November 6, 2009

Affordable Housing on Tap

It may seem like there's not any affordable housing available, but, reports The Brooklyn Eagle, there are 700 units currently up for grabs through one non-profit development company alone in Brooklyn. The Housing Partnership Development Corp. which has created 30,000 units of affordable housing over its 25-year history, is currently offering "moderate-income" apartments at the newly-developed Bergen Street Co-ops at 1509 Bergen Street in Crown Heights (at right). The Partnership is also involved in other projects like 320 Sterling Street, which is about three-quarters done, and Atlantic Terrace next to the Atlantic Center (at top), which just started making applications available.
700 Affordable Homes, Apartments in B'klyn Now Available [Brooklyn Eagle]

November 3, 2009

Development Watch: 527 Lincoln Place

This new building at 527 Lincoln Place looks pretty upscale for a new building in Crown Heights. Turns out the architect of the seven-story, 24-unit building is Kutnicki Bernstein, who've done a bunch of projects in Williamsburg and Downtown Manhattan. Another project of theirs is nearby at 840 Bergen as well. This one on Lincoln Place looks pretty far along, though there appears to be a Partial Stop Work Order in place. What do you think of the design? GMAP P*Shark DOB

Tavern on Nostrand RIP

While the menu change at 813 Nostrand Avenue actually happened last month, the transition from Tavern on Nostrand to Crow Hill Bistro was made official yesterday with the changing of the signage. GMAP

October 28, 2009

LPC Tees Up Phase 2 of Crown Heights Landmarking

Two and a half years ago, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to create the Crown Heights North Historic District, which included 472 buildings on Dean Street between Bedford and Kingston. Yesterday, the Commission got the ball rolling on the next phase of landmarking in the neighborhood when it held a hearing about the 610 buildings bounded roughly by Nostrand Avenue to the west, Brooklyn Avenue to the east, Eastern Parkway to the south and Bergen Street to the north. (The exact boundaries are detailed in this agenda from yesterday's meeting.) Of particular note, the Hebron School complex, which has been considered vulnerable to development, made the cut. From what we hear, 15 people spoke for the creation of Crown Heights North, Phase II, including Borough President Marty Markowitz and members of the Crown Heights North Association!

October 27, 2009

Coffee Boomlet on Franklin

The second new coffee spot on Franklin Avenue opened in as many weeks on Saturday, reports I Love Franklin Avenue. The newest spot at 805 Franklin is called The Pulp and The Bean, and even Marty Markowitz stopped by the kick-off party on Saturday night to wish the new owners well. Eight days earlier, the organic Breukelen Coffee House opened at 764A Franklin. GMAP

October 23, 2009

Development Watch: 112 Underhill Avenue

Work began at 112 Underhill Avenue at the end of the summer. The new building is slated to be a three-story, two-family house of indeterminate aesthetic quality. Let's hope for the best. GMAP P*Shark DOB

October 21, 2009

324 St. Marks Launches

After what seems like an eternity in development, 324 St. Marks Avenue (aka Mark 324) has finally hit the market. As Set Speed said last week, "You'll get radiant heating in the bathrooms and a gas fireplace in every unit, but it sure won't come cheap." The eight units range in price from $631,000 for a 852-square-foot two-bedroom to $932,400 for a 1,228-square-foot three-bedroom. We'll see whether the nabe can support the prices!
Development Watch: 324 St. Mark's Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB

October 9, 2009

Last Day of the Sukkahs

Sukkot, the seven-day Jewish festival with origins as a celebration for the harvest, is ending today. One of the icons of Sukkot is the sukkah, a temporary hut built just for the week of Sukkot, reminiscent of the structures the Israelites built during their 40 years in the desert, following their exodus from Egypt. Here, we've put up ten iPhone photographs we took while biking around in Crown Heights and Williamsburg, home to large Jewish populations. You'll notice that Jews carry around leafy branches and lemons with them during Sukkot. These come from a commandment from Moses: "On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days".

