raise lower the roof beam, seminary / Chelsea receptive to new tower plan?
smaller tower to provide seminary bucks
Newly renamed Chelsea Now has been following the reaction of neighbors to the General Theological Seminary’s efforts to reap some economic rewards from its holdings by having a developer build a 17 story tower (bigger than allowed without a variance under the 75 ft height limitation). Things are moving ahead toward what looks like an acceptable compromise between the Seminary and its neighbors, according to Chelsea Now, a very different posture from when The Villager reported on this project in June.
neighbors reported as polite
The new proposal was presented to “a fairly receptive crowd of 100 people”. It cut the bulk and height of the tower (now to be 15 stories) and added a low building to replace the ‘lost’ bulk in the tower. met a favorable neighborhood reaction
According to Susan Rodriguez, the Polshek architect … the tower portion is not only shorter and less bulky … but also features less glass and more brick to make it more contextual with other buildings on The Close.
“We’ve taken the community’s concerns to heart while trying to generate the revenue needed for renovations of the historic buildings at the seminary,” said Rodriguez.
The revised plan also sets the tower portion back from 20th and 21st Sts. by 58 feet and 38 feet, respectively, forming what Rodriguez calls “a perimeter frame around The Close, which preserves views of the chapel tower.” The chapel view is also enhanced by a newly designed entrance on Ninth Ave., which was moved farther north toward 21st St. than the original proposal had stipulated.
Apparently some neighbors – at least — are receptive to the seminary’s position that it is in dire need of the revenue from this project.
Matt Foreman, a longtime Chelsea resident and L.G.B.T. activist, congratulated the seminary on doing “a good job trying to compromise with area residents by altering its plan” yet again. “The bulk on this tower design is slimmer and lower, which I really like. Anyone who’s holding fast to the 75-foot law should read the seminary’s financials. They can’t survive with that low a building,” he said.
how well will well drilling go down?
The seminary’s plan to drill 1500 foot deep geothermal wells might interest the folks in Tribeca near the Zinc Building construction.
The green energy initiative calls for five wells to be drilled on Tenth Ave., followed by three wells on 21st St. Each well will take about a week to drill and will extend 1,500 feet below the earth’s surface.
… Drilling will occur on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Burnley took pains to assure area residents that vibrations will be kept to a minimum and will be monitored at all times by the engineers.
“We’ve got four teams of engineers who will minimize the impact on neighbors in every way, and no drilling will take place under houses or property lines,” she said. “Drilling will occur on sidewalks only, about 6 to 7 feet form G.T.S.’s walls and 60 to 70 feet from neighbors’ buildings. Plus, bedrock absorbs vibration, so the deeper we drill, the less the vibration.”
Stay tuned for future reports about any cracks….
© Sandy Mattingly 2006
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