Brownstoner: Developers Giving "The Finger" To Burg Residents

As a new resident in the area, it is confounding how elected officials can stand by and let this sort of thing happen... Speaking of politicians, is anyone as dumbfounded as me by the 'solution' to the limited amount of affordable housing... if developers agree to build 15% affordable housing they can then build 20% higher buildings... how is that positive for the community? How about, in order to build 25 story buildings in front of previously unobstructed water views on the East River, you have to build 20% affordable housing...

Posted by: Anonymous at March 14, 2005 10:04 AM

This reminds me: My understanding is that this park is going to extend-- in a bike path or something-- up past the Navy Yards to the park that's planned in Williamsburg/Greenpoint. Does anybody a) know if that's true, and b) understand how it's going to work? Is the bike path going to go along Flushing Ave.?

I've been hoping they'll squeeze something pretty & useful between the Navy Yards & the BQE, but I can't quite figure out how they could.

Posted by: ft grn at March 14, 2005 1:16 PM

rumor on the street is that the "development" at 297 driggs - currently casting its ugly shadow over beloved Enid's - just received approval to add four additional stories. we were all wondering why they started framing before capping off the top.....

Posted by: angus at March 14, 2005 1:25 PM

i think the navy yard green corridor might simply be an upgraded bike path (along flushing ave) which will connect the major spaces in dumbo and wmsbrg. and i'm not sure that this stretch will necessarily have much "green" in it. don't know for sure though.

Posted by: agog at March 14, 2005 3:40 PM

Does anyone else think that Williamsburg is WAY OVERRATED?? The city has all these plans for these new hi-rises, yet nobody mentions the already over-crowded L train is the only way to get to Manhattan. Good luck to those buyers... I hope the developers of the new luxe buildings include helicopter landing pads on the roof cause they are gonna need 'em. Then there is the toxic land! Who is gonna clean it?? That huge oil spill of the 1950s near Newton Creek in Greenpoint was never cleaned up... not to mention all the years of Williamsburg industry that has polluted the land. But, nobody has mentioned that either... I just cannot fathom these prices based on pure hype. There is also no major grocery store, no movie theaters, no major drug store chain... I mean, I love that small-town feel -- don't get me wrong. But for 700K, if I am sick I wanna be able to get some friggin Robitussin.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 14, 2005 7:38 PM

to be honest, it seems like there is a HUGE communication gap between the actual developers and both the new AND long time residents of Wburg/Grnpt- factors such as language barriers, religious preferences, cultural differences and the like ALL make it even harder for there to be a meeting of the minds. You almost have to be an anthropologist to broker an ethical deal in this hood. The money game driving this development pits everyone against each other- just like across the river- and even though many try to portray themselves as the cooperative types, its the autonomous backstabbers that end up as the richest builder or broker. The good guy just ends up broke. That is, unless he is willing to run twice as fast and mesh art with his approach. Most of Williamsburg, it is sad to say, has become void of true art- it is obvious that one no longer needs it to survive out here. We are seeing a gradual disintegration of cooperative vibes when it comes to real estate practices in the "new burg." No wonder all of these Space Elevators seem so ALIEN in this area built on ART and Elbow Grease- and it shouldn't be surprising that Brownstones have more to offer aesthetically. Just think about the differences between Midtown and Harlem. (Perhaps this isn't the BEST example for comparison, but it does lead one to consider the difference between the artist and the capitalist.)
what happens when art is bought out by the very hype it inspires? the canvas becomes more expensive than the painting and the artist can no longer afford to paint. I live in Greenpoint and I feel bad for the good people of this hood, losing their views to unartistic 'wonder-boxes.' Developers should be required to take a couple of cultural anthropology classes. There should be some level of understanding that must be met when it comes to designing buildings that fit with the vibe of people in a community- for this, I wish the burg was landmarked Especially those building in a hood that they don't even live in. If there were another art aside from the art of cutting corners, perhaps we would see signs of REAL development- until the day when art triumphs over money, the buildings and the barriers will only get bigger. We don't want Brooklyn to become Manhattan.
these were just a few thoughts i felt i needed to add...i hope the overall point is clear. Its late and I've been renting apartments all day....
oh, just one last thing: Brownstoner, the "finger" thing is becoming a bit played out. I happen to truly love this blog otherwise and I hope you take it as just friendly criticism from one who has read (somewhat) religiously since version 1.0 But remember, not everybody can renovate their building step-by-step on the web and make it look so pristine. Also it is far more expensive to renovate a factory building than a brownstone and the involvement is an entirely other species of renovation (as you well know)- not to mention, the process can never be as pretty. Brownstoneland and the Burg are apples and oranges- both are without fingers. There has to be other ways of inspiring others to seek art in thier projects besides pointing at those that are obviously in need. The re-zoning hasn't occured as of yet and there is still a lot of room for improvement. Sorry for the rant-------again, thanks Brownstoner

