Carroll Gardens
November 17, 2009
StreetLevel: Gardening Supply Store Opening on Hicks
A gardening supply store called Brooklyn Farms is coming to the corner of Hicks and Degraw. A neighbor says workers have been busy fixing the space up and that it's slated to open soon. GMAP
House of the Day: 121 Rapelye Street
There aren't a lot of interior photos provided in the new listing for 121 Rapelye Street, a four-story brownstone in Carroll Gardens. The three shots that are shown reveal a mix of nice original details and cheap rental-style finishes, so it's hard to develop a strong opinion about the $1,300,000 asking price. Given that this is a BQE block and not one of the neighborhood's most charming, we bet it'll be challenging unless there are some positive surprises on the inside.
121 Rapelye Street [Heights Berkeley] GMAP P*Shark
November 11, 2009
Development Watch: 333 Carroll Street
Pardon Me For Asking notes today that 333 Carroll Street, which has been frozen since March 2008, just got a new building permit approved by DOB. As you may recall, the conversion with the ungainly 40-foot addition got caught up in some Scarano-related square footage calculation shenanigans and slapped with a Stop Work Order. The owner subsequently brought in Karl Fischer to get the project back on track and PFMA says it looks like he may have beaten the downzoning of the neighborhood last month by a matter of days.
New Permit Issued for 333 Carroll Street [PMFA]
Burning the Midnight Oil at 333 Carroll Street [Brownstoner]
Signs of Life at 333 Carroll? [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
November 5, 2009
Union Market Progress Report
Pardon Me For Asking posted some great photos of the progress at 288 Court Street where Union Market is preparing to launch its next location. As PMFA points out, it ain't looking like the gourmet market is going to make its stated goal of opening before year-end.
Union Market On Court Street Moving Along Nicely [PMFA]
Union Market Coming to Court Street! [Brownstoner] GMAP
Court St. Blockbuster Changes Hands; Future Unclear [Brownstoner]
November 4, 2009
Closing Bell: Columbia Street Traffic Petition
There's a petition movement afoot in the Columbia Street Waterfront District to get public officials to do something about the dangerous traffic along Columbia Street. The petition is available for signing at The Coffee Den at Union and Hicks and at Everyday Athlete Kids on Columbia between Carroll and Summit. In this day and age, we a little surprised they're not making it available online.
Photo from Word on Columbia Street
October 29, 2009
Carroll Gardens Downzoning Sails Through Council
As expected, the City Council yesterday unanimously approved the rezoning of 89 blocks of Carroll Gardens in a move designed to limit the height and scope of future development in the largely low-scale neighborhood. “This contextual rezoning will preserve the area’s existing residential character, distinguished by the neighborhood’s historic brownstones, while supporting vibrant, local retail corridors on commercial thoroughfares,” said Land Use Committee chair Melinda Katz. The simplest manifestation of the rezoning will be a 50-foot height limit on new buildings and additions, the result of new R6B requirements. The resolution was sponsored by Bill de Blasio and supported by other local public figures, including Council Member David Yassky and Borough President Marty Markowitz. The Historic District Council also gave it a thumbs up: “This rezoning is an important step in protecting the historic character and human scale of this wonderful neighborhood," said HDC's Simeon Bankoff. You can see the map of the rezoning here.
Council Votes 48-0 to Rezone Carroll Gardens [Brooklyn Eagle]
Carroll Gardens Rezoning Close, Boerum Hill Wants In [Brownstoner]
Zoning Debate Continues in Carroll Gardens [Brownstoner]
ULURP Begins for Carroll Gardens Rezoning [Brownstoner]
Photo by wackelpudding
October 22, 2009
Carroll Gardens Rezoning Close, Boerum Hill Wants In
Boerum Hill wants what Carroll Gardens is about to get. The Brooklyn Paper reports that Carroll Gardens is reaching the end of a long rezoning road, as the City Council is expected to approve the downzoning of the brownstone neighborhood when it meets on Monday. Meanwhile, The Paper's sister pub Courier Life says that residents in neighboring Boerum Hill want a piece of the rezoning action: “We feel that it is imperative to rezone the 19 “orphaned” blocks of Boerum Hill from R6 to R6B in order to preserve and enforce contextual development throughout our entire neighborhood,” Boerum Hill Association President Howard Kolins wrote to CB 2 District Manger Rob Perris. The rezoning would place height limits on the area regardless of how much FAR a developer accumulates.
