing the Ouroussoff seal of approval, and here are some other Hudson Yards odds and ends:

1) The Curbed readers' poll has ended, and the winner is Brookfield Properties and its collection of architects. Related's Murdochville was a somewhat distant second. Tishman Speyer's office park brought up the rear. What, no love for color coding?

2) Related's bid, while somewhat warmly received, was peppered with negative feedback regarding the lack of building details. Apparently Stephen Ross & Co. were listening, as a Curbed reader alerts us to some changes over at the Yards displays on 43rd Street and Vanderbilt Ave.: "Related has revamped its presentation, adding a very detailed video and another scale model, big improvement." Well played, Related. Well played.

3) New York's Intelligencer, after dissing the bids altogether a la Ouroussoff, also appears to be veering toward the Extell camp, giving project architect Steven Holl a forum to spout off about how terror-proof the Extell design is. So if you're looking to side with Osama bin Laden's preferred Hudson Yards design, look elsewhere. Like, maybe to Tishman, with that whole Morgan Stanley headquarters thing. Just saying!
· Curbed Poll Reminder: The Hudson Yards Winner Is... [Curbed]

1) New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff finally got around to checking out the Hudson Yards plans, and woo boy, he is not happy. Ouroussoff drops the hammer on the whole process, writing that the proposals are "not just a disappointment for their lack of imagination, they are also a grim referendum on the state of large-scale planning in New York City." Wham! The Related bid is "disturbing," the Vornado/Durst bid is "slightly less disturbing." The "only one worth serious consideration" is Extell's proposal (right), which didn't fare so well in the people's vote. Interesting. ['In Plans for Railyards, a Mix of Towers and Parks'/Nicolai Ouroussoff]

2) The latest regarding One Madison Park and its increasingly notorious $45 million penthouse. A "European Pritzker Prize-winning architect" will be brought in to design just the 22nd Street entrance (because 23rd Street is yucky) and the penthouse will come with a private butler, paid for by the condominium, who will live in a one-bedroom unit on a lower floor. There is a debate going on about whether or not that is possible, however. You know Tim Robbins ain't gonna be pleased about paying for somebody else's manservant. [Big Deal/Josh Barbanel]

3) Joyce Cohen finally figured out who would buy in the Simone in Windsor Terrace, a building that immediately puts you one foot in the grave upon purchase: people whose only other option is the Bronx. Makes sense. [The Hunt/Joyce Cohen]

There really are no words, except...hallelujah.
· MTA - Hudson Rail Yards - Development Proposals [YouTube]

Phew! Now that the five Hudson Yards bid are in, it's time for the swift, cruel hammer of judgment to come down. But given that the MTA won't say how much the developers are bidding (pissing off some), and since the building designs will surely change as the winning bid navigates various approval stages, how can the proposals be accurately assessed by the public? Simple: by Curbed poll! So, the first task is to read up on the Brookfield Properties, Extell, Related, Vornado/Durst and Tishman Speyer bids. The second is to forget all about what will win (Related, most likely), and what has no chance of winning (Extell). The third is to simply ask yourself...

Curbed polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

We'll leave the poll open until after Thanksgiving. Remember, folks, the MTA is listening.
· Yardsmania #5: Tishman Speyer Calls a Forum [Curbed]
· Yardsmania #4: Vornado/Durst Enlist Mother Earth [Curbed]
· Yardsmania #3: Related Sends Out a New Friend Request [Curbed]
· Yardsmania #2: Extell's Suspension of Disbelief [Curbed]
· Yardsmania #1: Brookfield Properties Goes Splittsville [Curbed]

Developer: Extell
Architect: Steven Holl Architects
Biggest building: A 1,238-foot-tall, three-million-square-foot triple-headed super tower thingy
Housing: Basically half of the 11.3 million square feet that would be built
Public space: 19 acres
High Line?: Saved!
Online?: Yup!

