November 20, 2009

Plans for J.J. Byrne Park in the Slope Unveiled

The schematic plan above details the next round of renovations the city is planning for J.J. Byrne Park in the Slope. (Click on the image to enlarge it.) The revamps are the result of a couple years' worth of community listening sessions on how to improve the park, and they will result in more distinct play areas for kids of different ages and new, adult-themed spaces like a seating area with cafe tables. Funding is in place for the overhaul, and the Parks Dept. is aiming to break ground next fall and finish the work in about a year. Meanwhile, you can check out the plans in the flesh in the gallery of the Old Stone House on weekends.
City Planning Facelift for Slope's J.J. Byrne Park [Brownstoner] GMAP
Extreme Makeover Planned for J.J. Byrne Park [Brownstoner]

November 18, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 85 8th Avenue, #3R

We're liking this two-bedroom co-op at 85 8th Avenue in Park Slope that just hit the market. The 1,000-square-foot brownstone duplex is one of those places that successfully combines original charm with modern touches. The monthly maintenance seems a touch high at $1,083 given the lack of services, but we won't be surprised if they get within 10 percent of the $695,000 asking price.
85 8th Avenue, #3R [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

Coming to Bergen: Mid-Century Furniture Dealer

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A poster has gone up in the window of the former Unameable Books space on Bergen Street saying the storefront will soon be home to a business called Grandma's Attic that specializes in "mid-century furniture." The store's website says the company is based in East Meadow and has been around for a couple decades. A taste of their wares is on this Flickr stream. GMAP

BSA Smacks Down 580 Carroll Hardship Claim...For Now

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Yesterday the Board of Standards and Appeals told the developers of 580 Carroll Street that they'd have to come up with a new rationale for why they should be allowed to build a denser structure than zoning allows. The board basically said it wasn't buying the developers' explanation for $2.85 million in cost overruns: That unexpected masonry chambers associated with the old substation on the land required them to drill rather than drive piles. "Why didn’t you do some better assessment of your own site?" asked one board member, referring to the fact that the 580 Carroll team based a lot of their cost analysis on the site conditions of other projects in the area, rather than their own. Meanwhile, a few people who live near the site and Councilman-elect Brad Lander spoke out against the BSA granting a variance. The opponents' arguments included statements about how the block's infrastructure isn't well-equipped for increased residential density and that the developers shouldn't be rewarded for incompetence. The BSA said it would give the developers until the end of December to come up with completely new arguments for a hardship variance and it would hold another hearing on the matter in mid-January.
580 Carroll Developers Cite Chambers of Horror [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 580 Carroll Gets Its Glass On [Brownstoner]
BSA Postpones Decision on Carroll St Norten Again [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Decision Postponed [Brownstoner]
Slope Rallies Against 580 Carroll, Rags on the BSA [Brownstoner]
Battle Over Carroll St. Norten Build Heats Up This Week [Brownstoner]
CB6 Doesn't Buy Carroll Street Hardship Claim [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Developer Trying to Supersize Norten Project [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 580 Carroll Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
Enrique Norten-Designed Project in Park Slope Revealed [Brownstoner]
Four Developments Coming to One Stretch of Carroll [Brownstoner]

November 17, 2009

Footage from 357 4th Street Condo Lawsuit

Holy crap! We were just sent the link to a video the plaintiffs in the Corcoran lawsuit made a couple of years ago to document the flooding problems in their newly purchased condo at 357 4th Street.
Corcoran Found Negligent in Park Slope Condo Sale [Brownstoner]
State Supreme Court Rules Corcoran "Negligent" [TRD]
E-mail Shows Couple's Suit vs. Corcoran Group Holds Water [NYDN]

