Hush Street is tracking what’s being built on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
The Lower East Side’s biggest pending change is on the Two Bridges waterfront, where the City Planning Commission approved three tall towers in 2018 without a rezoning. They have been fought in court ever since, and eight years later only one, 260 South Street, shows recent permit activity. In front of them, the city is finishing a $349 million flood barrier, and to the north the $1.4 billion rebuild of East River Park is now due in 2027.
Inland, the Essex Crossing redevelopment is down to its last major parcel, the old Essex Street Market building, and much of the newest housing is affordable or for seniors, including the 190-unit Ridge Street Apartments and a 130-unit tower planned beside the landmarked St. Augustine’s Chapel.
Where DOB records and press reports disagree on heights or unit counts, both are given. A permit is not treated as proof that construction has started.
| Project | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1260 South Street | South St. at Rutgers Slip | Foundation Permits Reissued |
| 2259 Clinton Street | Clinton St. at South St. | Stalled |
| 3247 Cherry Street | Cherry St. near Rutgers Slip | Dormant |
| 4Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience | East River, Brooklyn Bridge to Montgomery St. | Under Construction |
| 5+POOL at Pier 35 | Pier 35, East River | Delayed to 2027 |
| 659 Henry Street | Henry St. near Catherine St. | Topped Out; Not Yet Open |
| 7100 Essex Street (Former Essex Street Market) | Essex St. at Delancey St. | Approved; Filings in Review |
| 8Ridge Street Apartments (145 Broome Street) | Broome St. at Ridge St. | Under Construction |
| 9St. Augustine's Chapel & 290 Henry Street | Henry St. near Montgomery St. | Approved |
| 10Seward Park Extension Renovation | Broome & Essex Sts. | In Approval |
| 1123-27 Allen Street Hotel | Allen St. near Canal St. | Demolition Filed; Permit Pending |
| 12125 Chrystie Street | Chrystie St. near Delancey St. | Completed (2026) |
| 13East Side Coastal Resiliency (East River Park) | East River Park, Montgomery St. northward | Under Construction |
| 14New Museum Expansion (231 Bowery) | Bowery at Prince St. | Completed (2026) |
Two Bridges: Three Towers in Limbo & a Flood Barrier
Three towers approved in 2018, very different levels of progress since, and the coastal barrier being built in front of them.
1
260 South Street
The Only Two Bridges Tower Showing Activity
City Planning approved the tower’s special permit in December 2018 for the previous owners, L+M and CIM (ZAP P2015M0599). A lawsuit against the Two Bridges towers under the state’s environmental rights amendment was dismissed in April 2023, Streetsblog reported; plaintiffs said they would appeal, and Hush Street has not confirmed the outcome. No press coverage from 2025 or 2026 was found, so work on site is unconfirmed.
Sources: NYC DOB NOW job M00558120 and permits (accessed Oct. 2026); NYC Planning ZAP P2015M0599; New York YIMBY (Apr. 2022); Streetsblog NYC (May 2023)
2
259 Clinton Street
Ground Broken, Then Quiet
Ground was broken before the 421-a tax break expired in June 2022, according to CityRealty. The “stalled” label is Hush Street’s reading of the permit record; no press report has confirmed a halt.
Sources: NYC DOB NOW job M00522293 and permits (accessed Oct. 2026); NYC Planning ZAP P2016M0334; CityRealty (Jan. 2023)
3
247 Cherry Street
The Unbuilt Supertall
Unlike the other two Two Bridges towers, this one’s special permit still shows as referred rather than approved in City Planning’s records (ZAP P2016M0321).
Sources: NYC Planning ZAP P2016M0321; The Real Deal (Nov. 2022); CityRealty (Jan. 2023)
4
Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience
Protecting Two Bridges From Storm Surge
The barrier runs directly in front of the 260 South Street and 259 Clinton Street sites. Its sewer work is also what is delaying testing of the +POOL floating pool at Pier 35, below.
Sources: NYC DDC / NYCEDC factsheet (July 2026); NYC DDC update to Community Board 3 (Sept. 2026); NY1 (Oct. 2022)
5
+POOL at Pier 35
A Floating Pool, Still Waiting
The pool needs the new sewer line to discharge its filter backwash. The prototype is being kept at a barge port in Red Hook, Brooklyn, according to 6sqft.
