CB 12: Proposed Building on Top of 1 Train Is Too Big, Needs More Parking

Community Board 12 members voted against a proposal for a new apartment building in Washington Heights, to be built on top of the 1 train, in part because they want the developers to build more parking, according to DNAinfo coverage of the Wednesday meeting.

HAP Investment Developers wants to build a 16-story, 241-unit residential building at 4452 Broadway, with 50 parking spots to be accessed through a garage entrance on Fairview Avenue. Most residential buildings in Washington Heights and Inwood top out at six to eight stories, and the company needs a zoning variance to allow for additional height.

From DNAinfo:

Members of the Land Use committee voted unanimously to oppose HAP’s request for the zoning changes, citing the height of the building, the lack of parking and the potential impact on the character of the neighborhood.

The building would sit on top of the Broadway entrance to the 191st Street 1 train station, and would be served by several bus routes. It’s apparently lost on CB 12 members that the board serves an area where parking is not a concern for most people, given that only 25 percent of households own cars.

The HAP proposal comes four years after another firm, Quadriad, wanted to build a 650-unit complex flanking Broadway between Fairview and 190th Street. That development would have included spaces for over 500 cars — a parking to apartment ratio of about 85 percent. The proposed HAP ratio would be just over 20 percent.

Zoning in the neighborhood requires a 50 percent parking ratio. By going with a lower proportion of parking, HAP can presumably build more space for people. But that didn’t satisfy Community Board 12.

We contacted HAP about the Broadway project and its parking component, and have a message in with the company’s public relations reps.

The HAP request is scheduled to go to the full community board later this month, according to DNAinfo. That vote is advisory only. The variance will be decided on by the Board of Standards and Appeals.

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