A Brooklyn-based developer's plan to build a 13-story residential tower above a Gristedes supermarket on Columbus Avenue has triggered an online petition and a wave of neighbor opposition from residents of the building directly behind the site. The proposal, which would rise above the existing commercial buildings at 500-504 Columbus Avenue between West 84th and West 85th Streets, calls for 19 family-sized units with three to five bedrooms carved into a structure that could reach 161 feet once rooftop mechanicals are included.
Upper West Side resident Serena Robbins launched the Change.org petition on Friday, October 16, 2026, asking City Council Member Gale Brewer and the Landmarks Preservation Commission to reject the proposal from Terra Developers, according to iLovetheUpperWestSide. The petition gathered more than 120 signatures within days, citing concerns about scale, shadow impacts on nearby sidewalks and a local school, and the precedent it could set for other landmark districts. While the main residential structure is designed to stand 145 feet tall, as West Side Rag first reported, the total height reaches 161 feet once elevator bulkheads, stair enclosures, and mechanical equipment on the roof are factored in.
A 20-Foot Gap Behind the Site
The sharpest opposition has come from co-op board members at 102 West 85th Street, a 12-story residential building whose south wall sits just 20 feet from where the proposed tower's north wall would rise, per the same iLovetheUpperWestSide account. Residents there testified that the narrow gap means the new construction would directly block sunlight to lower-floor apartments. Residents of 102 West 85th Street have also objected to the proposed tower.
Other commenters at the Community Board 7 preservation committee meeting on October 8 warned that the project could set a precedent for taller buildings along Columbus Avenue. The plan has cleared an earlier hurdle in the review process. The full Community Board 7 board is scheduled to vote on November 4, with its recommendation then forwarded to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to inform that agency's decision.
Developer Points to Unused Air Rights and Setbacks
Project architect Jordan Rogove of DXA Studio designed the 13-story tower with its top three floors set back 30 feet from Columbus Avenue, according to the same iLovetheUpperWestSide report.
Historic preservation consultant Cas Stachelberg of Higgins Quasebarth & Partners testified that both base buildings were originally completed in 1895, and that the northern building was cut down to three stories in 1936 when it was converted into a movie theater. The northern building had lost its original architecture, per the same account. West Side Rag reports the residential units in both buildings have sat vacant since at least the 1990s, according to the developer.
A Supermarket's Long Ownership History Ends
Terra Developers financed its $28 million purchase of 500 Columbus Avenue from CKMR Corporation, a legacy entity of Sloan's Supermarkets that had owned the property since the 1970s, using a $25 million loan arranged by Newmark with lender Derby Copeland in July, according to the Commercial Observer. The seller was founded by the Sloan and Meyer families, and the building's 12 upper-floor residential apartments had sat vacant for roughly three decades before the sale. The corner lot spans 10,217 square feet and holds roughly 35,258 square feet of existing building space, per BKREA.
Along with Gristedes, the commercial base of 500 Columbus Avenue houses Park West Laundromat and a shoe repair shop on West 84th Street, where developers plan to build the new residential entrance, repurposing side-street retail space so the grocery store's footprint along Columbus Avenue stays intact. Negotiations for Gristedes to temporarily relocate during construction and return afterward are reportedly still in early stages, according to an architecture firm representative at the committee meeting cited by West Side Rag, and the overall project timeline remains unclear because approvals are still pending.
Developer's Track Record on the Upper West Side
A Hoodline article about Barzini's grocery mentions Terra's purchase in passing.
The site sits within the Upper West Side Historic District, meaning any addition requires sign-off from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission in addition to community board review. With the full Community Board 7 vote set for November 4 and the petition still collecting signatures, the fight over how much new height a historic Columbus Avenue block can absorb is far from settled.
