sarah ryley's Profile
- Sarah Ryley
- Brooklyn
- Prospect Lefferts Gardens
- Rental
- Female
- http://sarahryley@yahoo.com
Author's Posts
October 23, 2008
Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 11 - 20
Every day this week, we're going to count down Brooklyn's Top 50* most influential people who have shaped Brooklyn neighborhoods by building new structures, preserving older ones, influencing property values and quality of life, speaking for thousands, or changing the course of developments, for example. We did 41-50 on Monday, 31-40 on Tuesday and , 21-30 yesterday, so today it's time for 11-20. Instead of listing everyone from Bloomberg to Bernanke, we mostly stuck with locals. Surprisingly still, by broadening our definition of influence beyond quantitative factors like real estate holdings and constituency, the toughest task was keeping the list down to only 50 (*So we cheated, there's actually more like 65 people on the list, and it was still hard). Ranking them in order was also tough. In some cases we considered the type of entity the person represents, the potential impact of the project he or she is working on, and the extent of influence over time, distance and the number of Brooklynites affected. By all means, feel free to give us your two cents in the comments section. By the end of this week, we could have 200 people on the list!
Check out 11-20 below.
Continue reading "Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 11 - 20"
October 22, 2008
Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 21 - 30
Every day this week, we're going to count down Brooklyn's Top 50* most influential people who have shaped Brooklyn neighborhoods by building new structures, preserving older ones, influencing property values and quality of life, speaking for thousands, or changing the course of developments, for example. We did 41-50 on Monday, 31-40 yesterday, so today it's 21-30. Instead of listing everyone from Bloomberg to Bernanke, we mostly stuck with locals. Surprisingly still, by broadening our definition of influence beyond quantitative factors like real estate holdings and constituency, the toughest task was keeping the list down to only 50 (*So we cheated, there's actually more like 65 people on the list, and it was still hard). Ranking them in order was also tough. In some cases we considered the type of entity the person represents, the potential impact of the project he or she is working on, and the extent of influence over time, distance and the number of Brooklynites affected. By all means, feel free to give us your two cents in the comments section. By the end of this week, we could have 200 people on the list!
Check out 21-30 below.
Continue reading "Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 21 - 30"
October 21, 2008
Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 31 - 40
Every day this week, we're going to count down Brooklyn's Top 50* most influential people who have shaped Brooklyn neighborhoods by building new structures, preserving older ones, influencing property values and quality of life, speaking for thousands, or changing the course of developments, for example. We did 41-50 yesterday, so today it's 31-40. Instead of listing everyone from Bloomberg to Bernanke, we mostly stuck with locals. Surprisingly still, by broadening our definition of influence beyond quantitative factors like real estate holdings and constituency, the toughest task was keeping the list down to only 50 (*So we cheated, there's actually more like 65 people on the list, and it was still hard). Ranking them in order was also tough. In some cases we considered the type of entity the person represents, the potential impact of the project he or she is working on, and the extent of influence over time, distance and the number of Brooklynites affected. By all means, feel free to give us your two cents in the comments section. By the end of this week, we could have 200 people on the list!
Check out 31-40 below.
Continue reading "Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 31 - 40 "
October 20, 2008
Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 41 - 50
Every day this week, we're going to count down Brooklyn's Top 50* most influential people in shaping Brooklyn neighborhoods — by building new structures, preserving older ones, influencing property values and quality of life, speaking for thousands, or changing the course of developments, for example. Instead of listing everyone from Bloomberg to Bernanke, we mostly stuck with locals. Surprisingly still, by broadening our definition of influence beyond quantitative factors like real estate holdings and constituency, the toughest task was keeping the list down to only 50 (*so we cheated, there's actually more like 65 people on the list, and it was still hard). Ranking them in order was also tough, so please take the whole exercise with a grain of salt and sense of humor. In some cases we considered the type of entity the person represents, the potential impact of the project he or she is working on, and the extent of influence over time, distance and the number of Brooklynites affected. By all means, feel free to give us your two cents in the comments section. By the end of this week, we could have 200 people on the list!
41 and 42. Developers Louis Greco, Jr. and Mario Procida teamed up in 2006 to form SDS Procida, developers of the glassy Richard Meier concoction On Prospect Park, Be@Schermerhorn, and two other sold-out projects, totaling 449 units in the borough. The Brooklyn Public Library had to give up its unofficial address One Grand Army Plaza when SDS Procida formally applied to have the aspiring moniker attached to On Prospect Park. It has turned out to be somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the building has some of the top sales in Brooklyn.
