Progression of new building: 636 West 158th Street
WHAT IS THE PLAN?
West 158th Street is a major thoroughfare that is utilized by vehicles entering and exiting the Henry Hudson Parkway from Broadway, ambulances, fire trucks, delivery trucks, and bicyclists and families heading to and from the Hudson River Greenway, as well as cars heading towards 155th Street to go to Yankee Stadium.
People are concerned about chaotic traffic, the inability of safety vehicles to pass through, and enormous backups of traffic that will inevitably happen.
Observing other construction sites, we see the major disruption that occurs on basic one-way side streets.
On May 3rd, during the construction of a small addition to the scaffolding in front of 634 West 158th Street, we witnessed chaotic traffic with cars veering around past other cars and into the bicycle lane to avoid the congestion.
On May 13th we witnessed an oversized Amazon truck crash into the traffic signal at the corner of West 158th and Edward Morgan Place as it proceeded to Broadway, causing confusion in its wake.
How will the disruption of traffic flow because of the construction be accommodated?
Can West 158th Street can safely absorb the resulting impact that a 17-story tower will inflict upon it?
The community rightfully asks: What’s the plan?
Traffic on West 158th Street
heading towards Broadway.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Height of building as of
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
As seen between buildings on Riverside Drive.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Foundation.
March 9, 2025
Foundation work occupying
West 158th Street.
February 4, 2025
Foundation pit.
November 21, 2024
May 3, 2024: Traffic veering into the designated bicycle lane.
May 13, 2024: Amazon truck crashed into the corner traffic signal.
Call 311 to report potential violations
-
You can also go online at
https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01797
-
Include the location
638 West 158th Street
-
Reporting to 311 creates a paper trail.
Be sure to note the number assigned to your complaint and share it with any follow up calls you have with DOB or MBP office
Department of Buildings (DOB)
-
Ophelia Phipps:
ophipps@buildings.nyc.gov
-
Jennifer McGhee:
jemcghee@buildings.nyc.gov
Manhattan Borough President (MBP)
Mark Levine
-
Eric Cuello:
ecuello@manhattanbp.nyc.gov
The Impact of a
17-story Tower
Will Be Long Lasting.
Though the developer may say that construction is temporary, how will we live with the addition of a 17-story building and the increased pedestrian and vehicle traffic once it’s completed?
This is a high-traffic street with only one lane in each direction and no space for vehicles to park or stand. There are many pedestrians on the narrow sidewalks and a lot of bicycle traffic in the bike lane.
One end of the street is access to the park and highway, the other is a five-point intersection with a history of traffic problems.
The plans show the building with a narrow sidewalk and no driveway for dropping off passengers or groceries. (Note that the walkway depicted shows an elevated entryway along the front of the building, not a public sidewalk.)
Where will taxis and passenger cars wait for and drop off people and packages?
​
Where will delivery, Fresh Direct, Amazon, and UPS trucks unload?
The community rightfully asks: What’s the plan?
Typical mid-day traffic on West 158th Street as seen on May 23rd.
In 2024 there was a final call to action to preserve these historic homes.
THESE HOUSES ARE BEING DEMOLISHED ON WEST 158TH STREET...
...TO MAKE WAY FOR A 17-STORY TOWER
THIS TOWER SETS
A DANGEROUS
PRECEDENT FOR
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Dear Neighbors,
​
In July of 2021, the Upper Riverside Residents Alliance submitted a request to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, to extend the Audubon Park Historic District to protect the area north of the existing historic district, but the request was rejected.
​
According to the YIMBY report of 11/15/21, permits were filed to demolish a historic townhouse and erect a 17-story mixed-use development at 638 West 158th Street.
This tower not only represents the loss of precious historic fabric but also sets a dangerous precedent for our neighborhood.
​
Just look across the Hudson and you will see the towering glass boxes that are coming to the very heart of our neighborhood if nothing is done to stop them.
As seen on May 1st, 2024:
640 and 642 W.158th Street
as seen on May 13th, 2024:
Full Demolition of 636 W.158th Street,
May 23rd, 2024
"The historic value of these buildings should not be relinquished."
– Marvin Middleton,
River Terrace
These, they will surely feel, were some of the enclave’s most beautiful buildings. “How was it,” they will ask, “that on both 158th Street and on Riverside Drive, every single one of these most vulnerable buildings, the district’s oldest and most unusual, vanished?”
–Michael Henry Adams
