A
cluster of skyscrapers, dubbed "Billionaires' Square," is transforming the Lincoln Square neighborhood's skyline. The towering megatowers will replace ABC Studios on West 66th Street, which has been vacant since the studio moved downtown to Hudson Square in the late 1970s. A unique zoning quirk from 1993 allows for massive Midtown-style structures in a residential area.

    City Council member Gale Brewer expressed concerns that the new buildings contain no affordable housing, calling them "particularly egregious." Sean Khorsandi, executive director of Landmark West, agrees, stating that the needs of the community are not being met by the current housing stock. He notes that volumetrically enormous buildings with fewer units are being developed.

    The 775-foot-tall tower at 50 W. 66th St., nearing completion, is the tallest on the Upper West Side and holds 127 lavish homes. Current listings range from $6 million to $85 million, with shared amenities including swimming pools, bowling lanes, and a fire pit. The building is 70% sold.

    Extell Development plans another tower at 77 W. 66th St., which will top out at around 1,200 feet. This ultra-luxury turbotower will cover a 2.4-acre site that hosted ABC Studios, including a loading dock. Extell bought air rights from nearby buildings to add height, effectively lifting the building on stilts.

    Landmark West objects to the change of character in a residential historic neighborhood and the shadows cast across Central Park. The group hired a zoning expert to draw up a "reasonable worst-case development scenario," showing how the supertall could turn Central Park into "Central Dark." Efforts to change the area's zoning have been unsuccessful.

    Gary Barnett, founder and chairman of Extell, claims that the ABC site complies with all existing zoning regulations and requires no additional approvals. He expressed willingness to include affordable housing at a community board meeting in May, stating he would be amenable to a "negotiated agreement" resulting in an arrangement that everybody is happy with.

    The community board was encouraged by the recent discussion involving a tentative plan to include some affordable housing onsite. Such housing is a pressing need, according to Tibita Janeene and Seema Reddy of the community board's housing and land-use committee.

    The neighborhood is already home to 200 Amsterdam, which fought and won a legal challenge that would have required a height reduction of 20 stories. The West 66th Street megacluster joins a nearby skyline-defining condominium farther west in the Lincoln Square neighborhood – 200 Amsterdam Ave., completed in 2021. Much of the Upper West Side is landmarked, and there are few readily apparent development sites left for supertalls.

    "A lot of stuff is built out," Khorsandi said, "and this is the tipping point where, in order to extract more value, you have to build something bigger."