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Heavy Hitters Sign on For Downtown’s City Point Phase 2
As if yesterday’s news that Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point project had landed an anchor tenant in Century 21 wasn’t big enough, today the Eagle brings word about the development partners that Acadia Realty Trust and Washington Square Partners have brought on for the second phase of the project: BFC Partners (Toren and, with Mr. B, 1000 Dean Street) will partner in the development of the first tower, “which will contain approximately 250 mixed-income rental units in a 50-30-20 arrangement of market-rate-middle income-low income units.” Meanwhile, the Brodsky Organization (known for a whole lot of development in Manhattan) is partnering on the second tower, which will have around 440 market-rate rentals. The story notes that both towers need to be approved by the Public Design Commission before shovels can go in the ground, and the plan is to have both towers “constructed above a five-story retail podium.”
Residential developers BFC, Brodsky Organization named for City Point Phase II [Eagle]
Century 21 is Opening at City Point on the Fulton Mall! [Brownstoner]
05/11/2012 9:30 AM
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388 Bridge Street from Above
A reader sent in this aerial shot after we noted that construction on the condo/rental tower 388 Bridge Street is in full swing. She says: “It looks like they’ve partially laid foundation on the Bridge St side, but haven’t done anything on the Lawrence St side.” This little baby will rise to 53 stories!
388 Bridge Street is Officially Back in Business [Brownstoner]
Finally, Signs of Life at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Details on Downtown’s Coming Towers [Brownstoner]
Construction Starting Next Year on 2 Downtown High-Rises [Brownstoner]
Stirrings at 384-388 Bridge? [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: Still Frozen at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Brownfield Investigation Begins at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Contamination Found at 384 Bridge Street, Lawsuit Filed [Brownstoner]
A Wrench in 388 Bridge Street’s Plans? [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/10/2012 2:40 PM
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Avalon Adds Another Piece to the Puzzle
As 388 Bridge Street begins its ascent, Avalon Bay continues to plot its massive project across the street. The developer added another parcel (385 Bridge Street) to the eight already assembled for the development (marked with the blue circles in the above map). The price for 385 Bridge (marked with the red star) was $10,089,083.48. As of now, it looks like the two remaining pieces of the parcel are 94 Willoughby Street and 383 Bridge Street. Avalon’s total spend? Close to $100 million. The latest word on the 57-story rental tower, planned for years now, was that construction should wrap by the end of 2014. That hardly seems realistic at this point. Click through for a picture of the 355 Bridge property and an old rendering.
Details on Downtown’s Coming Towers [Brownstoner]
Avalon Evidently Still Planning Second Downtown Tower [Brownstoner]
Avalon Buys Another Piece of Willoughby Pie [Brownstoner] GMAP
Avalon to Top Clarett in Downtown Brooklyn [Brownstoner]
More Evidence that Avalon is Planning Downtown Tower [Brownstoner]
Avalon Buys More Bridge Street Props from United Land [Brownstoner]
United Land Unloading Bridge Street Site to Avalon Bay? [Brownstoner]
Photo via PropertyShark (more…)
05/09/2012 12:00 PM
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Corner of 3rd Ave and Bergen May One Day Look Like This
On Friday, Crain’s brought word (and the new rendering above!) of plans for the long-stalled site at 3rd Avenue and Bergen Street, which had been on the market for $7 million. According to the story, the site has new owners—the Naftali Group and AEW Capital Management—who intend to build an 85-unit, luxury rental. Here’s the scoop:
The new development is near the long-awaited Whole Foods market that was recently approved for construction at Third Street and Third Avenue, next to the Gowanus Canal. It will include a health club, a resident lounge, a courtyard and roof deck with views of both Brooklyn and Manhattan. The Park Slope area has attracted a number of institutional investors in recent months. In December, Invesco paid a reported $57.5 million for a 95-unit residential building called Arias Park Slope., which was conceived as a condo but was later converted into a rental. Currently apartments in the area are fetching per-square-foot rents close to $54—almost $10 more than the prices they commanded a year ago.
It’s true that the building will only be .7 miles from the coming Whole Foods. It will also be .3 miles away from the Barclays Center.
85-Unit Apartment Building Slated for Brooklyn [Crain's]
Stalled Third Avenue Site on the Market [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 316 Bergen Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
Rendering c/o ODA Architecture, via Crain’s
05/07/2012 9:00 AM
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373 Wythe Avenue Still Chugging Along
Here’s an update on a never-ending, Karl Fischer-designed project at 373 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg. Construction workers demolished the one-story commercial building previously there in 2009. Then, construction stalled. About seven months ago, Curbed noted that construction picked back up again and DOB green-lit plans for a 13-story, 84-unit building. Signage on the building says work should last until next year. Click through for a (possibly outdated) rendering of the build.
