Sunset Park's Federal #2 a Potential Lifeboat for Creatives
Work on one of Brooklyn’s biggest redevelopment projects probably won’t begin for about another year. Back in May, the the city’s EDC announced that a joint venture between Time Equities and the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation had been selected to redevelop a 1.1-million-square-foot Sunset Park warehouse called Federal Building #2 into a mixed-use light manufacturing…
Work on one of Brooklyn’s biggest redevelopment projects probably won’t begin for about another year. Back in May, the the city’s EDC announced that a joint venture between Time Equities and the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation had been selected to redevelop a 1.1-million-square-foot Sunset Park warehouse called Federal Building #2 into a mixed-use light manufacturing and retail complex. The 8-story building, next to the Gowanus Expressway on 3rd Avenue between 30th and 32nd streets, will be gut renovated. Two major hurdles need to be cleared before the rehab begins, however: The property still needs to be transferred from the federal government to the city (which will in turn transfer it to the developers), and the proposal has to go through ULURP. According to Margaret Nelson, director of real estate programs for the BEDC, the federal government will likely transfer the property to the city within the next few months. The proposal is also expected to enter ULURP very soon, said Nelson, and the review process is expected to take between six months and a year. The project will cost more than $200 million and eventually create more than 1,285 full-time jobs, according to the EDC. From what we hear, at least one of the end-uses for the space will be to provide artists and creative professionals with affordable, loft-like space for under $20 a foot. Given the rate at which these folks are being priced out of Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Dumbo, this sounds like welcome news to us.
Press Release on Federal Building #2 [NYCEDC] GMAP P*Shark
the house of detention on Atlantic Ave didn’t stop the hip-ness swell in Boerum Hill
The building is right beside the Metropolitan Detention Centre, a federal prison housing over 2500 inmates. Wonder whether this will have an effect on the sale/rent of the condos and day care spots?
$20 a foot isn’t affordable for any of the artists I know, although I’m sure it’s great for small crafts and artisans. An informal survey of everybody I knew living in illegal live/work spaces in Bushwick would suggest $10-$14 as the range that all the weird painters I know could handle.
It depends on improvements (a lot of these lofts were totally bare and needed drywall, stoves, DIY plumbing attachments, space heaters), but typically it’s not a “cheap” loft in 2006 unless the monthly rent in dollars is about the same as the square footage. Shame they’re not building more spaces like this.
Live/work is the key component for people who are just starting out. When I lived in a crud neighborhood to save cash (not in a live/work space), I was paying $11/sqft/yr. Loft space came at a premium over that, but if you deduct the cost of housing, it was very cheap for studio space. But this becomes less true every day.
People are being priced out of williamsburg? Say it isn’t so!
I hope this works out. Affordable artist and light manufacturing space would be great.
Small business like upholsterers, furniture makers, framers, carpenters, boutique clothing companies, etc need spaces that have light and air and room to work. Those spaces are few and far between, nowadays.
I already know artists moving to sunset park because its cheap, pretty safe, has awesome food and the D train. Its a pretty nice area…
now all I have to do is convince my gf to move.
artist studios = next hip neighborhood.
Too bad that highway seperates sunset park, between the residential and warehouses.
I thought BEDC was involved in this project from a job retention/creation perspective. Even a successful artist with assistants does not generate many jobs.
word of mouth at this point