By Gus Saltonstall
Work has come to a halt at the construction site of the future tallest building on the Upper West Side due to the presence of asbestos.
A “Stop Work Order” has been placed by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection on the work connected to 77 West 66th Street, which is part of the lot where Extell Development is constructing an 86-story building.
Once built, it will be the tallest building on the Upper West Side by more than 400 feet. Extell Development filed the permits for the new 1,182-foot building this April.
“DEP issued a Stop Work Order for the entire building on July 24 after an inspection found that water‑proofing tar material containing asbestos had been disturbed during demolition,” a spokesperson for the DEP emailed West Side Rag. “Work may not resume until a cleanup scope of work for all asbestos‑containing material has been submitted and approved, and the asbestos‑containing material has been properly abated. Once those steps are complete, the stop work order would be lifted and construction may proceed.”
It means no work has been done on that specific building for more than 15 days.
Asbestos is a mineral fiber found in rock and soil that can break during construction, including demolition work, into microscopic fibers that float in the air. Once these fibers get inhaled, they become permanently trapped in the lungs and can cause damage or cancer.
There is also an “Order to Stop Work” sign for the “entire building” posted to the green wall of the construction site on West 66th Street, between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West.
Extell Development did not immediately respond to WSR’s request for comment.
The new building will have 430 residential units, amenity space, roughly 25,000 square feet of retail space, and a garage with 187 parking spots, according to the permit filed by David Rothstein, an executive vice president at Extell.
In the fall of 2025, demolition work connected to the project spurred complaints from neighbors about the smell of burning rubber and watering eyes if you stood on West 66th or 67th streets, between Columbus and Central Park West.
At the time, DEP inspected the site and found no violations.
“I want to congragualate the DEP for doing adequate inspections, I know they’ve been staying on top of the noise meters and obviously in this case the air,” Upper West Side Councilmember Gale Brewer told the Rag on a phone call. “It is a concern that asbestos was not dealt with adequately and I am looking forward to any further inspections to make sure it is actually cleared up.”
It is unclear when work will restart at the Upper West Side construction site.
Thank you to the anonymous tipster who noticed the work had stopped in recent weeks.
Read More:
- What’s to Come for ABC’s Former UWS Campus? It’s Up in the Air…
- Negotiations About ABC’s Former Upper West Side Facilities Still Under Wraps
- CB7 Pushes for Affordable Housing at Former UWS ABC Campus, But Developer Plans Still Uncertain
- Extell Chairman Says He Willing to Include Affordable Housing at Former UWS ABC Site
- Demolition Work Sparks Complaints at Former UWS ABC Site: Possible 1,200-Foot Building on the Way
- New 86-Story Building Proposed for the Upper West Side; Would be Tallest in the Neighborhood
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
Gross. Best not to walk near construction sites or anywhere where they’re renovating — because nobody takes precautions. This site — there was so much white ‘smoke’ (chemicals or what have you) blowing around. Also when people decide to cut through wood and metal right on sidewalks. Asbestos — yeah — yummy!
The question, of course, is whether they will do it the “right” and “legal” way, or cut corners and end up spewing asbestos all over the area and the UWS. (Given that its Extell, I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them.) We all better get the number for Weitz & Luxembourg ready.