Developer plans 162 units on Harlem’s 125th Street

March 28, 2022 | Published in The Real Deal - New York Real Estate News

Mark Irgang filed plans for a 144K sf building

Developer Mark Irgang in front of 35 West 125th Street (Irgang Group, Google Maps)

The rush to add housing to Harlem has another entrant.

Developer Mark Irgang filed plans with the Department of Buildings to construct an approximately 144,000-square-foot building at 35 West 125th Street, Crain’s reported. The 195-foot-tall building would include 21 stories with 162 residential units.

Irgang filed plans last month to demolish the two-story commercial structure at the address, Crain’s reported. The timeline for both the demolition and the development of the forthcoming mixed-use building is not clear.

Menzak is set to serve as the architect for Irgang’s building, which was not filed under his typical Irgang Group banner, but instead with the business name MBR/MGR; Crain’s reported the businesses appear to be connected. In addition to the residential units, the development will also include ground floor retail space and room for an art gallery.

Irgang has several other projects in the works, including affordable senior housing developments at 707 East 211th Street and 3560 White Plains Road in the Bronx, in addition to a 267-unit mixed-use project at 1185 River Avenue. Prior to the pandemic, Irgang sold a 14-building portfolio to the Neighborhood Restore Housing Development Fund Corp. for $74 million, slated to be converted into housing for the homeless.

There’s a wave of housing projects in the works for Harlem. Earlier this month, Eli Fouerti filed plans for a 129,000-square-foot building 2005 Third Avenue on East 110th Street. The affordable housing development calls for 91 units in a 15-story building, featuring ground-floor retail space and a day care.

Only yards away from Irgang’s planned development, HUBBNYC in September paid $105 million for the 141-unit rental and retail building at 56 West 125th Street. Brooklyn-based Jay Group was the seller of the 17-story building.

Harlem’s 125th Street is often considered the main commercial corridor of the neighborhood, drawing the attention of investors and developers. Target and Trader Joe’s are among the major retailers opening locations on the block.