Developer Revives Plan for Harlem Apartment Towers

A developer who withdrew plans to build two huge apartment towers in Harlem two years ago after pushback from a City Council member has relaunched the project, which will need a zoning change.

According to preliminary filings this month with the Department of City Planning, developer Bruce Teitelbaum has again begun the process of seeking rezoning for his property at 145th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard, the Daily News reported.

The plans for the project—known as One45—call for a 33-story apartment tower, encompassing 461 market-rate units and 36 affordable units, and a 35-story tower that will include 300 affordable units and an attached three-story community center. A separate single-story retail building is part of the proposal, according to the report.

The last attempt to rezone the property was opposed by then-Council member Kristin Richardson Jordan, who wanted the project to be 100% affordable. Teitelbaum withdrew the application before it came to a vote.

Richardson Jordan dropped a bid for re-election and was replaced by Yusef Salaam, who has indicated he is willing to consider the revised project, the report said.

“It is clear that one of Harlem’s most pressing needs is housing, both in number of units being developed and in the affordability of those units,” Salaam said in a statement. “As such, I’ve welcomed conversations with developers that are looking to build in Harlem-productive conversations that are centered on the needs of our neighborhoods. I look forward to continue having conversations with developers, such as Mr. Teitelbaum and the One45 team.”

“It’s taken way too long for us to build 1,000 new homes in Harlem, but since there’s now light at the end of the tunnel, we decided to re-start the arduous process,” Teitelbaum told the newspaper.

Teitelbaum told the Daily News he hasn’t decided whether the project will take advantage of 485-x, the new tax break for affordable housing projects that was included in the state budget that passed earlier this month.

The L-shaped site of the project currently is occupied by several small shops, a community center and a truck depot.

Mayor Eric Adams has proposed rezoning several NYC neighborhoods to facilitate new housing as part of his “Moonshot” plan to build 500K new housing units in NYC.

In January of last year, Adams proposed to rezone a wide swath of Midtown Manhattan—encompassing a 46-block area from W. 23rd to W. 41st streets—erasing zoning restrictions that limit uses to offices or manufacturing, potentially allowing dozens of aging office buildings to be converted into apartments.

Adams estimated that the Midtown area covered by the proposal—which stretches from Chelsea up through the Garment District—can yield 20,000 housing units.