New York, NY – Today, the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) decided to allow the development at 200 Amsterdam Avenue to move forward. Though this fight is far from over, if ultimately allowed, the building will rise 55 stories to become the tallest in this Upper West Side neighborhood. The BSA allowed 200 Amsterdam to cobble together development rights by permitting it to gerrymander zoning lots, a practice that the New York City Department of Buildings recently denounced.

“Like so many members of this community, I am disappointed by the BSA’s decision to allow 200 Amsterdam to gerrymander zoning lots. This decision will enable SJP Properties to construct a luxury megatower that is completely out of context with the neighborhood. In addition, this development will place an inordinate and unconsidered burden on our local infrastructure, like schools, subways and buses and supermarkets, to name a few. Development of this scale may make sense in Times Square, but permitting 200 Amsterdam on the Upper West Side is allowing midtown to creep too far uptown. I will continue to fight alongside the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development and other stakeholders to stop this development from overtaking our community.”