A zoning battle over the height of a planned residential tower in Manhattan’s Upper West Side has been resolved in the New York Supreme Court, ending a yearslong legal dispute that was seen by some as a potential harbinger for luxury development schemes in the nation’s largest city. 

200 Amsterdam came under scrutiny almost immediately after being announced in 2016 from a slate of organizations who claimed the 52-story apartment building was able to exploit a loophole in order to obtain the building permits necessary to put a high-rise development in a neighborhood that has traditionally been residential.

The Elkus Manfredi-designed building saw its initial permit temporarily revoked in 2017 thanks to a challenge filed with the city’s Department of Buildings. The permit was re-issued that September, and what followed was a torrent of lawsuits, reviews, stop-work issues, and an attempt at obtaining a restraining order that was eventually denied. 

All the while work continued on the site as its fate lay in the hands of the state’s legal apparatus. Things came to a head in February of last year when a Supreme Court judge ordered the Department of Buildings to revoke the permits and remanded developers SJP group to remove 20 floors of the building, which was near completion. 

SJP fought the order in appellate court and eventually won in March, after which it began marketing penthouses that ranged between $17.5 and $19 million. Only one hurdle remained at that point, which came in the form of a challenge from the Municipal Art Society that kept the final status of the development in jeopardy until the higher court’s decision came down last week, conclusively ending the legal saga which had garnered support from Jerry Nadler and Manhattan borough president Gale Brewer.

“200 Amsterdam will legally and rightfully stand as meticulously constructed and soon welcome homeowners while generating millions of dollars in annual tax revenue to the benefit of all New York City residents,” SJP’s chairman Steven J. Pozycki said in a press statement. “We are proud to deliver a beautiful, architecturally distinct building to this special Upper West Side neighborhood and look forward to welcoming 200 Amsterdam’s first residents in the coming weeks.”