43. One insider we spoke to called JP Day Realty, owned by real estate heir Larry Wohl, "the Downtown [Brooklyn] landlord that has done the least to maintain its prewar office buildings." Once owner of the majestic 16 Court Street before it was purchased (and renovated) by SLGreen, Wohl is still hanging on to four other Downtown office buildings. His 186 Joralemon Street is undergoing a gut renovation, while 186 Remsen Street continues to languish on the market, reportedly in pretty rough shape.
44. Community Board district managers handle a million things that have a direct, daily impact on the lives of residents, with varying degrees of deference from the city; they also play big roles behind the scenes in building support or opposition to local initiatives. Some recent moves include the effort by both District 2 Manager Robert Perris and District 6 Manager Craig Hammerman to curtail the nightly torture bars wage on neighbors, and District 7 Manager Jeremy Laufer's push for a rezoning of Sunset Park.
45. David Maundrell founded Williamsburg-based aptsandlofts.com six years ago and has already become the Goliath of that market by providing a young and edgy alternative to the city's old-timer firms. He has contracts to represent 150 new developments, primarily in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Long Island City, Fort Greene, Prospect Heights and Dumbo. He said he is considering opening an office in Manhattan, and turned down a buyout offer from one of the city's top three firms (we know which one but can't tell). He also announced last week the, along with a partner, was launching a new new mortgage outfit called Union Square Mortgage Company.
46. Buddy Scotto, founder of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation and the Carroll Gardens Association, has since the 1960s used his political connections to win everything from canal cleanup money to the late Brooke Astor's support for a land-use study. Unabashedly pro-development, he's losing favor among the new neighborhood guard. Early this year, the neighborhood association stopped holding its meetings at his funeral home, in part because he had become too controversial a figure.
47. Henry Radusky of Bricolage Designs is the third most prolific architect in the city with 893 buildings approved over the past 7 years, many of which the Village Voice said "clot the Brooklyn landscape." His signature maneuver: creating "faculty housing" so he can build twice the standard size, much to the ire of neighbors.
48. Prolific restauranteur Jim Mamary first planted his stake in Brooklyn in 1997, when he opened Patios on Smith Street. He has since opened more than a dozen restaurants in the borough, often in neighborhoods on the cusp of change, like Enduros in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, widely considered a game-changer for the Lincoln Road strip, and Pomme de Terre, a French bistro in Ditmas Park. Not all of his projects are met with equal praise: While PLG is generally delighted over his plans for a new Southern BBQ joint, there's opposition to his oyster bar on Hoyt Street.
49. In the frenzied pace of Downtown Brooklyn redevelopment, where more than 50 large projects are underway, it could be easy to forget area old-timers, many who are minorities, immigrants, low-income, and have lost their businesses, jobs and homes in the name of progress. Fortunately, Ilana Berger, executive director of Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE), is keeping track, sometimes negotiating directly with developers and public agencies on behalf of her clients, other times hitting the streets. The group's reports on displacement seem to be the only ones being conducted in the area.
50. Developer Bruce Ratner's choice of legendary starchitect Frank Gehry to design Atlantic Yards helped galvanize support for the massive project, versus if he had chosen a blander designer, as stunning architecture can have an elevating effect on a community. But Gehry's vision has also be hotly criticized as offensive to the surrounding brownstone neighborhoods. No matter, Atlantic Yards hasn't be built yet, and Gehry was recently ousted from BAM's Theater for a New Audience design team. If he ever does get something built here, he'll be in the top 20 for sure.
August 11, 2008
Streetlevel: BBQ Coming to Lincoln Road in PLG
Last week, the blog Hawthorne Street broke the news that the vacant space on Lincoln Road in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens will be a BBQ place by prolific restauranteur Jim Mamary. He's also a partner in the Mexican bar and restaurant next door, Cafe Enduro, which has become somewhat of the neighborhood "Cheers." We spoke to partner Richard Krause about this newest venture, expected to open by December (Their other project under development, an oyster bar on Hoyt and Union Streets, which ran into some controversy, should open by January). Krause said they first considered opening their "BBQ concept" on Smith Street, but were unable to find affordable space. Then the nail salon next door to Enduro shut down because the landlord raised the rent. "That location just sort of became available and it just seemed to really work there ... I think BBQ really fits for the nice, diverse group that is already coming to Enduro." In fact, Enduro, not even two-years-old, was such a hit that Krause said they renewed their lease for another 15 years and plan a 15-year lease for the yet-untested BBQ space (the final leases have not been signed).