Boerum Hill Looks to Rezone the Nabe [Courier]
Carroll Gardens Downzone on a Roll [Brooklyn Paper]
October 13, 2009
Concerns over BQE Lead Paint Removal
Some residents of Carroll Gardens and Redhook have expressed concern recently over the large green tanks that have appeared in the past few weeks at the Kane, Union, Sackett, and Summit Street bridges over the B.Q.E. The tanks are containment units for lead paint and other hazardous materials that are produced in the cleaning of the bridges, and some locals are worried about possible health risks. Lost City, for example, noticed a "sudden bad air quality" and pointed out that the containers are unprotected and exposed in public spaces where children could endanger themselves; City Room, from The New York Times, noticed "duct-tape patching" on these ancient-seeming containers. The Word on Columbia Street shares the public's concerns, but also points out that the NYC Department of Transportation uses a set of procedures approved by national, state, and city health and environmental organizations such as the EPA and the New York State Department of Health. Kieran Aherns, who was contracted for the job, told The Word that the process of sandblasting and vacuuming the waste is performed with constant air quality monitoring, but a noticeable dust in the air has left residents unconvinced.
Are B.Q.E. Lead Shacks Poisoning Carroll Gardens? [Lost City]
The Mystery of Those Metal Units over the B.Q.E. [City Room]
Lead Paint Removal on Hicks Street Bridges [TWOCS]
Photo by The Word on Columbia Street
October 8, 2009
StreetLevel: People's Republic of Brooklyn Opens on Smith
Per a tipster comes word that a bar/restaurant called the People's Republic of Brooklyn opened last Friday in the old Sapodilla space on Smith near the corner of Douglass. We haven't heard details about the setup or menu yet, so if anyone's already stopped in, we're all ears. GMAP
House of the Day: 130 Summit Street
At first blush, this three-family house at 130 Summit Street looked like agreat deal to us: $1,350,000 for a four-story house with lots of charm in Carroll Gardens? Sign us up. But then comes the heartbreaking fine print: The 3rd floor apartment has a dreaded rent-controlled tenant paying $325 a month. (Approximately $1,600 under market. Ridiculous!) Anyway, we'll let the quants out there decide how big a discount to market value that should mean for the house. Still might be a decent play, except for the fact that the rent controlled tenant's location means the owner won't be able to expand beyond a duplex.
130 Summit Street [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark
October 6, 2009
Farmacy's Vague Reopening
We mentioned a week ago that Vermont Market and Pharmacy, rechristened Brooklyn Farmacy, was going to hold its reopening bash on Saturday. But then, The Brooklyn Paper reports, the store remained closed Sunday and Monday. Mark Stein, whom the paper describes as a reclusive owner, inherited the store from his father in 1992 and ran the store for one year before closing shop. There was one other business attempt at the location, but otherwise the storefront at Henry and Sackett streets has remained shuttered—until recently, when one of Stein's residential tenants pressured him into reopening the store as Brooklyn Farmacy, an exercise in nostalgia with a soda fountain and products like a tin of Sucrets from the '80s, but also with organic, local produce and goods. It's unclear why the store closed after its reopening party, and Stein himself doesn't know what will happen to the store.
A One-day Reopening for Vermont Market [Brooklyn Paper]
Henry St Pharmacy Reopening as a 'Farmacy' [Brownstoner]
Photo by jeanphony
September 30, 2009
StreetLevel: Design Store Replaces Design Store on Smith
On Friday a home design store called Retrospect will open on Smith Street between President and Carroll in the space that was vacated this spring by Hasker, which was also a home design store. Retrospect is owned by the people behind Environment 337, the home furnishings store that's only a couple storefronts down on Smith. GMAP
September 29, 2009
StreetLevel: Henry St Pharmacy Reopening as a 'Farmacy'
An invitation has gone out informing of an open house this coming Saturday for the Brooklyn Farmacy, the new venture in the long-shuttered storefront on Henry and Sackett. The business is described as follows: "Providing fresh, local and organic farmed goods with a soda fountain in the hospitable setting of a 1920's pharmacy." The opening of the new biz has been discussed since June. Lost City, meanwhile, writes that the Farmacy is occasionally open nowadays, and that one can purchase very old goods like a tin of Sucrets from the '80s for between 50 cents and a dollar.
