A formerly hard-partying block in Chelsea has slipped off its dancing shoes and stepped into something a little more comfy -- or, more to the point, a bit more residential. The Wall Street Journal reports that the West 27th Street block between 10th and 11th Avenue, formerly the site of several notably noisy night clubs, has recently given way to new commerical and residential construction -- with Chelsea Muse, a new luxury rental, leading the way. And while the economy is still somewhat unsteady, the development surge in West Chelsea's former club haven is showing every indication of continuing its book. Factor in the arrival of the second leg of the High Line, and it's easy to understand why the Journal deems the northern reaches of Chelsea "poised for a new wave of development."
Of course, you could also just look at the goings on in Chelsea. In June alone, the second phase of the High Line opened, a new theatre troupe began performing in the McKittrick Hotel and mainstay galleries lining the streets were joined by new openings, signaling that, while nightlife in this area is no longer moving to the oonce-oonce of club beats, it will still have a significant pulse. New luxury rental listings north of the area will entice some buyers, and more new construction luxury development is sure to come. Some of the credit for this has to go to the Chelsea Muse, which has a location at the heart of this artistic revitalization and has emerged as one of the more promising luxury rental listings in West Chelsea (and one of the more popular new Chelsea rental listings on Luxury Rentals Manhattan.
Given that you're reading this on a site called Luxury Rentals Manhattan, it's probably not all that surprising that we at the LRM blog are looking forward to Chelsea's new luxury rentals. But while we're always glad to see new Manhattan rental listings come on line, there's also a bit of smart urbanism to applaud, here. The swathe of West Chelsea that runs from West 16th Street to West 30th was rezoned in 2005 after neighborhood residents complained about the constant noise and disruption spawned by the nightclubs, and the departure of those clubs for points south (try the Lower East Side) has helped the formerly clubbier West Chelsea look and feel more like, well, the rest of Chelsea.
That's a compliment, given how diverse, livable and distinctively Chelsea Chelsea has become. "In part because of the unique split zoning, development on West 27th is notably diverse," the Journal's Laura Kusisto reports. "The first new building on the block was an office condo developed by architecture and development firm FLANK at 520 W. 27th St., which is now home to a shoe company, galleries, a fashion agency, an architecture firm and a recording studio for Alicia Keys." And if the new phase of the High Line does provide a "flurry of new business," as the WSJ predicts, the odds are high a similar residential influx will follow. And unlike the crowds that formerly flocked to West Chelsea, these new residents probably won't be fighting for cabs at 4:15am.
