Crews began demolishing the downtown Commerce Bank building Monday as part of plans to construct a new retail and residential space in its place.
Manhattan city commissioners in December approved more than $2 million in tax breaks to raze the building at 727 Poyntz Ave., including a 10-year property tax abatement and a sales tax exemption on construction materials.
The request, which came from Hutton Development, also included an appeal to the city government to pay for half the cost of improvements to Poyntz Avenue.
