There were two permits issued: one for the curb cut and one for turning the first floor into a garage. Is only the curb cut subject to the Stop Work Order?

Granted, a garage without a curb cut is pretty worthless, but the homeowner could still desecrate the house, correct? Or is that subject to Landmarks review as well?

Posted by: epkwy at October 27, 2009 10:44 AM in response to 97 St. Marks Avenue Update

I second what Babs says, except that if this is a non-eviction conversion (ie. if it is currently a rental building and the tenants in place have the right to remain in place) the sponsor only needs to have 15% of the units spoken for to begin closings.

The offering plan holds the answers to this and more! spend the time to read it yourself, as well as have your attorney review.

Posted by: epkwy at October 27, 2009 8:36 AM in response to Condo Conversion Question

It is a great video.

I can't wait for the DVD release with all the extras: they filmed some shots of Tish hula-hooping, and interviewing my 6 year old daughter...

Tish: Do you like big buildings?
My daughter: Yes!
Me: Doh!

Posted by: epkwy at July 1, 2009 11:12 AM in response to Prospect Heights Landmarking: The Video

agree w Johnny - covering the rail yards would have been just the thing for the city to do - once it owned the yards or took some form of control over them.

In fact, I remember from the PLANNYC 2030 literature that the city was proposing to do essentially the same thing to the BQE, Prospect Expway, Sunnyside, and other sunken road or railways: deck them over and build housing.

But let's remember also the the City is a peripheral player here....this is Albany's game.

Posted by: epkwy at June 30, 2009 12:30 PM in response to Court of Appeals Will Hear AY Eminent Domain Case

none of you apparently enjoyed the car-free Vanderbilt Ave these past 4 Sunday afternoons in Prospect Heights - it was a lot of fun.

Not a sausage vendor in sight, but instead the local merchants bringing their stores out to the streets, lots of mixing and mingling, and a very pleasant atmosphere.

Bikes passed through on the bike path relatively unimpeded - sure, they had to slow down, but they fit into the flow of things nicely.

Just a really nice time, and a great use of the streetspace...

Posted by: epkwy at June 30, 2009 10:07 AM in response to Tuesday Links

wish I had been able to be there last night....

aren't we - and by we I do not merely mean the 35th, but Brooklyn in general - lucky to have so dedicated a public servant as Tish James?

visible and vocal on every issue that is important not just to those of us lucky enough to be her constituents, but to all Brooklyn and indeed NYC.

Posted by: epkwy at June 26, 2009 1:06 PM in response to Big Turnout for Rally Against Homeless Intake Center

I think the original poster was asking if they could get 'non-custom' doors - like Anderson or such - that meet LPC approval. And, you know, NOT spend $10K....

Posted by: epkwy at June 25, 2009 1:40 PM in response to LPC-Approved Door Maker?

I have the same problem with this naming rights BS that I have had with the AY issue from the start: who consulted the locals?

No one asked me or any of my neighbors whether I wanted an arena there. No one asked me or any of my neighbors if I wanted to change the name of the station we use every day.

And no one asked the people we elected to represent us in these matters either. Instead we get this violation of the public trust foisted on us, for $4M over 20 years - bought so cheaply! At least the RFK Bridge, a), commemorates a great American and, b), was not paid for by a corporation.

This project deliberately dodged local authority and the ULURP process where such input would be a necessary element, and took the Albany route through SEQRA...NO LEGITIMATE PUBLIC INPUT in this process poisons the whole thing, love the arena or hate it.

Posted by: epkwy at June 24, 2009 7:22 PM in response to More Naming Rights for Barclay's

Yes - look at that picture, especially the pavillion on the left, and then look at the Brooklyn Museum...same architects, I bet! Roughly contemporary.

Posted by: epkwy at June 23, 2009 12:08 PM in response to Walkabout with Montrose: World's Fairs and White Cities

Brooklynishome: This meshes perfectly with what GAPCo aims to do.

Like bkre says, 2 way traffic is calmer traffic, more controlled traffic, more aware traffic. And traffic circles are confusing. GAPCo is for improving and simplifying traffic flow around and thru GAP.

For peds, joining GAP to Prospect Park is a no brainer. And tightly controlled crossings in three places - Union and PPW, Eastern Pkway and Flatbush, and Flatbush and Vanderbilt - would allow peds better access to the 'interior' of the plaza in a safe, controlled manner.

Posted by: epkwy at March 25, 2009 12:15 PM in response to Survey: More Two-Way Traffic Needed Around GAP

the club indeed went through some hard times in the late 1980s/early 1990s and sold its upper floors. I believe that the Club has several seats on the condo board, so financial decisions (and burdens) are largely shared between the owners (there's only a handful of apartments) and the club.

The club - when I joined about 6 years ago - was a sleepy affair with the usual array of older barflies - long time slopers, long time members - when the missus and I would go for our after work cocktail.

