163 Washington Misses Zoning Cut-Off, Must Shrink
With the City Council’s approval of new zoning for Clinton Hill and Fort Greene yesterday, any project underway that had yet to complete its foundation as of 12:01 am yesterday morning must conform to the new set of building laws. The highest profile development that failed to meet the deadline was 163 Washington Avenue, the…
With the City Council’s approval of new zoning for Clinton Hill and Fort Greene yesterday, any project underway that had yet to complete its foundation as of 12:01 am yesterday morning must conform to the new set of building laws. The highest profile development that failed to meet the deadline was 163 Washington Avenue, the 18-story tower planned for the through-lot just north of Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill. (The top photo shows the worksite at 4 pm on Tuesday as the deadline loomed.) By the end of the day yesterday, the Department of Buildings had already issued a Stop Work Order for the site. Area residents had joined forces with Councilmember Letitia James to try persuade the developer to put up a lower building with an affordable housing component; the overtures were rejected and now (presumably) the developer, GLC Group, will try to convince the Board of Standards and Appeals that its principals will have to sell their houses in the Hamptons if they’re prevented from building their tower as proposed. Does anyone else know of other projects in the area that are impacted by this? Is there one on Grand near the BQE perhaps?
Race Against Clock at 163 Washington [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
163 Washington: The Digging Has Begun [Brownstoner] DOB
Rally at 163 Washington for Shorter Building [Brownstoner]
Tower Plans for Washington Ave Ruffling Feathers [Brownstoner]
not sure if that is their proper name, but it is the condo building in the old catholic rectory/school on the corner of atlantic and washington. an old parkin lot adjacent to the cathedral condos is being developed into a new condo building.
what is the cathedral condo lp?
Per Denny’s comment above, what about 555 Washington Avenue, next to the Cathedral condos. I’m pretty sure the foundation has been done for a little while now. Does that mean it is proceeding? I hope it does if it is done well.
Rumor has it that the reason this project didn’t make the deadline is that it a certain Council woman was encouraging DOB to shut the job down periodically…
Seems like a good compromise to me.
but there are height limits so you can’t just buy a bunch of air rights from the neighbors and go up as high as you want now
Dear 11:41, I believe the new zoning does allow for bigger development along Myrtle Avenue, just not on the side streets.
Um, Armchair, sorry, which blocks exactly are desolate? The rezoning in FG/CH is for Park Avenue and southward. The only desolate parts near there are along Park Ave or north of Park Avenue. In otherwords, an area almost completely untouched by this rezoning.
There is nothing desolate whatsoever in the area shown in this map:
http://brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/fgchrezoning4.jpg
Unless you consider block after block of townhouse, or Myrtle Avenue itself, desolate. In which case I’m not sure that word means what you think it means.
Only problem with the area is that Myrtle Ave is way underbuilt, but the new zoning should encourage development there.
But so far all people are doing is renovating the one story buildings- someone needs to buy them out an put in the density a main street needs.