Industrial Space
November 24, 2008
Red Hook Pier Is for Shipping, Not Shopping
We learned a couple of weeks ago that the city's Economic Development Corporation had rejected the various proposals to reinvent Red Hook's Pier 11: no marina for luxury yachts, no hotel and entertainment complex, no public beach. So what, then? Here's a novel idea: a working waterfront. The NY Times reports that the Bloomberg administration prefers to expand the maritime industry from Red Hook down to Sunset Park. "Where a developer once hoped to build a fancy marina, the city now plans to install a beer and wine importer. Nearby, a cement company has opened a shipping terminal. The container port at the north end of Red Hook is planning to expand. And the city expects to sign a deal to open an automobile shipping and storage operation at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal." The economy is partly responsible for the shift — certainly we need real jobs more than we need parking spots for luxury yachts (the cruise ship terminal at Pier 12 creating only 60 full time jobs, not the 600 they'd forecasted), and there's been plenty of political pressure to keep Red Hook as a working port instead of a mall. There's an environmental benefit perhaps, too: fewer trucks driving goods to Brooklyn if they can arrive by boat, instead. Still plenty of tug-of-wars going on in the area, though. Some are not happy with current vision of moving Phoenix Beverages to Pier 11 from its current home in Long Island City, including developer Douglas Durst, whose plan included "a home base for his ferry company, New York Water Taxi; ship maintenance and repair shops; a fuel barge; marina; esplanade; and ferry link to Governors Island." More on the tussles here.
For Reinvention, Red Hook Follows Its Roots [NY Times]
Photo by CheeseNPickles.
October 30, 2008
Preserving NY's Industrial Buildings, Not Just for Nostalgia
Brooklyn's industrial waterfront was named one of the 11 most endangered places in America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation last year. "A Civil War-era graving dock in Red Hook was paved over and is now a parking lot for Ikea; the old Dutch Mustard Company building in Williamsburg was torn down and turned into condominiums; and the Greenpoint Terminal Market, a former rope factory, was destroyed by fire," writes the NY Times. The article summarizes a panel on “Recycling New York’s Industrial Past: Inspiration from Home and Abroad," held at the Municipal Art Society last week. "Panelists argued that preservation does not just serve nostalgia, but has tangible economic and environmental benefits, creating jobs and reducing the waste from demolition. And they identified several buildings that they said deserved to be saved." Those include the National Cold Storage Buildings on Furman Street and Admirals' Row in the Navy Yard. Losses they lament: Revere Sugar Factory in Red Hook, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Power Plant in Williamsburg and the LIRR powerhouse in Long Island City.
Preserving New York's Industrial Past [NY Times]
Photo by masnyc.
August 26, 2008
Rezoning Puts the Squeeze on Manufacturing
New York City has lost 37,000 industrial jobs since Bloomberg took office, and, if the next round of rezonings goes through, it will have surrendered 20 percent of its industrial space. So says the Daily News in a story based on the Pratt Center for Community Development's latest study. The City itself offered opposing statistics—they say the number is 31,000 jobs (still nothing to extoll) and 11,000 square feet of what the story calls "factory-friendly" land. Much of the rezoning was intended to create office space; instead, a lot of former industrial space has turned to residential use, especially in neighborhoods like Red Hook and Greenpoint. The less industrial land there is, the more expensive that land becomes. But the news isn't all bad, apparently. Though we lost twice the percentage of industrial jobs than the national average, we gained 1,700 last month.
City Industries Feel Squeeze with Rezoning Attracting Developers [NY Daily News]
Sugar. Photo by mezzoblue.
August 6, 2008
Where Should the Brooklyn Brewery Set Up Shop?
That was the subject of a segment on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show yesterday. Brooklyn Brewery co-founder Steve Hindy lamented the lack of industrial space in the borough, a subject he's been pushing since publishing an account of his four-year search for new space with the Center for an Urban Future in June. Despite the dismal prospects, Hindy remains committed to brewing Brooklyn beer in, you know, Brooklyn. He mentioned Red Hook and Sunset Park as possibilities. Where do you guys think he should relocate?
You can listen to the segment here:
Bye Bye Brewery? [WNYC]
Brooklyn Brewery Chief Bemoans Lack of Industrial Space [Brownstoner]
HDR Brooklyn Brewery. Photo by Craig S.
July 23, 2008
Industry City, a Photo Tour
Last night the arts group Light Industry hosted its weekly film series in Sunset Park. Part of the focus of the program, curated by Ben Coonley and Michael Smith, was on the physical space where Light Industry happens, described as follows: "On the hottest day of the summer, Ben Coonley and Michael Smith planted a tripod-mounted camcorder in the center of the Light Industry loft space and made several dozen 360-degree pans to catalogue every square inch of the walls, windows, pipes, ceiling elements, furniture, fans, A/V equipment and miscellaneous debris in the room. They found hidden miniature treasures..." As shown above, Industry City, the 6-million-square-foot industrial complex that's home to the film series, is full of transparently outsized treasures, from gorgeous views to unused loft space. Some of those spaces are in the process of being renovated and rented to artists and other creative professionals.