The menu is going to be "strictly southern BBQ, very simple and very straight forward ... ribs, brisket, chicken and not a lot more ... And if we have a dessert, we will only have one dessert. I don't think we'll have appetizers." Sorry, vegetarians, that means it's sides or nothing. "The corn bread will be vegetarian, the baked beans obviously will not be. [They could get] creamed spinach, corn on the cob, mixed and matched sides. It would all be coincidentally vegetarian ... we're not going to be smoking rutabaga or anything." The BBQ joint would be connected to Enduro via an archway so a separate liquor license is not necessary, and would have it's own bar, kitchen and staff. Krause said they wanted to avoid the burrito and BBQ at the same table scenario for sanity's sake.
Continue reading "Streetlevel: BBQ Coming to Lincoln Road in PLG"
August 4, 2008
Fire Leaves 75 PLG Households Looking for Shelter
A six-alarm fire destroyed a portion of the top floor of an 84-unit apartment building in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens on Friday, leaving 23 firefighters and two civilians injured, and the residents essentially homeless. The fire took two hours and 250 firefighters to extinguish. Between 25 and 35 of the 75 households in the building were temporarily sheltered at a school this weekend, then in hotel rooms provided by the Red Cross, while others stayed with family and friends. City officials were reluctant to estimate when they could return &mdash a portion of the roof was removed to extinguish the blaze, and the electrical system that likely caused the fire is "a complete mess" and may need to be entirely replace. "They're doing some work to shore up the roof, but there's some trouble with the electrical system in the building ... that's what's keeping the building vacated," said the official, who asked not to be named. But a resident and friend told us she was advised to look for new housing. She said in retrospect she should have known there were problems with the electrical system because the lights would dim or flicker when she turned on her air conditioner, and electrical bills over the past few months have been erratic. But she never suspected it could be this serious. Although an investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, it originated in the space between the ceiling of the top floor and the roof and is believed to be wiring-related.
In addition to worrying about finding new housing, residents, many without renters insurance, are worried about their belongings and the expense of building new lives. Firefighters had to bash in apartment doors to check for victims and flames, and another resident said she saw someone on the fire escape next to her window the following day. Police are guarding the building, which is very large and has multiple entry points. Residents were only given 15 minutes to be escorted into their apartments so they could gather their most valuable possessions. Some were lucky enough to get in the evening of the fire by saying they had pets or medication inside. Those who had to sleep at the school or in hotel rooms had to leave their pets with friends. As the Red Cross's contract generally only lasts a few days, the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development will be responsible for providing shelter to anyone who is unable to find it independently.
Officials: Electric Wiring Sparked Brooklyn Blaze [WCBS]
August 1, 2008
DoBro Redevelopment Not So Great for Everyone
Not everybody is profiting off the Downtown Brooklyn boom, according to a recent report. Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) and the Urban Justice Center conducted surveys of 61 small businesses in Downtown Brooklyn over the past year and found 35 have since moved or gone under. Many of the closures were attributed to four large projects &mdash City Point, Al Laboz's planned Willoughby West tower, Stahl Real Estate's 50-story office tower, and the planned Willoughby Square Park &mdash and the decrease in daytime business as office towers were emptied for residential development. Three-quarters of the owners surveyed are immigrants, 64 percent non-white, and 23 percent women.
The report, "Out of Business," points out that Fulton Mall was already one of the city's most successful retail corridors with 100,000 daily shoppers and $100 million in annual sales. In fact, a prominent local broker explained to us that Fulton Mall's retail space is so lucrative that landlords actually removed stairwells and elevators in many of the buildings to create more ground-floor space, which now rents at between $150 and $300 per square foot (we were wondering why all the unsightly boarded-up windows). He said residential and low-end office tenants who would have rented out the upper levels were more troublesome and less lucrative, so landlords simply boarded up the windows and stopped maintaining those floors. FUREE co-director Ilana Berger suggested landlords re-open that less expensive space to small business owners, many who had already been paying prime ground-floor rates, as one way to maintain Fulton Mall's diversity. But she acknowledged that after decades of neglect, renovation would be costly. Berger said she also tried to meet with the City Point developers to help secure space for displaced and aspiring small businesses owners in the tower's 500,000 square feet of planned retail, but was met with disinterest. Click through for stories on some of the businesses profiled in the report, and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership's response...
