February new building review: Bolivar Development, Judy Chang, B&F Management, file plans
By Atticus O’Brien-Pappalardo
The combined square feet of all new building projects filed with the city’s Department of Buildings fell last month for the second month in a row, dropping to 1.4 million square feet, the lowest monthly total since July of 2019, according to an analysis of DOB filings by PincusCo Media.
The five largest plans called for 434,244-square-feet of new construction. For comparison, the five largest plans filed for in January called for over 1.5 million square feet of new construction. Two of the five largest new developments were in Manhattan, one was in Brooklyn, one was in Queens, and one was in the Bronx. The buildings were a mix of residential, mixed-use, and school buildings. The buildings had a total of 302 dwelling units, 96 of which were hotel rooms.
Peter Fine of Bolivar Development was behind the largest plans of the month. On February 8 the developer filed a permit application for construction of an 104-foot tall, eight-story, 118,231-square-foot school building at 401 West 218th Street in Inwood. GF55 Architects is listed as the architect.
The developer filed plans for an additional building on February 11. Those plans called for the construction of a 105-foot tall, eight-story, 63,225-square-foot school building at 1477 Macombs Road in Highbridge, the Bronx.
Plans for the second largest development of the month were filed on February 25 by Judy Chang through the company Royal One Real Estate II, LLC. The plans called for a 108-foot tall, 11-story, 82,941-square-foot building with 96 hotel rooms and 25 apartments, at 25-10 42nd Road in Long Island City, Queens.
The filing was the fourth new building plan filed at the site since 2005. None of the previous three, two of which called for hotels, were ever completed.
The third largest plans of the month were filed by Yusuf Bildirici of B&F Management on February 26. The plans called for a 324-foot tall, 33-story, 121-unit, 80,250-square-foot mixed-use building at 12 East 37th Street in the Garment District. The building will have retail space, according to the plans.
The city’s School Construction Authority was behind the fourth largest plans of the month. The plans, pre-filed on February 23, called for the construction of an 88-foot tall, five-story, 76,883-square-foot school building at 6312 13th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn. The site was acquired for $17.5 million on April 30, 2019.
The fifth largest plans were filed by Peter Bourbeau, president of Sycamore Birch Management, on February 26. The plans called for construction of a 68-foot tall, seven-story, 60-unit, 75,939-square-foot residential building at 638 East 169th Street in Morrisania. According to the plans, the first and second floors of the building will have commercial and community space.
The five plans came during a month in which NYC developers filed for 1.4 million square feet of new construction. The total was just half of the 2.9 million square feet of new construction filed for in December. Last month’s total was the lowest since July of 2019, and the second consecutive month that the total has fallen.
PincusCo looked at all new building (NB) filings of 2,000-square-feet and above. For residential buildings, the analysis covered those with four or more units, and did not include residential units in hotel (R-1) buildings.
The total number of residential units filed for in February also fell from the month prior, by just under 40 percent. The 1,181 units were down from 1,925 in January. Once again, it was the second consecutive month where the total dropped, after plans spiked in December.