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Application by 225 Fifth Avenue to install sidewalk planters on the east side of 5th Avenue between 26th and 27th Streets and on the north side of 26th Street between 5th and Madison Avenues
WHEREAS, The Applicant, the Grand Madison, is a high end luxury residential building located at 225 Fifth Avenue, facing Madison Square Park; and
WHEREAS, The building, originally designated in 1906 as the Brunswick Building, is constructed of brick and ornamented limestone and located in the Madison Square North Historic District; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant seeks to install thirteen (13) fiberglass planters with a cement look, along the curb on the east side of Fifth Avenue and three (3) fiberglass planters with a cement look along the curb on the north side of 26th Street; and
WHEREAS, The proposed planters would be emblazoned with the building's custom logo and would contain plants no taller than three feet; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant would maintain the planters year-round; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant suggests the planters would serve as a necessary buffer between the sidewalk and the street; and
WHEREAS, The proposed planters are not original to the building or the Historic District; and
WHEREAS, Fifth Avenue between 26th and 27th Streets is not characterized by exceptional street traffic; and
WHEREAS, That corridor experiences heavy pedestrian traffic, often marked with crowded sidewalks; and
WHEREAS, The proposed planters would take up considerable sidewalk space; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant does not propose to coordinate the plantings with those used in and around Madison Square Park; and
WHEREAS, The proposed planters would serve as an obstacle to pedestrians walking on the block and an interruption to the historic visual corridor of Fifth Avenue; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends denial of the Application by 225 Fifth Avenue to install sidewalk planters on the east side of 5th Avenue between 26th and 27th Streets and on the north side of 26th Street between 5th and Madison Avenues.