Neighbors protest Chelsea Market expansion

A plan to add two new towers atop Chelsea Market is drawing the ire of neighbors who don’t want any further development — or blocked views — coming to West Chelsea, according to the New York Times. The existing Chelsea Market, between Ninth and 10th avenues and 15th and 16th streets, is the site of a former Nabisco bakery, which was converted into a trendy collection of retail shops and office space during the 1990s. Under the proposed expansion, developer Jamestown Properties would build an eight-story glass block of around 250,000 square feet of office space above the 10th Avenue portion. A 12-story, 90,000-square-foot boutique hotel would also be added above the Buddakan restaurant on Ninth Avenue. In exchange for a zoning variance that would allow it to expand, Jamestown would pony up around $17 million towards improvements for the nearby High Line, a point in the plan that has drawn support from the non-profit Friends of the High Line group. But not everyone is on board. Community members have banded together under the moniker “Save Chelsea” to protest the plan, criticizing Friends of the High Line at a hearing last night for encouraging development, and arguing that there are now too many skyscrapers in the area. [NYT]

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