Greenpoint
November 20, 2009
Viridian Two-Thirds Rented
After a tough run as a condo development (it went bust at the beginning of the year), the Viridian has had a nice reversal of fortune recently in its new life (under new ownership) as a rental building. We passed by yesterday and saw plenty of evidence of people living there. Later in the day we heard from the leasing agent, Citi-Spaces, that 85 out of 130 units have been rented out since hitting the market mid-Summer. Not too shabby, especially considering the not-insubstantial asking prices: One-bedrooms start at $2,400 a month, two-bedrooms at $3,400 and three-bedrooms at $4,500.
Viridian Rentals Hit the Market [Brownstoner] GMAP
Bankruptcy Forces Sale of Viridian [Brownstoner]
November 12, 2009
Standing Room Only at The Locale Condo Auction
Curbed has the results of yesterday's auction of The Locale in Greenpoint. The 16-unit condo auction was held by Sheldon Goode at the New York Marriott and by the sound of it was quite effective. Only five units ended up being sold via live bidding; after that, the developer had interested parties submit private offers. A fourth floor one-bedroom with 726 square feet went for $312,500 and a ground-floor studio with 908 square feet sold for $272,000. More details on the link.
On the Block RESULTS: Five Greenpoint Condos Sell [Curbed]
The Locale: Greenpoint Condo Auction [Brownstoner] GMAP
November 11, 2009
Mamary: Crown Heights, Greenpoint Ripe for the Picking
Jim Mamary, Smith Street's OG restaurateur, said at yesterday's Brooklyn Real Estate Roundtable that the two Brooklyn neighborhoods he's maybe possibly thinking about opening restaurants in are Crown Heights and Greenpoint. When the Times profiled Mamary and his partner Alan Harding last year, Mamary mentioned that he thought Crown Heights looked promising but didn't talk about Greenpoint. Mamary also said yesterday that a typical 50-seat restaurant build-out for him costs around $250,000.
Old Hands on the Restaurant Scene Face a New Brooklyn [Brownstoner]
Photo from Planet PLG
November 6, 2009
New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap
In October, a Department of Transportation panel narrowed the list of potential designs for the new Kosciuszko Bridge down to three finalists, including what The Brooklyn Paper calls the front runner, above. In addition to a new look, the bridge of the future will have nine lanes instead of six (yay!) as well as a bike and pedestrian lane; the whole thing will be set at less of an incline than the current structure because tall boats no longer go underneath. All this good stuff won't come cheap though: We're looking at a $1 billion price tag. Sounds like a lot of dough to us, but apparently that's what it takes to get bridge builders out of bed these days. “For a bridge that is a mile long in New York City, $1 billion is the going rate,” said DOT spokesman Adam Levine. The Feds will pay 80% of the freight, leaving the state with the rest. But the state is now talking about slashing its transportation spending, so it remains to be seen of the bridge, over which 160,000 vehicles pass every day, makes the cut.
The Billion-Dollar Bridge! [Brooklyn Paper]
November 3, 2009
Pelli Tower Proposed for Greenpoint Waterfront
Something about this seems so 2006! A first-time developer (but former lawyer for The Donald) is proposing building two tall residential towers, annexing streets and building piers as part of a 890,000-square-foot, Cesar Pelli-designed project on India Street near the East River in Greenpoint; the waterfront portion would also include sand dunes and wetlands. Countless approvals would be needed at the city and community level for this thing to happen, but the concept did get a warm reception from one not easily taken in by developers' visions of grandeur: “It’s a beautiful project with a hard sell,” said Ward Dennis, chair of local Community Board 1’s land-use committee. “What the community needs to decide is where that balance is between density and open space and affordable housing. And really, that’s what all of these projects come down to.” Waddya think? Crazy or just so crazy it might work?
Greenpoint Rising [Architect's Newspaper]
Introducing the Latest Crazy Greenpoint Waterfront Plan [Curbed]
October 30, 2009
Church Conversion Opp for Sale in Greenpoint
How sweet would this be? Yesterday Curbed picked up on an unusual listing that just hit the market in Greenpoint. A former church and adjacent Sunday School building at 145-147 Kent Street just hit the market for a cool $3,700,000. For this modest tithe, y ou get over 8,000 square feet of existing interior space plus another few thousand square feet of buildable rights. Evidently the owner has already received permission from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for the residential conversion and associated cosmetic changes. Start passing that collection plate!
