The City Planning Commission on Aug. 10, 2026 reviewed a private rezoning at 515 West 57th Street in Hell’s Kitchen/Clinton that would remap an M1-5 manufacturing district to C6-12, add Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) mapping, and allow a new 30‑story tower with 394 apartments and roughly 100 permanently income‑restricted units.
# What’s happening
– DCP presented a rezoning and zoning text amendment for 515 West 57th Street.
– Applicant 515 West 57th Street Leasehold LLC seeks a 30‑story building with 394 units.
– The proposal would map MIH options one and two; applicant prefers MIH option one.
# Why it matters
– Residents within walking distance of the site could see new high‑density housing and a change in midblock scale.
– Mapping MIH and rezoning affect how many permanently income‑restricted units are built and where they are located.
# Key details
– Project site: midblock of block 1086, 515 West 57th Street, Manhattan Community District 4.
– Proposed building: two 30‑story towers, ~345 ft tall, roughly 377,970 sq ft total floor area.
– Housing: 394 dwelling units; about 100 units income‑restricted under MIH option 1.
– Uses: ~362,970 sq ft residential; ~10,000 sq ft commercial; ~5,000 sq ft community facility.
– Zoning change: rezoning from M1‑5 (manufacturing) to C6‑12 (high‑density commercial/residential).
– Transit and local context: near Columbus Circle and multiple bus routes; taller buildings concentrated north and west.
The Department of City Planning (DCP) presented the privately filed application at a City Planning Commission (CPC) review session on Aug. 10, 2026. The applicant, 515 West 57th Street Leasehold LLC, is seeking a zoning map amendment and a zoning text amendment to permit a 30‑story mixed commercial, community facility, and residential building with 394 dwelling units, roughly 100 of which would be income‑restricted under Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) option one. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=964
**515 West 57th Street Leasehold LLC**
– Role or jurisdiction: Private applicant/developer for 515 West 57th Street.
– Action taken or responsibility: Filed for zoning map and text amendments to enable new mixed‑use development.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Seeks a 30‑story project with 394 units; applicant prefers MIH option 1. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=964
DCP staff showed the rezoning area on slides, describing the block as a midblock in Hell’s Kitchen/Clinton and noting surrounding uses: mixed commercial and residential buildings, nearby parks, and transit connections including the Columbus Circle subway station and several bus lines. The presenter said taller buildings are generally concentrated to the north and west while the area south of the site is characterized by mid‑rise apartment buildings. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=566
DCP summarized the zoning change requested: the site is currently zoned M1‑5, which restricts residential use, and the applicant requests mapping to C6‑12 to allow high‑density commercial and residential uses and to establish an MIH area under options one and two. DCP noted the applicant’s preferred MIH option is option one. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=882
Project bulk and program details presented by staff included two 30‑story towers about 345 feet tall, totaling approximately 377,970 square feet (about 17.99 FAR), with about 362,970 square feet for residential uses, approximately 10,000 square feet for commercial, and about 5,000 square feet for a community facility. The slide presentation listed a unit mix of 97 studios, 164 one‑bedrooms, 91 two‑bedrooms, and 42 three‑bedrooms. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=807
On the question of how the rezoning would change the midblock character, DCP staff pointed out that the rezoning area, outlined in the presentation, would capture non‑applicant‑owned lots on the midblock, including a hotel and an office building, effectively changing the mapped district for multiple lots rather than a single site. The presentation noted prior rezonings in the area that shifted manufacturing districts to higher‑density commercial/residential districts between 2004 and 2014 and most recently in 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=807
Commissioners asked why the department recommended a zoning map amendment across the midblock rather than treating the proposal as a site‑specific special permit. One commissioner noted that avenues nearby already have higher residential FARs and asked why midblock rezonings like this are handled by mapping rather than by special permits. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=1195
DCP staff responded that the department views the higher density as appropriate for the entire rezoning area and said that mapping a C6‑12 would create a more rational zoning map by aligning districts across the block; staff also said relying on a special permit could set “the wrong expectation” for private applicants in the future. Staff referenced adjacent zoning conditions: a C6 district to the north, an M1‑6 to the west, and an R9‑equivalent zoning on the avenue to the east. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=1195
The presentation also noted the application qualified for an environmental review timing change under recently passed state reforms, which the presenter said allowed the project to start public review about four months earlier than would otherwise have been possible. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=304
What changes to midblock character to expect: DCP’s rezoning would map a commercial/residential C6‑12 district over a midblock now dominated by light manufacturing zoning, allowing tall residential development where residential uses are currently prohibited; the rezoning area as presented would apply that change to multiple lots on the block rather than to a single parcel. That change in mapped zoning is the mechanism DCP identified as its preferred approach to alter the midblock scale. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=807
The application remains at the review stage and will return to the commission for later hearings and actions in the public review process. DCP staff said they will provide additional materials, including a full unit breakdown, when the application returns. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw&t=1047
For context in earlier coverage: similar West Side projects have used a mix of rezonings and special permits to manage bulk and transfers of development rights, and the commission and City Council have negotiated modifications to special permits in other Downtown Manhattan proposals. This earlier coverage shows rezonings and special permits have been used in different ways in the same neighborhood; it is not a record of decisions about this 515 West 57th Street application. (Source: in earlier coverage: https://youtu.be/sk2fIwBZFxk&t=8378; https://youtu.be/wgL6Zb8sHb0&t=6437)
If you attended the Aug. 10 review session or want the City Planning Commission materials, DCP published the agenda and session slides for the Aug. 10, 2026 review session. Source: https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/dcp/assets/files/pdf/about/commission/review-sessions/2026-08-10rs.pdf
Further details and the department’s full presentation are available in the CPC review session video for Aug. 10, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/cJYS9sAhryw
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