Demolition Prep Underway At 335 Eighth Avenue In Chelsea, Manhattan

BY: MICHAEL YOUNG 8:00 AM ON JUNE 18, 2023

Demolition preparations are underway at 335 Eighth Avenue, the site of an upcoming seven-story residential building in Chelsea, Manhattan. Designed by COOKFOX and developed by MAG Partners, the 200,000-square-foot structure will yield 188 residential units with 30 percent dedicated to affordable housing for low- and middle-income residents under the Affordable NY Program, as well as a 23,000-square-foot Lidl grocery store on the ground floor. Titan Industrial SVC Corp is the demolition contractor and Urban Atelier Group is the general contractor for the property, which is located at the corner of Eighth Avenue and West 26th Street within the Penn South affordable housing cooperative, officially known as Mutual Redevelopment Houses.

Recent photographs show sidewalk scaffolding set up around the perimeter of the current occupant of the site. Black netting should soon be assembled over the rest of the structure, and demolition will likely unfold quickly given the building’s modest low-rise scale.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

The main rendering depicts 335 Eighth Avenue clad in red brick with floor-to-ceiling windows and several stepped setbacks topped with landscaped terraces on the upper levels. A pair of short mechanical bulkheads cap the structure, and the ground floor will feature oversized windows for the retail frontage.

YIMBY last reported that the Lidl supermarket will feature a bakery, fresh produce, a floral shop, meat and seafood, and other everyday essentials. The store will be the company’s second location in Manhattan, following a Harlem market that opened in February 2022. Lidl is expected to work with Hire NYC to offer employment to residents in the local community and provide comprehensive benefits such as healthcare for all full- and part-time employees, regardless of hours worked per week.

The property is a short walk from the C and E trains at the 23rd Street station.

Demolition is anticipated to wrap up in the third quarter of 2023, and the new residential development and Lidl are expected to open in 2026.

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Baltimore Peninsula Team Celebrates Opening Of Roost Apartment Hotel

On Friday, Baltimore Peninsula’s development team celebrated the pending opening of Method Co.’s 81-unit Roost Apartment Hotel at the $5.5B development along the city’s waterfront.

The building at 2460 Terrapin Way, designed by architect Hord Coplan Macht explicitly for long-term stays, is slated to open July 1.

“Baltimore Peninsula is well on its way to becoming an active community open to and enjoyed by all,” MAG Partners CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin said in a statement. “We have new residents moving in every day, a robust program of on-site activities for the regional community to enjoy and now we have a relaxing, amenity-filled hotel for visitors to enjoy.”

The Roost Apartment Hotel concept bridges the gap between a boutique hotel experience and apartment living. The properties include features like a full-size kitchen, balcony and full-wall windows. Additionally, Roost properties incorporate amenities like a 24/7 concierge and fitness centers with Peloton bikes.

The Baltimore Peninsula location includes furnished units between one and three bedrooms. The property also provides 20K SF of indoor and outdoor amenity space, including an open-air pool. Aumen Asner Inc. and Method Studios, Method Co.’s in-house design studio, collaborated on the interior design.

Method Co. already operates Roost properties in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit and Tampa, Florida, and plans an additional location in Charleston, South Carolina.

Completing the Roost is part of what the development team calls Chapter 1B of building the 235-acre megaproject, including 1.1M SF of office, residential and retail.

The Roost will be the third residential building to open at Baltimore Peninsula, following Rye House and 250 Mission. Earlier this year, those properties started leasing their 416 apartments, including 89 affordable units.

The idea to bring the Roost concept to Baltimore Peninsula predates MAG Partners and MacFarlane Partners, which assumed the role of lead developers last year. Weller Development Partners, the project’s initial lead developer, pursued bringing the Roost concept to the development known at the time as Port Covington.

“ROOST Baltimore plays an integral role in the exciting future of Baltimore Peninsula and provides a critical foundation and unique flexibility in the hospitality and residential offerings,” Weller Development Partners President Marc Weller said in a statement. “It is wonderful to see Baltimore Peninsula come to life right before our very eyes, and ROOST is a catalyst for this continued momentum.”

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Rendering Revealed For 335 Eighth Avenue Redevelopment In Chelsea, Manhattan

Rendering of 335 8th Avenue. Courtesy of COOKFOX

MAG Partners is teaming up with affordable housing cooperative Penn South to redevelop 335 Eighth Avenue in Chelsea, Manhattan. The new seven-story mixed-use building will include ground-floor commercial space and 200 residential units with affordable housing for low- and middle-income residents. COOKFOX is designing the 200,000-square-foot structure.

“It is an honor to partner with Penn South and join their long legacy of community building in Chelsea,” said MaryAnne Gilmartin, founder and CEO of MAG Partners. “We are committed to building in a way that enhances this beautiful neighborhood and provides value to the coop’s long-term sustainability.”

Located on the corner of West 26th Street and Eighth Avenue, the building currently houses a Gristedes grocery store, a community tennis club, a McDonald’s, and was home to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre from 2003 until 2017. The new development will have a grocery store as one of the commercial tenants.

Under the Affordable NY Program, 30 percent of its units will be reserved for low-and-middle income New Yorkers. In order for Penn South to maintain affordability, MAG Partners will develop and operate the building under a long-term ground lease.

“The top priority for the board of directors is to preserve the affordability of Penn South for current residents and future generations,” said Ambur Nicosia, president of the Penn South Coop Board. “We needed a solution that does not require our shareholders to pay major increases in monthly maintenance fees. The stores are supposed to subsidize the apartments, not the other way around. I am pleased that we found a partner who will help us achieve these key objectives through the development of a new building that is contextual and appropriate to the surroundings.”

Renderings depict floor-to-ceiling glass on the ground floor, and a brick façade on the upper levels. Frontage along Eighth Avenue has an even grid of windows and bands breaking up the red-hued masonry. The exterior along West 26th Street features more floor-to-ceiling windows and several landscaped setbacks. MAG Partners has partnered with COOKFOX for 241 West 28th Street, another residential building in Chelsea.

Construction for 335 Eighth Avenue is expected to begin in 2022.

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