Posted by: Justin at March 14, 2005 11:43 PM

to be honest, it seems like there is a HUGE communication gap between the actual developers and both the new AND long time residents of Wburg/Grnpt- factors such as language barriers, religious preferences, cultural differences and the like ALL make it even harder for there to be a meeting of the minds. You almost have to be an anthropologist to broker an ethical deal in this hood. The money game driving this development pits everyone against each other- just like across the river- and even though many try to portray themselves as the cooperative types, its the autonomous backstabbers that end up as the richest builder or broker. The good guy just ends up broke. That is, unless he is willing to run twice as fast and mesh art with his approach. Most of Williamsburg, it is sad to say, has become void of true art- it is obvious that one no longer needs it to survive out here. We are seeing a gradual disintegration of cooperative vibes when it comes to real estate practices in the "new burg." No wonder all of these Space Elevators seem so ALIEN in this area built on ART and Elbow Grease- and it shouldn't be surprising that Brownstones have more to offer aesthetically. Just think about the differences between Midtown and Harlem. (Perhaps this isn't the BEST example for comparison, but it does lead one to consider the difference between the artist and the capitalist.)
what happens when art is bought out by the very hype it inspires? the canvas becomes more expensive than the painting and the artist can no longer afford to paint. I live in Greenpoint and I feel bad for the good people of this hood, losing their views to unartistic 'wonder-boxes.' Developers should be required to take a couple of cultural anthropology classes. There should be some level of understanding that must be met when it comes to designing buildings that fit with the vibe of people in a community- for this, I wish the burg was landmarked Especially those building in a hood that they don't even live in. If there were another art aside from the art of cutting corners, perhaps we would see signs of REAL development- until the day when art triumphs over money, the buildings and the barriers will only get bigger. We don't want Brooklyn to become Manhattan.
these were just a few thoughts i felt i needed to add...i hope the overall point is clear. Its late and I've been renting apartments all day....
oh, just one last thing: Brownstoner, the "finger" thing is becoming a bit played out. I happen to truly love this blog otherwise and I hope you take it as just friendly criticism from one who has read (somewhat) religiously since version 1.0 But remember, not everybody can renovate their building step-by-step on the web and make it look so pristine. Also it is far more expensive to renovate a factory building than a brownstone and the involvement is an entirely other species of renovation (as you well know)- not to mention, the process can never be as pretty. Brownstoneland and the Burg are apples and oranges- both are without fingers. There has to be other ways of inspiring others to seek art in thier projects besides pointing at those that are obviously in need. The re-zoning hasn't occured as of yet and there is still a lot of room for improvement. Sorry for the rant-------again, thanks Brownstoner

Posted by: Justin at March 14, 2005 11:44 PM

Greenpoint Guy -

I appreciated most of your points. However, I'm confused at how the 'finger building' is 'played out'. Maybe the label is, but that building and the developer/architect responsible for it (and many other hideous structures that do not mesh with any neighborhood they have built in...) is precisely the central piece to the point you and most of us have been making all along. It does not fit in with the neighborhood. It is 250 feet high, everything else on the block is 50 feet at most. To reiterate, it is 5 times larger then anything else in that immediate area. This is an egregious foul, executed by another in a long string of developers who build and profit handsomely outside of their own neighborhood. (Were there an open lot next to their own home would they build something 5 times as large?) And, there strategic execution of rampant disregard for community will not be solved by a few anthropology courses (I like the idea anyway) or the cliff notes of Jane Jacobs. They are profiteers and capitalists, intent on taking the whole pie, not even just a very large slice. For chrissakes, a 100 foot building would yield a huge profit - I've done the math.

For me, however, it is the representatives of that neighborhood - David Yassky et al - that have absolutely fallen down on the job. A building like that should have been laughed out of the DOB. Instead it, and many others, are going up unchecked. Why is this that? Perhaps it is for the same misconception that you cite, that Williamsburg is not Brownstone Brooklyn. While it has substantially more mixed use structures, there are literally hundreds - entire streets - of pre-19th century brownstones throughout Williamsburg that make up a neighborhood with a rich history. The aesthetic difference today is largely due to that neighborhood's long depression enabling houses to fall apart, get covered in aluminum siding (or worse), increase C of O's , build illegal extensions built, etc. Bottom line, Brooklyn Heights was only slightly less seedy in the early 70s when I lived there.

My only gripe about Curbed and Brownstoner is that there is not enough outing of these kinds of architectural fouls. Want more, see anything these two rookies every developed:

http://www.thedevelopersgroup.com/
http://www.scaranoarchitects.com/ (the animation to enter this is an endless loop of cheese, but entirely fitting for this firm)

Posted by: Anonymous at March 15, 2005 11:07 AM

Why dont all you dog owners in Williamsburg pick up after your dogs? Before complaining about housing and parks and development. Maybe you should clean up after your own animals before worrying about other things like buildings.

Posted by: fran at March 15, 2005 3:23 PM

The Bloomberg administration is really the ones falling down here in not stopping this building. The Dept. of City Planning totally met three times with the developer of the finger building and had an opportunity to stop the ridiculous transfer of development rights that permitted it. Yet they are saying publicly that their rezoning would solve the problem. Seems like that's a bit disingenuous.

Would the administration allow this to happen in a Republican-leaning neighborhood? Fat chance. They're all getting downzoned.

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March 14, 2005

Developers Giving "The Finger" To Burg Residents

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