Extell's bid is absolutely crazy, but is it crazy enough to win? Whether intentional or not, the company leaked its full proposal on Friday, so we've had time to brace, but wow. Extell may have taken its underdog status and just decided to go balls to the wall with it. A 90-story mixed-use triple tower with a sky lobby and gigantic observation deck? Boom. A high-tech suspension deck built over the rails with a huge undulating park on top? You're damn right. A bridge over the West Side Highway, connected to the High Line, extending to a new floating pier and ferry terminal? Yes, yes, YES! In some weird way, Extell's bid is the minimalist's choice, given the fact Gary Barnett & Co. want to do the least amount building and include the most green space. But this minimalist's choice still includes six back-to-back 62-story "Sun Slice" apartment buildings lined up on 30th Street. Subtle, it ain't.

It appears that Extell is playing spoiler to the Hudson Yards redevelopment bids big reveal on Sunday. They've already slapped some renderings up on the company website, and now, the PDF of the full Steven Holl Architects-designed plan is up. We'll be bringing you blowout bids coverage on Monday, but here are some preliminary things of note regarding Extell's longshot bid:

1) Hello, Mr. 1,200-foot-tall, three-million-square-foot mixed-use tower!
2) Extell wants to preserve the upper-third of the High Line. Kudos.
3) The tall buildings, mostly kept to one side of the site to avoid a canyon effect, would all be built on terra firma and not on top of the rails.
4) Lots of green space for frolicking.
5) A new ferry/water taxi terminal to ship in all those office drones every morning.

OK, we can't resist, one more tidbit: The residential buildings are called the Sunslice Towers. Awesome. Read up and do your homework over the weekend, because this is coming back in a big way on Monday.
· Hudson Yards Design Presentation [Extell; warning: PDF]
· Extell Prematurely Blows Load on Hudson Yards Plans [Curbed]

On Sunday, the MTA will reveal the Hudson Yards redevelopment bids to the press. But Extell, which stands zero chance of winning this megadeveloper pageant but it's always nice to pretend, has—perhaps accidentally, perhaps not—leaked some renderings on their website a little early. First noticed by the boys over at The Real Estate, the grim (so grim! A little blue sky may increase your chances, Extell!) look of the future Far West Side is accompanied by this bit of copy:

Extell's proposed deck (Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/978,622 for a Method Of Building Over An Opening Via Incremental Launching) design maximizes public space and creates a porosity and openness for the site from all sides and approaches, connecting Midtown, the Chelsea Arts District, and the convention center with a grand public park open to the Hudson River; and its innovative structural system for spanning over the Rail Yards will minimize the impacts of development on the Caemmerer Yards and allow it to offer more for the right to develop.

The Observer files their report on the Hudson Yards bids today, and they agree with pretty much every expert's take: Related, Tishman Speyer and Vornado/Durst are the frontrunners to win the development rights because they already have corporate partners raring to move in (News Corp., Morgan Stanley and Conde Nast, respectively), and Brookfield and Extell are the dark horses. The good news is that the MTA will eventually show the proposals to the public, which was sort of unclear. State Senator Tom Duane will meet with the MTA to decide the how and when in the next couple of weeks. Will our Curban Planning winner be on display right next to the big dogs' designs? Probably not, but we're cool with that as long as we get to see some people mover napkin sketches.
· It Begins: Titans Bid On Western Rail Yards [NYO]
· Hudson Yards: Bankers vs. Hotties (& Three Other Bids) [Curbed]

WILLIAMSBURG—If it's Friday afternoon, that means the possibility of a long rant: "This weekend, once again, Broadway in South Williamsburg will be overrun with production vehicles as Ford shoots a commercial at Diner. I guess they're positioning some SUV as urban hipster cool. This is becoming a regular thing for South 6th, Broadway and and some of the surrounding streets. Not only is it a pain to find parking (if you're bourge' enough to have a car) but you can't even have Fresh Direct deliver (if you're even more bouge' to not schlep your groceries home). They even try to get people to not leave their apartments from the front door or prevent people from walking their dogs. Normally I don't care about this but they really trash the streets and give nothing back to the locals (meaning the post-hipster, condo-livin' locals, not the Satmars). Couldn't they at least spring for a newly planted tree?" [CurbedWire Inbox]

