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Calling All Interns
Our ever-reliable college intern over the past year, Chris Wodicka, is heading into the home-stretch to graduation so will be leaving us imminently. If you know someone looking to get a taste of the blogging world who can put a couple of words together and is a stickler for punctuality, please have him or her shoot us an email at brownstoner@brownstoner.com. Basic duties include doing the Events and Blog Wrap postings on a daily basis; more responsibility for the ambitious. Web skills and familiarity with Brooklyn are both a plus but neither is a requirement. There is a modest monthly stipend.
03/28/2008 10:11 AM
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Downtown Office Collective Tries to Go Green
Al Attara has owned his early-20th Century, seven-story office building on Flatbush Avenue for 30 years. Now he wants to share ownership with freelancers and small firms in the design, architecture and planning, media, and literary world. Collectively, he said they could pool their money to build a “green” addition 100 feet tall, “but we’ll go up as high as we can to take advantage of the southern exposure and wind.” Though a collective has always been his vision, up until two years ago Attara said his building was part of an urban renewal area, meaning it could be seized by the city at any time. Now, some tenants are ready to invest but the group is looking for more partners.
With Brooklyn gaining creative freelancers faster than any borough at 33 percent over five years, and more small creative firms moving here, Attara’s vision seems like an attractive option for those with capital. Currently, a large desk and free run of the building’s many cavernous, curio-filled rooms runs $400 per month. The problem is “creatives,” stereotypically bad with money and more concerned with self-fulfillment than financial gain, are competing for space in a profit-driven society. Which is why Attara said forming a collective is necessary for survival – it’s the only protection from getting the boot. (more…)
03/28/2008 10:01 AM
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Mega-Projects Dropping Like Flies
This morning Clyde Haberman has an op-ed summing up how a lot of New Yorkers feel right now about the city’s grand development plans: Most believe they’re not gonna happen anytime soon. For Brooklyn, the big maybe-never is Atlantic Yards, but there’s been a pileup in the past couple of weeks of other fading prospects: the MTA’s promise to extend service is on hold; Moynihan Station is looking to be a bust; and no one knows whether the long-planned Javits expansion will occur. But it’s not like New York hasn’t faced shattered visions before, and often for the better. Haberman quotes CUNY poli-sci professor John H. Mollenkopf as saying huge projects frequently go through several design phases over many years, and so, “‘New York will come back, and we will get another crack at all these things.’” On a related score, Metro’s Amy Zimmer reports on how there are worries that a stalled AY means empty space at the site will be used as parking lots for years to come. Councilmember Letitia James says parking lots are “a revenue generator and right now [land is] sitting fallow, arguing that Forest City Ratner should not allow the property, which is now attracting the homeless and illegal dumping, to be used in such a fashion.
As Builders’ Grand Visions Dissolve, So Does Our Faith [NY Times]
Visions of Parking Lots at Stalled Atlantic Yards Site [Metro]
Photo of demolished building in AY footprint by threecee.
03/28/2008 9:30 AM
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Park Slope: The Canary in the Coalmine
When we talk about the Brooklyn neighborhoods that are likely to fair best in the market downturn, blue chips like Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope are typically mentioned. But a New York Magazine article yesterday suggests that it’s all relative. While Park Slope may be holding up better than, say, Bedford Stuyvesant, it’s evidently doing a whole lot worse than Tribeca, which is the article cites as the richest neighborhood in the city. As the chart, at right, shows (with data provided by Streeteasy), one-bedrooms are up 23% over the past year in Tribeca while they’re down 2% in the Slope; three-bedrooms are up 26% in Tribeca and down 14% in Park Slope. Does this suggest a relative weakening for Brooklyn as a whole versus Manhattan going forward?
Where Boom Meets Bust? [New York Magazine]
03/28/2008 8:59 AM
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Weekend Events
Brooklyn Philharmonic: “Music Off the Walls”
On Sunday, The Brooklyn Philharmonic, in conjunction with the Brooklyn Museum’s Middle Eastern and Islamic collection, performs. Shades of Babylon includes works by Cowell, Ranjbaran and Oetgen. A gallery talk precedes the concert at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, 2:00 p.m. $15, $10 members, students and seniors. 200 Eastern Parkway. (718) 488-5913.
“31 Under 31″ Exhibition
Today, 3rd Ward, located at 195 Morgan Avenue, hosts the last day of “31 Under 31: Young Women in Art Photography.” The exhibition is presented by Humble Arts Foundation in collaboration with Ladies Lotto.
BAX First Weekend
Brooklyn Arts Exchange presents work from Abby Browde, Andrew Gilchrist, and Antonio Ramos as part of its “First Weekends” series. Friday and Saturday, 8:00 p.m. $15, $8 low income. 421 Fifth Avenue. (718) 832-0018.
