Park-It principals plan 80 apartments at city-claimed East Harlem site

UPDATED: March 25, 2:02 p.m.: Park-It Management bosses Fred and Gary Spindler filed a permit application to convert one of their buildings into a 14-story residential property, but city officials may yet have something to say about it.

The brothers plan to alter the two-story garage at 213 East 125th Street in Harlem, enlarging it from just under 20,000 square feet to nearly 97,000, and adding 80 apartments, according to public records.

However, the property is located on a block in East Harlem that the city seeks to claim through eminent domain. The city plans to build 1,000 new residential units, 80 percent of them affordable, and about 700,000 square feet of commercial space. Monadnock Development, the Richman Group and Equity One have all agreed to participate in the project, known as E125.

The Economic Development Corporation issued a Request for Proposals for the area – 125th street to 127th street along Second and Third avenues – in December.

A group of local businesses, called the East Harlem Small Business Association, sued the city to halt the project in 2014, hiring tenant attorney Adam Leitman Bailey.

A judge dismissed all but two of the group’s claims in August of last year, setting up an appeals process that Bailey told The Real Deal at the time could last “a few years.”

The other two counts were dismissed in September, according to an EDC spokesperson, though appeals are ongoing.

It’s not clear how E125 and the appeal will impact the Spindler brothers’ plans. Neither the Spindlers, nor Bailey were available to comment.

Along with residential units, the Spindlers plans include 19,000-square-feet of retail space on the lower two floors, where the garage is now, as well as a 6,200-square-foot community facility and recreational space on the third floor.

The building will have 56 apartments on its fourth through 10th floors, and 24 on the 11th through 14th, plans note.

The Spindlers – whose firm operates 31 facilities throughout the city, according to its website – bought the property in 2000 through their Uptown Holdings entity.

The building is currently home to several auto repair facilities. The New Light Baptist Church also currently leases a small space there.

Correction: A previous version of the story stated that plans for E125 included just 70,000 square feet of commercial space.