But the transformation over the last 3 years has been incredible. A handful of - yes - 30 something preppies has taken over the social calendar (if not the board of the club) and is luring many new people in as members. Totally different vibe during that after work cocktail hour now, when the missus and I can actually get away from our kids!

If only they could get a good chef - they just got a new one, and the menus look great, and word of mouth is spectacular, but I haven't tried the food yet...

Posted by: epkwy at February 25, 2009 8:31 PM in response to Condo of the Day: Montauk Club Mega-Spread

the good thing is, this is the house that will bring landmarking to Prospect Heights: people who think this is a travesty and a desecration have really pushed hard for landmarking, and now the neighborhood is on the calendar!

Posted by: epkwy at January 5, 2009 2:18 PM in response to Condos of the Day: 330 Park Place

Brownstoner:

the link to OTBKB says 400 Sterling - what gives? Where'd you get 420 from?

Posted by: epkwy at October 30, 2008 12:25 PM in response to TOH House Revealed

Right on, PHfamily - that is the weirdest web site ever!

But it does say 420 Sterling in the tab header...

Is it rental units?

Posted by: epkwy at October 30, 2008 12:23 PM in response to TOH House Revealed

Perhaps they don't qualify because they operate on a city-wide (even national) basis, but the Livable Streets movement has a home in Brooklyn...people like Aaron Naparstek of Streetsblog, Paul White of TA, etc...

If residency alone doesn't qualify (and how many of the developers on the list actually live in Brooklyn? Don't know for sure, but I'd guess ZERO!!) the impact of the projects these groups support is surely shaping Brooklyn....

Posted by: epkwy at October 27, 2008 1:24 PM in response to Top 50: The Final Wrap

Evelyn Ortner is truly missed - one of the nicest people I have ever met. She moved effortlessly among seemingly irreconcilable segments of Brooklyn - serving simultaneously, I believe, alongside Bruce Ratner on the BAM board and on the advisory board for DDDB. She kept the bigger picture in mind: we are all trying, in our own ways, to make Brooklyn a better place to live.

Kudos, Brownstoner - a good cap to a great list.

Posted by: epkwy at October 24, 2008 12:41 PM in response to Lifetime Achievement Award: The Ortners

Tish James is not a moron. She is an elected official taking a nuanced position. She does not like term limits - few members of the council actually think the 8 year limit is a good idea. What she does not like is the attempt to lift term limits without going through referendum, the attempt (perfectly legal) to repeal them through legislative action.

I love Tish, but referendums make bad laws and I hope term limits go down today.

Posted by: epkwy at October 23, 2008 9:01 AM in response to Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 21 - 30

I know this is Brownstoner, and thus a blog that focuses in on real estate issues.

But it seems like there are an awful lot of developers on this list.

Posted by: epkwy at October 22, 2008 1:04 PM in response to Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 21 - 30

our compressors (3 - 2 small, one big) are resting on the dunnage on the roof. However, we will probably install lateral support struts underneath, from beam to beam along the side of each compressor, as there is less than an inch of actual contact between the compressors and the beams (beams were set juuuuuust too far apart from each other...)

Posted by: epkwy at July 31, 2008 4:40 PM in response to HVAC

Atomische - are you serious? I think your block is the most architecturally significant block on Underhill! honestly - taken together, those buildings really work well.

Posted by: epkwy at July 14, 2008 1:57 PM in response to Landmarks to Consider Prospect Heights Historic District

Fjorder:

One of the interesting components of the landmarking process is that the proposed district has to be both largely contiguous and homogenous - so my guess is that there are not only a lack of architecturally significant buildings on the blocks you mention (or buildings that are significant in another way than brownstone residential) but that the district would have to 'jump' over buildings not deserving of inclusion to include them.

Posted by: epkwy at July 14, 2008 11:31 AM in response to Landmarks to Consider Prospect Heights Historic District

Hi Noodles--The building doesn't happen to be on Clinton Street in CG, does it? Have seen some listings for (small) 2-beds in a building there that's being converted. Was possibly going to take a look at one...

Good luck!

Posted by: lula_mae at October 27, 2009 2:36 PM in response to Condo Conversion Question

Those apartments, I believe, specify that you must be an all-cash buyer, due to the fact that it is being converted to condominiums one unit at a time and is majority rentals.

Posted by: babs at October 27, 2009 3:08 PM in response to Condo Conversion Question

Babs: Thanks again for your insight! The building has some 20 or so units in it and they are converting the whole building saving a some for rentals. I will have to get the offering plan and look into this a little more. We decided to hit a couple of open houses on our own to see how it goes without a broker. So far, confused but ok. :)

Lula: these are in Prospect Heights / Crown Heights...

Thanks!

Noodlemania

Posted by: noodlemanias at October 27, 2009 3:32 PM in response to Condo Conversion Question