Corcoran Found Negligent in Park Slope Condo Sale

What do you do if you're trying to sell an apartment with water leaks but don't want potential buyers to know? Just make sure not to show it on rainy days! That's the tactic some Corcoran agents were accused of in a suit involving the sale of a condo unit at 357 4th Street in Park Slope, and now the firm itself has been found "grossly negligent" and fined $35,000 by the judge in the case for failing to preserve and hand over emails that would allegedly confirm that Corcoran agents cancelled appointments on rainy days. Meanwhile, the case itself, which involves almost a million dollars in potential construction fixes and total damages of $5 million, continues on.
State Supreme Court Rules Corcoran "Negligent" [TRD]
E-mail Shows Couple's Suit vs. Corcoran Group Holds Water [NYDN]

November 16, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 130 8th Avenue, #7C

Here's a pretty standard but perfectly nice two-bedroom co-op at 130 8th Avenue that just hit the market. It has a nice layout and appears to be in good shape; the views also look sweet. The maintenance is a little high at $1,399 and the asking price of $865,000 seems mildly optimistic but not crazy talk. What do you make of it?
130 8th Avenue, #7C [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark

Doings at the Dilapidated 7th Ave & 2nd St Building?

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Last time we checked in on 187 7th Avenue, the Park Slope building on the corner of 2nd Street that's been in decline for many years, the DOB was trying to get its owner to show up for a hearing regarding some of its code violations. According to DOB records, other violations have been served since then, and it doesn't appear that 187's owner has done anything about them. Anyhow, a sign that's been taped up on the side of the building caught the eye of a Brooklynian poster a few days ago. The sign cryptically advertises a number to call "for info," which the Brooklnian poster did, but no information was forthcoming. We did the same, and the woman who answered the phone asked whether we were "interested in apartments or office space" and said the property's "project manager" would call us back, which he did not. The woman also said that she worked for a real estate firm called "Hello." Anyone know what gives?
Falling Down Building on 2nd St and 7th Ave [Brooklynian]
Slope Ruin Gets Served [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB

Cubana Cafe Opens in The Slope

We just noticed on Friday that the new outpost of Cubana Cafe (of Smith Street fame) is now open on the corner of St. Marks Place and 6th Avenue in Park Slope. It can't have been open more than a few days.
Streetlevel: Cubana Cafe Coming to 6th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP

November 12, 2009

House of the Day: 540 4th Street

We're digging all the original details in this new listing at 540 4th Street. The Park Slope limestone has plenty of old-school cred but it's gonna need to get some serious lovin' from its next owner, a fact the listing cops to. We're not so sure we agree that at $2,000,000, though, that it is "priced accordingly" (as the listing also claims). The house is on a park block, but it's only about 2,500 square feet. Thoughts?
540 4th Street [Orrichio Anderson] GMAP P*Shark

580 Carroll Developers Cite Chambers of Horror

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The developers of the Enrique Norten-designed 580 Carroll Street in Park Slope have filed papers with the city in advance of next week's Board of Standards and Appeals hearing on the variance they're seeking to build a denser structure than zoning allows. The latest documents from the development team are in response to criticisms from the BSA about the team's request, and in them they lay out how high cost overruns have allegedly gotten at the site because of what they call "unique" conditions, like "deep underground concrete and masonry chambers" from the old substation on the land. The developers claim that the makeup of these chambers couldn't have been anticipated before they began excavation, and along with other unexpected hurdles—such as "the  soil  under  the  neighboring  buildings  began  to  wash  out  and  soil  grouting  had  to  be  introduced  in  order  to  keep  the  soil  under  the  neighboring  buildings  stable"—overruns reached $2.86 million. You buying it?
Development Watch: 580 Carroll Gets Its Glass On [Brownstoner]
BSA Postpones Decision on Carroll St Norten Again [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Decision Postponed [Brownstoner]
Slope Rallies Against 580 Carroll, Rags on the BSA [Brownstoner]
Battle Over Carroll St. Norten Build Heats Up This Week [Brownstoner]
CB6 Doesn't Buy Carroll Street Hardship Claim [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Developer Trying to Supersize Norten Project [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 580 Carroll Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
Enrique Norten-Designed Project in Park Slope Revealed [Brownstoner]
Four Developments Coming to One Stretch of Carroll [Brownstoner]

