Prospect Lefferts Gardens
April 28, 2008
House of the Day: 1860 Bedford Avenue
When we were house hunting back in 2004, the beautiful but neglected brick house at 1860 Bedford Avenue in Lefferts Manor was on the market for about $550,000 if we recall correctly. (This makes us think the $185,000 sales price from 2004 listed in Property Shark is not correct.) Now it's back on the market for $900,000. According to a tip we received, the current owner bought it with the intention of moving his medical practice, only to be stymied by zoning restrictions. He's completed the interior demolition and put in new joists and sub-floors but that's about it: Tabula rasa for the right owner. As great as this house could be, this price seems like a big stretch given how much money will have to be put into it. Agree?
1860 Bedford Avenue [Fabrikant] GMAP P*Shark
What's Up with 1860 Bedford Avenue [Brownstoner]
April 15, 2008
Foreclosure of the Week: 644 Flatbush Avenue
One thing's for sure, the winner of the foreclosure auction for 644 Flatbush Avenue won't go hungry! The outstanding tab on the three-story building between Fenimore and Hawthorne is $540,474, safely below its market value (even in this market). The 4,320-square-foot building is currently configured as two apartments over a restaurant. Interested bidders should bring their checkbooks to 360 Adams Street, Room 261, at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
644 Flatbush Avenue [Property Shark] GMAP
April 9, 2008
PLG's Maple Street School in Talks With Glassy Tower
Children are an increasing population in Brooklyn, sometimes sparking a culture war that's feeling a bit stale, but more importantly putting a strain on pre-school programs. Prospect-Lefferts Gardens' Maple Street School, operating out of the Prospect Park B/Q/S station, is no exception, with a waiting list up to 100 children that's bound to grow if developer Henry Herbst builds his planned tower next door. But Maple Street board member Marc Dicus said he hopes the tower will also give the school a chance to expand. The two parties are in talks, said Herbst and Dicus, for Maple Street to lease the tower's 23,000-square-foot community facility. "We're in just very intial conversations with him about being interested in that space," said Dicus. "We're a nursery school and we may not be able to go on the second floor; we may only be allowed on a ground floor. But if it's feasible, we'd like to serve more kids." He said the school would keep its subway station space, leased until 2015. Maple Street School takes children aged 2 to 5, but it's licensed up to age 6. Director Wendy Cole said the additional space could give them room for a kindergarten program. Already, she said the co-operative school, started in 1978 by a group of parents, serves 80 families. The diverse group of kids can regularly be seen lined up, holding hands and wearing little matching vests, on their way to the zoo, Botanic Gardens, Audobon Center or Prospect Park. "There's a shortage of pre-k programs in general," said Dicus. "There's just been a huge explosion of children going to school in the borough." Do you think more new buildings should provide space for strained facilities?
There’s Not Enough Room in City's Kindergartens [NY Mag]
Glassy Tower Bad News For Birds, Says Expert [Brownstoner]
Common Area Dispute Erupts Into Culture War at BellTel[Brooklyn Eagle]
Park Slope Stroller Nazi Story Getting a Little Stale[Brownstoner]
April 4, 2008
Glassy PLG Tower Bad News for Birds, Says Expert
Scores of migrating birds would smash into the glassy 23-story tower planned in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, on Lincoln Road and Flatbush Avenues, creating a mess on the crowded sidewalks below, said Prospect Park Audubon Center senior naturalist Gabriel Willow. He said adjacent Prospect Park, at 585 acres, is a popular resting place for birds along the Atlantic Flyway, and added that glass towers in Manhattan near smaller, less popular parks have been the death of hundreds of birds a year. "You'll just find the ground littered with birds," he said. Tom Gilman of Gilman Architects didn't respond when asked if his design took migrating birds into consideration (the flock was added to the rendering). Meanwhile, developer Henry Herbst said he's been busy polling the community about their preference for the ground floor retail compenent—so far, they're leaning toward a bank and organic market, even though the short block already has two non-organic markets. Herbst said, "They claim there's no organic foods in the area," which is basically true. Cage-free hens, anyone?
Wings Meet Deadly Glass [NY Times]
Form Follows Feathers: Bird-Friendly Architecture [Architectural Record]
Lefferts Gardens Gets a Few New Arrivals [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]