BY SCOTT STIFFLER | The block-spanning construction project currently centered around a high-profile patch of Chelsea real estate is progressing at its projected pace—and with it, regular updates to the community as promised by TF Cornerstone.

As Chelsea Community News reported in our article of February 23 (click here to read it), properties on West 23rd Street (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.) are being demolished as part of a project set to see the creation of a 14-story building on West 23rd Street with 130 apartments and 5 street-level retail spaces—and, on West 22nd Street, a 40-apartment, 7-story building with an underground, 35-car-capacity parking garage.

The project requires the demolition of 250, 254, and 260 West 23rd Street—which housed, respectively, a soon-to-relocate Apple Bank branch, the shuttered-in-2017 East of Eighth restaurant, and a 3-story multiplex cinema under various owners from 1990 to 2023.

At a January 29 meeting with a TF Cornerstone rep, the Chelsea West 200 Block Association and the West 22nd Street Shared Street Committee sought assurances regarding the project’s garage, retail shops, and compliance with the neighborhood’s aesthetic. The Chelsea residents also requested regular project updates from TF Cornerstone.

Those updates have been sent approximately biweekly to Chelsea West 200 Block Association President Jesenko Vukadinovic, who’s been passing it along to the community. “The two-week look ahead covers until the end of April,” noted Vukadinovic of an April 16 update, adding, “There is a current two-week pause on progress… We will be notified when any new work is planned at the site. ” Among the information shared by Vukadinovic, as provided by TF Cornerstone:

—Demolition of the townhouse building at 254 West 23rd Street is completed. It has been completely dismantled, including the frame. No further work is required.

—Interior demolition of 260 West 23rd Street (Cinépolis Movie Theater) is completed. No further work is anticipated.

—The shell of the cinema building will be removed using mechanical equipment.  A wrecking ball or explosives won’t be used.

—The debris for the cinema building will be carted off via both West 22nd and 23rd Streets.

The project is eyed for completion as early as mid-2026. Chelsea Community News will continue to share these updates as they arrive.

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