November 10, 2009

House of the Day: 615 2nd Street Revisited

The owners of 615 2nd Street gave selling their Park Slope limestone a go last year but packed it in after six months when the $3,495,000 asking price proved to much for the market to bear. Now the house is back on the market with a new price tag of $2,950,000. It's a great house to be sure but, as we noted last time around, the kitchen finishes seem a little out of place. What do you think the market-clearing price is on this baby?
615 2nd Street [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
House of the Day: 615 2nd Street [Brownstoner]

November 9, 2009

Development Watch: 571 Carroll Street

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The facade of the 18-unit development at 571 Carroll, between 4th and 5th avenues, is starting to get there. The above rendering of the building, which has been in the works for upwards of two years now, was posted on the site's construction wall awhile back. Looks like the finished product will be in the ballpark of the rendering but with lighter brick.
Development Watch: 571 Carroll Street [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB

House of the Day: 430 10th Street Revisited

This house at 430 10th Street has been on the market for-effing-ever. After selling for $1,200,000 in 2005, the new owners started out trying to get $1,865,000 last year. By August of this year, the ask was down to $1,650,000 and in September it was reduced further to $1,595,000. Since the broker doesn't even have his own website and only tiny photos are available on StreetEasy, it would be interesting to hear from someone who's actually seen the interiors.
430 10th Street [Timothy Norton] GMAP P*Shark
House of the Day: 430 10th Street [Brownstoner]

November 6, 2009

StreetLevel: Cafe DuCharme Opens on President

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Cafe DuCharme opened earlier this week on President near the corner of 5th Avenue. The small cafe, which gets its handle from the last name of its Swiss owner, is open from 7 to 7, and in addition to fair trade drip ($1.25/cup) has a variety of sandwiches (a prosciutto combo, eg, for $8.75) and breakfast fare. The shop's proprietor previously had a coffee shop in Old San Juan.
Two New Eateries Coming to Slope's President Street [Brownstoner] GMAP

November 5, 2009

Development Watch: 580 Carroll Gets Its Glass On

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One of the defining features of the controversial development 580 Carroll Street, its angled glass windows, has started to come into focus. Over the past few weeks glass has gone up on the Garfield Place side of the Enrique Norten-designed building, above, as well as on a small section of the Carroll Street part of the structure. A BSA hearing later this month will likely decide whether the increased density the developer is gunning for on the Carroll side—which would result in the glass wall reaching the sidewalk rather than being set back considerably and fronted by small yards, as in an older version of the design—will come to pass.
BSA Postpones Decision on Carroll St Norten Again [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Decision Postponed [Brownstoner]
Slope Rallies Against 580 Carroll, Rags on the BSA [Brownstoner]
Battle Over Carroll St. Norten Build Heats Up This Week [Brownstoner]
CB6 Doesn't Buy Carroll Street Hardship Claim [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Developer Trying to Supersize Norten Project [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 580 Carroll Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
Enrique Norten-Designed Project in Park Slope Revealed [Brownstoner]
Four Developments Coming to One Stretch of Carroll [Brownstoner]

StreetLevel: Lucas Fine Foods Coming to Union

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A reader dropped a line to let us know signage has gone up announcing that a biz called Lucas Fine Foods is coming to Union Street between 6th and 7th avenues. The poster in the window says Lucas will be a cafe and sell prepared foods, and that it's opening in late fall. GMAP

November 4, 2009

Streetlevel: New Cafe Opening on 6th Avenue

At some point soon, judging from the exterior, a new coffee place called Kohzee Cafe is going to open at 396 6th Avenue. Excited? GMAP

