City stops work on DDG’s Upper East Side condo tower

DOB says developer skirted zoning rules with 4-foot-wide lot

From left: Joseph McMillan Jr. and 180 East 88th Street in Carnegie Hill
From left: Joseph McMillan Jr. and 180 East 88th Street in Carnegie Hill

The city’s Department of Buildings issued a stop work order at DDG Partners’ Upper East Side condominium development site following criticism from a City Council member that the developer violated the spirit of the area’s zoning regulations.

In a letter, DOB expressed its intention to revoke its previous approval of a change to zoning rules that created a new four-foot-wide tax lot at the property. The existence of the lot meant DDG’s tower wasn’t technically abutting the street, which spared the developer from a series of extra requirements.

DDG will have to resubmit plans for the project to DOB, the New York Times reported.

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“Developers regularly submit creative plans to maximize the square footage” they’re allowed to build, commissioner Rick Chandler said in a statement, explaining why his department audits previously-approved plans.

DDG bought the site, at 180 East 88th Street, back in 2013 for around $70 million. The company’s condo offering plan for the property – which called for a 32-story, 48-unit tower with a planned sellout of $308 million – was approved in December 2014.

DDG in total has contributed nearly $20,000 to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign and to a political advocacy firm, the Campaign for One New York, that advocated for the mayor’s policies. [NYT]Ariel Stulberg