Saga of the Vermont Farmacy's Resurrection Continues [Lost City]
Streetlevel: Vermont Market To Re-Open (a Decade Later) [Brownstoner] GMAP
September 25, 2009
Development Watch: Slight Progress on 100 Luquer
The tower on Luquer Street near the BQE has been under construction for more than two years at this point, and it still doesn't seem like it's heading to the finish line anytime soon. Although the DOB currently has a partial stop work order on the property, there's been a wee bit of progress since we checked in on it a few months ago: Glass has started going up on the back end of the building. Can any neighbors speak to how often construction crews are seen working on the building?
Development Watch: 100 Luquer Street [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: Luquer Tower Tops Off [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
September 24, 2009
Inside Third & Bond: Week 102
Nothing like a little appreciation to boost productivity in the final push toward a tight deadline. Case in point: on left, decimated six foot sandwiches shown in the yard; center, The Organic Gardener and crew laying out the landscaping for the 3+ bedroom model’s private yard.
These seven men weren’t alone responsible for eating 30 linear feet of sandwiches. This week we held a topping off party for the entire construction crew. The topping off of the first few buildings took place back in Week 82 and we’ve long since finished the topmost floors for the entire project. Low and mid-rise projects don’t always get a topping off party. There just isn’t the same dramatic effect of a crane carrying a beam 10 stories into the air as a panelized system being set into place on a four story building. Still, the construction team was not only doing a great job on eight buildings, but also working full steam to get the model residences ready for showing in October. We thought some lunch and commemorative t-shirts were in order.
Also on view in this photograph are the private rear yards belonging to each of the garden duplexes. It’s afternoon and the sun has shifted to our northern neighbors, making it easier to photograph the cedar fencing lining each yard. One of the great aspects of cedar is that it doesn’t need to be treated. The warm hue will slowly weather into gray. The color should look great at any stage, but sadly the comforting scent will disappear.
The yards look a little bleak here but plantings should soon be rooting in before winter’s cold. In order to meet our LEED goals, we are foregoing grass in favor of pea gravel and native, drought-resistant landscaping. Our typical yards are a simple formula of 1/3 plants and 2/3 pea gravel. The model yard will be an example of an upgrade The Organic Gardener can deliver – an extended living space out of doors.
Here is a sketch of the proposed model yard...
September 16, 2009
StreetLevel: Accessories Boutique Opens on Court Street
A couple of weeks ago a boutique called Jowelz opened in the storefront that was formerly a salon on the corner of Court and Luquer. The business specializes in accessories like handbags and hats, some of which are made in-house.
Jowelz [Facebook] GMAP
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
The Best of Hot Plates Live
We checked out Metromix's premiere Hot Plates Live event at the Bell House on Monday night, sampled beer and cheese, ate lots of great food from new Brooklyn restaurants, and wholeheartedly recommend that you check out the next Hot Plates tasting event. (We'll keep you posted when Metromix plans another.) Our favorite bite of the evening was the Chinese sausage and sticky rice with chili-lime sauce (pictured above) from Umi Nom. We've been long-time fans of this dish at Kuma Inn on the LES, so we're excited that chef King Phojanakong has brought it to Brooklyn. Sui Ren's quail egg wrapped in seaweed and maguro was another favorite. We'll be adding both spots to our restaurant database shortly.
Opening This Week: Mercat Negre
65 Grand St between Kent and Wythe Aves, Williamsburg; no phone yet
"This sister location of the East Village’s Mercat features an open kitchen in which [Barcelona's chef Oriol Sala] Colomer will cook shareable dishes, such as grilled red mullet with eggplant puree and marinated endives," says Time Out New York.
No Reservations: NYC Outer Boroughs
In case you missed Tony Bourdain's recent romp around the boroughs, you can check out all the places he visited on the No Reservations website. We thought it was a pretty solid episode, featuring stops at Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos in Bushwick, East Harbor Seafood Dim-Sum Palace in Sunset Park, and Diner and Marlow & Sons in Williamsburg.
After the jump: Hecho en Dumbo is leaving Dumbo, Chicago dogs, dumplings, Chickadee Chick's menu, Spanish wines, and more...