October 8, 2009

Development Watch: Night Lights at MEC

The $138 million new academic building at Medgar Evers College in Crown Heights has been in the works since 2002, but now the building is finally taking shape. Located at Bedford and Crown, the Academic Complex I will house the college's School of Science, Health, and Technology. Designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, renderings of the five-story, 194,000-square-foot brick structure seem quite pleasant—not too ostentatious or dominating for the neighborhood. We've included this nighttime photo because, while under construction, the building gives off an eerie and somewhat astrological glow that is always surprisingly pleasant when we bicycle by along Bedford Avenue. The building is scheduled to be complete around August 2010, according to the school. GMAP P*Shark DOB

October 2, 2009

Crown Heights House Tour Tomorrow

The Crown Heights House Tour, of which we are again a sponsor, takes place tomorrow from 12 to 5 p.m. This year, the self-guided tour includes 9 houses, 2 churches, 1 community garden, 2 museums, and 1 non-profit space. Tix are available in advance through the Crown Heights North Association for $20 or at the door for $25. The tour launches from St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church at 991 St. Johns Place (corner of Brooklyn Avenue). Enjoy!

September 18, 2009

Price Cuts at 542 St. Mark's Avenue

It shouldn't come as any great surprise, but sales aren't exactly booming over at 542 St. Mark's Avenue (aka ISHI) in Crown Heights. The 14-unit condo development hit the market in May and, as far as we can tell, has yet to get a single deal done. As a result, a second round of price cuts—in some cases bringing the total reduction to more than 20 percent—was instituted earlier this month.
542 St. Mark's Avenue Listings [StreetEasy] GMAP
Development Watch: ISHI Comes Into Focus [Brownstoner]

August 17, 2009

Closing Bell: Crown Heights' Blooming Art Scene

Not even five years ago, Crown Heights was dominated by dollar stores, fast food, and the reverberations of the ethnic conflicts in the 1990s largely between Caribbean and Hasidic Jewish populations. The local melting pot was Tavern on Nostrand, but this restaurant and bar stuck out like a frat boy at an Indigo Girls concert. Now, with the influx of young professionals escaping Manhattan's exorbitant prices, the neighborhood seems to be adapting to Tavern's standards. Furthermore, the Nostrand Park blog brings news—albeit hesitant news—of a possibly exploding art scene. Three new art galleries have opened in the neighborhood within the past year, and multiple art organizations have been working steadily to promote and spread art, such as the Heart of Brooklyn, the Crown Heights Youth Collective, the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, or the Chassidic Art Institute. It's certainly too soon to declare a Crown Heights renaissance (we New Yorkers always do love announcing a new renaissance in art), but we'll certainly keep our eyes on Crown Heights.
An Art Scene Grows in Crown Heights [Nostrand Park]
Photo by Crown Heist

August 13, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 345 Montgomery Street, #3O

This co-op at 345 Montgomery Street in Crown Heights is a pretty generously-sized one-bedroom. It's got lots of prewar charm and the kitchen and bathroom, while a far cry from fancy, are at least unoffensive in their monochromaticity and simplicity. Its monthly maintenance of $525 is also palatable. And while the location's hardly A-plus, it is pretty close to the subway and if this were Fort Greene or Brooklyn Heights the asking price wouldn't be $179,000, so get over it.
345 Montgomery Street, #3O [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark

August 4, 2009

House of the Day: 638 Saint Marks Avenue

A few months after transferring the deed among family members, the owners of 638 Saint Marks Avenue in Crown Heights have put the four-story, one-family house on the market for $749,000. The house has some very impressive detail intact, though we're not crazy about aspects (exposed brick, shiny new floors) of what looks to be a recent renovation. What do you think of that asking price?
638 Saint Marks Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

July 23, 2009

Development Watch: 1311 Pacific Street

A reader sent in this photo of a new development on her block. The 32-unit, six-story building at 1311 Pacific Street in Crown Heights was designed by Loadingdock5 Architecture, the same firm that did most of the new projects for Eli Karp to the west on Pacific between Washington and Grand Avenues. In particular, the balconies and exterior staircases echo those of 957 Pacific. Waddya think? Update: There's listing information here. One-bedroom for $299,000. GMAP DOB

