Community board rejects 361 CPW church redevelopment

City's Board of Standards and Appeals will have final say on project

361 Central Park West
Renderings of 361 Central Park West on the Upper West Side

A community board has rejected plans to convert a landmarked Upper West Side church into a condo building, though the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals will have final say on whether the project moves forward.

Community Board 7 voted against the development at 361 Central Park West this week, one month after the board’s land use committee agreed to a zoning exemption for the project. Plans would see the 112-year-old church at the site converted into 39 apartments.

The developers – an entity owned by Brooklyn investor Joseph Brunner, who acquired the 48,000-square-foot property for $42 million last year – are seeking an exemption from zoning regulations for the residential use of a building, according to DNAInfo.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

While Board 7 voted down the request, the Board of Standards and Appeals holds final say on the exemption and whether construction can begin and will make a decision on its own determination, a spokesman said.

Irene Shaprio, the sister of former One Madison Park developer Ira Shaprio, purchased the church for $26 million last summer before flipping it to Brunner. [DNAInfo]Rey Mashayekhi