Development Watch: 373 Wythe Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB (more…)
05/04/2012 2:41 PM
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388 Bridge Street is Officially Back in Business
The 53-story condo/rental tower is finally going up at 388 Bridge Street in Downtown Brooklyn! Just yesterday, a lot of heavy-duty construction work started up at the site. It looked like workers were pouring concrete into the foundation, but our view through the fence wasn’t great. Last month there were stirrings here after years of inactivity. At its completion, this development will hold 234 apartments and 144 condos, both market and affordable rate. Construction on the H&M down on the corner of Bridge and Fulton started up late April. Onward and upward!
Finally, Signs of Life at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Details on Downtown’s Coming Towers [Brownstoner]
Construction Starting Next Year on 2 Downtown High-Rises [Brownstoner]
Stirrings at 384-388 Bridge? [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: Still Frozen at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Brownfield Investigation Begins at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Contamination Found at 384 Bridge Street, Lawsuit Filed [Brownstoner]
A Wrench in 388 Bridge Street’s Plans? [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/04/2012 9:30 AM
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Dumbo’s 185 Plymouth Heading to the LPC
Later this month, the owners of 185 Plymouth Street will propose a slew of building upgrades to the Landmarks Preservation Commission later in anticipation of a residential conversion. The most recent DOB permits lead us to believe it will remain a mixed-use building. According to the LPC Agenda [PDF] for May 22nd, 185 Plymouth/60 John Street, a stable and storage building built circa 1900, submitted an “application to construct additions, modify window and ground floor openings, alter sidewalk, install storefront infill, a canopy, and signage.” So it sounds like some ground-floor commercial space may be in the works, as well. This is only a few doors away from the residential conversion happening at 195 Plymouth. GMAP DOB
05/04/2012 9:00 AM
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A Big Domino Falls as Katan Loses Out in Williamsburg
Developer Isaac Katan may soon be out of the picture when it comes to the redevelopment of the Domino Sugar complex in Williamsburg, according to a story in yesterday’s New York Observer: “The developer of the Domino Sugar Factory failed to receive an injunction in State Supreme Court Tuesday to block its partner from recapitalizing the proposed $1.5 billion project. The decision appeared to clear the way for the Community Preservation Corporation [CPC], a joint owner of the site, to proceed with a deal to hand the majority stake to the project’s senior lender, Pacific Coast Capital Partners, LLC. Isaac Katan, who has been a fifty-fifty partner with CPC in the 11-acre former factory, had launched the suit in March seeking an injunction on the restructuring deal because it would significantly dilute both his and CPC’s interest in the project, which sits along the Brooklyn waterfront in Williamsburg.” CPC and Katan have made the news recently for being at odds with each other over plans for the redevelopment of the huge, waterfront property. Katan vows to fight on, so Williamsburg’s biggest would-be development may be on ice for quite a time to come.
Court Swats Down Lawsuit At Domino Factory Paving Way For Ownership Shakeup [NYO]
Photo by Dan Nguyen
05/03/2012 9:30 AM
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MTA Bringing Big Upgrades to Jay Street Substation
The MTA is rehabbing the Jay Street Substation at 212 Jay Street and building a new circuit breaker house next door for the A/C/F lines. Work on the existing structure, according to this project plan, “includes site preparation; exterior brick work; installation of roof walking pads; replacement of doors, frames, windows, guardrails and pipe railings; new emergency exit; repair of exterior/interior cracks,” among other upgrades. The new circuit breaker house is going in adjacent to 212 Jay Street and will have an upgraded power system and new control system for the subway lines. Work on the $34.6 million project should wrap in the first quarter of next year. GMAP
05/02/2012 2:40 PM
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30,000-Square-Foot Lot for Sale in Stuyvesant Heights
Massey Knakal is marketing a huge site in Stuyvesant Heights on the south side of Halsey Street between Bedford Avenue and Arlington Place. Currently there is a 21,000-square-foot one story former school on the site. The school is on 32,000-square-feet of land, which is being marketed as 50,000-square-feet of buildable or conversion space. The land that faces Halsey Street is zoned R6B, the land sandwiched between Bedford and Arlington, C4-5D (where the school is currently located). The whole shebang is priced at $2.95 million. It was previously asking $3.5 million. GMAP
05/02/2012 11:00 AM
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Big Addition in Store for 355 St. Marks Avenue