UPPER WEST SIDE—On the non-complaining side of the coin, an email comes to us praising a new 20-story condo going up on West End Avenue between 85th and 86th Streets. Our emailer writes, "although it breaks the WEA cornice line, I think it is VERY tasteful."The architect of the building, which is being developed by Extell, is Lucien Lagrange. The building will include four studios on the second floor and “penthouse” units on the top five floors. Also the usual suspects in terms of amenities: a recreation room, fitness center, swimming pool and game room. [CurbedWire Inbox]

EVERYWHERE—We end with scaffolding. An email says, "I'm a new reader and new to NYC. I wonder what the heck is up with all this scaffolding. I have been visiting a hotel on the W side for two years and they've had scaffolding up that whole time. What gives? No other city seems to have scaffolding up in so many places as here. It ruins the architecture!!!" [CurbedWire Inbox]

The bids are in on for the 26-acre Hudson Yards development site. The various projects could include up to 24 million square feet of office space and 13,000 apartments. There will be a decision by spring, give or take, from the MTA, which will select the winner. How one feels about the bidders depends on the relative value one places on, say, bankers versus fashion models and writers, etc. Here's the list:

1) Tishman Speyer has a bid that would move Morgan Stanley to the development.
2) Vornado Realty Trust and the Durst Organization would bring in Conde Nast Publications. It would also include a new HQ for the International Center of Photography. They'd also build that people mover.
3) Time-Warner Center developers Related Companies have Kohn Pederson Fox--designers of the doomed Jets Stadium--on board.
4) Brookfield Properties is bringing in Skidmore, Owing & Merill, plus High Line designers Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
5) Extell is calling on architect Steven Holl.

· Bids are in for West Side yards [Metro]
· The Architects of the New West Side [NYO]
· Developers Submit Bids for Hudson Yards [Real Deal]

[Photo courtesy of Seth Holladay/flickr]

Good news for buyers in Extell Development's Ariel East and Ariel West along Broadway near 99th Street: your views are safe! The City Council unanimously voted to downzone a 51-block chunk of the Upper West Side, after the Community Board already did the same last year to prevent anything like the Ariel from happening ever again. The plan limits buildings to 14 stories along Broadway, 10-11 stories along other avenues and 6-7 stories on side streets. Also, the fast and loose air rights transfers that made the twin Ariels possible are no longer allowed. As for 808 Columbus/Columbus Village, it's been fucking shit up for a while now, so we'll assume it's being grandfathered in?
· Council Approves Plan to Limit High-Rises on Upper West Side [NYT]
· Far Upper West Side Gets in the Downzone [Curbed]

The map of the day comes via the Real Deal, which details every major project and land buy near the Hudson Yards. Some we've already discussed, such as Extell's plans for Steven Holl's Towering S (#24) and the McSam Midtown West hotel empire (#11). All in all, a must read to get you up to speed on what will be the biggest construction pit in town. As for which megadeveloper is reigning supreme, it's Extell all the way, for now:

Extell may lead the way with the greatest number of large planned projects, bids or recent buys, with a total of five. The firm has already completed one condo building in the area, the Orion; has plans for a mixed-use tower and an office tower; is bidding on a massive hotel project; and just purchased a tract of land on 34th Street.

But it's the Related Companies, Brookfield Properties and Vornado Realty Trust that may end up covering the widest amount of land, even with fewer total projects in the works.