Gallery Players: Lysistrata
This weekend, The Gallery Players perform Aristophanes’s Lysistrata. Saturday, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Sunday, 3:00 p.m. $18, $14 seniors and children 12 and younger. 199 14th Street. (212) 352-3101.
Tom Billings Reception
Gitana Rosa Gallery hosts an opening reception for Tom Billings’s After the First Stroke, Everything is a Correction. The exhibition runs thru April 11. Saturday, 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Free. 19 Hope Street. (718) 387-0115.
Daniel Weiner Closing Reception
On Sunday, 440 Gallery presents the final day of Daniel Weiner’s exhibition “Department of the Interior.” Sunday, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Free. 440 Sixth Avenue. (718) 499-3844.
Have an event you think we should list? Send it along to events@brownstoner.com.
03/28/2008 8:32 AM
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Friday Links
Greenpoint at Sunrise. Photo by bitchcakesny.
Job Total Dips in State, but the City Gains a Bit [NY Times]
Extra Tax For Rich People Slips Out of Budget [NY Times]
City Looking to Play Ball With Joe Sitt? [NY Post]
Gun-Panic Lockdown in Gravesend H.S. [NY Post]
Dailies Snooze on AY Coverage [AY Report]
Trader Joe’s Work Begins [McBrooklyn]
03/28/2008 8:03 AM
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Thursday Blogwrap
Park Slope. Photo by emma.maria
Checking In: Kaufman’s Decora Goes Green in the Burg [Curbed]
Barrio: More than a Canopy and a Phone Number [OTBKB]
Coney Carousel Traveling to Ohio for a While [GL]
NYPD Sky Watch Deployed to Dumbo [Dumbo NYC]
Thistle & Clover [CH Blog]
03/27/2008 4:28 PM
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Closing Bell: Carroll Gardens Combats Circular Dumpings
We’ve noticed more and more “No Flyer” signs popping up outside of houses in Carroll Gardens. Assemblywoman Joan Millman’s office has been distributing the signs for free after Millman pushed a bill through the Assembly that gives the city the power to enforce violations on the unsolicited circular deposits on homes. Has anyone given these signs a spin? They working?
Assemblywoman Millman Fights Flyer Scourge [Brownstoner]
03/27/2008 4:00 PM
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Today on the Brownstoner Backpages
There’s one new post on the Brooklyn Flea Blog:
Beaucoup Press and a New Logo [Brooklyn Flea]
Here are some of the topics posted on the Forum today:
Where to Rent a Tiller in Brooklyn?
Anybody Selling an Exterior Door?
Goldleafing Address Above Door?
Where Should I List My Brownstone Apartment?
Utility Workers Peeing in My Basement!
03/27/2008 3:01 PM
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StreetLevel: Sweet-Tooth War on Court Street
Which biz will best satisfy the insatiable cravings of Cobble Hill residents? In one corner we have Sweet Melissa, which, per A Brooklyn Life, is expanding its operations on Court near Butler to include the next-door storefront. The new space (top photo), which is supposed to open in the next month, will serve beer and the backyard garden will run the length of both buildings. In the other corner—and directly across the street—we have a young upstart in the neighborhood, The Chocolate Room. The Room’s second location after Park Slope has been on tap for a long time now, but serious construction is finally getting under way inside the space (bottom photo). According to the contractor on the job, Chocolate Room’s owner is hoping to have it up and running within the next few weeks. Sugar rush to the finish line on these two, it seems.
Sweet Melissa Expanding [A Brooklyn Life]
StreetLevel: Room for Chocolate on Court Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
03/27/2008 2:30 PM
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House of the Day: 265 Hicks Street (Curb Cut and All!)
Hicks and Joralemon is a great location, that’s for sure, but this four-story house at 265 Hicks is definitely sub-par for the neighborhood. The victim of a stoop castration and a not-so-hot re-bricking of the facade, the building was also divided into eight units at some point. The listing doesn’t provide any interior photos, suggesting that there ain’t much to show (a likely scenario given the subdivision in to multiple units.) The good news? The property will be delivered vacant. The listing for the corner lot also promotes the fact that approvals are already in place for a curb cut. That’s sure to endear the new owner to the neighbors!
265 Hicks Street [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark
03/27/2008 1:23 PM
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Condo of the Day: 32 Berkeley Place, #3
Will $850 a foot fly in the Center Slope these days? Well, we’ll find out by what happens with a new brownstone duplex listing at 32 Berkeley Place. The 1,130-square-foot pad has nice old floors and sweet new roof deck to recommend it. The kitchen? Not so much. The combined monthly costs are only $452. For $939,000 in this kind of a set-up, we want to get a real third bedroom. But who knows—maybe someone will fall in love with the views.