Over the weekend Brooklynian commenters did some digging on plans for 355 St. Marks Avenue, between Grand Avenue and Washington Avenue, and it turns out the modest townhouse will be replaced by something grander in size and scale. Says one commenter: “Turns out the owner has bigger plans for 355 – MUCH bigger. The zoning diagram filed in January shows a huge expansion to a five-story, four apartment building that’s 20 feet taller and more than triples the building’s floor space from 2,576 to over 8,000 square feet.” When the discussion turns to the architect, the commentary gets even more negative. Tough luck though: DOB has already approved plans for the super-sizing. Not only that, but construction’s already started. See a detail from the zoning diagram after the jump. GMAP (more…)
05/01/2012 12:00 PM
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Construction Work Comes to 4th Avenue Lot
A reader noticed that construction machinery turned up at the empty lot on the corner of 4th Avenue and Sackett Street, as well as some tarps to block viewers from 4th Avenue, which could mean one of two things. On the one hand, Community Board 6 District Manager Craig Hammerman told us earlier this year that a community garden would occupy half the lot this spring. On the other hand, this site covers an underground water shaft tunnel (and therefore cannot be built on) and the Department of Environmental Protection has another 5 years of work on the site. The DEP has had full access to the space for more than a decade but promised to give it to the community once work wrapped. The last word was that half the site would be given to the community for an “interim community garden” this spring, until DEP finished all work. So this could be the promise of a community garden, or just routine work by the DEP. That’s some pretty heavy machinery so it feels like it may be the latter. Anyone heard rumblings?
Some Green Space Planned for Slope Lot This Spring [Brownstoner]
Community Garden Finally Coming to 4th Avenue Vacant Lot [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/01/2012 10:00 AM
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Signage Up at BAM’s Fisher Building
Check out the new signage up at BAM’s Fisher Building! The renovation and expansion of the building should be complete within the year. There will be a new 250-seat performance space, a 100-seat rehearsal space, and offices. You can see another shot of the building addition after the jump.
A Peek at the Progress on BAM’s Fisher Building [Brownstoner]
BAM’s Fisher Building Loses Some Scaffolding [Brownstoner]
BAM! Close-Up on Fisher Building Construction [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: BAM Addition [Brownstoner] GMAP
BAM Breaks Ground on Fischer Building [Brownstoner]
LPC Signs Off on New BAM Performing Arts Building [Brownstoner] (more…)
04/27/2012 2:40 PM
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The Case for ‘Adaptive Reuse’ at 370 Jay in Downtown
Union outrage notwithstanding, NYU will soon begin remaking the former Transit HQ at 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn and transform it into the state-of-the-art Center for Urban Science and Progress, and today the Times takes a look at the building that many have simply labeled an eyesore. The point of the column is that “it’s quite possible to respect it as a work of architecture. It speaks clearly of the period after World War II when America set out to sweep away the cobwebs of the past even as it perpetuated the memory of those who fought and died just a few years earlier.” The 1951-vintage building has been hailed by some architectural historians as a great example of municipal, modernist architecture. NYU says it intends to pursue “adaptive reuse” in terms of transforming the building, and the article notes that all those snazzy renderings we’ve seen so far have been by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. What won’t stay in the building, though, is the “18-foot-long bas-relief granite map in the open-air entrance arcade listed the transportation workers who had served in the recent war, showing — with five-pointed stars set into the stone — where 24 of them died.” McBrooklyn, which took the photo above, had an appreciative post about the map. According to the Times, the MTA will oversee its relocation.
Remaking a Building to Make It Easier to Love [NY Times]
Downtown Brooklyn-NYU Deal: Victory Lap Edition [Brownstoner]
Photo by McBrooklyn
04/27/2012 9:00 AM
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Auction Site on Kent Finally Ready for RFP?
Five years ago, while on a tour of the Navy Yard, we learned of a plan to ultimately turn the city auction site on Kent Avenue into “a series of multi-story building with a mix of commercial, industrial and…retail fronting along Kent Avenue.” At the time, Navy Yard brass was predicting an RFP within the next year. Then the great recession happened and, we can only conclude, the plan was put on ice. On a recent bike ride recently, however, we noticed that the site had been cleared of all cars and other signs of auction activity which leads up to believe some kind of announcement could be in the offing. At the time, there was discussion of filling in the channel that comes in behind the salt pile. Wonder if that’s still part of the plan.
