A fresh set of designs for 375 Lafayette Street, a proposed 19-story residential tower at the northeast corner of Lafayette and Great Jones streets in NoHo, lays out a terracotta-clad high-rise with roughly 200 apartments, plus ground-floor retail and below-grade parking. The project would replace a long-running Edison parking lot and is already drawing sharp criticism from preservationists and nearby residents, who say the height and bulk fight the neighborhood’s low-rise character. Developers, for their part, say the plan includes a set-aside of permanently affordable units.
New renderings emphasize terracotta, setbacks and terraces
The latest visuals show tall, rectangular windows framed by fluted red terracotta, with deep brick lot-line walls and a series of stepped setbacks and landscaped terraces at the Lafayette and Great Jones corner. As reported by New York YIMBY, the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill design would cover nearly 290,000 square feet and rise to about 195 feet.
Developer plans and site history
The project is being advanced by Edward J. Minskoff Equities in partnership with Edison Properties, after Minskoff signed a ground lease for the site in 2025, according to PincusCo. Trade publications have followed the parcel for years, with the lot, also known as 20 Great Jones Street, described as a nearly 20,000-square-foot parking field that developers have eyed for decades, and earlier schematic concepts by other firms noted in coverage by CityRealty.
Community Board 2 pushes back
At a recent Community Board 2 meeting, neighbors and preservation advocates lined up to oppose the tower, and the board passed a nonbinding resolution urging the Landmarks Preservation Commission to turn the proposal down. As reported by amNY, dozens of board members warned that the 19-story building would "overwhelm" Great Jones Street and erode the scale of the newly extended NoHo Historic District.
Preservation groups want changes before LPC review
Village Preservation has submitted materials and testimony opposing the current massing, arguing that the tower reads as a single, monolithic slab and calling for a slimmer, more articulated facade that steps down more gently to the surrounding five- and six-story buildings. According to Village Preservation, the group is urging the Landmarks commission to press the design team for revisions that better respect the block’s pedestrian scale.
What’s next: LPC hearing and public testimony
The Landmarks Preservation Commission is scheduled to review the application on March 10, when the development team will present the updated scheme and commissioners will take public testimony before deliberating. The LPC’s public-hearing guidance explains how residents and other interested parties can register to speak and submit written comments ahead of a hearing on the agency’s website.
Why this fight matters
The battle over 375 Lafayette reflects broader tensions stemming from the 2021 SoHo/NoHo rezoning, which opened portions of the historic district to larger, as-of-right development. Housing advocates point to the project’s roughly 200 apartments, while preservation voices argue that the area’s character is on the line. Village Preservation and local residents cast the debate as a collision between urgently needed housing and the protection of a well-loved streetscape.
Supporters highlight housing and jobs
Trade and labor representatives who testified at Community Board 2 focused on the project’s housing output and the construction jobs it would generate, and the applicant has signaled commitments to prevailing-wage thresholds for the site, according to reporting that summarized the committee’s discussion. For anyone looking to weigh in before the LPC’s March 10 review, the commission posts hearing details and sign-up instructions online.
