Rockrose Residential Tower Could Become City’s Largest
By Al Barbarino November 13, 2013 7:30 am
reprintsMonths after The Commercial Observer learned that Rockrose Development was building the largest residential building in Queens, the TF Cornerstone faction of the Elghanayan family is reportedly vying to do the same in Manhattan.
A report that appeared in New York YIMBY examined TF Cornerstone’s plans — filed with the city — for a new development that could potentially house 1,189 units at 606 West 57th Street.
A rendering for the site shows multiple stacked boxes that, according to an environmental impact statement, could take on one of two forms: The first option includes 1,189 housing units, 42,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and a roughly 500-car garage; while the second would reduce the residential space to 848 units, while adding a 285-room hotel and more than 60,000 additional square feet of retail and medical offices.
Like Rockrose’s 50-story project at 43-25 Hunter Street in Queens, the new building would take the place of several low-slung buildings. The former, however, will take the cake as Queens’ tallest, in addition to being its largest in terms of units, with 975; while, at 40 stories, height does not appear to be the focus at 606 West 57th Street, which is an honor that Extell Development seems poised to maintain.
Rockrose spearheaded the development of Long Island City, Queens over a decade ago after it purchased a 40-acre site along the waterfront from Pepsi and began its construction of soaring glass and concrete towers that are now synonymous with the neighborhood’s waterfront.
In 2009, Rockrose, owned by members of the Elghanayan family, split into two entities: Rockrose and TF Cornerstone, with TF Cornerstone retaining and developing most of the waterfront properties and Rockrose focusing in the Court Square area.