32 Berkeley Place, #3 [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
03/27/2008 12:39 PM
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Massive Bridge Street Tower In The Works?
All but a few stores have officially shut down at the southeast corner of Willoughby and Bridge Streets in Downtown Brooklyn, and city records indicate a developer could build 760,000 square feet in their place – putting the tower in the running for Brooklyn’s tallest. United American Land owner Al Laboz transferred 396,000 square feet of development rights he owns on a property down the block to this L-shaped site, which has additional frontage on Duffield Street neighboring the Aloft and Sheraton hotels under construction. Laboz has said he’s undecided about plans for the Bridge/ Willoughby Street property. But city records say he “intends to sell the land to a purchaser who presently intends to demolish the existing buildings,” and that the 740,000 square feet would be for residential. With the apparent glut of condos now on the market, Laboz or the buyer would be more likely to opt for rentals. For now, clearing the property of tenants, plus all those air rights, makes the property far more valuable. On the other hand, if it languishes on the market or the project has difficulty getting financing, Bridge and Willoughby will become a dark corner of Downtown. What do you think will happen?GMAP
Much of Downtown Brooklyn Going Out of Business [Brooklyn Eagle]
03/27/2008 12:01 PM
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Inside Third & Bond: Week 30
This week the Hudson Companies bloggers tackle the topic of piles and realize that, lo and behold, they are about 1/3 of the way to the finish line!
Thirty weeks, dear readers, that’s how long you’ve been tagging along on this real estate venture. Thirty weeks of decisions, problem-solving, and money paid out. And not even a nail for the new building is on site yet. Yes, this is the glamorous world of development. And speaking of glamour, this week we continue our discussion on piles—those long, thin columns that keep buildings where they are supposed to be, like toothpicks through canapés.
Last week, we went over the foundation design decision process and left you with the what kind of pile? cliffhanger gasp! As you’ll remember, there are a lot of different pile types. They’re like sports teams or little black sweaters or Democrats. They might seem identical but are actually very, very different. There are different ways to get piles into the ground, different ways that they support the weight of the structure, and different amounts supportable by a given pile type. There are also different materials. Here we’ll try to give you some basics sure to make you a favorite at happy hour…
(more…)
03/27/2008 11:29 AM
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Columbia Street: Still a Bumpy Ride
The seemingly never-ending construction on Columbia Street continues to seem never-ending. The finish line is finally maybe in sight, though: A city construction worker manning the repaving of the street says they’re hoping to have the stretch completed by this summer, and after that work’s going to begin on side streets (this is already happening between Degraw and the water). From the looks of it, progress has been made since we last checked in on the thoroughfare this summer. The work on the west side of the street appears complete, so all that’s left is the reconstruction of east side from around Congress to Degraw. The revamp is crazy overdue. The multi-million dollar, city-helmed project, which was supposed to be complete this fall, has been a hardship for the strip’s many mom-and-pops for far too long.
Columbia Street Revamp: Potholes in My Lawn [Brownstoner]
Columbia Street Faces Fading Prospects [Brownstoner]
03/27/2008 11:00 AM
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From Cars to Mini-Fridges on Tillary
One of the last prime spots for development in Downtown Brooklyn has been snatched up. Magna Hospitality Group, owner of Brooklyn’s Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express, this month spent $10.8 million on property at the corner of Tillary Street and Flatbush Extension best known to long-time Brooklynites as the former Pepper & Potter car dealership. Michael Armstrong, a rep for broker Ingram & Hebron, who represented the Potter family in the sale, said the hotel would have roughly 120 rooms over 47,000 square feet. The new hotel, which the Brooklyn Eagle reported will be a Hampton Inn, may (or may not) have some competition: Down the block, Oro Part Deux submitted an application (which was disapproved) last month for a 38-story tower with 376 hotel rooms and 74 apartments. And according to the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, more than 2,000 rooms are in some stage of development nearby, though many of those rooms are in a different class, renting at boutique prices, than the less-expensive Hampton Inn chain. While business travelers are more willing to pay high room rates, tourists (an increasing population in Brooklyn) tend to look for discounts, and could be even more encouraged to visit if rooms were less expensive. How do you think Magna will fare?