147 Kent Street [Douglas Elliman] GMAP
Church Mansion Comes With or Without Sunday School [Curbed]
October 27, 2009
Humboldt Police State Finally Making Progress
It's about time! The conversion of the old police station at 512 Humboldt Street just off the BQE in Greenpoint was announced back in 2006, but then nothing much happened until a few months ago. Now you can see the new windows in place and this weekend there was work going on on the sidewalk. As far as we can tell, the plan is still for 14 units of affordable housing.
Slow Train Coming: Humboldt 'Affordable Housing' [Brownstoner] GMAP
Nothing Fuzzy About Affordable Conversion [Brownstoner] P*Shark DOB
October 14, 2009
The Locale: Greenpoint Condo Auction
The Locale, a four-story, 16-unit luxury development in Greenpoint from TreeTop Development, is going on the auction block November 11, reports Curbed. This is the sign of the times that the media and real estate business have been expecting—developers have already opted to unload their stagnant projects elsewhere, but this is the first in Brooklyn. The building, at 267-269 Kingsland Avenue, offers one-bedroom and one-bedroom duplex units, some with balconies and views of the Manhattan skyline. The auction will be held at the New York Marriott, 333 Adams Street, at 7:30 p.m., where bids will start at $150,000—as low as 25 percent of the original asking prices of $445,000 to $600,000. points out that Brooklyn condo sales dropped nearly 30 percent in the second quarter, and median sales prices fell 16 percent. GMAP P*Shark DOB
First Condo Auction Looms in Brooklyn [Crain's]
On the Block: New Greenpoint Condos Heading to Auction! [Curbed]
The Locale Auction Listing [Sheldon Good & Co]
September 25, 2009
EPA Considers Newton Creek for Superfund
The Environmental Protection Agency is recommending Newton Creek, the 3.5-mile estuary between Brooklyn and Queens, as a Superfund site, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. The waterway has a long history of pollution, beginning in the 19th century when Charles Pratt opened Astral Oil, the country's first oil refinery, in 1867. Now fast forward to 1978 when the public became aware of oil spillage into the creek from a series of spills and leaks from oil refineries along the banks. The amount of oil in the creek has been estimated to be up to 30 million gallons—since the creek has no current, the oil combined with sewage overflow and industrial waste water has created a 15-foot sludge of "black mayonnaise" on the creek bed. If the creek makes the National Priorities List, then the federal government will intervene first with immediate measures for public safety followed by long-term investigations and clean-up efforts. As we mentioned on Wednesday, the Gowanus Canal, a similarly polluted waterway, is also up for Superfund attention, which has met with resistance from developers and Mayor Bloomberg because it will halt private investment. The mayor doesn't seem to have issued an official statement on the creek since the EPA's Wednesday announcement, but the Gotham Gazette mentions that in May a Bloomberg spokesman said: “The city hasn’t yet taken a position on the potential Superfund designation of Newtown Creek. We’re doing internal analysis now and plan to meet with the EPA next month before expressing any view. The city plans to invest nearly $1.9 billion in Newtown Creek related projects over the next decade.”
EPA Recommends Newton Creek for Superfund List [EPA]
Newton Creek Nominated as Superfund Site [Brooklyn Eagle]
Newton Creek Clean-up Efforts [PBS]
Riverkeeper, Feds, State Jostle to Clean Gowanus [Brownstoner]
Newton Creek, Here Comes the EPA [Gotham Gazette]
Photo by Jose Hernandez
DOB Shuts Down Sweater Factory
That Greenpoint Blog whose name cannot be spoken brings us news that another illegal artist loft building has been shut down by the Department of Buildings. This time, it was a building at 239 Banker Street known as the Sweater Factory. The beleaguered past of the Sweater Factory, used as residential lofts, includes violation of its zoning as a transient hotel, lack of certificate of occupancy, stop work orders, violations of stop work orders, a $5,000 fine from the DOB, etc. Yesterday afternoon the DOB took off the kid gloves and vacated the building. According to That Greenpoint Blog (TGB), the fire department was not present, and the DOB's vacate order declared that "occupancy is perilous to life." The Red Cross was on hand to help find housing for displaced tenants and their pets, and TGB mentioned that the landlord was on site as well. GMAP P*Shark DOB
The Sweater Factory Gets DOBed Again [NY Shitty]
Greenpoint Conversion Mystery on Messerole Ave [Curbed]
September 23, 2009
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
New Restaurant & Bar Openings
Grub Street sneaks a peek inside Mercat Negre in Williamsburg and shows us the restaurant's roof deck, pictured above. The NY Times says it's scheduled to open tomorrow at 65 Grand Street (at Wythe Avenue)... The Strong Buzz reports that the GM of 'inotecca is teaming up with Mike Burkett (a.k.a. Fat Mike from NOFX) to open Thistle Hill Tavern this December or January: "The restaurant, which will be located at corner of Seventh Ave. and 15th St. in the South Slope, will serve robust regional seasonal cuisine in a very laid back, turn-of-the-century tavern setting." ... According to Eater, the old Baron's at 98 Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint is now The Keg And Lantern, "a bar and grill serving classic pub fare." ... And Bushwick BK says that the Hibachi Tiki Hut is now open and serving "wood-fire barbeque cuisine" at 890 Broadway (at Belvidere Street).