Continue reading "DoBro Redevelopment Not So Great for Everyone"
July 31, 2008
Sales Begin at The Isabella
Sales have officially started at The Isabella at 545 Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill but there's still not much information on the development's website. Just this (in flash player mode): "63 perfectly suited homes. 20 minutes to Manhattan. On-site rental parking. Walk down to Prospect Park. Fitness Center. Common roof deck. Fresh Direct at your service. Eligible for 421-A tax abatement. Opening late spring. Life deserved." (Late Spring? Better get on that.) Listings on StreetEasy range from $285,000 for a 465-square-foot studio to $980,000 for a 1,656-square-foot three-bedroom. And the press release sent to us added: "All of the residences will feature ceiling heights up to nine feet, floor-to-ceiling windows, part time doorman, 24-hour virtual doorman, video intercom security systems, and hardwood floors, as well as access to a residents’ only rooftop and fitness center. Select homes will offer private outdoor space and radiant floor heating ... Open kitchens will be outfitted with white-glass tile backsplash, Grey Oak cabinetry Energy-Star Bosch appliances, and stainless steel finishes by Kohler. Spacious bathrooms tout porcelain tiles, Wenge finish vanities, Kohler showers and vanities, and Toto toilets." How do you think it will sell?
Isabella Condos Teed Up for Launch [Brownstoner]
July 29, 2008
Korean-Style Yogurt Pays Big Bucks for Court Street
Local Korean-style yogurt chain Yofiore signed a lease for 650 square feet at 32 Court Street in Downtown Brooklyn, according to Timothy King, principal of CPEX Real Estate. The rent: "close to the asking price of $14,000 a month," which would be $258 per square foot! We checked Massey Knakal's Brooklyn retail corridor report from last year, which put retail rent on the commercial strip between $85 and $99 per square foot (Fulton Mall and 86th Street in Bay Ridge were the highest in Brooklyn, with rents between $175 and $265). King said he's seeing record-breaking rents on Court Street because of its myriad of customer bases—wealthy residents from the Heights and those moving into Downtown Brooklyn, people headed to the municipal buildings, students, tourists, and people visiting other retailers, like gyms and the movie theater. The release cited "Duane Reade, which has two profitable stores on Court Street two blocks apart, and Chase, which has a number ATMs and branches on Court Street to serve its customers," as evidence of the corridor's success (although some might cite that as an example of chainification).
Yofiore owner Anthony Shim said the Brooklyn store is scheduled to open early September. There are six Yofiores in Queens, three will be opening in Virginia and Maryland, and the company is looking for sites in Texas and Seattle. The release said, "Yofiore features nonfat and low sugar frozen yogurt in coffee, green tea, and original flavors. Natural foods (like Cap'n Crunch??) are used for toppings." Do you think this place will sell enough yogurt to stay open?
July 25, 2008
The Edge's Sales Office is Apparently Bumpin'
Sales might be down and out in the rest of the borough—by 43.6 percent compared to the second quarter of last year—but apparently things are bumpin' over at The Edge's sales office in Williamsburg. (Construction is humming along too, as you can see from the photo series above.) According to a spokeswoman for developer Douglaston Development, roughly 100 contracts have been signed since the first phase of the project was put on the market March 10. That's one contract per business day. We did point out that StreetEasy, which must be updated by the sales team, only lists two units sold, but she said the developer won't put out an official sales report until September. Units at The Edge range from $440,000 for a 490-square-foot studio to $2.735 million for a 2,544 square foot townhouse.
