Earlier this month, the City Planning Commission approved proposals for four new skyscrapers coming to the Two Bridges section of the Lower East Side. The tallest of the bunch will be 247 Cherry Street, adjacent to the site of Extell’s One Manhattan Square. The upcoming 1,008-foot-tall residential skyscraper will be designed by SHoP Architects and developed by JDS Development, and is the 11th tallest tower underway in the Five Boroughs. This supertall is the only project on YIMBY’s end-of-year list where site work has not yet begun, although with City Planning approval now secured, that is hopefully a matter of imminency.

When complete, 247 Cherry Street will be the tallest building in the neighborhood. The facade is composed of a green-colored exterior, with a grid of glass panels rising from a cantilevered base over an existing low-rise building. The main entrance would be located on the western side of the site, along Cherry Street, through one of the structure’s two supporting legs.

The overall shape and massing of the building retains a rectangular floor plate with a chamfered edge on the eastern corner directly facing the East River and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. There are two open sections about every third of the way up that house outdoor viewing spaces facing in all directions. The mechanical equipment on the roof sits atop the upper floors, with a minor setback.

The other planned towers in the Two Bridges area include a pair of residential skyscrapers, 728 and 798 feet tall, designed by Handel Architects and developed by L+M and CIM at 260 South Street. They will be next to 247 Cherry Street, to the north. Across from Pier 36 and the FDR will be another 724-foot-tall residential tower set to rise at 259 Clinton Street, designed by Perkins Eastman and developed by Starrett. In all, 3,000 new apartments are planned to be built, with 700 of them being affordable units, just under a quarter of the total percentage.

Along with the new construction, the developers are also planning to add improved and upgraded parks and playgrounds for families, plans for flood resilience measures against future storms, a $12.5 million dollar investment in a local NYCHA apartment complex, and a new subway entrance to the East Broadway station for better ADA accessibility.

A completion date for 247 Cherry Street has yet to be announced, but 2021-2022 are most likely at this point.

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