Skyline Developers, the Wilf family's real estate firm, has shelled out about $19.2 million to buy air rights from the Brodsky Organization, clearing the way for a significantly taller tower at 185 East 80th Street on the Upper East Side. The deal injects additional development capacity into a project planned for the corner where Third and Lexington avenues meet.
Skyline stitched together the corner site in 2022, paying about $50.1 million for four parcels that include 185 East 80th Street, according to PincusCo. Public records show the firm bought several walk-up buildings and has been consolidating the lots in preparation for a major redevelopment.
Permits and plans
Department of Buildings applications reviewed by The Real Deal show Skyline has proposed a roughly 34-story tower rising about 508 feet. The filings outline approximately 244,000 square feet of space and about 66 residential units, along with basement parking, ground-floor retail and shared amenity rooms.
Deal specifics
Crain's New York Business reported that Skyline paid $19.2 million to the Brodsky Organization for additional development rights. According to Crain's New York Business, the transfer adds about 215,000 square feet to the project and includes roughly 57,000 square feet shifted from 1420-1424 Third Avenue. In a statement to Crain's New York Business, Orin Wilf said, "It was a pleasure working with the Brodsky Organization on the acquisition of the air rights."
Demolition and next steps
Skyline and its design team have already submitted paperwork to demolish the existing low-rise buildings, according to city filings. PincusCo's property notes show both demolition and new-building applications filed in 2025 as the developer gets ready to move ahead.
Neighborhood context
The proposed tower would significantly reshape a block now defined by prewar walkups and small retailers in Carnegie Hill, a shift that could invite resistance from preservationists and neighborhood groups. Crain's New York Business reported that Brodsky did not respond to a request for comment, and the plan will still require Department of Buildings approvals and community review before construction can start.
If built as proposed, the project would join a wave of taller developments that have been quietly, and not so quietly, changing parts of the Upper East Side. Skyline has not released a construction timeline, and the outcome of city review and any public hearings will determine how quickly the new tower climbs into the neighborhood skyline.
