BFC Partners Unveils 99-Unit Tower Rising Above a Subway Station on the Lower East Side

• A new rendering has been unveiled for 100 Essex Street, a 10-story mixed-use residential building planned for Manhattan's Lower East Side.
• The project will include 99 rental apartments, with 26 permanently affordable units, along with 15,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.
• Developed by BFC Partners and designed by S9 Architecture, the building will also pave the way for long-awaited ADA accessibility upgrades at the Delancey Street–Essex Street subway station.

What the New Design Reveals

New renderings have offered a closer look at 100 Essex Street, one of the final major developments planned as part of the Essex Crossing redevelopment on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The project will replace the former Essex Street Market building and occupy the full block between Delancey Street and Rivington Street. The property is also addressed as 116 Delancey Street, placing it directly above one of the neighborhood's busiest subway stations. Designed by S9 Architecture, the 10-story building features a contemporary façade with staggered windows that create a subtle wave-like appearance across the exterior. Several setbacks on the eighth floor will provide private outdoor terraces, while a one-story retail extension along the northern side helps activate the surrounding streetscape.

What the Development Will Include

The mixed-use development will deliver 99 rental apartments, including 26 permanently affordable homes reserved for households earning between 37% and 130% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The residential mix will include 15 studio apartments, 35 one-bedroom units, 35 two-bedroom residences, and 14 three-bedroom homes, offering a variety of layouts for different household sizes. Residents will have access to a broad range of amenities, including in-unit laundry, a fitness center, children's playroom, coworking lounge, bike storage, pet spa, outdoor recreation space, and even a golf simulator. While the developer plans to charge a standard amenity fee for all residents, community leaders have suggested adopting a sliding-scale fee structure to better accommodate affordable housing tenants. The ground floor will feature 15,000 square feet of commercial space, creating new opportunities for retail, dining, and neighborhood-serving businesses within the Essex Crossing district.

What the Transit Improvements Mean

Beyond adding new housing, the project will deliver one of the Lower East Side's most significant public infrastructure improvements. Because the building sits directly above the Delancey Street–Essex Street subway station, the development will create the space needed for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to install three new elevators and expand an existing escalator landing, making the station fully ADA accessible. The accessibility upgrades are being funded through New York's Congestion Relief Zone program. Developers expect to hand over the required easement to the MTA by the end of 2027, allowing transit work to move forward while construction continues on the residential building. Current plans call for the station improvements to be completed in 2028.

What Comes Next for Essex Crossing

The site remains occupied by the former Essex Street Market building, which is expected to be demolished this fall before construction begins. Once underway, the project will become one of the last major additions to the Essex Crossing master plan, a redevelopment that has transformed the Lower East Side with new housing, retail, office space, and community facilities. Construction is expected to wrap up in fall 2029, adding nearly 100 new apartments while completing a long-awaited transit improvement that will benefit both future residents and thousands of daily subway riders.