Chelsea Market developers eye office space expansion
by Aron Susman
The market's popularity could prevent construction of the two new buildings from beginning in the near future.
In a city full of them, Chelsea Market is one of the most widely known destination spots in all of New York City. With the more than 30 shops it has to offer tourists, the area has maintained most of the charm it has held since being constructed around the turn of the 20th century. This may explain why some New Yorkers and tourists alike are upset at a proposal to add two new buildings that would provide Chelsea office space to local businesses.
The proposal by a local developer calls for one 250-foot and one 150-foot structure to be constructed alongside Chelsea Market. While this may seem out of place at first, some may forget that the area is already home to 915,000 square feet of business office space, which is currently leased by the Food Network, Google and Major League Baseball. Still, many local organizations are vehemently opposed to any new construction.
"The complex which is an icon of adaptive reuse is wonderful and successful as it is," Andrew Berman, the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, told The Washington Post. "Plopping an office tower or a hotel on top of it will only take away from what makes it so successful and attractive to New Yorkers and tourists alike."
Should these office spaces for lease or others nearby become available to businesses, they may be identified quickly by many local enterprises as viable options for working locations. Given the competitive nature of these types of commercial real estate searches, businesses should partner with a local provider of commercial office listings or they could find themselves on the outside looking in at a competitor using a space that could have been theirs.
