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July 1, 2008
The Novo Finally Becomes Official!
Big news on 4th Avenue: At long last, people can move into the Novo. The DOB granted the condo a temporary certificate of occupancy on Friday, only a few days before some of the building's buyers would have been able to walk away from their contracts. It was rumored that the development would not get a C of O until its developers finished work on the public playground behind the building. The temp certificate is only good through July 25, and there are still 23 outstanding requirements to be fulfilled before the building is completely good to go. While the playground is still not finished, in recent weeks contractors have stepped up work on the space, and it looks like it should be done within a couple months (see pic on jump). We bet there are some extremely relieved Novo buyers who spent the weekend celebrating.
343 4th Avenue C of O Documentation [DOB]
Should We Feel Sorry For Novo Contract Holders? [Brownstoner]
C-of-O Woes for the Novo? [Brownstoner]
Novo Takes a Nosedive [Brownstoner] GMAP
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Comments
That place is residential?!?
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 9:38 AM
Fugly.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 9:43 AM
sucks for all those people that could not get out of their contracts.... of course they could always try to flip it .. for a large loss
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 9:51 AM
Ahh, if only the grade level has something of interest. I hate walking by this building.
Posted by: Polemicist at July 1, 2008 9:51 AM
What is the sales situation as of now for this development?
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 9:56 AM
looks like a hospital
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:01 AM
WHY WHY WHY dont Boylemgreen (or even the buyers after they take over) just put some beds and street trees in front of this damn building (and the Crest too) -
For a few thousand dollars the whole building's look can be improved 10x
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:04 AM
relieved? I think I would have wanted a loophole to get out of my contract. This has turned out to be a real POS
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:14 AM
I agree with 10:04. The building is missing curb appeal. It would look so much nicer and inviting with trees around it.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:14 AM
Landscaping costs money. Trees cost money.
That's why the Novo doesn't have them.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:27 AM
I would suggest to all that they take a walk by the building before commenting. There are tree pits in the sidewalk in the front of this building. The trees have not been planted yet.
Benson
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:34 AM
Looks like Creedmore.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:42 AM
Why don't developers get some good architects to design this crap? It would probably cost the same amount of money.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:46 AM
Funny how all these developments always manage to get their TCOs just days before buyers would be released from contracts. On the other hand, most of the outstanding are pretty mundane (though I'd be a bit worried about moving into a place that has not documented its environmental remediation requirements; and a sprinkler sign off would be kind of nice too).
Benson: the tree pits are probably the least they could do, legally. Quality housing requires a certain number of trees per foot of street frontage, and I'd bet there are no more than that. That's one of the outstanding items is "plant new tree".
All in all, not a great addition to the city, and a great lesson in why you should wait for the finished product before putting down a deposit.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:47 AM
Benson - I am not talking about 4 tree pits - I am talking about some beds right up against the building with bushes an flowers and trees (sort of like Boylemegreen did with the 1st condos he built on 2nd St - near 5th). The sidewalk is wide enough for a few foot wide bed - that would dramatically improve the look of the building
And while it may cost a money - if you sell or rent 2 or 3 apartments a few months earlier b/c the building doesnt look like crap - it will more than pay for itself.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:49 AM
10:47 - Is it true that the sprinklers have not been "signed off" on? if so, how can they let people move in before that happens?
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:53 AM
This place sucks so bad. Looks like Park ave MARTY. NOT.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 10:58 AM
Damn, that is one ugly building.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 11:49 AM
Where on the DOB site can you find the list of outstanding requirements for a building?
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 11:57 AM
All of Boylemgreen projects always run way past deadline and are so ugly to the eye. The use of cheap ununionized labor has something to do with all the delays. Anyway to corners and save a buck. 4ave is supposed to be the new Park Ave. I don't remember seeing such ugly hospital buildings on Park Ave.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 11:58 AM
There's nothing around this building. There is a 24hr McDonalds, a pep boys and a staples across the street. Then there are all the garages and tire fix it shops surounding it. I guess all the residents can walk to the corner bodega for milk. They will be greeted by all the gangsta's that live in the neighborhood.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 12:02 PM
What an ugly buidling. It looks like a public hospital.
Posted by: Robot at July 1, 2008 12:03 PM
"The use of cheap ununionized labor has something to do with all the delays."
Union workers would be faster? ROTFL!
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 12:18 PM
10:53 - This is the list of outstanding items (from DOB site - follow Brownstoner's link above to see for yourself):
CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
SITE SURVEY: FINAL
BPP: FINAL SIGNOFF
FINAL PLUMBING SIGNOFF
FINAL ELEVATOR SIGNOFF
FINAL ELECTRICAL SIGNOFF
FINAL CONST. SIGNOFF
VERIFY TAX LOT
VIOLATIONS SEARCH
OPEN APPLICATIONS SEARCH
TAX LOT: FINAL LOT NUMBER ISSUED
STREET: NEW NAME APPROVED
BPP-PARKS: PLANT NEW TREE
BPP-DOT: SIDEWALK/CURB/ROAD WORK PERMITS
ENVIRONMENTAL "E" DEP NOTICE OF SATIS
SPRINKLER (SP) SIGNOFF
STANDPIPE (SD) SIGNOFF
ELEVATOR JOB SIGNOFF
CURB CUT (CC) SIGNOFF
DETECTOR:SMOKE-CERT. OF INSTALLATION
MH WORKTYPE FOR HVAC SYSTEM.