Slope Armory Set-Back

The ribbon-cutting at the Park Slope Armory's refurbished athletic facilities held more than a year and a half ago is looking rather premature in hindsight. The Brooklyn Paper says that the Park Slope Armory opening has been delayed again, something to do with both the glacial pace of classroom as well as the inability to get the FDNY to set a date to inspect. “They can’t even give us a ballpark figure,” said Nica Lalli, CB6’s Parks Committee chairwoman. “They can not give us anything that will satisfy our need to know. We asked it 15 ways, but they did not budge and give us a date.” Once the fire department does sigs off, the Department of Homeless Services can hand over control to the YMCA; at that point the Y will have another couple of months of its own work to do, though some of the recreation programs for kids will not have to wait.
At the Armory, Wait ‘Til Next Year [Brooklyn Paper]
Armory to Open in November [Courier Life]
Slope's Armory Rec Center Delayed, Again [Brownstoner]
Photo by Crown Heights North

November 2, 2009

House of the Day: 49 8th Avenue

Sweeeeeet! Check out this 25-foot-wide corner brownstone at 49 8th Avenue in Park Slope. While whoever can end up affording the $3,200,000 price tag will inevitably want to gussy it up a bit (even the listing says it's "in need of repair and renovation," we're loving what we can see of the house in its current unfancified state. It's got 42 windows and, on the parlor floor, a ballroom. Overall, there's more than 6,500 square feet of space. Ah, to dream.
49 8th Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

October 29, 2009

House of the Day: 902 Union Street

This new brownstone listing at 902 Union Street has some nice old details but we suspect that the busy location and the condition of the house may make the $3,000,000 asking price a bit of a stretch. Don't get us wrong: We really like the original details and overall vibe of the house but the place doesn't sparkle the way a house at this price should. (Of course, much of that could be the way it was photographed, but that's part of the game here.) What do you think it'll sell for?
902 Union Street [AltaNYC] GMAP P*Shark

October 26, 2009

House of the Day: 291 8th Street

This house at 291 8th Street in Park Slope is a bit unusual in that it as a legal commercial space in the ground floor. We like the looks of the ground-floor space, which is fully built out on the lot and has a bunch of nice skylights installed. The renovation on the rest of the house, while thorough, isn't really floating our boat. In particular, all the light colored wood trim looks out of place to us. But that's easily fixable as is, we imagine, the asking price of $2,100,000, which seems quite high unless the rent on that commercial space is potentially much higher than we would imagine. Thoughts?
291 8th Street [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark

NYT: Food Co-op Exile's Story Demands 2,000 Words

food%20co-op.jpg Comrades, a new bar has just been set for Park Slope Food Co-op navel gazing: "For such a scrutinized institution, little public attention is paid to people like me—co-op failures and near-failures who have struggled to stay in good standing and have stumbled in the cramped aisles. Like every other aspect of the much-loved and much-hated co-op, the topic of members in trouble draws a bushel of opinions. An organic bushel, of course...The co-op, a place that raises aspirations for society, makes us raise aspirations for ourselves. I am still suspended, but imagine myself someday returning and remaining in good standing. Nostalgically, I envision old friends and former roommates in the aisles, examining the white nectarines. But I wonder: couldn’t it be a little mellower?" —Flunking Out at the Food Co-op
Photo by Betty Blade.

October 21, 2009

Condo of the Day: 153 Lincoln Place, #3C

It looks like most of the units at 153 Lincoln Place—the former bordello in Park Slope—are now spoken for: Seven have closed, one is on contract and two are still for sale. One of the apartments that's still available, Unit 3C, has had its asking price cut twice in the last three months, bringing it to $999,000 from an initial $1,245,000. It has a lot of space—1,388 square feet—so we suspect the problem has been the untraditional layout. Or maybe, to beat a familiar drum, it's the lack of original details inside a historic shell. Thoughts?
153 Lincoln Place, #3C [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

October 20, 2009

StreetLevel: Store for Dudes Opens in the Slope

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Hog Mountain, the "general store for men," opened a few days ago on 5th Avenue near the corner of Sackett. The shop stocks a lot of clothing (mostly outerwear and jeans) as well as a smattering of toiletries and hardware.
Hog Mountain [Facebook] GMAP
StreetLevel: New Men's Shop Coming to the Slope [Brownstoner]