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August 7, 2007
Development Watch: Son of Oro, All 40 Stories Of It
Construction workers at the Oro Condominiums recenty lost their parking spaces when ground was broken on the 40-story tower's younger sibling at 311 Gold Street in Downtown Brooklyn. While the 309-unit Oro is all condos, the new project across the street may include rentals, according to Ron Hershco of developer United Homes. While the residential mix may still be up in the air, one major question mark hanging over the project was removed at the end of June when the City Council approved the transfer of 75,000 square feet of air rights (the exact price hasn't been determined yet, but it's expected to be in the neighborhood of $9 million) from the adjacent police station as well as a negative easement that would restrict the city's ability to build within 60 feet of the development above the second floor; as part of the air-rights deal, United Homes also agreed to 13 on-site affordable units (in addition to the 9 units of off-site housing it had already signed up for). As a result, the project size increased from the as-of-right 35 floors to 40 floors, the highest allowed under the area's zoning. The last piece of the puzzle: To satisfy Tish James' concerns that the project wasn't including enough truly affordable housing (a matter she threatened to kill the 5-story addition over), a deal was struck, we hear, whereby HPD would build another 20 affordable units in her district.
Slick as a Brick: Oro Moving Along [Brownstoner]
Oro Tops Off [Curbed] GMAP P*Shark DOB
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Comments
As one of her constituents and someone who initially voted for her I can't wait to vote against Tish.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 12:42 PM
Same here.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 1:03 PM
why is that?
Posted by: clueless at August 7, 2007 1:34 PM
hey, at least she'sstuck to her guns as an advocate for affordable housing and opponent of AY
Posted by: Anon at August 7, 2007 1:45 PM
Please Anon 12:42, enlighten us as to how exactly you could do a better job.
Posted by: Shahn Andersen at August 7, 2007 2:05 PM
also, anyone care to comment on the oro proper?
any buyer/lover/hater?
Posted by: clueless at August 7, 2007 2:21 PM
I've walked past it many times and I don't like it. The only site less attractive is a nearby construction on Fulton but that yellow brick is ugly. I wouldn't live there.
Posted by: Gary at August 7, 2007 2:32 PM
i think that oro is great, and am in favor of more and more high rise construction (resi and commercial) along flatbush ext - this is one of the few places in bk where such construction makes sense.
build em high and build em often!!!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 3:01 PM
Tish James sucks because she made a 400 foot height limit (she wanted 250 actually) and as a result every new tower is 40 stories. That's about 7 new towers exactly the same size and it's going to make the skyline look like shit. You need towers of varying heights, and since there's already FAR restrictions whats the point of height limits?
Imbecile
Posted by: hi! at August 7, 2007 3:25 PM
Excuse me, hi!, but within whatever limits there are, don't the architect and developer then proceed to design a building that hopefully is interesting and well built? They can build 400', they can build 250' or 300'. How does that make 7 new towers the same height, and what does Tish James have to do with that? She's not limiting their ability to be creative or even profitable. Your remarks make no sense whatsoever.
Talk about imbecilic comments. Why don't you blame her for the heat wave and global warming too, while you're at it?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 3:41 PM
Tish James' biggest concern is to attempt to freeze her neighborhood as it has been for the past decade. See the previous linked thread rather than rehash the debate.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 3:56 PM
Sounds like the trolls are out in force, doesn't it.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 5:23 PM
i think the oro is a good thing for brooklyn. might not be my favorite building in the world, but a 40 story building going up in this neighborhood is a good sign.
period.
Posted by: slopehead at August 7, 2007 5:41 PM
word, slopehead. i hope they put a 40 story jawn right where that mcd's is.
also, downtown bk needs to sieze the opportunity to grab manhattan office space overflow as downtown manhattan office space market has finally shaken the post 9-11 funk and now finds itself stymied by all those office building to resi conversions. strike while the iron is hot or else losing out to jersey city and LIC.
build em high! build em often! make flatbush-x the phallus palice!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 5:51 PM
I agree with slopehead and anon 5:51!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 6:30 PM
I just love Shahn's response. It is not the job of an anonymous blogger to do a better job than an individual who elected to run for a council seat and represent the area's constituents. I did not vote for Tish and can't wait until she's out of office. She has spent most of her time protesting projects that will get built anyway. She's all flash, no substance, and ineffective as a representative.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 8:03 PM
Tish James is trying her best to represent a broad spectrum of people and concerns, some of which are not popular with the "build it as high as you can, wherever you can" crowd who expect wherever they live to be an urban paradise, just because they've arrived.
She has to juggle a disparate group of people from vastly different racial, economic, and social groups, who all live in a pretty wide section of Brooklyn. I defy anyone to do much better. If you think you can, run for office.
I generally have a pretty low opinion of politicians, but Ms James is one of the few who is actually out there trying to do something, and not only when the cameras are rolling. If that makes her flashy and ineffective, I can't wait to see who you detractors think can do better.
No, I am not a relative or staff member, just someone who is tired of all of the unsubstantiated Trish bashing, as if she could singlehandedly fix the problems of Brooklyn, or is to blame for all of those same problems.
Posted by: Curious at August 8, 2007 11:49 AM
To Anonymous at August 7, 2007 3:41 PM: The only way developers can fit the square footage they payed for when they purchased the site is to build up to that 400' limit. It's not a coincidence all these towers are about 40 stories.
If it wasn't for this limit she enforced developers could build more creatively. Read up on zoning before you go disparaging other people.
Posted by: D-Money at August 8, 2007 11:07 PM
Tish James is a loser. She neglects her own tenants and raises rents on them by 10%-12% each leasing period(they are middle class). She is a fake scumbag with a big ego. She yells about the AY project, but meanwhile it would actually directly help people in her district with job creation and housing. She is a public loud mouth. The only thing i hear out of her mouth is dont build past my inflated head height.
Posted by: guest at January 3, 2008 4:19 PM
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