100 Gold Street could become 4,000 apartments by the Brooklyn Bridge; public scoping meeting set for Oct. 29

The city-owned office building at 100 Gold Street, the concrete block beneath the Brooklyn Bridge that houses the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, could be replaced by what may be the largest apartment project by unit count ever built in New York, THE CITY reported Monday.

The city's Economic Development Corporation and developer GFP Real Estate are planning about 4,000 apartments, including roughly 1,000 permanently affordable, rent-stabilized homes, according to the Mayor's Office, which announced the start of public review in September.

How big

THE CITY describes two towers joined at a podium base, one about 115 stories and the other about 78, rising as high as 1,250 feet and 860 feet. For comparison, the Empire State Building is 1,250 feet to its roof. Renderings published by New York YIMBY in September showed three bronze-toned towers by CetraRuddy Architects; final heights, floor counts and unit counts will be set during review.

The project is expected to bring about 8,080 residents to the Financial District, increasing the neighborhood's population by about 10%, THE CITY said. Stephen Smith of the Center for Building in North America told the outlet that 4,000 apartments could be the highest unit count for a building in the country, though spread over two towers it "wouldn't feel like a single building." Almost half the site is planned as open space.

What else is in the plan

• A new older adult center replacing the one Hamilton-Madison House runs in the building today. NYCEDC says a temporary site nearby will keep it open during construction (NYCEDC).
• About 40,000 square feet of public space improvements and a 40,000-square-foot fitness center open to the public with community programming (Mayor's Office).
• No city funding: proceeds from the site are meant to pay to move HPD and the other agencies into modern office space.

The affordable share comes through the state's 485-x tax break, which requires a quarter of the units to be permanently affordable, at about $102,000 for a family of four or $71,280 for a single person, THE CITY reported. Some locals and elected officials want public subsidy to reach lower incomes. Councilmember Christopher Marte, who backed redeveloping the site in 2025 when only about 1,200 apartments were envisioned, told THE CITY: "The first proposal is never the final."

How to weigh in

The environmental review starts with a public scoping meeting on Thursday, Oct. 29 at Pace University, One Pace Plaza (entrance at Spruce Street and Park Row), with sessions at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., according to NYCEDC's environmental review page. Comments can be given in person or in writing; written comments are due by 5 p.m. on Nov. 9 at CEQRComments@cityhall.nyc.gov (CEQR No. 26DME009M). The comments shape what the environmental impact statement must study.

What happens next

The project is expected to enter the city's land-use review process (ULURP) in 2027, with votes by Community Board 1, the borough president, the City Planning Commission and the City Council, the Mayor's Office and New York YIMBY said. If approved, the current building would come down in 2030, after city workers move, and the new development would be finished by 2037, THE CITY reported.