PROJECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Plaxall Realty proposes
rezoning to bring 5,000
new homes to Long Island
waterfront An illustration of the new raised plaza on
40th (New York Public Library,
http://nypl.org) als and details were released show-
ing a reconfiguration to increase
the building’s publicly accessible
space by 20 percent. Presently, only
one third is open for public use.

To achieve the goal, the design
firm will repurpose underused
spaces like the existing staff and
storage areas into new functional
areas for research, exhibitions and
educational programs.

“We developed a masterplan
that inherently adheres to the logic
of a beaux-arts building,” said
Francine Houben, founding partner
and creative director of Mecanoo.

“Our changes are both subtle and
clever to direct the flow for differ-
ent user groups, for example, or to
improve the quality and function of
currently underused spaces.”
The library has released the visu-
als reflecting the master plan to at-
tract investors for the renovation,
which will involve two construction
phases between 2018 and 2020.

A new entrance will be built on
40th St. leading to a raised public
plaza and an educational area for
university students and school chil-
dren, the Center for Research and
Learning. Meanwhile, inside the li-
brary, the Lenox and Astor Room
will be constructed to host a dis-
play of books and artworks. Other
new additions include a cafe with
an extended shop and a permanent
exhibition space in the Gottesman
Hall. 16 – WINTER 2018 — New York Construction Report
A rendering of the completed Anable Basin
development (WXY+architecture+design,
http://wxystudio.com) Long Island City property owner
Plaxall Realty recently proposed re-
zoning an area adjacent to Anable
Basin to pave way for a 5.8 million
gross sq. ft. mixed-use complex,
designed by
WXY+architecture+design. In the proposal submitted to the
Department of City Planning, Plaxall
seeks to rezone 14.7 acres of land
for 5,000 condos and rentals,
335,000 sq ft. of creative produc-
tion and light manufacturing space,
3.1 acres of public waterfront es-
planade and up to 30,000 sq ft. of
community area. The project will
also include a new 700-student
public school outside the complex.

The New York Times, which was
first to report about the proposal,
revealed that Plaxall’s plans involve
a 70-story apartment tower stand-
ing nearly 700 ft. tall. Upon comple-
tion, it will become one of the
tallest buildings in the outer bor-
oughs and the second major devel-
opment to be proposed for the area
surrounding Anable Basin in 2017.

In July, New York City developer TF
Cornerstone also unveiled its plans
for a development that will include
1,000 mixed-used spaces.

According to Paula Kirby, manag-
ing director at Plaxall, the tower and
other upcoming buildings would be
a “unique opportunity to really
make a skyline for the Long Island
City.” If approved, development will be
done in phases starting in 2020 and
ending in 2034. Plaxall’s proposal is
still pending approval with a public
meeting on Dec.14 with the city to
discuss the rezoning’s potential en-
vironmental effects.

StuyTown to triple
Manhattan’s solar power
capacity after $10M
investment 9,671 panels will be installed on top of build-
ings in Stuyvesant Town, announced devel-
opers (StuyTown Property Services,
https://www.stuytown.com/) Global investment firms Black-
stone Group and Ivanhoe Cam-
bridge have announced plans to
install America’s largest private
multi-family residential rooftop solar
project worth $10 million across 22
acres of rooftops at Stuyvesant
Town and Peter Cooper Village.

The 3.8 Megawatt solar energy
system will be installed on 56 build-
ings in the complex. The installation
is expected to be completed in
2019, with NYC-based Onyx Re-
newable Partners as project devel-
oper. StuyTown Property Services
will oversee the entire project.

Once finished, StuyTown will in-
crease Manhattan’s capacity to
generate solar power by three
times and generate six percent of
the total energy consumed by Stuy-
Town. This is equivalent to remov-