A 23-story tower on the Upper West Side just had the best month of its sales life, closing eight condominium contracts in July worth between $2.48 million and $4.43 million apiece. The building at 250 West 96th Street, marketed as 96+Broadway, had struggled with slowing sales after its 2022 debut, but a spring relaunch under new sales agents has turned it into Manhattan's top-selling new development for the month.
A Slow Start Gets a New Sales Team
When 250 West 96th Street first launched sales in August 2022, Compass Development Marketing Group served as the exclusive sales agency, with asking prices starting at $1.395 million for a one-bedroom, according to New York YIMBY. Sales slowed in the years that followed, prompting Corcoran's Team Arceon to join the property for a relaunch in spring 2026, as reported by Realtor.com. Kristen Suh, who leads Team Arceon, said the building was responsible for its own hot sales streak, telling the outlet the building looks better in its third year than when it was first built. Per the same report, the team met with the entire building staff to teach them about the property's premium materials before pushing forward with sales.
The sponsor also sweetened the deal. To drive sales velocity ahead of summer, closing credits ranged from $12,000 for one-bedroom residences up to $35,000 for five-bedroom units on contracts signed by June 30, according to Prime Manhattan Residential. Developer JVP Management built the 276,578-square-foot tower on the offering plan registered under sponsor entity Paragon JV Prop III LLC, which the New York State Attorney General's Office accepted on May 23, 2022 under file number CD21-0266, per state real estate finance records.
What Buyers Are Getting
The July closings included a $2.48 million two-bedroom, two-bath unit and a $4.43 million three-bedroom, 3.5-bath unit, per Realtor.com's report. As of August, the building's active listings included Unit 21C priced at $4.7 million and Penthouse B listed at $5 million, though the outlet noted a contract had not been signed for the penthouse. The 131-unit building is now 65 percent sold, the report states.
Thomas Juul-Hansen designed the tower's exterior and interiors, while Stephen B. Jacobs Group PC served as architect of record, according to New York YIMBY. The building uses Jura gray limestone on its exterior, and interiors feature travertine marble, Brazilian desert quartzite, bronze, and solid oak, the report notes. Suh said the designer prioritized permanence in materials and finishes, and the lobby includes hand-brushed Venetian plaster and a welcome desk carved from a single block of Italian travertine marble beneath a column-free, 20-foot ceiling window. Solid oak cabinets imported from Italy feature dovetail joinery, and units include giant windows with bronze frames, per Realtor.com's account.
Amenities Built to Compete
The building sits between Riverside Park and Central Park on the Upper West Side and includes a 75-foot indoor saltwater pool, a spa suite, fitness center, pilates studio, a regulation-sized squash and half-basketball court, a children's playroom, music room, entertainment lounge, and pet grooming station, according to the same report. Its 24th-story rooftop deck offers panoramic views of Billionaire's Row and the Hudson River, along with two barbecue grill stations, five outdoor tables, and an outdoor cinema.
Suh said buyers increasingly view the building as an upgrade rather than a downgrade, and the report notes the property is attracting buyers from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and California, with out-of-state buyers described as downsizing from sprawling single-family homes.
A Market Running Short on New Supply
The building's rebound is unfolding against a broader Manhattan supply crunch. In April 2026, zero new condominium developments launched sales in the borough, according to Marketproof. Suh told Realtor.com that new luxury development inventory has dropped nearly 40 percent and is now at its lowest level in a decade, and she said the Upper West Side luxury development pipeline is projected to run 93 percent below its 10-year average over the next four years. That scarcity comes even as Manhattan new development condo sales had already surged 71 percent year-over-year in late 2025, reaching 18.3 percent of all Manhattan residential sales — the highest quarterly market share in six years, according to the Avenue Law Firm.
Housing Debate and a New Tax Complicate the Picture
The building's success has also drawn scrutiny from local housing advocates. A study from Manhattan City Councilmember Gale Brewer's office found that out of 630 new residential units built across District 6 on the Upper West Side between 2022 and late 2024, 250 West 96th Street produced only one affordable housing unit alongside 130 luxury market-rate units, according to West Side Rag. That single affordable one-bedroom was offered through the NYC Housing Connect lottery in late 2024 at an estimated purchase price of $308,313, with an estimated monthly maintenance fee of $500, per iLoveTheUpperWestSide.com.
Meanwhile, New York City implemented a pied-à-terre tax on upscale properties worth over $5 million effective July 1, 2026, per Realtor.com's reporting, with the surcharge reaching 1.3 percent at its highest tier for properties over $25 million. Separately, the city's Department of Finance began broader rollout of a related non-primary-residence surcharge on July 22, 2026, covering condos valued over $1 million and single-family homes over $5 million, according to Sheppard Mullin. After confusion from initial municipal notices mailed in July, the city extended the deadline for property owners to file for an exemption from August 21 to September 18, 2026, according to Kaufman Rossin, which noted that initial mailings captured nearly 960,000 properties before officials clarified only about 17,000 were actually subject to the tax.