More Food at Fort Defiance?
New York magazine shares our love for Fort Defiance, and hints at what the future may hold for this Red Hook spot: "There are plans, gas service pending, to fire up the stoves and start offering daily specials, like red beans and rice and oysters Rockefeller. But [owner St. John] Frizell says he won’t turn the joint into a full-fledged restaurant. For him, the café-bar-what-have-you model serves the neighborhood, and its quotidian appetites, quite nicely."
Homebrews by Brooklynites, for Brooklynites
"Stephen Valand, 23, and Erica Shea, 25, quit their jobs earlier this year to start the Brooklyn Brew Shop, which makes gallon beer-brewing kits sized for New York City apartments," says the New York Times. The fledgling company's current DIY brews include Grapefruit Honey Ale and Chocolate Maple Porter. The $40 kit (grains included) seems like a pretty solid gift for a beer enthusiast. Has anybody tried their brewing system yet?
After the jump: Bushwick's pastoral wonderland, karaoke confusion in Bay Ridge, and more love for the food vendors at the Flea...
September 22, 2009
CB1 Criticizes Truck Traffic in Williamsburg
At the meeting of Community Board 1 last week, residents of North 11th Street in Williamsburg raised their hackles over the parade of truck traffic that has marched down their street ever since a portion of Kent Avenue became northbound-only as part of the Kent Avenue Improvement Plan. David Wolloch, from the Department of Transportation, said: "We’re not going to be trying to divert more trucks to North 11th Street. We’re going to monitor the truck traffic on North 11th, open signal studies, and route more trucks directly to North 14th.We have not been doing what we should have been doing for decades." The DOT also hopes to divert traffic to Greenpoint, McGuiness, and Meeker avenues, but, as feared, trucks are currently taking routes through residential streets. While many residents don't oppose bike lanes (a major part of the improvement plan), they did express frustration at their exclusion from the planning process. “I’ve been screaming for one and a half years that they were not going to the community and now everyone is suffering,” CB1 member Simon Weiser told YourNabe.com.
Truck Troubles on North 11th Street [YourNabe.com]
Truck Troubles on North 11th Street [Brooklyn 11211]
Kent Traffic Shifts to Wythe [Brownstoner]
Photo by mikequozl
September 18, 2009
Seedy Greenpoint Hotel Changes Hands
The legendarily shabby Greenpoint Hotel recently sold, marking the third time in the past decade that the flophouse has had new owners. A company based in the Bronx bought the property and some adjoining parcels for $3.5 million. An article a few years ago in the Times talked about the hotel's history, noting that "the hallways stink of marijuana and urine; the bathrooms - one per floor - are caked in dirt, and hot water is rare." NY Shitty, which has done a bunch of reporting on the establishment, took note of a fire in the building this August. GMAP
Photo from Property Shark
September 17, 2009
Ace Plan for Tennis-Friendly McCarren Makeover
McCarren Park has the space and the potential to be an incredible tennis facility but unfortunately the city has let the current courts deteriorate to the point where they're barely usable. Frustrated by this situation, a group of regulars has decided to try to take matters into their own hands. The band of self-described tennis nuts has envisioned a multi-step, multi-year plan for turning McCarren into a tennis center to rival the one in Prospect Park. And why not? In the short-term, all the group (called McCarren Tennis) is trying to accomplish is a simple resurfacing and installation of wind screens; they've already gotten the support of the Open Space Alliance for that. Stages 2, 3 and 4 involve the addition of more courts and the creation of a pavilion in the middle of them all. Ambitious? Sure. Crazy? Not really. All the developers who still have skin in the game in the neighborhood should be lining up to write a check for this. Not everyone will be pleased with the idea--some of the folks who enjoy a good game of concrete softball on the adjacent lot, for example. They might not realize, however, that the entire area was originally devoted exclusively to tennis once upon a time. To get the ball rolling, the group is holding a fundraiser tournament on the weekend of October 10th with a DJ party on Saturday night when the tennis is wrapped up. More info here.
