Ruling could force Upper West Side skyscraper to cut down 20 floors

NEW YORK - The nearly-completed 668-foot tall building at 200 Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side may have to take a little off the top after a New York State Supreme Court judge ruled that the Department of Buildings revoke its permits and remove all floors that exceed the zoning limit, which according to published reports could be at least 20 floors. 

Two local community organizations had sued the building’s developers, SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan America, claiming that they abused zoning laws in order to build what they call an out-of-scale development.

Scott Mollen, an attorney representing the developers said that a number of the buildings’ condominiums have already been sold and removing some of the floors could be complicated and dangerous.

“It defies more than 40 years of precedent in the city’s zoning laws,” Mollen said of the ruling. “It also ignores the thoughtful decision of the Department of Buildings to grant the permit, which was upheld by the Board of Standards and Appeals following exhaustive document review and testimony over a two-year period.”

FOX 5 NY reached out to the Department of Buildings for comment, but it said to reach out to the NYPC Law Department, who in a statement said “our only comment is that the city is reviewing its legal options.”

Mollen says he intends to appeal the ruling, while local community groups say they will continue to fight the development.