A parking and restaurant company that owns garage properties on the north side of East 94th Street is buying air rights for a future project — but the mid-block site will need Department of City Planning approvals if the owners decide to build an apartment tower.
Garage Management Co. is headed by Gordon Hamm, who is also an investor in Kidville. Hamm, who concentrates on the garages, laughed and said he had “no clue” what was planned for the site as other partners work on the developments. They did not return a request for comment.
GMC also controls the restaurant-focused Marcus Samuelsson Group and Harlem’s Red Rooster.
GMC owns the parking structure at 231 E. 94th St. and the adjacent auto body shop to its east, at No. 243, creating a lot with more than 175 feet of frontage, and a slice of it is inside a residential zone near Second Avenue.
The south side of the block has apartment towers that include the huge Carnegie Park, but the north side is zoned as a lower manufacturing area that does not allow apartments without special permits.
It can, however, be used as-of-right for a community facility, such as a school, a gym, or a dormitory, or for religious purposes or medical facilities.
Coincidently, No. 221 is owned by Norvin Properties, an outfit that primarily focuses on medical uses. Norvin did not return a request for comment.
GMC has already tied up air rights from the St. David’s School sports center at No. 215. Knowing how long development takes in the city, that transaction has nearly five years to close, depending on City Planning approvals.
To reach the air from No. 215, however, city rules require an unbroken “chain” of air rights, and GMC will thus need to buy fresh air from others on the block.
Vin Carrega of Avison Young is representing Garage Management, sources said. He did not return a request for comment.
