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More Applications Being Accepted at Navy Green
According to Myrtle Minutes, 7 Clermont Avenue, the third building of the Navy Green affordable housing complex, is now accepting applications to rent. Check out the 7 Clermont website for the application and more details. The income brackets are a little wider than those accepted at 45 Clermont Avenue, where move-ins have already begun. (The second building completed, 40 Vanderbilt Avenue, strictly has apartments for low-income singles and single individuals previously homeless.) At 7 Clermont,the max income is $38,520 for a three bedroom and $34,860 for a studio. the max income goes all the way up to $125,190 for a three bedroom. See a full breakdown of the income guidelines after the jump. Applications are due for these units June 13, 2012.
7 Clermont [Official Site]
Applications now being accepted @ Navy Green Apts, 7 Clermont [Myrtle Minutes] (more…)
04/24/2012 11:00 AM
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Rental of the Day: 13 South Oxford Street
This two-bed/two-bath duplex rental at 13 South Oxford Street in Fort Greene is interesting. As far as we can tell, this is the basement apartment with a “lower cellar area” that offers some extra space. The second bedroom is in the “lower cellar area,” which means it probably has no windows. There also doesn’t seem to be a photograph of the main bedroom. Regardless, it comes with a private garden and is on a great block. Think that’s enough to justify a hefty rent of $5,200/month?
13 South Oxford Street [Rutenberg Realty] GMAP P*Shark
04/19/2012 12:31 PM
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Atlantic Yards Effect: Is it Changing Retail For the Worse?
A story in the Times today looks at the extent to which the blocks surrounding Atlantic Yards are in the midst of a retail transformation directly linked to the fall opening of the Barclays Center arena. While rents are no doubt going up nearby, we’re not sure we’re buying the basic premise of the story: “‘The neighborhood is now becoming an entertainment mecca — anything that’s hip and of the moment,’ said Robert Schulman, who fits prosthetic devices for Allied Orthopedics, which has been on Flatbush Avenue for 25 years. ‘The change was slowly growing, but once the arena came into play, it was exponential. Once a week, a new restaurant or clothing store is opening up.’” Yes, there have been many openings near the arena, but the story’s angle is that it’s changing the face of the surrounding neighborhoods so that old-time mom-and-pops like hardware stores are losing out to retailers that can afford higher rents. However, as the article notes, the Prospect Heights and Park Slope blocks very near the coming arena have been changing for several years now, and not in a mega-retailer sort of way: Witness Pintchick Row on Bergen Street off Flatbush, a block that now boasts Bark, Ricky’s, a vegetarian cafe, a bicycle shop, a comic book store and a yoga shop. All have opened in the past five or so years and it seems like a stretch to say they’ve hurt quality of life in the area. At the same time, the story points out what is perhaps of bigger concern to nearby residents: New, loud bars and noisy arena-goers ruining evenings on nearby residential streets when events let out. Here’s the kicker, from a small business owner near Barclays: “‘As a businessman it’s good. …As a resident not so much. It turns a neighborhood into Midtown Manhattan.’” Certainly the neighbors of the arena have legitimate quality-of-life concerns, but we’re not seeing MSG-level horror yet, though time will tell. Atlantic Yards Report has an extensive critique of the article up, including a note that there was a mis-characterization of people at a recent liquor license hearing as “die-hard opponents” of Barclays Center.
Impact of Atlantic Yards, for Good or Ill, Is Already Felt [NY Times]
Times Focuses on Retail Changes Near Arena Site [AY Report]
Photo by schmuela
04/17/2012 9:30 AM
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Ed Towns Said to be Retiring After 30 Years in Congress
Representative Edolphus Towns, whose district includes a huge swath of Brooklyn—including Downtown, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York and Clinton Hill, among many others—is reportedly not seeking a 16th term. According to the Times, there won’t be an official statement on the matter until sometime today, which also notes that Towns was “facing a vigorous primary challenge in Brooklyn’s 10th Congressional District from Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries.” In addition to Jeffries, Councilmember Charles Barron will also be vying for Towns’ seat.