Miller Samuel Report: Sales Down; Bstone, Burg Prices Up [Brownstoner]
Author's Comments
In response to confusion about where St. Ann's classrooms are located in relation to the probation office, according to St. Anne's website there are classrooms in One Pierrepont Plaza and on either side, as I wrote in the post. Garoppolo told me they would not be sharing an entrance, and the entrance he said they would use is under construction. So, it appears they would just be sharing a sidewalk with the students.
http://www.saintannsny.org/info/info.htm
Posted by: sarah ryley at July 16, 2008 4:42 PM in response to Federal Probation Officer Defends Proximity to St. Ann's
11:13: You can find the "Growing Pains" report linked in my question... "Currently there are thousands of new or under construction residential units in District 13, which includes Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO and Fort Greene. Yet there are no new public schools planned. How will the department handle this growth?"
Sorry that wasn't more clear!
Posted by: sarah ryley at June 18, 2008 12:02 PM in response to Chancellor Joel Klein Discusses Brooklyn Schools
Biff, that one was for the regulars!
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 30, 2008 10:28 AM in response to You Have $140K Down, Where Do You Buy?
Montrose Morris (is your account not working?). This is another email I got from Rachel Pratt this afternoon... definately June 1:
Hi Everyone -
A few updates:
Rally will be held on Sunday June 1st on Bedford Avenue in front of the Armory at 12:30pm. Please be there and bring your friends, neighbors, and banners. Spread the word!
Letter writing campaign to Mayor Bloomberg is underway. To participate, go to www.revitalizecrownheights.org and follow the instructions. You can write your own letter or customize ours. All letters will be collected by CHRM, and the mailing address is on the site.
We are planning a Neighborhood Walk, a great idea of Senator Eric Adams, for the day before the Rally, Saturday May 31st. Time and meeting location to be announced. CHRM wants a large group of residents and our elected officials to walk through the neighborhood distributing fliers and talking to residents about the City's plan for the Bedford-Atlantic Armory. Stay tuned for more information about this event.
I attended a meeting of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Corporation last night. Council Member Letitia James and NYS Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries were featured speakers. Both were vocal in their opposition to the City's plan. I also met earlier that day with NYS Senator Eric Adams who is a strong opponent as well, as is NYS Assmeblyman Karim Camara who met with another member of CHRM this morning. Be sure to tell them you appreciate their stance on this important issue.
Thanks.
Rachel
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 23, 2008 1:54 PM in response to Crown Heights Group Still Doesn't Want Homeless Center
Regarding Penelope Scarano, at the time the house was purchased she used a Boston residence, and as you may know Robert Scarano Jr. was born in Brooklyn. I looked for a connection and didn't find one. But I really could have spent days on this, you know? To 11:04 a.m. "If you want, we can even get you phone numbers, contacts and write the story for you." That would be great! Letting the reader do some of the reporting (and sending in tips) is part of what the fast-paced blog format is all about! The same goes for drawing connections between these vacant buildings -- among scores of others throughout the city -- and the Department of Buildings (and even the crane collapse if you want). That's why we ask if any readers have more information, and encourage open discussion of posts.
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 20, 2008 11:46 AM in response to 'Dereliction of Duty' in Brooklyn Heights
2:37 Actually there are tons of nail salons right around the corner, but this one is the personal favorite of most people I know here for super cheap manicures and pedicures. It's less cramped, they rarely mess up, and it's actually a few dollars cheaper than the other local places. So a tear falls for this business.
But, looking toward the future, I would love love love a Thai or Indian place because it now takes 45 minutes for delivery. In the meantime, PLG people: try Mango Thai (www.mangothai.com) or Indian Place on Vanderbilt. Both are excellent. Another bar would be cool, but I'm totally happy going to Enduro. I know a lot of the staff well and I always bump into like three people I know every time I go. Always a nice time there!
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 13, 2008 3:40 PM in response to Streetlevel: Lincoln Road Nail Salon Shuts Down
10:38 I used the word "culture" somewhat jokingly, which is why I put it in quotes ... just to bring up that public pot smoking is not illegal in a lot of places for a better discussion. Sorry to offend! In Vancouver you can often see even elderly people smoking joints outside. I don't know if that falls under culture or just social norms (that it's not as shocking in other places). Same with smoking, in most states it would be considered normal (though looked down upon by some) for parents to be smoking around their infants in a restaurant. I also have a friend whose mother used to give him small amounts of liquor when he cried as a baby. I was shocked, but I guess that's just what they do in his "culture," he said.