What’s Up with Oro Part Deux? [Brownstoner]
NY Sun: Downtown Brooklyn is Booming [Brownstoner]
03/27/2008 10:33 AM
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Council Green-Lights Grand Street Rezoning
Yesterday the City Council approved the rezoning of Grand Street in Williamsburg. The 13-block parcel was left out of the area’s wider ’05 rezone, and most new buildings on the street will now only be able to rise to about six stories. Gowanus Lounge notes that “the rezone could force the redesign of more than a dozen planned projects,” including two planned, Karl Fischer-designed buildings that were supposed to be 10 and 15 stories high. Good thing or bad?
Rezoning of Burg’s Grand Street Approved [Gowanus Lounge]
Grand Street Rezoning Approved [WGPA]]
Will Burg’s Grand Street Rezoning Chop Karl Fischer Towers? [Curbed]
Grand Street Rezoning [NYC.gov]
Update on Williamsburg/Greenpoint Rezonings [Brownstoner]
Maps from City Planning.
03/27/2008 10:00 AM
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Is Bruce Ratner Out of Cash?
Looks like Brooklyn isn’t the only borough seeing a stalled project care of our pals at Forest City Ratner. Apparently an ambitious FCR-developed 75-story tower planned for 8 Spruce Street, near City Hall, is going nowhere fast. This wouldn’t necessarily be news except for the fact that part of the Frank Gehry-designed building is supposed to include a public school, and the local community board down there is starting to get a wee bit skeptical about the school being ready for action in ’09, as promised. Downtown Express reports:
When Noah Pfefferblit, C.B. 1′s district manager, asked Ratner and the S.C.A. why no work has happened on the project in six months, he got two different answers. The School Construction Authority said there was a delay in delivering a shipment of steel, but that the steel would arrive soon. After that, work will begin on an expedited schedule to get the school open by fall 2009, the authority said. Ratner gave an entirely different explanation, after canceling an appearance at the community board to discuss the project. They said they’re having issues with their financing, Pfefferblit told the Youth and Education Committee Tuesday. Frank Gehry, known for complicated and whimsical buildings, designed the tower that will house the school. Paul Hovitz, a committee member, provided further evidence of funding troubles, which have been rumored for months. He was recently discussing the project with another board member in public, when a man overheard him. Ratner is having problems financing the project, said the man, who added that he worked for a company doing the financing, Hovitz said.
Join the club, Manhattan.
Delay? Count the Ways {Downtown Express]
Endangered AY [Brownstoner]
Photo by threecee.
03/27/2008 9:33 AM
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Atlantic’s Successful Antics
The Post displays some out-in-front reporting this morning with a story on the gentrification of Atlantic Avenue. Evidently, Atlantic has transformed from a strip defined mostly by parking lots a few decades ago to its current incarnation, notable for substantial residential and retail development. Most interesting are details about how home values have risen. “Back in 2000, a brownstone [in Boerum Hill] went for about $1.5 million,” says Nancy McKiernan of Nancy McKiernan Realty. The story says a brownstone off Atlantic today goes for roughly $2.5 million, and condos fetch in the $600- to $700-per-square-foot range. The article also has a roll call of all the avenue’s recent and planned development, including the Smith and Renaissance Realty’s in-progress luxury rental at 252 Atlantic. And, of course, Atlantic has seen a great deal of retail advances in the past few years, including its many newish boutique shops, the just-opened Urban Outfitters and the planned Trader Joe’s. The big elephant in the room, natch, is how plans to reopen the House of Detention are going to affect Atlantic’s progress. The article’s most hilarious quote is from a recent transplant who says, “The prison presence is barely noticeable at all!” That could change slightly if the city’s plans to reopen the facility with 1,469 inmates by 2012 moves forward.
Atlantic Current [NY Post]
Photo by urban_lisa.
03/27/2008 9:00 AM
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Thursday Events
Society for Clinton Hill Meeting
The Society for Clinton Hill meets tonight. The agenda includes wine and refreshments, announcements, May meeting board elections, and traffic and crime updates. Author Susan Choi reads her essay from the Brooklyn Was Mine collection. Thursday, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. St. Luke’s Church Community Room, Washington Avenue. (between DeKalb and Willoughby).
Toll Bros. at CB6
Toll Brothers will be stopping by tonight’s Community Board 6 meeting to make a address residents’ concerns about the massive development project it is planning along the Gowanus Canal. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at PS 32 at 317 Hoyt Street.
“Inner Lives Out Loud” Reading
Tonight, Brooklyn Reading Works presents a reading entitled “Inner Lives Out Loud,” featuring work from Regina McBride’s “Inner Lives, Developing Characters” workshops. Thursday, 8:00 p.m. $5. The Old Stone House, Fifth Avenue (between Third and Fourth).
Have an event you think we should list? Send it along to events@brownstoner.com.
03/27/2008 8:31 AM
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lalaland
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM