February 2, 2021

Silverstein eyes double cantilever for 801 Blanchard high rise

Rendering by Handel Architects [enlarge]

The separately owned Butcher’s Table and Shake Shack both look to be safe in the redevelopment plan.

Silverstein Properties and Handel Architects have their first design review on March 16 for the 46-story apartment tower planned at 801 Blanchard St.

That's the triangular block in the Denny Triangle associated with the Butcher's Table building, now owned by Silverstein. The early design isn't yet in city records, but there's an interesting new wrinkle in the plan.

It was known last fall, following the $17.5 million sale, that Handel would cantilever the Silverstein tower over the preserved four-story Butcher's Table building, on the north corner of the triangle, at Westlake Avenue.

Now it emerges that the developer may buy or lease the air rights (development rights) from a local dentist who owns the south Shake Shack portion of the block, where Eighth Avenue meets Westlake.

Prominent local land use attorney Jack McCullough is advising Silverstein, of New York, which is an indication of serious intent.

The architect writes, “The new tower may also cantilever over an adjacent property through the use of an air easement. The neighboring lot to the south at 2115 Westlake is not part of the project site. It contains an existing one-story building (occupied by Shake Shack) that is intended to remain. Our project may obtain an air easement to allow our new building to overhang all or a portion of this existing property.”

The Shake Shack corner has 3,015 square feet. The building, which dates to 1920, has 3,736 square feet. The dentist acquired it in 2003 for $700,000, then later moved his practice a block south to make way for the restaurant — which opened in the fall of 2018.

How much floor area the tower might gain isn't immediately clear. Handel's overall project description is 393 units in a 484-foot tower that would total about 517,00 square feet. About 122 parking stalls are also planned, with a possible six underground levels. Car elevators and valet parking are mentioned. About 1,350 square feet of retail/commercial space is also indicated.

The project may gain extra floor area by meeting city green building incentives; it's targeting Built Green and/or LEED certification. The property is zoned up to 440 feet.

Silverstein's property totals 15,179 square feet. Of that, the Butcher's Table building's trapezoidal footprint occupies about 5,000 square feet. That could give the new L-shaped tower base roughly 10,000 square feet if built to the lot lines. The early plan indicates that fire codes might require the Butcher's Table building to have egress points into the new tower.

The team now also includes Magnusson Klemencic Associates, structural engineer; Rushing, MEP engineer; KPFF, civil engineer; and Berger Partnership, landscape architect.

The project is listed with a nominal value of $215 million. Food entrepreneur Kurt Beecher Dammeier will lease his offices and restaurant space from Silverstein. Shake Shack is part of the chain founded by famous New York restauranteur Danny Meyer.