Towns Is Said to Decline to Run Again for Congress [NY Times]
04/16/2012 9:15 AM
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Bergen Bagels is Coming to Fulton and Washington!
The proof is in the poster: Bergen Bagels, considered by some to be the best bagels available in Brooklyn, put up an an announcement on a storefront on Fulton and Washington that it is “Coming Soon.” The tipster who sent us this photo and watched them put up the sign today notes that it’s in the “combined space that used to be King’s Pizza and Senegalese Fashion Center.” What a great amenity for a stretch of Fulton that could use a bit more love. GMAP
04/09/2012 2:15 PM
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Fort Greene House Sells in 4 Weeks, May Break Record!
We’re hearing from sources in the brokerage community that Fort Greene’s 31 South Elliott Place, which was a House of the Day in late February, went into contract in four weeks and, furthermore, it may be the highest price ever paid for a townhouse in Fort Greene under 20-feet wide. Here’s what we had to say about the “handsome house,” which was asking $2,375,000, in our HOTD writeup on it: “After buying this 17-foot-wide brownstone at 31 South Elliott Place in 2006 for $1,700,000, the new owner proceeded to do a head-to-toe renovation that preserved the house’s original details while giving a modern makeover to the kitchen and bathrooms.”
House of the Day: 31 South Elliott Place [Brownstoner]
31 South Elliott Place [Rutenberg Realty] GMAP
04/06/2012 12:00 PM
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House of the Day: 147 Vanderbilt Avenue
The brick house that just hit the market at 147 Vanderbilt Avenue is going to need some work but it’s got a fair amount of original detail to recommend it and a price tag ($1,300,000) that’s not bad for being on the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill border. On the flip side, the proximity to Myrtle Avenue and the fact that the B69 bus stops on its doorstep don’t bolster its quality of life credentials. What do you make of it?
147 Vanderbilt Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
04/05/2012 1:24 PM
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House of the Day: 68 Greene Avenue
If this new listing at 68 Greene Avenue fetches its asking price of $2,550,000, it’ll be one more piece of evidence of an incredibly strong market in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. (We’re still recovering from the eye-popping sales on nearby Cambridge Place.) This brownstone between Clermont and Adelphi is pretty sweet looking–tons of original Italianate detail and a very attractive new kitchen on the parlor floor are just two of its redeeming qualities. The big question now is whether it’ll fetch the asking price of $2,550,000. Greene Avenue, with its bus and car traffic, is probably marginally less desirable than one of the adjacent side streets, but there’s not a lot of move-in houses of this quality currently available in the area.
68 Greene Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
04/04/2012 1:24 PM
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Condo of the Day: 122 Adelphi Street, #7B
This two-bedroom, two-bath condo is one of 19 units at the recently launched 122 Adelphi Street. The 966-square-foot apartment has an open plan kitchen, living and dining area that opens up onto a what looks like about a 200-square-foot private terrace. We’re not loving the bathroom fixtures but the kitchen and floors look pretty nice. The asking price is $765,000. Anyone checked this place out yet?
122 Adelphi Street, #7B [Halstead] GMAP P*Shark
04/04/2012 12:57 PM
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Rental of the Day: 106 Vanderbilt Avenue
It’s a bummer that the test of time hasn’t left many historical details at 106 Vanderbilt Avenue, a home in the Wallabout Historic District. (Love the wide plank flooring, though!) The biggest asset of this townhouse apartment is size: eight rooms, two bathrooms, three bedrooms, a back porch and a garden. The monthly rent: $5,000. What say you?
106 Vanderbilt Avenue [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
04/03/2012 12:30 PM
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Protest Outside 470 Vanderbilt Avenue
We got the photo above from a tipster of protesters outside 470 Vanderbilt Avenue right now who are “shouting Montec.” Our tipster assumes Montec is a contractor, and we’re guessing it’s this firm. As we reported a couple weeks ago, the Human Resources Administration signed a lease for the facility and it has been under renovation. An HRA rep said the move-in date is now Spring 2013.