July 8, 2009

Sky Watch Sets Up Shop on Franklin Avenue

A couple weeks ago we spotted one of the NYPD's Sky Watch towers at Nostrand and Lexington Avenues. This week, reports I Love Franklin Avenue, one of the anti-crime structures is stationed outside of Nam's market on Franklin Avenue at St. John's Place in Crown Heights. According to an officer on the scene, the tower is a response to a "rash of shootings and other crime" in the immediate vicinity. Evidently, this corner is a favorite with some of the local entrepreneurs.

July 7, 2009

BBG Visitor Center Design Unveiled, Award Announced

Yesterday the Brooklyn Botanic Garden gave the public its first views of its new Visitor Pavilion and announced that the design by Manhattan-based Weiss/Manfredi had won the Award for Excellence in Design by the Public Design Commission of the City of New York. There's lot of detail (and more renderings) over on the BBG site about the environmentally-friendly building, but the center, to be located at 900 Washington Avenue, will house new garden shop, an orientation room for tours and classes, an information desk, an event space, a refreshment bar, and restrooms.
A New Visitor Center [BBG]

July 6, 2009

Streetlevel: Lily & Fig Opens on Franklin

After a year or so delays, a new pastry shop by the name of Lily & Fig has finally opened at 727 Franklin Avenue between Sterling Place and Park Place in Crown Heights. The news comes to us via the blog I Love Franklin Avenue, which sampled a couple of the shop's creations and reports that they "did not disappoint." Lily & Fig opens at 7:30 a.m.
Lily & Fig Open [ILFA] GMAP

June 26, 2009

Big Turnout for Rally Against Homeless Intake Center

Montrose Morris was on the scene for last night's rally against the homeless intake center in Crown Heights and filed this report.

The gym at St.Peter Claver School was full of people for last night's rally against the homeless intake center plan for the Bedford Atlantic Armory. The rally was organized by CHRM (Crown Heights Revitalization Movement) and local elected officials, and was run by community activist Mark Griffiths, CHRM member, and candidate for city council representing Crown Heights and Bed Stuy. Several speakers outlined the history of the shelter, Bloomberg’s plan for bringing the intake center to Central Brooklyn, and the steps taken by a concerned Crown Heights community to stop it.

The opposition to the city’s plans is a coalition of black, white, Asian, Latin, young, and old, community members, as well as clergy, politicians, and advocates and workers with the homeless. It was announced that local elected officials, including City Council Members Letitia James and Bill deBlasio, Assemblyman Karim Camara, State Senator Eric Adams and others have retained the high power, well connected law firm of Gibson Dunn, with the lead lawyer on the case being Jim Walden, a Brooklyn resident, backed up by former deputy mayor, and firm partner Randy Mastrow. Randy seems to have come back to the Light from the Dark Side days as a Giuliani powerbroker, and the firm is taking the case pro bono. It is hoped that the seriousness of the community in fighting this will convince the city to rethink a seriously flawed plan.

In addition to hearing attorney Jim Walden speak about legal strategies, we also were fired up by an impassioned speech by Letitia James...

Continue reading "Big Turnout for Rally Against Homeless Intake Center"

June 25, 2009

Meeting Tonight to Protest Armory Intake Center

Just a reminder that tonight there's a town hall meeting being hosted by State Senator Eric Adams to discuss Bloomberg's plan to stick Crown Heights with the city's main homeless intake center. The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. at the St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church Auditorium at 11 Claver Place between Franklin and Classon Avenues. Bed Stuy Blog has a flyer for the event posted here.