September 2, 2009
Something's Afoot With 360 Smith's Ownership
Last week a deed transfer in the amount of $3.8 million was recorded for the most controversial of controversial Carroll Gardens developments, 360 Smith Street, aka "Oliver House." Although on the surface the transfer looks like a straight sale by developer Billy Stein to a Manhattan-based firm named Gershon & Company, a couple folks who have spoken to Stein told us he was looking for a joint venture on the project, and this transfer likely represents a partnership rather than a straight-up sale. Stein, however, didn't return our calls or emails for clarification, and neither did Gershon. Either way, construction has definitely picked up on the site recently. So: Anyone know whether Stein is no longer involved with the project?
Work Set to Begin Again on 360 Smith [Brownstoner]
BSA Hooks Up 360 Smith [Brownstoner] GMAP
More 360 Smith Action at BSA Today [Brownstoner]
360 Smith Hearing Leads to More Hearings [Brownstoner]
August 26, 2009
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Opening This Week
Time Out New York says that The Double Windsor (210 Prospect Park West at 16th Street) is getting ready to serve "Classic cocktails from the 20-seat horseshoe bar... though craft beers and cask ales are the real focus, with a rotating selection dispensed from 14 taps." Plus, their fancy pub grub will include "a duck-confit sandwich with fig jam and arugula." TONY also reports that the owners of Bar Tano are set to open Provini (1302 Eighth Ave at 13th Street): "Italian pastries and Intelligentsia coffee are available in the a.m. Later on, the full menu offers dishes like tagliatelle with lamb ragù, along with Italian craft beers by the bottle."
Coming Soon
Metromix dishes the details on 9 new Brooklyn restaurants slated to open in the coming months and a handful of upcoming Brooklyn bars. Highlights include Lucali Park Slope (691 Sixth Ave. at 20th St.) and Mission Dolores (249B Fourth Ave., next to Cattyshack) which will be opened by the Bar Great Harry folks and "will serve 24 craft beers and one cask ale on tap—18 American, plus six Belgian and German—as well as a handful of DUB meat pies."
Secret Tamales in Carroll Gardens
476 Smith Street at W. Ninth Street; (718)422-0001
"New York’s latest stealth tamales have surfaced at F Line Bagels, a little-mentioned deli at the less fashionable end of Smith Street in Brooklyn. Off the menu and announced only on a handwritten sign, they’re fat, moist, and delicious," reports CHOW's Outer Boroughs Digest. Apparently, this shop serves a good bagel, too. We'll have to check out their "Middle Eastern–style special with hard-boiled egg, olive oil, and za’atar."
After the jump: Lobstah Feast Fridays in Red Hook, where to score seasonal pies, good buys at Fresh Fanatic, and a beer that tastes like a Manhattan...
August 21, 2009
Zoning Debate Continues in Carroll Gardens
The Carroll Gardens rezoning discussion continued on Wednesday with a NYC Planning Commission Hearing for Carroll Gardens and the Columbia Street Waterfront. If you haven't tuned into this station before, the current rezoning plan calls for a R6B designation for many residential blocks in Carroll Gardens, which imposes a building height of 50 feet. This Carroll Gardeners like. But R6A, which is what the plan dictates for several blocks of Columbia Street, Henry Street, and Clinton Street? Not so much. Residents actually consider this an up-zoning, since the increase in FAR from 2.2 to 3.0 could allow owners to build additions on their roofs. The city posits that the change will bring some buildings on those blocks into compliance. Katia at Pardon Me for Asking points out that "What is needed, in essence, is a special zoning in between an R6A and R6B to not only bring the out-of-scale buildings into compliance, but also to limit any additional height." She adds, "It seems unlikely that these tools will be created any time soon."
Carroll Gardeners Oppose R6A Zoning [PMFA]
ULURP Begins for Carroll Gardens Rezoning [Brownstoner]
Carroll Gardeners Prepare for Hearing [Brooklyn Eagle]
Carroll Gardens/Columbia Street Rezoning [DOCP official plan]
August 19, 2009
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Red Hook Huarache Truck Up for Vendy Award
Grub Street notes that the 5 finalists for this year's Vendy Awards have been announced, and Brooklyn will be represented by "Fernando & Jolanda Martinez of the Country Boys/Martinez Taco Truck, known for serving huaraches at the Red Hook Ballfields." In their Country Boys vendor-profile, Serious Eats writes: "On both Saturday and Sunday, they can be found at the Red Hook ballfields at the intersection of Clinton and Bay, and have a satellite branch at the Brooklyn Flea. Just look for the line that doesn't seem to be moving—with people in it that don't seem to care. Yeah, it's that good." The 2009 Vendy Awards will be held on Saturday, September 26 at the Queens Museum of Art and tickets are available now.
