Residents protest Quadriad Washington Heights project

Developer Quadriad Realty Partners’ plan to build four tall apartment towers at Broadway and 190th Street in Washington Heights is proving unpopular with residents, the New York Times reported. Some are saying that the proposed towers, with more than 800 apartments in total, would block sunlight and bring too many new residents to the neighborhood.

“It looks like a Stalinist-era project — gigantic towers sitting atop a fairly sedate neighborhood,” said one nearby resident, Vadim Moldovan, of the proposed towers ranging from 23 to 39 stories. “It would dwarf the landscape and blot out the sun.”

In September, the local community board rejected a proposal for the four towers, but encouraged Quadriad to return with a revised design for smaller buildings. It also recommended that half the apartments — not 30 percent, as the developer had proposed — be reserved for moderate-income renters, a proposal that Quadriad has resisted. Without the revenue produced by taller buildings, almost all the apartments would have to be rented at market rate in order for the venture to be profitable, the company said. [NYT]