Development Watch: 470 Vanderbilt Ave. [Brownstoner]
HRA Getting Lease at 470 Vanderbilt [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
04/03/2012 11:15 AM
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Building of the Day: 376-432 Vanderbilt Avenue
Brooklyn, one building at a time.
Name: Rowhouses
Address: 376-432 Vanderbilt Avenue
Cross Streets: Gates and Greene Avenues
Neighborhood: Fort Greene
Year Built: between 1872-1879
Architectural Style: Italianate, and Italianate/Neo-Grec
Architect and Builder: Thomas B. Jackson
Landmarked: Yes, part of Fort Greene HD (1978)
The story: In honor of Charles Lockwood, who passed away this weekend, today’s BOTD is an entire block of brownstones, the kind of buildings that Mr. Lockwood introduced to us all, in his book Bricks and Brownstone: the New York Row House, 1783-1929. These are the kinds of buildings that cause everyone everywhere, to refer to all rowhouses as “brownstones”: the Italianate row house. This particular group is very well preserved, and showcases all the best of what this kind of housing represents. We know who built them, too, which is often pretty rare, especially in the earlier speculative housing of our borough, for which records can be pretty spare, to say the least.
Architect and builder Thomas B. Jackson designed and built this entire side of the street, with the exception of the corner houses. That is close to 60 houses, all built to house the growing number of comfortable middle class people who were pouring into Fort Greene in the decade after the Civil War. Merchants, skilled craftsmen, like jewelers and watchmakers, book dealers, lawyers, tailors and widows with income, all bought these houses and made this neighborhood home. (more…)
04/02/2012 3:30 PM
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New C Trains Coming, But It Will Take Four Years
The C Train, consistently ranked the worst line running through Brooklyn, will get a major upgrade from the MTA in four years time. According to this WYNC article, “The MTA is buying 300 subway cars to replace equipment on the C line that’s nearing 50 years of age.” The cars will feature digitized voice announcements, an energy-saving braking system, and brighter lights and signs. The MTA set the completion date for the $600 million project in 2016. Whaddya think, C Train riders, can you wait another four years?
New Subway Cars Expected…In 4 Years [WNYC]
Photo by cn998899
03/29/2012 2:40 PM
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All 80 Units Have Sold at the Atlantic Terrace Co-op
Atlantic Terrace, the co-op on Atlantic Avenue with both market- and affordable-rates units, has sold out. The buildings hits the milestone about one-and-a-half years after hitting the market. Heather Gershen, the director of the Fifth Avenue Committee, said “we’re very pleased from both the timing and the pricing perspective” and that all units are expected to close within the year. 60 of the 80 units were priced below market rate and went into contract quickly. The 20 market-rate co-ops were priced between $365,000 for a one-bedroom to $1,095,000 for a two-bedroom (plus office) penthouse. Fifth Avenue Committee still actively seeks a restaurant or retailer tenant for the commercial ground-floor. We’ve heard there’s quite a bit of demand for commercial space near a certain arena that’s opening up not too far away…
Atlantic Terrace Update [Brownstoner]
Checking In On Atlantic Terrace [Brownstoner]
Launch at Atlantic Terrace [Brownstoner] GMAP
03/29/2012 10:00 AM
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Last Week’s Biggest Sales
1. GRAVESEND $2,728,000
400 Avenue U, #PH6E GMAP P*Shark
There wasn’t an exterior photo for this building on Property Shark and there also isn’t a listing on Streeteasy, but this sale is listed on ACRIS as a “single residential condo unit.” Entered into contract on 12/12/11; closed on 3/07/12; deed recorded on 3/23/2012.