The long-awaited departure of the Moondance Diner finally went down over the weekend, with the diner shipping out from its spot at Sixth Avenue and Grand Street at 6:10am on Saturday morning, according to the AP. Above, courtesy of Eater, visual evidence of all that remained at the site yesterday. Up next for the newly vacant site: an indeterminate new development of some sort from Extell.
· What Was the Moondance Diner [Eater]
· Diner Becomes Movable Feast [AP via Jackson Hole Star-Tribune]

We've got a lot of ground to cover in Rumblings and Bumblings, as we update our items from earlier this week with intelligence gathered from intelligent Curbed readers. Up first, responses to Wednesday's crop of queries. Alas, no solid intel on the 122nd Street building or the old American Cancer Society HQ in Clinton. Hit the comments if you've got something to add.

1) Lower East Side: Regarding the question about what's going on inside Building D at the Essex Street market, where some sort of ski-slope installation was sighted, a commenter points us towards the website of British artist Mike Nelson, who's setting up a site-specific show in the space that'll open to the public September 8. Says Nelson's site, "This site-specific project, the London-based artist’s first major installation in the U.S., will offer audiences an opportunity to explore a forgotten building, once a bustling part of the Lower East Side, which has been inaccessible to the public for the past thirteen years. Accessed through a small door on Delancey Street, the work draws visitors into a parallel universe by way of a series of deeply believable and disquieting architectural spaces, confusing the real with the fictionally derelict." Sounds awesome.

2) Upper West Side: What's going on at West 86th Street and West End Drive? Extell's got a new development on the way. A tipster points us to UWS Developments, which has this to say: "Extell Development Company bought four small buildings at West End Avenue and 86th Street. The site will hold a 21-story condominium building (the zoning restricts building to a verticle of 210 ft, meaning the site could hold up to a 21-story apartment tower)." No renderings yet, but we're betting they go pink with this one.

· Rumblings Bonus: Ski Slopes Spotted on Essex Street [Curbed]

In the past few days we've seen a sharp uptick in the number of reader rants about some condo buildings. We've bundled them together and present them here as ... the gripe file!

1) Dumbo: "This AM I was taking my usual walk across the Manhattan Bridge when I spotted this non-historical addition to the roof of One Main Street (above). I suppose it's a giant A/C unit and I suppose they'll paint it copper, eventually. No respect any more for classic architecture."
2) Midtown West: "The latest at Swig's Shitfield (oops, Sheffield) 57. There has been a lot of core drilling through the floors and ceilings of apartments, regardless of whether or not they are occupied, often without the permission of the occupants. Earlier this week, a tenant was in her bathroom when a large concrete core, about six inches in diameter and a foot high of solid concrete, fell directly into her tub. The cause was said to be a 'construction error.' There seem to be a lot of' 'construction errors' at Sheffield57 lately. Have we mentioned that the lovely (?) new lobby floods every time it rains?"
3) Upper West Side: In relation to the "shoddy condo" article from today - I thought you guys might like to shine a little light on the Ariel condos on the UWS. A family I know went into contract on a 4-bed unit early in construction. A few months ago, they found out that the original design of the building was faulty, and they had to put supporting columns in several of the rooms in my friend's apartment - rendering the two smallest bedrooms completely useless. They literally put columns right in the middle of them."

Ever since luxury high-rise developer Gary Barnett snapped up 17 buildings in the East Village, we've received an ongoing stream of emails from concerned residents wondering if they were about to get evicted so Barnett's Extell company could build some sort of downtown megacomplex. Up until now, we've never known Extell's true intentions for their Avenue A & etc. holdings, but now we do: sell them at a tidy profit. The Observer's John Koblin reports that Westbrook Partners paid $97.5 million for the entire portfolio, handing Extell a $25 million profit for 18 months of stone cold chillin'. In total, the buildings house 259 apartments and some local watering holes. So why did Gary Barnett cash out? Who knows, maybe he just wasn't down with the EVill. Westbrook is one of the companies that bid on Stuy Town, so this is no mom and pop operation. You can now begin sending us emails worrying about Westbrook evicting you.
· Extell Cashes Out of East Village For $97.5 M. [NYO]
· East Village Development Update: Extell'ya Later! [Curbed]
· CurbedWire: 744 Greenwich, Extell's East Village [Curbed]

