Hear that? It’s probably the groans of developer Frank LoCicero and the Bricolage design team echoing through the South Slope as it comes to light that not-in-my-backyard blogger In My Back Yard has scored architectural drawings for 406 15th Street, aka Armory Plaza. IMBY proceeds to deconstruct—and reverse engineer—the building plans.

If we are indeed reading the plans correctly, the garage vent opening will be placed at ground level in the rear yard of the Armory Plaza. But doesn’t that violate the setback required for new construction? Riddle me this… So when is a rear yard technically not a rear yard anymore? How about when it falls within the city’s 100′ commercial zoning overlay. Apparently, new buildings in this part of residential Brooklyn require a rear yard setback of 30 feet. This set back prohibits structures from being built in this backyard. However, although the Plaza is not a corner building, there is a 40′ area of the Armory Plaza that also falls within 100′ of 8th Avenue….The Armory Plaza apparently will use the 100 foot commercial overlay along 8th Avenue to bypass the 30 foot rear yard set back regulation, allowing for the placement of the parking garage’s carbon monoxide vent in the now rear commercial area of the building, just 10 feet from the backyard gardens of 16th Street residents…

And there are plenty more noxious details where that came from.
Commercial Overlays and The Silent Killer [Imby] GMAP
Video: Lots of Damage, No Control on 15th Street [Brownstoner]
Reckless 15th Street Excavation Forces Evac [Brownstoner]