2. PARK SLOPE $2,200,000
117 Lincoln Place GMAP P*Shark
As a HOTD, we thought this home was “in such nice shape that the asking price of $2,200,000 doesn’t seem aggressive given the prime location.” The only drawback noted was that the house is only 17 feet wide, but that obviously didn’t deter this buyer. Entered into contract on 11/14/11; closed on 2/09/12; deed recorded on 3/22/2012.
3. SHEEPSHEAD BAY $2,200,000
1930 East 14th Street GMAP P*Shark
A one/two family house with either a garage or vacant land. Sold at $684 per square foot. Entered into contract on 12/10/11; closed on 3/09/12; deed recorded on 3/21/2012.
4. DUMBO $1,832,850
192 Water Street, #2E GMAP P*Shark
One of the first units that’s closed at the new Dumbo condo building. This particular unit is a three bed/two-and-a-half bath. It’s ask was $1,795,000. Entered into contract on 1/30/12; closed on 3/02/12; deed recorded on 3/19/2012.
5. FORT GREENE $1,775,000
185 Lafayette Avenue GMAP P*Shark
No listing for this two-family home. Sold at $732 per square foot. Entered into contract on 10/31/11; closed on 3/05/12; deed recorded on 3/19/2012.
03/27/2012 12:00 PM
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Catholic Church Sells Landmark Fort Greene Building
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn has sold off another one its holdings, 382 Clermont Avenue, which is on the corner of Clermont and Greene. The purchaser, a Manhattan-based firm that wasn’t named in the deed document, paid $5.84 million for the structure in a deal that was recorded in city records on Friday. Property Shark pegs the building as 28,350 square feet. The same buyer also purchased an empty, adjacent lot for $1.99 million. We can only assume that a residential conversion’s in the cards here. Here is the description of 382 Clermont from the LPC Fort Greene Historic District designation report: “The seven-story comer building is the Chancery of the Roman Catholic Dipcese of Brooklyn and was erected in 1930. The building is divided into three sections and is ornamented with decorative forms that are.basically Colonial Revival in feeling. The first two floors on both the Greene and Clermont Avenue facades are articulated by brick pilasters with stylized stone capitals that support a molded stone beltcourse. The rectangular first floor windows are recessed within shallow blind brick arches and are ornamented with bricks splayed lintels, splayed stone keystones and rectangular stone and blocks. On Greene Avenue the entrance way is enframed by a pair of fluted half columns with stylized Corinthian capitals supporting a broken segmental-arched pediment. The narrow Clermont Avenue entrance is ornamented with attenuated stone pilasters supporting a window enframement flanked by volute panels. A stone beltcourse separates the fifth and sixth floors, and a balustrade tops the building. The fifth and seventh floor windows are ornamented by splayed keystones. Brick quoins ornament the corners of the building.” GMAP
03/26/2012 10:00 AM
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Open House Picks
Fort Greene
60 South Elliott Place
Brown Harris Stevens
Sunday, 2:00-3:30
$2,400,000
GMAP P*Shark
Park Slope
635 10th Street
Douglas Elliman
Sunday, 12:00-1:30
$1,925,000
GMAP P*Shark
Park Slope
365 6th Street
Warburg Realty
Sunday, 1:00-3:30
$1,675,000
GMAP P*Shark
Boerum Hill
281 Wyckoff Street
Brownstone Real Estate
Sunday, 2:00-3:30
$1,595,000
GMAP P*Shark
03/23/2012 12:35 PM
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New Cafe Open on Greene Avenue
A reader sent a missive about how a new cafe/coffee shop called the Primrose Cafe opened yesterday on Greene Avenue between Washington and Waverly. “The owner was a really nice woman named Dorley (sorry if misspelled) and the barista is a guy named Justin. She said she poached him from Roberta’s and that he is a competitive barista – who knew? Being the tea drinker I am I took that to mean the coffee is probably pretty good… I can vouch for the deliciousness of the pistachio madeleines.” Opening hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. but for now it’s not open on Mondays. GMAP
03/22/2012 2:00 PM
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adam_dahill
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM