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New Renderings for Bush Terminal Pier Park
Remember the Bush Terminal Pier Park? Public space project was first announced in 2005, when the city, state and federal government teamed up on a $36 million rehab of the polluted former port between 43rd and 51st Streets in Sunset Park. Here’s a description from the EDC’s Sunset Park Vision Plan, which was announced in July 2009:
The conceptual design for the open space improvements includes the construction of two multi-use baseball and soccer fields, viewing areas for restored and remediated tidal pools, a naturalized preserve area, and future space for a mini-golf and batting cage concession. The design also includes administrative and operational space designed in collaboration with the Department of Parks & Recreation. In keeping with the City’s policy to encourage sustainable practices, several environmentally-conscious design elements are being considered, including on-site stormwater retention, wind turbines, solar power, the reuse of existing on- and off-site materials such as granite blocks from the existing street, and the use of shipping containers as building materials.
This weekend an excited Sunset Park resident sent in a photo from the top of 47th Street of the public space starting to take shape. It’s a little hard for us to distinguish what’s going on, but luckily the tipster also steered to a set of renderings from Adrian Smith Landscape Architecture that helps flesh out where this whole thing is headed.
Big-Money Clean-Up for Bush Terminal Piers [Brownstoner]
Sunset Park Waterfront Vision Plan Announced [Brownstoner]
ETAs on Some of Brooklyn’s Waterfront Projects [Brownstoner]
02/06/2012 10:30 AM
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Sunset Park DJ Hotel Scheduled to Open in January
A new press release about Hotel BPM, the property that a DJ is opening on 33rd Street between 3rd and 4th avenues, is splendid enough to warrant the copy-and-paste treatment: “This year, a new hotel is slated to ‘drop’ in Brooklyn. Hotel BPM, named for the music term referring to the pace count of a song, ‘beats per minute,’ is being launched in January 2012 by hip-hop deejay DJ Bijal. The boutique-style property will offer 76 guest rooms, environmentally-conscious amenities and a DJ Bijal-selected soundtrack streaming throughout its public areas. The new hotel brings the two worlds of music and hospitality together, right in the heart of Brooklyn.” The release also says that rates will start at $189 a night. As of earlier this week the lobby was still looking raw, but the construction fence around the building was starting to come down.
Hotel BPM Opening Still TBD [Brownstoner] GMAP
Will Noise From a DJ’s Hotel Annoy Sunset Park? [Brownstoner]
A DJ-Driven Boutique Hotel for Sunset Park [Brownstoner]
Progress on Sunset Park’s Hip-Hop Hotel [Brownstoner]
12/01/2011 2:40 PM
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Major Overhaul of Sunset Park Under Way
Last week there was an official groundbreaking ceremony for the $4 million renovation of Sunset Park that began early last month. According to a press release from Councilwoman Sara González, who secured capital funding for the project, the work will result a new synthetic turf field and the reconstruction of the park’s comfort station. Click through to see a schematic of the renovations. Construction is supposed to be ongoing through early 2013. (more…)
11/21/2011 11:00 AM
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City Council Approves Sale of Landmark Florist Building
According to an announcement sent out by the Historic Districts Council, the City Council has approved Green-Wood Cemetery’s purchase of the landmark McGovern-Weir Florist. A “public approval was necessary because of a state law involving cemetery usage,” according to HDC. Green-Wood hopes to close on the building soon. This summer the Times revealed Green-Wood wanted the building for a visitors’ center and museum, but the sale depended on the results of an engineering study. The late 19th century building is in a state of advanced deterioration. Excellent to hear it will be fixed up soon.
Landmark Greenwood Florist Building in Contract [Brownstoner]
Landmarked Florist Building Up For Sale [Brownstoner] GMAP
11/08/2011 10:00 AM
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House of the Day: 465 56th Street
This house at 465 56th Street in Sunset Park just hit the market with an asking price of $995,000, a number that frankly feels aggressive to us for the location. The house itself is pretty nice but not a show-stopper. The exterior is brownstone and has a lovely rounded front, so big points for that. The interior definitely has some original charm but the renovation that was done on the place screams “contractor/flipper” and hurts the overall feel of the place. Not that you couldn’t replace the generic new doors that litter the house with salvaged ones for a modest outlay but the characterless touches do mount up. Don’t get us wrong: This place is perfectly nice and will appeal to plenty of people but our sense of the market in Sunset Park is that it takes something pretty special to fetch $995,000 and this house doesn’t quite rise to that level.
465 56th Street [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
11/03/2011 1:25 PM
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Market Snapshot: Sunset Park
PropertyShark hooked us up with a bunch of great data sets on Sunset Park’s real estate market since the beginning of 2005, and the numbers show that home sales in ’11 have been nothing to sneeze at. (On the other hand, bargain hunters might find the co-op and condo markets a bit weaker.) There have been a total of 2,120 residential sales in the neighborhood since the beginning of 2005, and the median sale price for both houses and apartments is $580,000. Breaking it down:
Condos and co-ops: Sales volume appears to be very slow so far this year, with 11 or fewer units selling in the neighborhood each quarter. Since 2005, there have been 20 or more sales most quarters. The median sale price since ’05 is $329,500, but the median price each quarter this year has also lagged well below that ($284K in Q1, $279K in Q2 and $292K in Q3).
Houses: By contrast, the market for houses in Sunset Park is strong this year. There have been around 40 sales every quarter this year, which is below most quarters in 2005, 2006 and 2007 but not off the cliff in the context of the last few years. What’s impressive, though, are the prices the houses are bringing in: The medians in the first and third quarter ($772K and $770K, respectively) are the highest of any quarter over the last six years.
Biggest sale ever: The most expensive sale ever in Sunset Park was for 761 56th Street, which traded for $1,730,000 in mid 2006.
Cheapest prop on the market: 728 41st Street #2C, a studio co-op listed for $124,900
Click through for some cool graphs showing price trends since ’05…. (more…)
10/19/2011 9:30 AM
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Another Legal Challenge to Sunset Park Rezoning
The community groups that recently lost their legal challenge against the 2009 rezoning of Sunset Park have filed an appeal, according to The Eagle. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and South Brooklyn Legal Services say the 128-block rezoning has the potential to cause the displacement of Sunset Park’s low-income Asian and Latino communities, particularly on Third, Fourth and Seventh avenues, where the zoning was changed from residential to commercial. The groups charge the city didn’t properly conduct an environmental review as part of the rezoning. The Eagle quotes AALDEF staff attorney Bethany Li as saying the following: “Once you account for all the changes due to the rezoning, the amount of affordable housing and commercial space will significantly decrease. We hope the court will rule in favor of the Asian and Latino immigrants who want to preserve their Brooklyn neighborhood.”
Sunset Park Rezoning Case Heads to the High Court [Eagle]
Opponents of Sunset Park Rezoning Lose Legal Challenge [Brownstoner]
Photo by jacopast
10/17/2011 9:30 AM
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Number of Sex Attacks Up to 20
The big, depressing news this weekend was that the number of possibly linked sexual assaults in Brooklyn since March has jumped to 20. The NYPD has added seven more cases to the official tally, six of which occurred at the 7th Avenue subway station in Park Slope. The most recent incident took place Thursday night, when a woman was attacked on 17th Street. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said that it’s likely there have been copycat crimes. While the cops arrested a man in conjunction with an attack in Sunset Park last week, they believe several men are responsible for the assaults.
Grope List Grows [NY Post]
Fear Grips Brooklyn as Number of Sex-Crimes Spikes [NY Daily News]
Copycat Crimes Possible In Brooklyn Sexual Assault Pattern [NY1]
Image via NY1
10/17/2011 9:00 AM
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Port Authority Honcho: BK Waterfront Like ‘Vietnam’
Yesterday outgoing Port Authority chief Chris Ward gave a speech at a Municipal Art Society-sponsored conference in which he said that the Brooklyn waterfront is one of the last big planning issues the city has to address. According to Crain’s, he compared the waterfront to Vietnam, “a place where no one has been able to declare a victory.” Ward said the Red Hook container terminal should be moved to the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, in Sunset Park, so that the Red Hook land could aid in developing Governors Island. Ward also said that the moving the container terminal could free up space for better transportation links and, perhaps, a school or hotel. Streetsblog quotes Ward as saying the following: “You will not be able to get the needed amount of people, whatever the use is, to Governor’s Island as long as you have a container terminal there.”
Brooklyn Waterfront Seen as Top Priority [Crain's]
Chris Ward: NYC Truck Traffic “Is an Economic and Environmental Crisis” [Streetsblog]
Photo by themikebot
10/14/2011 9:30 AM
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Another Sexual Assault in the South Slope
Via Community Board 7: “On Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at approx 9:15 pm at Prospect Ave between 4th Ave and 5th Ave, a female was approached by a male Hispanic that forcibly grabbed her breasts and ran. The female had just exited the Prospect Ave train station “R” line and was walking eastbound on Prospect Ave when she was approached by a male Hispanic, approximately 5’7″, thin build wearing dark shirt, baggy dark blue jeans and a baseball hat. After the male forcible touched the female he fled westbound on Prospect Ave toward 4th Ave. The female did not sustain any injuries. Investigation is continuing.” At this point the police have released three sketches of people wanted in connection with the string of sexual assaults that have occurred in Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights and the South Slope since March.
09/22/2011 11:17 AM
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Hotel BPM Opening Still TBD
There hasn’t been a huge amount of progress visible on Hotel BPM, the lodging house a DJ is opening on 33rd Street in Sunset Park, and a rep for the property says it’s unclear when it will open. The hotel’s website says it’s supposed to be in business by late this year or early 2012, and it also has a statement that seems meant to allay some residents’ fears about noise: “Local’s must be aware that we are hotel and not a night club. The lobby will be no louder then needed to allow staff to assist guests and be able to take phone calls.” No word yet on rates.
Hotel BPM [Official Site] GMAP
Will Noise From a DJ’s Hotel Annoy Sunset Park? [Brownstoner]
A DJ-Driven Boutique Hotel for Sunset Park [Brownstoner]
Progress on Sunset Park’s Hip-Hop Hotel [Brownstoner]
09/20/2011 2:40 PM
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Police: At Least 8 Sex Attacks Since March
The police say there have been a minimum of eight sexual assaults in the South Slope, Greenwood Heights, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge since March—one of which was a rape—and they’re unclear how many assailants are responsible for the crimes. At a community meeting last night the police said they’re investigating whether two or three men have been involved in the attacks and that the number of rapes in the area has increased 36 percent this year. Cops have released the two sketches above of men wanted in connection with the attacks. Meanwhile, an organization called Safe Slope is organizing a rally tonight in response to the violence.
Brooklyn Women Warned Of Expanding Pattern Of Sexual Attacks [NY1]
Park Slope on Edge Over Sex Attacks [MSNBC]
Brooklyn Rapist Strikes Again, 9 Incidents In All [WPIX]
South Slope Rallies [Patch]
09/14/2011 9:00 AM
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Opponents of Sunset Park Rezoning Lose Legal Challenge
Crain’s reported that last week a court ruled in favor of the city’s 2009 rezoning of Sunset Park. A legal challenge against the rezoning claimed that the city hadn’t performed a complete environmental review of the area getting rezoned and that the rezoning would encourage more luxury development and large chain stores, resulting in widespread residential and commercial displacement and gentrification among Sunset Park’s low-income Asian and Latino communities. Crain’s notes that the rezoning, which covers 128 blocks, imposed 50-foot height limits on most side streets while encouraging more density on main drags like 4th and 7th avenues. The groups that filed the lawsuit, five local churches and the Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association, are mulling an appeal of the decision.
Big Sunset Park Rezoning Gets Green Light [Crain's]
09/12/2011 9:00 AM
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‘Gentleman’s-Style Club’ Opening in Sunset Park?
There’s no question that the posters in the windows of a new Sunset Park club, Bar 90 Grados, are garish, but some folks on Brooklynian are wondering whether it’s a “‘gentleman’s’ style club barely masquerading as a sports/nightclub.” When we stopped by yesterday it was unclear whether it had actually opened (there’s a sign on the door saying they’re looking for waitresses and bartenders) but the drawings of scantily clad women on the posters that are worrying some on Brooklynian were in evidence, as was a sign reading “Ven a disfrutar del ambiente mas caliente de New York en compania de hermosas chicas,” which translates to “Come enjoy New York’s hottest scene in the company of beautiful girls.” The people on the message board who aren’t pleased with the new business say the patrons could be rowdy, and that it’s close to a few schools. GMAP
09/09/2011 11:00 AM
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New Owners Officially Take Control of Federal #2
The Economic Development Corporation’s sale of the 1.1 million-square-foot warehouse at 32nd Street and 3rd Avenue to Salmar Properties hit public records earlier this week. The new owners paid $9.1 million for the property, known as Federal #2, and are supposed to turn it into a “state-of-the-art industrial center.”
City: Sunset Park Warehouse to be Redeveloped [Brownstoner]
Federal Building #2 For Sale Once More [Brownstoner] GMAP
Time Equities Bails on Bush Terminal Plans [Brownstoner]
Photo from PropertyShark.
08/30/2011 9:45 AM
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House of the Day: 735 43rd Street
This house at 735 43rd Street in Sunset Park just hit the market with an asking price of $849,000. This place definitely has some charm, albeit in a modest way, and the proximity to both Sunset Park and Greenwood Cemetery are also nice perks. The price seems more fitting for one of the more formal limestone houses in the area. It seems like a bit of a stretch to us for this house.
735 43rd Street [Century21] GMAP P*Shark
08/15/2011 1:24 PM
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Sunset Park’s Rainbow Cafe to Become a Store
Late last week Lost City reported that the wonderful signs adorning Sunset Park’s Rainbow Cafe had been stripped off, but even though they’re gone for good from the 5th Avenue building they’ll be restored and then sold. Meanwhile, DOB permits shed a bit of light on what’s replacing the restaurant, which closed a few years ago: The new owner is converting the ground floor from an eatery into a retail space. There are no details about what sort of store is planned, though.
Rainbow Cafe Update: Signs Will Be Saved, Restored! [Lost City] GMAP DOB
08/15/2011 12:00 PM
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Will Noise From a DJ’s Hotel Annoy Sunset Park?
Today The Daily News interviews a few people who live near the hotel a DJ is opening in Sunset Park, and they say the lodging house could wind up being a neighborhood nuisance. DJ Bijal Panwala intends to run a club out of the hotel’s lobby at night and says the property will be soundproof. Some folks nearby are still worried about it, though: One neighbor says it should have been built “in a more commercial place,” while another says, “What kind of people are they going to bring, prostitutes?” Panwala, meanwhile, has this to say about the people he hopes to attract: “They’ll want to stay at this hotel because it’s cool, not because they want to stay somewhere to sleep.” It’s worth noting that the hotel is on 33rd Street between 4th Avenue and the expressway: Hardly the most residential street in Brooklyn and also not an epicenter of “cool.” There’s no mention in the story of whether the neighbors are also concerned about the light show Panwala plans to run every weekend.
Hotel Wants to Play Music 24-Hours-a-Day [NY Daily News]
Hotel BPM [Official Site] GMAP
A DJ-Driven Boutique Hotel for Sunset Park [Brownstoner]
Progress on Sunset Park’s Hip-Hop Hotel [Brownstoner]
08/11/2011 9:00 AM
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A ‘Vertical Wind Field’ at Sunset Park’s Industry City
Those images above are of a work called “Weightless Pull” that’s currently on display at Industry City in Sunset Park, according to Architect’s Newspaper. The piece, which hangs between two warehouses (video here), is designed by a team called Architecture CO. Here’s Architect’s Newspaper’s description of it: “Weightless Pull, constructed much like a series of slender sails, creates a vertical wind field composed of plastic wrap, nylon rope, and 600 different knotting systems.” It’s on display through August 28th.
Weightless Pull at Superfront Public Summer [ArchPaper]
Images by Architecture CO via Architect’s Newspaper
07/25/2011 12:00 PM
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House of the Day: 449 50th Street
This three-story brownstone at 449 50th Street in Sunset Park is quite a handsome abode: we’re not loving the kitchen cabs, but the entry hall and stairs are very impressive and there’s plenty of other original detail throughout the owner’s upper duplex; the yard’s nice-looking too. We’ll confess to not being as attuned to pricing in Sunset Park as we could be but we will say that the price of $947,000 certainly seems on the upper end of what houses around here can get away with asking. The fact that this place has been on the market since the end of last year suggests that our intuition may be right on this one.
449 50th Street [Citi Habitats] GMAP P*Shark
07/14/2011 1:25 PM
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brokelin
Feb 06, 2012 | 12:32 PM