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 12, 2008 10:46 AM in response to Brooklyn Kids Could be Exposed to Porn, Pot Smoking
10:22 I'm just going off the Gowanus Lounge post here (see link above), but apparently there are two seperate computer areas, one for adults and the other for children under 12 years old. The post links to a NY Press article by Norman Oder (of the Atlantic Yards Report), who made the interesting point that filters negatively impact a teenager who might think he or she has an STD, or is pregnant, for example. Oder wrote that the city's public library system opposed putting the optional filters on its computers, in part because they unintentionally block sites such as ones dedicated to sex education, but had to in order to receive federal funding.
10:07 Funny that you bring up cigarettes, because a couple of people on the Brooklynian forum made that comparison as well. Do you think people would have been more outraged by this post had it been about a group of parents blowing cigarette smoke into their kids' faces? Just an open question... I used to wait tables when I was in high school and college, and I was always shocked by parents who brought their little children, infants even, into the smoking section. Smoke would literally just hang in the air, surrounding their faces.
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 12, 2008 10:33 AM in response to Brooklyn Kids Could be Exposed to Porn, Pot Smoking
No idea. That wasn't mine. But I now have to bar myself from commenting any further because I am falling behind on a story! I can see how this becomes addictive when procrastinating!
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 7, 2008 1:35 PM in response to DoBro's Average Household Income to Double?
Speaking of other jobs (tangent alert?) I have a friend who just graduated with her nursing degree that is starting at $72,000. When I reported on the longshoremen during the whole Red Hook piers controversy, many of them were clutching year-end pay stubs of well over $100,000. A friend of mine beginning in the fashion industry earns over $80,000. Another friend living in Brooklyn who gives laser facials (don't know the exact term for these) to people living in the Upper East Side earns about that much a year. Have two of those people move in together and you have a household of over $142,000.
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 7, 2008 12:46 PM in response to DoBro's Average Household Income to Double?
Atlantic Yards has 6,500 apartments. And the study area includes Dumbo, Fort Greene, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill. In the post I noted that the number is high, probably based on best possible scenario conditions. But experts also consider the above neighborhoods among the most stable in Brooklyn in the event of a huge economic downturn. Also, it doesn't have to be hedge fund tycoons. A couple with each partner earning more than $50,000 for example, that could be anyone in a union job. But I am not going to pretend to know what the future extent of this economic downturn will be here. The post depicts a present forecast, which is why we ended the headline with a question mark...
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 7, 2008 12:33 PM in response to DoBro's Average Household Income to Double?
I was just explaining how that figures could work. And even if the prices on these units were lowered, a household would still have to earn more than $100,000 to afford the majority of them.
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 7, 2008 12:17 PM in response to DoBro's Average Household Income to Double?
Because of the amount of money it cost to buy those condos. If you look at the data, there are now 20,043 households in the area earning more than $100,000. It says 27,000 condos (households) are under construction in the study area, although that number is high, considering some projects (most notably Atlantic Yards) have not began construction and will not be finished by 2010.
But if you look at the new projects that are under construction or have been completed, you can see that a household living there would easily have to earn over $100,000 a year. The lowest listing at the typically priced BellTel Lofts, for example, is a studio for $540,000, which would require a $108,000 down payment for a mortgage with 20 percent down. The most expensive listing at BellTel is a three bedroom for $1.89 million, requiring a $378,000 down payment. Even the rentals are pretty high - a studio at BellTel is $2,500 a month, which is 30 percent of a $100,000 a year income.
And that's not considering the multi-million sales of existing condos and townhouses in these prime brownstone neighborhoods.
So while the economic slowdown will drag some of that new construction down, there's still going to be a huge boon in the number of households earning $100,000 or more in the study area, offsetting what is earned by people in the lower income brackets, who are not a growing population in this area.
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 7, 2008 11:54 AM in response to DoBro's Average Household Income to Double?
Most buildings on Ocean Avenue are large, six story apartment buildings with a mix of owners and renters, including the one next door. But the brick house that was torn down was part of a set of 13 adjacent, low-rise row houses (some pictured).
