Construction on Vue53, a large luxury apartment and retail complex located on 53rd Street, is slated to begin next month. When the project was initially presented to a community development group in 2013, the anticipated start of construction was January 2014. A lawsuit filed by nearby property owners delayed building at the Vue53 site for more than a year.

The building is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016. The project has been backed by the University as part of an effort to push development west along 53rd Street.

James Hennessey, the Associate vice president for commercial real estate operations at the University, responded to the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, as well as to those worried about the project’s size. He maintained that the University held meetings with community members in advance of the development.

According to a statement sent by Hennessey, most people at these meetings supported the project. Hennessey described changes prompted by community input at these meetings, including a height reduction by one story and an increase in the availability of affordable housing offered in conjunction with the project. However, Michael Scott, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, expressed concerns about how those meetings had been conducted.