Sources: 6sqft (July 2026); New York YIMBY (Aug. 2024)
6
59 Henry Street
Finished Outside, Not Yet Open
The building topped out in spring 2023, and YIMBY reported the facade almost complete in June 2025. Sources differ on whether it will be rentals or condos.
Sources: New York YIMBY (June 2025); NYC DOB BIS job 121205365 (accessed Oct. 2026)
Essex Crossing, Affordable Housing & a Hotel
Inland, the pipeline is mostly affordable and senior housing, plus the last Essex Crossing parcel and a hotel on Allen Street.
7
100 Essex Street (Former Essex Street Market)
The Last Essex Crossing Site
This is one of the last undeveloped parcels of the nine-site Essex Crossing project, originally targeted for 2018, according to 6sqft. The station work is funded through congestion pricing revenue, with completion targeted for 2028.
Sources: New York YIMBY (Aug. 2026); 6sqft (Aug. 2026); The Lo-Down (Apr. 2026); NYC DOB NOW jobs M01369116-I1 and M01362599-I1 (accessed Oct. 2026)
8
Ridge Street Apartments (145 Broome Street)
A $176 Million Senior Building
The project is the second Grand Street Guild building on the block, after 165 Broome Street. All apartments have project-based rental vouchers, according to YIMBY.
Sources: New York YIMBY (Aug. 2026); NYC DOB NOW job M01003420-I1 and permits (accessed Oct. 2026)
9
St. Augustine's Chapel & 290 Henry Street
Affordable Housing Beside a Landmark Chapel
The tower would rise on the site of a vacant two-story annex under a 99-year ground lease from the church. The chapel, originally All Saints’ Free Church, was designated a landmark in 1966.
Sources: NYC Planning ZAP 2023M0116; 6sqft (June 2026); Manhattan Borough President (May 2026)
10
Seward Park Extension Renovation
Public Housing Under PACT
The partners were selected in April 2024, The Architect’s Newspaper reported. The notice says there will be no permanent involuntary displacement and that the developer will address lead, asbestos and mold.
Sources: NYCHA notice of intent (via HPD) (Apr. 2026); The Architect's Newspaper (Apr. 2024)
11
23-27 Allen Street Hotel
A Hotel Needs a Special Permit Here
New hotels in this part of the Lower East Side require a City Planning special permit. A second hotel case is pending nearby at 120 Allen Street.
Sources: NYC Planning ZAP 2024M0194; NYC DOB NOW job M01451264-I1 (Oct. 2026)
12
125 Chrystie Street
Newly Open on Chrystie
The project grew from the 46 units first reported in 2023 to 55 in the final filing.
Sources: NYC DOB certificate of occupancy, BIN 1091812 (Oct. 2026); NYC DOB NOW job M00908898-I1 (accessed Oct. 2026)
East River Park & the Bowery
The neighborhood’s largest public project and its biggest cultural opening of the year.
13
East Side Coastal Resiliency (East River Park)
Rebuilding the Park to Hold Back Floods
The project was controversial for removing the old park and its trees, and opponents went to court before construction began, according to Hoodline. The northern half runs into the East Village; the southern half lies within this tracker.
Sources: NYC DDC / NYC Parks factsheet (July 2026); Hoodline (Mar. 2026); NYC DOB NOW jobs M01093333-I1 and M01092834-I1 (accessed Oct. 2026)
14
New Museum Expansion (231 Bowery)
The Bowery's Big Opening
The annex replaced the building at 231 Bowery, which was demolished in 2019, next to the museum’s existing building at 235 Bowery.
Sources: Hyperallergic (Jan. 2026); EV Grieve (Mar. 2026); NYC DOB certificate of occupancy, BIN 1005709 (Apr. 2026)
What We're Watching Next
Whether work visibly starts at 260 South Street, the demolition of the old Essex Street Market, a DOB filing for the St. Augustine’s tower and the flood barrier’s completion are the next milestones. Smaller projects include an eight-story building at 83 Madison Street, where city inspectors issued four serious violations on Oct. 22 after a pedestrian was injured, and an approved but unpermitted 13-story condo at 24 Orchard Street.
Hush Street also tracks the Financial District to the south and, across the East River, DUMBO.
Header photo: One Essex Crossing on Delancey Street, September 2025, by Tdorante10, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
By Hush Street Editorial Updated Built from city filings and published reporting. About Hush Street