September 14, 2009
The City Makes Headway at Greenpoint Waterfront Site
The City has been trying for several months to acquire 65 Commercial Street, a site at the mouth of Newton Creek in northern Greenpoint, from its current owner, the MTA, in order to build a waterfront park. The MTA, which currently parks buses on the lot, has already agreed in writing to turn the site over to the city, as long as the city provides a viable alternative. So far, the MTA has rejected sites proposed by the city, even though it has already relocated the buses in question. But now, Brooklyn 11211 reports that the MTA has agreed to two possible sites. The next step is for the city to conduct a feasibility study, which should be completed by the end of the month. If the city succeeds in acquiring the land, it plans on building a waterfront esplanade as well as selling air rights to the neighboring site for a development that would include 200 units of affordable housing. GMAP
Progress at 65 Commercial Street [Brooklyn 11211]
Not a Park: 65 Commercial Street [Brooklyn 11211]
Photo by Bridge and Tunnel Club
September 10, 2009
Court Hears Case for Greenpoint Power Plant
A Brooklyn appellate court heard arguments yesterday from Transgas Energy Systems, a power company that has been trying to build a power plant along the Williamsburg-Greenpoint waterfront, near Kent Avenue and North 12th Street. The New York State Board on Electric Generation, Siting and the Environment has already dismissed their construction proposal, and the company is now seeking to overturn that decision. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Community Board 1, and the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Waterfront Task Force are all opposing the project. According to the Brooklyn Eagle, Markowitz's press secretary said that the site in question, south of Bushwick Inlet Park, "is slated to become a much-needed waterfront park in Northern Brooklyn," according to the Mayor’s PlanNYC. Transgas' representative said that the plant, which would include a 325-foot smokestack and a 1.8 million gallon oil tank, would work to address community concerns about appearance on the waterfront.
Brooklyn Appellate Court Hears Argument for Billyburg Power Plant [Brooklyn Eagle]
Photo by Will Femia, taken near North 9th
August 26, 2009
Closing Bell: Spotted on Wythe and North 12th
Wythe and North 12th in Greenpoint is a relatively desolate intersection, with little foot traffic, but we found a gaggle of photographers surrounding this fire hydrant and decided to join the fray. (Well, it was just one photographer, and he was just a creative director taking photos with his mobile phone, but on the corner of Wythe and North 12th, that counts as a gaggle.)
August 17, 2009
Kent Ave Goes One-Way Today
Despite some local opposition, workers will begin today converting Kent Avenue into a one-way road, reports The Brooklyn Paper. The past year has been dramatic for this key connecting route between Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Downtown. Last year, the city replaced hundreds of parking spaces with bike lanes on either side of the avenue. And now, the current plan is to allow only north-bound car traffic, reinstate parking lanes on both sides, and use one of the parking lanes as a buffer for a protected, two-directional bike lane. Supporters of this layout say that Kent Avenue will be safer and easier to use for bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists alike. Opponents worry that south-bound truck traffic formerly isolated to Kent will now overflow onto residential streets like Wythe. The workers today will begin on the section between Clymer Street and Broadway, and they plan to do the section between Broadway and North 14th in September, says the Department of Transportation.
Kent Avenue Goes One-Way [Brooklyn Paper]
The Kent Avenue Conundrum [Brownstoner]
August 13, 2009
Scaffolding Down at Greenpoint's Pencil Factory
We hadn't realized that work had continued on the Pencil Factory conversion in Greenpoint after the project's developer defaulted and the site was shut down in May. According to Curbed, it has continued, and the scaffolding recently came down. How does it match up to the rendering (above)? We'll let you decide. Click here for the match up.
Rendering/Reality: Greenpoint's Pencil Factory Condos [Curbed] GMAP
August 12, 2009
Fear (of Condos) and Self-Loathing in Williamsburg
What happens when you mix the snide aspects of hipster culture with the gleaming new developments that have popped up in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Fort Greene? Condo shame, says the Observer. The hipsters who once scoffed at new developments like The Edge or nV are now—ironically, perhaps—experiencing a desire to buy units in these buildings (gasp!). In the current market, it's the modern units that are suddenly in the price range of 20- and 30-something new buyers, while the common brownstone fantasy still costs over $1 million. The article chronicles several 20-somethings such as Kendall Turner, 23, who bought a $449,000 one-bedroom in the Ikon building on McCarren Park in Greenpoint, or Nicole Ferejohn, 27, who refused to give in to her condo urges and continues to rent. Those profiled in the article make excuses and apologies; they feel guilt for their un-Brooklyn-y purchases; but in the end, perhaps the point is that if you price it low enough, they will (begrudgingly) come.