MECHANICAL (MH) SIGNOFF
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 12:20 PM
Good luck to the residents. I am sorry you are all so desperate to own. Although I would rather live here than the ORO.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 12:22 PM
boymelgreen and katan are incompetent. that is one seriously ugly building-what a surprise that Bricolage/Radusky is the architect. 11:58-non union labor has nothing to do with it. union laborers suck just as much-they just charge more and work less. almost every major accident in the past few months has involved union labor. unions belong in the former USSR.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 12:31 PM
The resemblence that this building bears to Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center, a maximum-security hospital operated by the NYS Office of Mental Health, is uncanny.
http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/krpc/facility.htm
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 12:49 PM
yeah, yeah ... we've heard it all before ... sooo ugly, etc.
please STFU ... it's better than what was there before and got the park fixed-up.
not all the new 4th Ave buildings are going to be winners.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 1:08 PM
Are there reports of closings happening and residents moving in yet?
Will be interesting to see if units don't actually close due to the crappy market and general poor takeup of the units.
Posted by: jasong at July 1, 2008 1:26 PM
"...only a few days before some of the building's buyers would have been able to walk away from their contracts...We bet there are some extremely relieved Novo buyers who spent the weekend celebrating."
On the other hand, ... [sing along]
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 1:33 PM
12:@@ - what does that mean -
if you make some pronouncement, it would be nice if you followed it up with some explanation - why are you calling the owners desperate - b/c the building is ugly? or some other reason. What is wrong with ORO (at least comparatively.)
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 1:39 PM
"not all the new 4th Ave buildings are going to be winners."
How about one? Just one? So far they are all various degrees of fugly.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 2:23 PM
i dont think novo is fugly. i actually like the way the building looks. i think the building will definetly blend in with the surroundings when the rest of 4th ave becomes more developed.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 2:51 PM
jealous assholes.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 2:52 PM
Some interesting read on Boymelgreen:
http://www.shayaiscoming.org/campaigns/targets/2007/shaya_boymelgreen
4th ave the new Park Ave...I think not. This is more of a marketing ploy to get unsuspecting buyers into such an ugly apartment building. That park will never get done.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 2:55 PM
I don't think this place is half as ugly as ANY of those new condos that went up along McCarren Park.
Now those things are ugly.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 3:07 PM
Jealous? Hardly. There is nothing to be envious about in this case. If I wanted to buy in Novo, which I most certainly do not, I would do it now *AFTER* the price chops have been made.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 3:07 PM
I agree 4th Ave is not the new Park Ave - it is the new Houston St....now where is my Crate and Barrel!
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 3:22 PM
3.07 - you are joking right?
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 3:37 PM
jealous assholes.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 4:19 PM
jealous hipsters.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 4:23 PM
All you hipsters can go back to kansas
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 4:32 PM
gelatinous hipsters
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 4:33 PM
Lime jello hipsters
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 5:16 PM
Oh yes 4.19, the Novo definitely evokes envy in people.
!!!!!
Delusional dingdong
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 5:31 PM
Finally. Good for the owners. Was wondering when then would move in. Some of them must have waited for over a year. Am tired of looking at an empty building and a construction site for a park!
By law they have to put trees in front of the building. Have a friend on developers side who said they should be planted soon. Can't wait for that to happen.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 5:42 PM
5.31 your the lime jello hipster
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 5:42 PM
12:02, you are a moron...
This building borders 5th Ave. in Park Slope. I dont think anyone will have to worry about "gangsta's that live in the neighborhood"
you are all jealous
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 5:54 PM
You'd need 200 foot redwoods for trees to improve the facade of this place.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 6:12 PM
Yeah 12:02 is a moron, as eveidenced by the random apostrophe in gangstas, which don't really live around there.
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 6:15 PM
What's the percentage sold and/or in contract?
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 7:49 PM
What is with all of you people putting down the Novo? Who are you? Let me guess: decent income but less than what Park Slope "invaders" make, white, have lived in the slope about 4 years and thusly consider yourself part of the "original" slope crowd. You consider yourself a neighborhood conservationist and conveniently ignore those you've displaced. Moved for the neighborhood but can't afford Blue Ribbon. You consider yourself cultured but spent most of last week debating whether you should get the Bugaboo Chameleon or the Quinny Buzz. You love Al Gore and try to be "green" but as we speak, your a/c is spewing poison into the atmosphere. Your idea of a fun night is posting to Brownstoner and you take credit for witty quips on YouBeMom. You are sad that you paid so much for your condo/co-op and are afraid you have lost money. Or, you are a bitter renter who spends too much money on vacations to the Bahamas (because the "Hamptons are so passe") and can't muster a down-payment. You don't understand the real estate market but you think you do. You are sad that new 4th avenue development is a staging ground for less expensive inventory that will suck demand from your home. You are envious and you are mean. You act happy when your friends succeed but inside, you're jealous and pissed. I may be COMPLETELY wrong, but this is who I envision everytime I see a negative post.
