Koppers wants to convert West Village property to luxe condos

Having received a sweet deal on a new location in Sunset Park, Koppers Chocolate is looking to convert its former factory and office in the West Village into a luxury condo building.

Jeff Alexander, the chocolatier’s third-generation owner, is working with Summit Equities to obtain a variance from the city that would allow Koppers to convert the building at 39 Clarkson Street for residential use.

Plans would see three extra floors tacked on top of the existing six-story building, with a rear portion of the building demolished to create a backyard and the removed square footage used for the three-floor addition, according to DNA Info.

The new three floors would be set back 20 feet from the street – granting the seventh-floor tenant a private roof deck atop a portion of the sixth floor. The building’s cellar would be excavated to create a four-car parking garage.

Koppers and Summit Equities first have to convince the Board of Standards and Appeals, which would approve or deny the proposed variance, of their financial need to make the building residential and construct the additional floors. Their petition includes reports citing comparable condo sales in the area, which they say go for nearly $2,000 per square foot.

It emerged earlier this month that the chocolatier is leaving the Village for Liberty View Industrial Plaza in Sunset Park, where tax credits and other incentives mean the chocolatier will take 50,000 square feet at less than $10 per square foot. [DNAinfo] – Rey Mashayekhi