June 15, 2009

1094 Park Place Finally Sells

It was a long haul, but the beautiful free-standing house at 1094 Park Place in Crown Heights finally sold earlier this month. After coming to market with Corcoran with a price tag of $1,395,000 in October 2007, the price dropped to $1,199,000 in july 2008; Elliman picked up the listing in September and jacked the ask back up to $1,345,000. In May, after a torrid negotiation process (detailed last week in this Forum post), the house went into contract in mid-May in an all cash deal for $960,000. The buyers who got edged out at the last minute have put up a gazillion interior photos on Flickr that should not be missed by anyone with a thing for old houses.
House of the Day: 1094 Park Place [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark

June 12, 2009

Streetlevel: Beri Empire Expands with Crown Heights Outlet

There's already a redberi store in Prospect Heights and a blueberi store in Dumbo. Now, as of two weekends ago, there's a beri outlet store in Crown Heights. Located at 500 Prospect Place, the 600-square-foot outlet will feature sale items from both retail locations. The phone number is 718-622-3494. Anyone been yet? You can see a couple of interior shots on the Crown Heights Blog.

CB8 Recap: Treatment Center, Street Closings & Elections

Reader Collin Hodges files this report from last night's Community Board 8 general meeting...Under the threat of last night’s rain, residents of Brooklyn’s Community Board 8 made their way to the board’s last general meeting until September. The acting chairperson, Robert Matthews, opened by welcoming representatives of the evening’s venue, the Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, located on Classon Avenue between Park Place and Prospect Place. Particularly notable was the fact that it was Robert Matthew’s last meeting as chairperson, as he is to retire after serving an impressive 23 years on the board.

Two representatives of the 77th Precinct were the first to step before the crowd, testifying that crime had dropped by 17.9% and that they are on track for even further reductions. Their announcement that police foot-patrols will be reinstated on Franklin and Bedford Avenues led to the most widespread enthusiasm, despite several residents expressing worry about the possible overflow of crime onto Kingston Avenue and points east.

Easily the most anticipated issue of the night, however, was the Housing and ULURP Committee’s presentation of their resolution on the Peter Young Homeless Center scheduled for re-opening at 1140 Pacific Street. (A report on their earlier meeting is here.) Their resolution was presented largely as expected, stating that Community Board 8 will take an official stance against the center, and it passed by a landslide of 25 to 6 with 11 abstentions. A representative of the intake center was present, but her testimony was met largely with indifference and hostility, though the representative cited real estate concerns as one major reason for establishing the center on Pacific Street. Some residents were also upset over a suspected “bait and switch” from a more benign version to the currently proposed residential treatment center, though the representative vehemently maintained that she “had no knowledge of residential treatment” before the proposal was altered. In response, a board member stated that CB8 maintains 6 times more social service centers within its borders than the average for the city.

Perhaps surprisingly, one of the more contentious issues for the public turned out to be the June “Summer Streets” closure of Vanderbilt Avenue...

Continue reading "CB8 Recap: Treatment Center, Street Closings & Elections"

June 8, 2009

CB8 Votes Against Re-Opening Homeless Shelter

At a packed meeting on Thursday night, the Housing Committee of Community Board 8 voted unanimously to oppose the re-opening of the closed Peter Young Homeless Shelter. Operated for years in a space at 1138 Pacific Street, the shelter was closed by the City several months ago (and turned into a 24-hour detox center) and was supposed to remain closed to help compensate the community for the city relocating its main homeless intake center to the Bedford-Atlantic Armory right across the street; the city even talked about turning a portion of the Armory into a track and field center at the time. But not only is the sports facility not happening, the city wants to reopen Peter Young. This committee vote must now be ratified by the full Board at its regular June meeting next Thursday, at 7 PM at the Center for Nursing and Rehab, on Classson between Park Place and Prospect Place.

June 5, 2009

Condo-Turned-Shelter Sparks Homeless Frenzy

Yesterday's news that a new building in Crown Heights had turned shelter rather than condo sent ripples through the homeless community yesterday, with a wave of hopefuls making the pilgrimage to the East New York Avenue building yesterday. "It would be a dream for me to move in here," said Jasmine Lopez, 21, who traveled from East Harlem with her 6-month-old daughter in hopes of securing one of the 67 apartments. Not everyone is as excited by the news: The Daily News reported this morning that some neighbors have started a petition to block the deal, fearing it will hurt local property values.

Crown Heights