Light Industry [Site]
Part of Sunset Park Complex Transforming Into Film Space [Brownstoner] GMAP
July 21, 2008
Brooklyn Brewery Chief Bemoans Lack of Industrial Space
The lack of affordable industrial space in some sections of Brooklyn is impeding one local business's expansion. Brooklyn Brewery owner Steve Hindy, who started leasing a property on North 11th Street in Williamsburg 12 years ago, tells the Times that his quest to find a bigger space for the brewery in places like Red Hook and Gowanus has been fruitless, and he feels burned by the current administration. Hindy supported the 2005 rezoning of Williamsburg and Greenpoint but now thinks the city didn't retain enough manufacturing space in the neighborhoods; Hindy's plan to move the brewery to a pier in the Red Hook container port, meanwhile, fell through after the Port Authority decided to renew American Stevedoring's lease for the pier. “We are the Brooklyn Brewery, and we want to be in Brooklyn,” says Hindy. “If we can’t find a place, then who can? We’re about as perfect an example of light manufacturing as you can get.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fewer than 100,000 manufacturing jobs remain in the city.
Double Edge to Brooklyn’s Success [NY Times]
Photo by wallyg.
June 9, 2008
Gowanus Sees Major Green With $12M Buy
Proof that Gowanus's stock is soaring: A Manhattan-based developer recently purchased a warehouse on 3rd Street between Bond and Hoyt for $12 million, according to public records. Peter Moore Associates, a firm that's been very active in the Hudson Square area of Manhattan, bought the big building at 92 3rd Street, the former home of prayer-card manufacturer Abigail Press. Planning's rezoning of Gowanus isn't slated to affect the block the property's on, which means it can't be converted to residential. Peter Moore, who was trained as an architect, has a reputation for adaptive reuse, and his company is currently building a Platinum LEED-certified hotel across from the New Museum on the Bowery. With the Gowanus property, Moore says he's thinking mixed-use, and his development will probably incorporate office space, art and production studios, and a hotel that overlooks the building's courtyard. Moore says that he didn't want to build condos in the space since "there are more than enough" planned on surrounding blocks and that the hotel will be both environmentally friendly and architecturally distinct from some of the others that have been built in Gowanus. "We’re talking about building a much more aesthetically engaged hotel than these Sam Chang properties," he notes. GMAP P*Shark DOB
June 6, 2008
Time Equities' Other Big Project on Sunset Park Waterfront
Time Equities' interest in Sunset Park isn't limited to "Sunset Marketplace," the big-box retail center the firm plans to develop between 30th and 32nd streets. About half a mile south, also on the waterfront, the company is fixing to overhaul two old buildings in the Bush Terminal industrial complex, which runs from about 41st Street to 52nd Street. As is the case with Sunset Marketplace, Time Equities still needs to acquire the Bush Terminal buildings from the city via ULURP. The two buildings comprise 40,000 square feet altogether, and Time Equities plans to completely renovate the properties, which are full of tenants, according to Phillip Gesue, the company's director of development and acquisitions. The city also wants the company to build a coffee shop or bodega in one of the structures, as shown in the rendering above, to serve the people who work there. Do you think TE's faith in this area is well placed?
Behold 'Sunset Marketplace,' Time Equities' S. Park Plan [Brownstoner]
Rendering from Time Equities.
May 29, 2008
Big Plans for Red Hook's 'Graffiti Park'?
Adjacent to IKEA is a vacant, four-acre property that looks as if its been serving as the local graffiti park, a place to practice burners without fear of getting caught. But there might be bigger plans in the works for this suddenly prime piece of land, now listed with Greiner-Maltz for an undisclosed amount. The property was purchased by Cammemby's International, which has a huge portfolio in the region, two years ago for $20.7 million. Broker David Junik said of the owner, "They have certain plans for it but at the moment we can't talk about it," basically explaining that they could build there or make a quick chunk of change flipping it to another developer. "We're talking to different people; we have a good amount of activity on it," he said. The owner could not be reached. Junik said a developer could build certain big box retail as-of-right, such as a hardware store (although there's a Home Depot and Lowe's relatively nearby) or a strip mall with stores under 10,000 square feet, in total up to 351,732 square feet. No plans have been filed so far, only demolition permits in 2004 that opened the area up to its current use. Steve Rubinstien, who did the demolition, said the previous owner basically just wanted the small buildings and cranes removed to prep the property for sale. "The guy that I did it for had no intention of doing anything with it," said Rubinstien. Until someone comes along who does, it looks like it'll remain Graffiti Park.
April 25, 2008
Red Hook Stevedores Get a 10-Year Lease
It's official: The Port Authority and American Stevedoring Inc. have agreed to a $41 million, 10-year lease that will allow the stevedores to continue operating Piers 7 through 10 in Red Hook. The deal means the city's plans to redevelop the piers with housing and restaurants is kaput. “We saved the Brooklyn port,” Congressman Jerrold L. Nadler told the Times. “This is a great day for jobs in Brooklyn and for the future of maritime commerce on this side of the river. No one can turn it into a condo anymore.”