04/26/2012 10:00 AM
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H&M Building Starts Rising on the Fulton Mall
Thanks to the tipster who sent in this photograph of the steel frame of H&M at the Fulton Street Mall. This site had been a hole in the ground since January of 2011. In his words: “They started building the steel structure about a week ago and have been working at night with a big crane. However, demolition is not complete on the site, there are still a few lower floors of two older buildings in the corner of the site that seem to be tricky to remove.” We wonder if construction workers will build around those lower floors, considering the demolition permit approved way back when was only for a partial demo. Now, Al Laboz isn’t exactly known for speediness when it comes to his many development projects, but perhaps we’ll see a store open here before the year is out.
H&M Marks its Territory on the Fulton Mall [Brownstoner]
Construction Begins on H&M Site [Brownstoner]
H&M Site Ready for Construction [Brownstoner]
H&M Site Breaks Ground on the Fulton Mall [Brownstoner]
04/26/2012 9:00 AM
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Broker Envisions a Music District for Industry City
It’s been reported that Sunset Park’s Industry City, which has 6 million square feet of warehouse space geared toward creative tenants, has had a hard time finding tenants. (Not surprising, perhaps, give how huge the complex is.) But Crosstown Realty broker Jon Brooks thinks the warehouse space may have potential as a future music district, and he has started marketing it as such. The manager of Industry City gave Brooks around 60,000 square feet to play with and agreed to fund at least half of the build-out once space was leased to a music business. So far Brooks is in the leasing stage for 10,000 square feet of space and is in talks with another tenant interested in rehearsal space. In his words: “Musicians will have access to cheap rehearsal, recording, production space. Also the idea is to have music equipments shops, music event businesses, in the building as well.” The idea is that the increased foot traffic will also bring in ground-floor commercial space.
Industry City Has Trouble Luring Tenants [Brownstoner]
04/25/2012 10:30 AM
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A Rendering for the New St. Ann’s Warehouse
Here are the plans St. Ann’s Warehouse is proposing to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for its new location at 29 Jay Street. The changes to the building are minor (the theater company is only signing a three-year lease) and include signage, lighting changes, and a door installed in the existing garage door. St. Ann’s hopes to open up the 19,000-square-foot space for performances this November.
St. Ann’s Warehouse is Heading to the LPC [Brownstoner]
St. Ann’s Finds a New House in Dumbo [Brownstoner] GMAP
Image by Flyleaf Creative, Inc
04/25/2012 9:30 AM
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Details on the Architectural Plans for City Point Phase II
The Architects Newspaper has a story fleshing out the design plans for the second phase of City Point in Downtown Brooklyn, which will consist of two rental towers designed by Cook+Fox with Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture. The Flatbush Avenue towers will be 19 and 30 stories. Here’s what Cook+Fox partner Rick Cook says about the look that the firm will strive for: “‘We intend to play off a similar fenestration pattern and skin’ of the first phase, Cook said, which could incorporate the same custom-glazed white terra-cotta tiles. Landscaped areas are subtly incorporated into the site and on the rooftops. ‘We’ve created a series of recesses on the street wall where we could incorporate green spaces,” Cook said. A glass market hall leads through the site to the planned Willoughby Park by Michael Van Valkenburgh. A future third phase calls for an even taller building that Cook said will anchor the corner with a strong sense of verticality.” Other reports have said that the towers are expected to be completed in 2015 and 2016. The Architects Newspaper notes that construction of the second phase will displace DeKalb Market, but there are hopes that it might be able to operate on the site of the planned third phase of City Point. On the jump, the larger rendering for the project that we’ve already seen.
Unveiled> City Point Phase Two [ArchPaper]
City Point Phase Two Aims for 650 Apartments [Brownstoner]
Plans Revealed for Downtown Brooklyn City Point Towers [Brownstoner] (more…)
04/25/2012 9:00 AM
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Music Venue/Artist Space Planned for Former Burg Factory
Today the Observer reports on a non-profit music venue/rehearsal space/recording studio/club/restaurant opening at 80 North 6th Street, at Wythe, in a former sawdust factory. The 12,900-square-foot space (to be called the Original Music Workshop) will accommodate a 2,200-square-foot performance hall, geared toward, as the Observer says, “music of all types for all ages.” But the space is being designed to be versatile and will provide an “A-to-Z support structure” for artist who want to rehearse and record. There will also be a two-story, independently-owned restaurant and two full bars. The $15.6 million project began construction in December of last year and will hopefully wrap December of 2013. The project is designed by Brooklyn-based firm Bureau V, also designing this affordable new build nearby. See a few more renderings of the OMW after the jump.
Is an Unconventional Music Venue with a Jagged Design the Last Hope for Williamsburg’s Art Scene? [Observer] (more…)
04/24/2012 12:00 PM
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cara
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM