Views and historic districts

Does the studio have a lot line window? Otherwise scaffolding going up to the left or the right of the building shouldn't change the view.

They are are lot line windows - the buildings it overlooks are row houses and are part of a historic preservation district on the UWS. They look like family homes that have been broken up into rental units.

Well, the lot line windows are not for ever. You can build up on historical district with setback as long as the build up is not visible from the street.

Thanks. Here's the place:

https://streeteasy.com/building/the-broadmoor-235-west-102-street-new_york/11t

The western views are what make it appealing.

Nothing is safe
https://patch.com/new-york/west-village/luxury-tower-set-greenwich-village-after-demolition-approved

PS we bought a similar unit in that building for about $25k

PPS you have to have at least one window which is not lot lined. I highly doubt those living room windows are lot lined.

"the buildings were heavily altered enough to have lost 'the integrity to their period of significance.'"

So I guess that's the measure - judging from the picture in the article it does look like they went to town on the facade over the years.

860 - 870 RSD still look distinguished from the outside. Same with the homes from 247 - 253 W 102 but apparently all it took in the case of 14 - 16 5th avenue was one vote.

25K! good call! It's a handsome old bldg

Broadmoor has a beautiful roof deck, but IMHO the units are not for the noise sensitive.

Thank you! That is good to know. Walls or ceilings or both?

Brick Underground mentions a company called Hush that's supposed to help with soundproofing. I bet it's pricy

I was impressed with the roof deck, too - esp because it's partly enclosed when the weather is no good which is a lot of the year - good for studio life

Do not believe claims of soundproofing.

Unless you're willing to spend lots of money and lose lots of space.

Good to know - at least trying some cheaper solutions is one way to go - heavy drapes or, for walls, tapestries.

To some degree, I figure noise is a feature of apt life and if you can't put up with it, buy a hosue. But there are degrees, for sure, and if neighbors refuse to put down a carpet there isn't much you can do about it.

In any case, I appreciate the heads up @front_porch @30yrs

@MTH - there are wide wide ranges of noise in NYC apartments due to era of construction, direction windows face, and type of neighbors.

I've lived in old pre-war cement buildings with high ceilings and thick walls, as quiet as a tomb, where you wouldn't know you had neighbors.

I've also lived in multiple buildings with inter-unit walls were so thin, you knew what show your neighbor was watching and could hear their phone calls and uhh.. other sounds. One was an old prewar rental and the other was an 80s condo conversion clearly done on the cheap.

Same for outside noise, and it can change with time. I lived in a mid-level and high-rise level of the same condo over 10 years. The high-rise level was actually louder due to street noise not being blocked by adjacent buildings & the wind noise constantly. The mid-level was quieter for some time until someone gutted the townhouses behind us and put an oversized HVAC unit in.

@steve123 good to know. Essentially it sounds like one of those things that is out of your control if you don't know people who have lived in a place (or float questions here) - I am grateful to @front_porch on that score. Just how bad/the extent to which it would bother me is hard to know, though. A friend advised me once 'always spend a night in a place before you buy' - much as I approve of the idea, how in the world would you arrange that??

I've heard that about 70s 80s era construction, generally - a lot was done on the cheap. Am waiting for someone to write a history on the intersection of NY residential construction industry, materials/construction quality and the mafia

11T is west facing, and I think the older building in the distance of the LR view is 875 West End Avenue. The LR windows are not lot line, but you're dependent on the entire mid- and WEA side of the block to remain unobstructed. The area is all historic district, and at least 878 WEA is unlikely to be going anywhere, but as noted above, it only takes one of the others. The building to the north (the 'view' out the BR and kitchen windows) is senior housing, also in the historic zone, but they may have an 'as of' right to rebuild/expand that could turn those windows into ones that overlook a light well. That said, I'd estimate a low likelihood of a tower going up in the next 10 years, but the city is on a rezoning jag, and I haven't checked if many of the townhouse lots are under common ownership, which for me would significantly change the risk profile.

>>>Well, the lot line windows are not for ever. You can build up on historical district with setback as long as the build up is not visible from the street.<<

Looking at the low-rise buildings being discussed I cannot imagine any setback build not being visible from the street. Am I missing something?

@Aaron2 Wouldn't common ownership reduce risk since it's harder for 2 or more people to come to agreement to sell? I don't know much about it. You're right about the bathroom and kitchen windows although they still provide ventilation which is a plus.

96+Broadway, 2628 Broadway, The Rockwell - luxury condos and the money they represent continue their march up the UWS.

We did a restoration at 885 West End Avenue that was so good it resold almost 20 years later with barely more than a paint job.
https://streeteasy.com/building/885-west-end-avenue-new_york/3b

30, that's a beautiful restoration.

Pinecone, The rule is that setback can’t be seen from 6 foot height from the other side of the street or something similar. If your building is 60 foot deep and you are adding one story set back 30 feet from the front (a tall existing cornice which can be as much as 5 feet above the roof level helps as lot) , it will almost pass this test.

30 - you had nice bones to work with: windows, doors, well proportioned volumes...classic. Lucky owners!

@300 it sounds like the most they could add is another floor - that would only affect views from floors 4 or 5+

MTH, Typically one floor and possibly bulkhead on top.

Indeed, 300, but that would not allow for a significantly taller structure, like a multi-story condo or the like.

@pinecone: My view is that if several adjacent lots are owned by a single owner, it's easier for the owner to tear it all down and put up new (and larger). Alternatively, a developer may find it easier to assemble sufficient space, as they would only have to negotiate with 1 owner for a package of lots, rather than each lot owner separately. Thus: 1 owner of multiple adjacent lots = higher risk of something I don't want being built.

On further investigation, the senior housing to the north is one of the flagship properties of the group that runs senior housing, so less likely to be demolished or expanded.

True, Aaron, but that still does not solve the issue of LPC regulations on height, appearance, etc.

https://www.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/LPCPermitGuidebook_Chapter6_Additions.pdf

Helpful document, 300. I wonder whether the OP's beloved studio's view would even be affected by construction on this site, given that the studio is on the 11th floor and the buildings in question are low-rise?

There are rules for most cases (guessing 95%) but there are certainly special sits/use, and exceptions to the rule by going to hearing. Also, I look at the layout of that apartment but do not understand how the apartment facing north has west facing windows from the plan.

BTW I knew there was a reason I was getting deja vu from this thread... Similar discussion from a while back: https://streeteasy.com/talk/discussion/47491-how-big-of-a-price-cut-morningside-heights

Thank for reminding us. That one is only down 20%. Guessing they will accept another 15% down easily.

@300 - Thanks - very useful document going forward

More accurately it's NNW facing - Manhattan is skewed (we all knew that)

When I lived in Inwood it was the car alarms. They were incessant and as far as I could tell useless but maybe they've improved them over the years

@pinecone: Yes, the ultimate combination is still subject to landmark rules. I was only laying out my views on commonly owned lots.

Having seen LPC members fret about window frame types, yet get run over by expanding private schools, I tend to discount their authority, but recognize in some areas they carry some clout (i.e., wealthy / powerful residents).

What I'm really curious about regarding landmarking is what will happen when push escalates to shove in the 'we must build more housing' (of any type you might care about) arena. While at the moment there's certainly acres of non-landmark property on which to build housing, is there a future scenario where landmarked areas are sacrificed in order to build housing? Or does NYC population hit some maximum that doesn't require doing away with landmarked property?

Landmarking essentially sets and limits population density (and by extension housing availability). In a city with insufficient housing, at some point there's bound to be a conflict. (homework assignment: how many vocal advocates for more housing live in landmarked areas?)

@Aaron2 - Good question. Advocates for more affordable housing also want their pretty buildings. It's a conundrum!

Aaron2, this is the fight over SoHo that's been going on for a few years now.