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 2, 2008 5:54 PM in response to PLG 8-Story Apartment Could Get A Sibling
Just a note, the photograph of the construction site was taken yesterday. To 3:33, yesterday I spoke to two owners of property in that strip of row houses who both said they weren't thrilled about it, but expressed indifference. By that I meant that they basically said it wasn't really their place to try to stop it. A better characterization would have been "c'est la vie." But as you might know, I actually live in Prosect Lefferts Gardens on that seem street, footsteps from the planned apartment building, so I've talked to dozens and dozens of people about that project (and the glassy tower) and overheard many more conversations. Perhaps indifferent wasn't exactly the right word, but the majority of the people I talk to about these projects say that while they don't fit their taste (height, architecture) or they even disagree that they should be built, it's not a main issue of concern for them, they take a c'est la vie attitude. That's not everyone, just an overall assessment.
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 2, 2008 5:49 PM in response to PLG 8-Story Apartment Could Get A Sibling
Based on my experiences with the Jehovah's Witnesses, which included two tours of their Brooklyn Heights properties, you are correct that in return for "volunteering" people living in their Brooklyn Heights world headquarters have everything provided for them. Most of them come from around the world and stay there for only a few years, and I believe there's an application process involved.
It's actually a self-sustaining community, so they provide all of those things you mentioned for each other and countless other things. I was told that each person may have two or three jobs at a time to prevent boredom, and people often rotate posts. For example, a woman I met was asked to take classes to become an electrician (which are provided in-house) because they needed one. But it's my understanding that people also fly into "Bethel" from around the country to volunteer services at their own expense -- for example to provide speciality skills during the renovation of their buildings -- then return home. The same is true for any of their properties around the world. If drapes are needed for one of their Kingdom Halls, someone will volunteer to make them. In terms of them spending money in Brooklyn Heights, apparently they get some sort of allowance to buy things like clothes (or Cranberry's, the coffee shop and bakery on Henry Street, was mentioned several times). But you're right that they provide everything that they can for each other. They say it's to save money.
In terms of accepting that the Witnesses living in Brooklyn Heights are volunteers, that's what they call themselves. I have a few friends who are "volunteers" or have "volunteered" for the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. They have everything provided for them and receive a stipend for living expenses. I think what you get in return for "volunteering" depends on the duration and location of your service. There are Witnesses who simply live throughout Brooklyn and probably volunteer for them on a day-by-day basis but don't get everything provided for them. I'm not really in the position to debate that classification.
Also, regarding the property taxes, all non-profits are exempt from property taxes, including churches, synagogs, universities, social service agencies and private schools.
There's of course also a lot of controversies surrounding the Witnesses, but I didn't get into those just as scandals involving other religious organizations aren't mentioned in every article concerning that organization (for example, articles about Giuliani accepting communion didn't mention the church's long-standing molestation scandal). I was just trying to treat them as any other religion.
Posted by: sarah ryley at April 29, 2008 3:39 PM in response to Jehovah's Witnesses Volunteers Try Their Hands At City Park
No, I believe I am accurate. The most recent transfers, in 2006 and 2007, were between entities owned by the same people for $0. But as I said in the post, in 2003 the property was purchased for $125,000 (this was technically a transfer, but the "for sale price" is listed as $125,000). In 2004, it was sold by 417 Caton Street Realty (listed as seller on the deed) to Solomon Realty (listed as buyer on the deed) for $900,000. In 2005 it was sold by Solomon Realty (listed as seller on the deed) to Ronald Faia (listed as buyer on the deed) for $999,000.
Posted by: sarah ryley at April 14, 2008 1:49 PM in response to 417 Caton Avenue Going For Another Flip
Iknow, I'm happy to at least be able to say that a lot of people I know, myself included, did offer their homes the displaced, and some other friends who had no room at least offered to watch pets while the owners stayed at the housing provided by the Red Cross. One friend had five people staying at his place. But it's unfortunate because the general sense is that it will be a long time before the building's electrical system is safe enough for people to move back in, and I mentioned in my post that my friend was advised to look for new housing. The landlord had really let the electrical system fall into disrepair.
People are upset because everybody really likes this neighborhood, but there's limited housing and prices have gone up recently. A lot of people really put a lot of money into making their apartments nice, had a lot of valuables and family heirlooms, etc. and they are also looking at having to entirely rebuild their lives, which will be a hardship. I will get more information on the relief effort and post something on it for those who want to help.
Posted by: sarah ryley at August 4, 2008 9:42 PM in response to Fire Leaves 75 PLG Households Looking for Shelter