Condo Shame [NY Observer]
July 30, 2009
City Council Approves Two Three More Rezonings
We don't have much to go on other than a couple of tweets that came across the transom last night (see, non-believers, Twitter can be useful!), but apparently, the City Council approved two three rezonings (in addition to the Coney Island vote) yesterday, the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Contextual Rezoning and the Flatbush Rezoning. Way to go! Update: And Dumbo too!
July 29, 2009
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Brooklyn Restaurant & Bar Openings
Greenpointers snapped this photo of the roof deck at Berry Park, the new bar on the corner of North 14th and Berry... Grub Street says that the new Eton location on Sackett (behind Zaytoons) will be serving frozen dumplings, plus "sixteen to eighteen varieties of bubble tea... as well as 26 varieties of Hawaiian shave ice year-round"... Brooklyn Based reports, "Caroline Fidanza, founding chef of Marlow and Sons and Diner, is opening a new place of her own called Saltie" in the old Cheeks space at at 378 Metropolitan... Thrillist shares interior photos of Der Schwarze Kolner in Fort Greene... And Little Buddy Biscuit Company is opening its first retail shop at 635 5th Avenue, near 18th Street, says Fork in the Road.
Guss' Pickles Relocating to Brooklyn
After 85 years on the Lower East Side, Guss’ Pickles is making a move. Grub Street reports: "We called Roger Janin, who has operated the stand along with his mother, Pat Fairhurst, since 2004, and he confirmed that in about four months, he’ll reopen in the Borough Park area, at 39th Street between Fourteenth and Fifteenth Avenues. The reason has nothing to do with a greedy landlord — it’s simply that fewer old-timers are coming and business has dropped off, even during the Jewish holidays."
Recently Reviewed: King of Tandoor
600 Flatbush Avenue, PLG; (347) 533-6811
"The papadum was perfect... The chicken in the kebabs were a bit dry but the flavor of the marinade was good. The jalfrezi was a mix of pepper, potato, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini. The vegetables still had some snap and the sauce was good with some heat," writes Hawthorne Street, after visiting King of Tandoor on opening day. Service is reportedly slow, as this new kitchen works out the kinks, but all food is 25% off through Friday, to celebrate their opening week.
After the jump: Restaurant Girl hits Prime Meats, Sam Mason doles out $5 dinners tonight, Bruni bikes through Greenpoint, a blogger calls out Edible Brooklyn, and butcher Tom Mylan moves on...
July 14, 2009
Viridian Rentals Hit the Market
Half a year after Curbed predicted it, the first rental listings at the Viridian have hit the market. StreetEasy shows 28 units ranging in price from $2,155 for a 662-square-foot one-bedroom to $4,822 for a 1,267-square-foot three-bedroom. The development's original website still show a few orphaned listings for sale.
Bankruptcy Forces Sale of Viridian [Brownstoner]
Photo by NYShitty
July 7, 2009
59 Orient, Half-Butchered, Is Back on the Block
The story of 59 Orient Avenue is a sad one. The 6,000-square-foot former squat had never been landmarked when it came up for sale a couple of years ago and the house came with the kind of lot size and accompanying FAR that makes developers drool. Ultimately, someone ponied up $1,725,000 (a good deal less than the asking price of $2,500,000) and started ripping it to shreds, though it's unclear what the ultimate goal was because only a single building permit was filed and it only referenced relatively minor renovation activities and did not seek to change the C of O. Regardless, the owner managed to do a world of damage before losing his mojo. Now, notes the blog Flavorwire, the house is back on the market with a broker named Capri Jet. The asking price is $1,389,000 and, according to the broker, it needs a total gut.
59 Orient Avenue Listing [Capri Jet]
Open Letter to Michel Gondry: Buy This House [Flavorwire]
Another One Bites the Dust? [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
House of the Day: Endangered on Orient Avenue [Brownstoner]
June 24, 2009
Closing Bell: India Street Mural Project Fundraiser
We wrote about the India Street Mural Project back in April when they were asking for artist submissions. Then the North Brooklyn Public Art Coalition (NbPac) announced the project's artists in May. Now the painting of the mural has begun (even despite the rain). Tonight at Gallery 1889 in Greenpoint, NbPac presents RE/PAINT RE/BUILD, a fundraiser to benefit the mural project. At the fundraiser, there will be an unveiling of each artist's wall proposal as well as a silent auction with works by the artists. To RSVP and buy tickets, click here.
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