Lease Ends Uncertainty for Red Hook Cargo Docks [NY Times]
Red Hook Dock Union Triumphs [NY Post]
Red Hook Containerport to Stay [Brownstoner]
Photo by lj lindhurst.
April 21, 2008
W'Burg Warehouse On Market Again, for Lofts or Hotel?
That giant, early 1900s warehouse at 65 Hope Street, on the corner of Havemeyer, is on the market again—this time listed with Massey Knakal for $33 million with approved plans "to be converted into 92 residential condominiums and eleven parking spaces." In 2006, it sold for $26 million, and in 2005 it sold for $14 million. According to the listing, "The approved plans include amenities such as a gym, children's play room, theatre room, and personal storage spaces. The commercial zoning designation also allows and opportunity for a hotel conversion." At this rate, someone could buy it and put it back on the market again next year for $45 million!
Hope Street Bohemoth Sells for $26 Million [Brownstoner]
53-65 Hope Street Sells for $14 Million [Real Estate Weekly]
April 16, 2008
Guard Starts Talks 'To Come Up With Alternatives' For Row
The Army National Guard held its first consulting meeting yesterday on the transfer of the Admiral's Row houses to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. National Guard spokesman Rick Breitenfeldt said more than 30 groups were represented. "We have groups that want to save the buildings and we have groups that want to demolish the buildings and build a supermarket," he said. Four or five meetings are expected to follow "to really come up with a list of alternatives ... like things that can be done with the property." He declined to elaborate on each group's stance, but said, unsurprisingly, "I did hear in the meeting from a lot of city [officials] that, 'If we're required to restore and fix up these buildings, the city isn't prepared to put any money behind doing that, nor is the State of New York ... so please look at funding it through private sources." The city expected to obtain the properties under a previous agreement that allowed them to tear the homes down. A parking lot and light industrial space is also planned.
But alas, it looks like the National Guard's sentiments have a decent chance of changing since that 1996 agreement. They released a report last year estimating the 10 quarters, some more dilapidated than others, could be restored for (an amended) $19.6 million or rebuilt for $24.9 million, acknowledging those estimates still assumed the buildings would be reused as homes, and excluded the cost of abatement and conversion to commercial use. The long report—now available on the National Guard's new Admiral's Row website—determined the quarters retained enough structural integrity to make them eligible for the state and national registers of historic places. The state's preservation specialist issued a letter of concurrence; that the old agreement fails to address the new findings, basically rendering it moot. "We hope that appropriate alternatives will be considered including adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of the historic building and the site (including walls, fences and landscape features). We are not opposed to the redevelopment of the site," it read, "but it is critical that the alternatives analysis seriously consider how these nationally significant buildings can be creatively incorporated into the overall plan." Conveniently, nearby Pratt architecture students came up with just that. Some have suggested Fairway Market in Red Hook, which occupies the ground floor of a large old industrial building, is proof that these homes could also be refashioned into a market. Navy Yard Development Corporation president Andrew Kimball has said he'd like to bring something like Fairway to this supermarket-starved end of town—in the ground floor of a new industrial building—but he's not willing to budget stringing together a bunch of loose, dilapidated houses. As a side note, the quaint six-acre property also has tennis courts and a tennis house with rules still posted, a park, and a timber shed.
As the cliche goes, beauty (and worth) is in the eye of the beholder. So, here's one particularly amazing photo set to judge for yourself.
Admiral's Row website [National Guard]
Pratt Professors Seek To Reconcile Competing Plans for Admiral's Row [Brooklyn Eagle]
Officers’ Row Supermarket Not Happening Anytime Soon [Brownstoner]
Admiral's Row fixup to cost $20M [Daily News]
Photo by incandenza.
August 29, 2007
Boom Times at the Navy Yard
The Navy Yard is in the midst of “a renaissance,” according to an article in today’s Times, as firms plan expansions and clamor for space at the industrial hub. B&H is developing a multistory building on the water, while Steiner Studios is revamping a 289,000-square-foot building; both projects are going to cost around $50 million. The revitalization of the industrial park comes as the Bloomberg administration has already pumped more than $30 million into upgrading it, with the city planning to invest another $180 million in structural repairs over the next three years. That investment has been paying off too: Net cash flow at the Navy Yard Development Corporation has gone from $700,000 to $5,500,000 since 2001. Some say the Navy Yard’s success is mostly linked to the diminishing supply of industrial space elsewhere in the city. “Every five years, the city is losing approximately 15 percent of its industrial space, because it is being converted into residences, offices, retail,” said John G. J. Ritter, an executive vice president of Sholom & Zuckerbrot, a commercial real estate brokerage. In light of the Navy Yard’s changing fortunes, does it make sense that the city continues to charge forward with plans to transform other industrial-use zones—Gowanus springs immediately to mind—into residential areas?
Brooklyn Navy Yard Once Again Is Booming [NY Times]
Photo from brooklynnavyyard.org
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