Taco Wars
The New York Times pits Oaxaca against Calexico and picks a winner: "Calexico’s food is messier in appearance but more consistent in execution. Top billing goes to the carne asada, skirt steak rubbed with a spice mix, marinated overnight and grilled to melting tenderness. It’s terrific, with a punch of flavor so intense, it‘s hard to justify ordering anything else."
Beer on the Big Screen
"[Barcade and Gutter] owner Paul Kermizian has another claim to fame: a documentary film called American Beer, about an epic cross country road trip he and four buds took to visit 38 breweries in 40 days," says Brooklyn Based, as they announce their screening of the film on Wednesday, August 26 on the patio of Hope Lounge (10 Hope Street, Williamsburg). "Tickets, available online now and at the door, are just $12, and include a complimentary pint of Cape Ann’s Fisherman’s Brew. Hope Lounge is also offering a free beer with every $7 burger (Sirloin, Turkey or Boca!)"
After the jump: Greenpoint's members-only ramen joint, Henry's bahn mi on 7th Avenue, and a wino thief at Amin Indian...
August 17, 2009
Carroll Gardens Up in Arms Over MTA Doings
The Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association's listserv lit up this weekend with angry messages about the MTA's plans for the neighborhood. First off, the transportation authority announced last week that the Carroll Street station entrance (update: at 2nd Place) will be closed beginning on September 14th for 10-12 months to make way for the construction at 360 Smith Street. More upsetting to residents, it seems, is the MTA's plan to phase out the station agent at the stop's President Street entrance during the period. (The station is one of dozens that are slated to see the removal of attendants in coming months as a belt-tightening measure.) An online petition has been established to protest the change.
Keep the Station Agents at Carroll Street! [iPetitions] GMAP
August 6, 2009
StreetLevel: WingBar Takes Off on Smith
Judging from the number of reader emails that have come in about WingBar, the new venture in the former Paninoteca 275 space on Smith Street, a lot of folks are excited about this place's opening. A friend of Brownstoner reports the following about the bar, which opened last week and has $7.50 pitchers: "The wings were not killer spicy, but very meaty and tasty. And the tofu sub is actually a pretty good vegetarian option. It's huge and made with spicy barbecue sauce." An order of 10 wings also costs $7.50. Jam it Down Your Throat has a post on the joint with closeup pics of the food and they say its formula boils down to "good wings, cheap beer." GMAP
House of the Day: 329 President Street
Call it death by a thousand cuts. Even when 329 President Street was listed in the comparatively strong market of early 2008 it was obvious that it was embarrassingly overpriced. $3,600,000 for a three-story house in Carroll Gardens, we asked incredulously. 'Twas not to be. It didn't take long for the seller to start scaling back expectations but, given the starting point, the initial reduction of $605,000 didn't have any impact. In 2009, the property has had four more price cuts, the most recent of which was at the end of July and brought the asking price to $1,975,000, almost half of where it started over a year and a half ago. Now that we can see photos of the character-less renovation, we'd say this still has quite a way to go.
329 President Street [Vita/Streeteasy] GMAP P*Shark
Overpricing Not Working in Carroll Gardens [Brownstoner]
What the Heck Is Going On in Carroll Gardens? [Brownstoner]
July 30, 2009
Development Watch: Windows for Sackett
Newish blog Just Another Brooklyn Blog draws our attention to a significant milestone at 346-348 Sackett Street: Windows. We usually prefer double-hung windows but these single panes actually work well with the simple facade. What do you think?
Do The Windows Salvage This? [JABB] GMAP P*Shark DOB
Development Watch: 346-348 Sackett Street [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 348 Sackett Street [Brownstoner]
Latest Restaurant Additions
-
Le Barricou
added November 20, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Der Schwarze Kölner
added November 19, 2009 12:00 PM in Fort Greene -
Oak Wine Bar & Café
added November 18, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Mr. Wonton
added November 17, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope -
Casa Rosa
added November 16, 2009 12:00 PM in Carroll Gardens -
Cousin John's Café & Bakery
added November 13, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope -
Elote
added November 12, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Miracle Grill
added November 11, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope -
Phoebe's Cafe
added November 10, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Ruthie's
added November 9, 2009 12:00 PM in Clinton Hill, Downtown Brooklyn