Zoning approval and controversy Anthony and
Peter L. Malkin, owners of the
Empire State Building, had requested the creation of a 17-block exclusion zone that would prohibit large buildings from being built that would obstruct views of their historic structure and suggested that the proposed skyscraper be limited to in height. They embarked on what
The New York Times described as "a fierce public relations, advertising and lobbying campaign" to derail the project. On August 25, 2010, in a 47–1 vote, the City Council voted to approve construction of the building. In December 2011, the building project was postponed due to low office market rents. On March 4, 2013, Vornado announced that it was abandoning plans to build the tower; instead it will "invest aggressively" into the Hotel Pennsylvania to make it into "a really profitable, really good hotel for our purposes." In August 2014, citing increased interest from tenants, the project was unshelved and the proposed renovation of Hotel Penn was put on hold indefinitely. Still, as of February 2015, Vornado Chairman & CEO
Steven Roth was non-committal to the project: "The Hotel Penn is important, but not the main event. The main event is to get the office buildings so that they command higher market ranch than they do currently. And by the way, they are rising with the marketplace, quite smartly, currently. So we're not prepared to commit to what our plan for the Hotel Pennsylvania is."
Manhattan Community Board 5 voted against the proposed project in December 2017, citing a request for higher energy efficiency and more public and transit improvements. The
New York City Department of City Planning approved the plan, which would allow the building to be 56% larger than standard zoning rules provide under special regulations that encourage the development of high-density office space near
transit hubs.
Henry Stern, former Commissioner of the
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation said the proposed building "could do irreparable harm" to the city. However, Daniel Biederman, president of the 34th Street Partnership joined union and construction officials in saying that "If there's anywhere a building of this size and bulk should be built, it's at Penn Station."
Site clearing In April 2021, Vornado again announced plans to demolish the hotel to make way for the new skyscraper, known as Penn15. Demolition of the hotel was underway by January 2022 and was completed by July 2023. After the Hotel Pennsylvania was demolished, Vornado explored using the site for "fashion shows or other temporary uses" until market conditions warrant construction of the building. Vornado briefly considered obtaining a gambling license for a building on the site in 2023, but the plan was dropped amid competition from other developers. In February 2024, Vornado considered a temporary event venue for the site, which might include a 10-story billboard and tennis courts. Vornado again considered developing 15 Penn Plaza in late 2025. ==See also==