CityGuy

475 Greenwhich - the Zinc Building, a 21-unit luxe condo development slated for a triangle of land below Canal right near the Holland Tunnel. Greenberg Farrow Architects released the drawing on the upper left.

The only issue is the noise from the nearby tunnel. Here's hoping for 32-inch thick windowpanes.

PaullyInNYC

City, thanks when did construction start on this building? And any idea how much Condo's went for in the building?

lauren

I believe actual construction started in 2006 on the Zinc Building but check out TripleMint for more info.

nycking

i dont really like the location of this building as it sits right near the holland tunnel and you have to deal with the holland tunnel traffic noise!

On the plus side its right near the hudson river. Check out this photo i found on flickr:

This was taken at the end of 2006-'07

PaullyInNYC

gotta love that triangular property

CityGuy

I found this archived article from the ny times:

They Love Him. They Love Him Not.

By STEVEN KURUTZ

Published: September 17, 2006

When Fabian Friedland, a software engineer and developer, approached Community Board 1 in 2004 with plans to construct a luxury apartment building in TriBeCa, what followed was not the common tense dynamic between eager developer and wary community, but a friendly collaboration.

During the planning stages for the Zinc, the eight-story building Mr. Friedland proposed to construct on a triangular lot at the corner of Canal and Greenwich Streets, he followed many of the board’s suggestions. He lowered the building’s proposed height, reduced its bulk and agreed not to lease the ground floor to a bar.

The love fest ended a month ago, on the first day of construction. That is because Mr. Friedland and his partner, Jeff Levine of Douglaston Development, are using pile driving, a noisy form of foundation work. Many residents who met with Mr. Friedland before construction started said they believed there would be no pile driving, an impression given, they say, by Mr. Friedland.

“I was talking to him one day and asked him if there would be pile driving and he said, ‘No,’ ” said Arne Svenson, a photographer who lives and works in a building on Watts Street across from the site. “I walked into the darkroom a few weeks ago and — boom — everything started vibrating.”

According to Marc Ameruso, a member of the community board, had the board known about the pile driving, it probably would not have recommended granting the zoning variance that the project needed. Many nearby buildings date to the late 1800’s, and residents worry that pile driving may cause structural damage.

“We’re wondering what this means for the soundness of our homes,” said Barbara Freedgood, who lives on Greenwich Street.

Mr. Friedland, however, said it was clearly stated in the plans he and Mr. Levine submitted to the Board of Standards and Appeals that pile driving would take place. A miscommunication may have occurred, he said, because of the prohibition of pile driving on the Canal Street side of the property, based on the proximity of the Holland Tunnel.

“It’s upsetting because the community was very supportive and saw me as a friendly developer and I had no intention to mislead anyone,” Mr. Friedland said. “If the community board would have read the B.S.A. resolution, this whole misunderstanding could have been prevented.”

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

TheMan

Here are some shots of the Zinc Building:

TheMan

And look what they are doing to the famous triangle part of the property:

CityGuy

Do you think those panels were finished with...zinc?