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In a nearly unanimous 41-1 vote, the New York City Council approved a controversial expansion to the Chelsea Market earlier this month that will double the building’s office space.

The expansion consists of two large towers that will be built atop the existing Chelsea Market building, creating almost 300,000 square feet of office and hotel space.

Despite support from speaker of the City Council Christine Quinn, many others, including Andrew Berman, chair of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, oppose the expansion.

“It’s deeply disappointing that the City Council and City Planning Commission are allowing a beloved New York City landmark to be disfigured, and one of the city’s most congested neighborhoods to be further overdeveloped,” Berman said. “In spite of the pleas of the vast majority of this neighborhood’s residents, once again the interests of real estate developers have won out.”

Berman also disagreed with the City Council’s claim that the expansion will not take away from the current Chelsea Market building.

“I’m not sure that I would call what was approved a ‘compromise,’” Berman said. “The City Council’s deal does say that affordable housing will be created as result and that 75 percent of the ground floor of Chelsea Market will be preserved for food uses.”

“However, similar promises have been made with such deals in the past and not turned out to be true. The City Council has not yet made public the terms how likely it is to truly come to pass,” he added.

Even though the expansion passed with an overwhelming majority, many of those who frequent Chelsea share Berman’s opinion.

“I think it’s ugly,” said Carly Carastranto, a 20-year-old Chelsea worker. “They want to put tall buildings on top of it. I mean, this area is already filled up enough. There’s terrible overcrowding, and it’s just not nice.”

Still others see the expansion as a necessary part of growth.

“Chelsea is a neighborhood at the center of a major revitalization of Manhattan,” said LSP freshman Ben Goelz. “This process is headed by the High Line and the Chelsea Market. They’re major tourist attractions that help the area. I think any further expansions can only help the Chelsea economy and continue the process of growth we’ve seen over the past few years. I think the congestion is just a temporary problem.”

But another frequent visitor to the Chelsea Market and supporter of the expansion plan best captured the rationale of the City Council.

“They’re keeping the lower section, which is historic, and the entire building is historic,” said 58-year-old Julie Spiegalman. “I think it’s a fantastic idea. If you don’t progress, you regress.”

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Nov. 27 print edition. Isaac Marshall is a staff writer. Email him at [email protected].