Majority of Neighbors Vote for White Balconies Trimmed in Magenta
Following complaints, a developer for the project at 329 Pleasant Ave. gave the neighborhood a chance to vote on the color scheme for an eight-story, modernist project going up between two century-old buildings, a brownstone and a five-story walk-up.
The vote count came in Monday, and the original plan for balconies finished with alternating panels of angled green and turquoise glass was soundly defeated.
With 297 votes counted, the winner was the most restrained of all color combinations on the ballot: white balconies with magenta trim that become less and less intense toward the top of the building.
“Going forward we will be using the preferred color scheme in our development,” said Eran Polack, chief executive of HAP Investments LLC, the company developing the site.
The winning color choice was identified as “Translucent Cirrus with graduated Magenta balcony trim.”
The original scheme, “Stratos Blue/Cosmos with Ocean balcony trim,” placed third out of five combinations, with 46 votes.
Beside the modernist design and vibrant colors, neighbors objected to the plan to erect the bulk of the Hap building back from the street.
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HAP Investments Gives Locals a Say in New Project’s Design
A rendering of new building at 329 Pleasant Avenue near East 118th Street. ENLARGE
A rendering of new building at 329 Pleasant Avenue near East 118th Street. KARIM RASHID
Laurena Torres, a commercial real-estate broker who lives nearby and gathered petition signatures from neighbors who want to stop the building, refused to vote on the choice of a color scheme.
“I have 1,143 people who say they don’t want this building to be here, period,” Ms. Torres said. “Forget about the colors and the 300 votes for pink, green or smoke. The bottom line is all of them are ridiculous because the property is totally incongruous.”
All five choices of colors in the poll were created by Karim Rashid, who designed the building.
“The facade will have a beautiful warm feeling like a sunset,” he said. “White glass always looks so elegant, the purity and cleanliness contrasting with the graduating pink hues running up the building.”