Locals push back against Koppers conversion

Locals are up in arms over a proposed height increase and conversion at the century-old Koppers Chocolate factory.

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.

But at a Community Board 2 meeting in June, neighbors complained that increasing the factory from six to nine stories and filling it with residents would be bad for the neighborhood, according to DNAinfo.

“These are not trivial decisions, ” Erik Lium told DNAinfo. Lium recently bought a condo in the nearby Printing House building, believing that zoning prevented the Chocolate factory from ever rising and blocking his view. “Why is their economic return more important?”

But CB 2 recommended that the BSA allow the variance anyway, providing that the developer dedicates 20 percent of the building to “permanently affordable condos.” [DNAinfo] – Christopher Cameron