Proposed Peter Stuyvesant Post Office site height increase rankles residents

Developers now seeking to build 12 stories

Benenson Capital's Richard Kessler and the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office
Benenson Capital's Richard Kessler and the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office

Benenson Capital and Mack Real Estate Group’s move to increase the proposed height at their East Village development site is drawing the ire of locals.

Residents and neighborhood activists are condemning the developers over a zoning variance they requested that would raise the proposed height of their rental building at the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office site to 12 stories from eight.

The developers say they need the extra floors to cover unforeseen costs that have arisen during construction.

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The East 12th Street Block Association’s Alexis Adler rejected that argument, telling DNAinfo a 12-story building at 432 East 14th Street would mar the neighborhood.

“If you guys didn’t do your homework, I’m not sure why the community has to suffer for your error,” she told the news service.

The new proposal calls for 155 units, up from 114 in the initial proposal, originally offered in 2014. A total 31 of those would be set aside as affordable units, eight more than originally pitched. [DNAinfo]Ariel Stulberg