(For anyone eager to profile me I'll save you the time: I am a Novo buyer. I work on Wall Street and spend more of my money on family than real estate. I am a first time poster. I really like the people I've met at Novo and I hope they like me.)
Posted by: guest at July 1, 2008 11:50 PM
11:50 well done.
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 12:10 AM
11:50, you are certainly correct about much of what you write. Nevertheless, let me give you some perspective, from someone who has lived in the Slope for over fifteen years. I lived across the street from the Novo and watched the thing go up.
Before I continue, since we are sharing profiles, I recently sold my apt for four times what I paid for it and used the proceeds to buy a house. I also own a home in Lake George. I can eat at the Blue Ribbon frequently if I choose but prefer Tempo and Al Di La. I am pro-development, pro-AY, and pro 4th Ave.
I'm sure you will enjoy your home and congratulations on being able to move in. I'm sure the apartments are nice. But the building itself has been roundly condemned for being ugly. If you think otherwise, that's your choice and of course you have put your money where your mouth is and that has to be respected.
What you may not know, and this is why many people are not happy with the project, is the way Boymelgreen has dumped on the community while this was going up. During construction, the perimeter was a mess. Things flew off the building regularly and frequently. He was allowed to take an entire park to stage his equipment and promised to fix it and make it better. While at some point he'll be made to keep his promises, he promised that the dog run and park would be done more than a year ago. We is he moving at such a glacial pace? Because he could give a sh*t.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Check out these three:
http://www.pbase.com/dentontay/image/99570273
http://www.pbase.com/dentontay/image/99570275
http://www.pbase.com/dentontay/image/99570283
Welcome!
Posted by: denton at July 2, 2008 6:56 AM
11.50, your a great person I'm sure, but it speaks volumes about your imagination that you consider the Bahamas the alternative to the hamptons. Most people in PS wouldn't touch either overworn resort-for-old people. Get a globe, stick a pin in it. Kayaking in Greenland, skiing in Chile, yachting the dodecanese. You have no clue.
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 8:49 AM
Hallelujah, a reprieve from name calling (or rather a dissection of it). Nice job 11:50 and 6:56.
NoVo people, have any of you closed or have a closing date? How will the "temporary" CofO affect move-ins?
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 9:32 AM
6:15 -- "which" refers to objects; "who" refers to people.
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 9:47 AM
9.05 - ditto yours
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 9:49 AM
8.49's comment speaks to the bland people moving into a bland building. Does np stand for no point?
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 9:50 AM
shout out to the OG's-- the original gentrifiers.
no sleep til greenland.
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 11:12 AM
summers in rangoon, luge lessons...
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 12:00 PM
Is 11:50 being sarcastic? It seems odd to lambaste people for being "envious and mean" with a post so full of obvious envy and meanness.
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 1:15 PM
Q: Novo prices out at about $650 per square foot-- surround PS 321 houses price out at about $900 per square foot. What are the bets on the impact? Which goes up, which comes down?
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 2:02 PM
Your all jealous morons
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 2:08 PM
RE: Prices 2:02
Novo owners are going to make a killing -- the sale prices were at a serious discount compared to comparable housing stock. I saw a 1100 sq foot place on Garfield that wasn't nearly as nice (new construction) sold at $1000/sq foot. Although Novo will depress the value of the overpriced units, it is definitely going eventually have to be marked (up) to market toward the mean.
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 5:19 PM
"Novo... the sale prices were at a serious discount compared to comparable housing stock."
Ever wonder why? And why they still are having price cuts? And why they still have not come close to selling out the building?
Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 7:22 PM
Their high floors w/double balconies were originally overpriced (example: 1100 square feet, 1MM=).
The price cuts bring it in line closer to to the norm, but their are still above the range for closing is between 650.
You should look at the pricing per square foot for the new buildings on 4th.
Posted by: guest at July 3, 2008 12:01 PM
RE: Pricing
Novo is going to be worth a premium over the other new buildings going up because of the attached park and PS 321 zoning.
Posted by: guest at July 3, 2008 12:03 PM
The pricing is great. You can get a new real 3 bedroom in Novo for the price of a 2 BR in the slope that needs to be gutted.
Plus the apartments are a lot nicer than most of the poorly remodeled hosting stock in PS that is priced about $850-900/sq foot. And a garage. And a gym. And a playroom. A no coop people.
Posted by: guest at July 3, 2008 12:14 PM
I don't understand the discussion about the retail. Why would anyone care about retail or shops in the building. The neighborhood has plenty.
Also-- What kind of an idiot would ever seek to live above a restaurant? It is an invitation to have a mice and roach infestation.
Posted by: guest at July 3, 2008 12:20 PM
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