Extell's Gary Barnett plays the real estate development game like chess. Whenever he makes a move, he's really thinking about the move three steps down the line. That seems to be what's up with Extell's acquisition on Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st streets, a 7,300-square-foot chunk of land Extell just paid $17.1 million for (above). A 600,000-square-foot mixed-use tower is planned for the site, with condos, a hotel and commercial space. Of course, this part of town is a cruddy no man's land for such a gigantic project, that is, until the Hudson Yards get developed. Oh, and who's bidding on the MTA-owned Hudson Yards? Extell. And who did Extell just buy that parcel of land from? The Port Authority. And who is suddenly a great business partner to large, bureaucratic government agencies that deal with transportation? Ah. Three steps down the line, that ol' Gary. Three steps.
· Extell Moves To Get a Piece of a Hotspot in the Making [NYSun]
· 356-366 10th Avenue [NY Condo Blog]
· On Hudson Yards' Dizzying, Dark Strategic Framework [Curbed]

Just two months after God called in his crane, the 26-story NYU megadorm set for the East 12th Street site behind the skeletal spire of St. Ann's Church is rising fast. Reports our phototipster, "Here are a couple photos of the building process. I took these photos yesterday, from my (studio apt.) view, which will soon be closed up a bit (not that I have a right to complain, but I will!). The cut-off red building in the foreground is Webster Hall."

The super-luxe condop conversion of the Upper East Side's famed Stanhope Hotel—where slow sales have been blamed on everything from hobbit holes to watercolors (watercolors!)—is getting a fresh sales pitch in the form of two newly-opened model units, up on the fifth floor. Each of the 26 units still cost over $10 million and carry $9,000/month maintenance fees, but this time around the Extell/Corcoran gang thinks they've nailed it. The Sun got the scoop from interior designer Eric Cohler:

Mr. Cohler said his goal in redesigning was to incorporate the units' existing design elements into new furnishings. Pointing to the old-fashioned features, such as a butler's pantry off the kitchen, Mr. Cohler said the design was intended to look traditional. He said he worked with an imaginary family in mind.

"These people are traditionalists, but they don't want to be like their parents," Mr. Cohler said of the building's potential inhabitants. "It's all about the kids and the family and having fun."

[The new building at 31 W. 17th (at center, left) and its leaning neighbor]

30 West 18th Street seems like the perfect property for a 100-unit residential condo development. That's what the Hakimian Organization must have thought when they got hold of this former parking lot that goes all the way through the block and includes the plot at 31 West 17th Street. It's in the fashionable Ladies' Mile Historic District And right next door to Extell's new Altair 18. However there was one big snafu. The problem wasn't the Hakimian property. Or the Altair. But another older building next door at 29 West 17th Street. That one turned out to be all askew and leaning over the property line! In the past ten years the Department of Buildings has issued numerous violations, stating:

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ... BUILDING IS LEANING OUT OF PLUMB APPROX 10" TO THE WEST.

Is Gary Barnett a theater groupie? He should have no problem getting a front row seat at any number of Broadway theaters. His Extell gang has bought up scads of those precious Theater District transferable air rights for what is reported to be a new 50-story Condo-slash-Hotel to go up right off Times Square at 131 - 139 West 45th Street. It seems three old Broadway theaters all the way across the Square have found an angel in Mr. B. And as Max Bialystock will tell you, it takes a lot of cash to put on a show. Deep pockets can come in mighty handy.

Continuing the trend on lower Sixth Avenue, The Moondance Diner, made famous by appearances in Spiderman, Igby, and Sex in the City, will soon shutter to make way for condos. The diner, along with an adjacent parking garage and lot, will be converted into a 66,734-square-foot residential building with ground floor retail by Extell's Gary Barnett. The site has already received the necessary variance to build the nine-story residential tower in an area zoned for light manufacturing. There is some good news for Moondance fans: the owner is keeping the sign and hopes to reopen in the new building's commercial space. Huzzah!
· Goodnight, Moondance [NYSun]