Friends' Expansion Making Enemies on State?
As you may recall, IBEC, the developer behind the State Renaissance Court, recently floated the idea of building six multi-million-dollar new townhomes on an empty lot they still own on State Street between Hoyt and Bond; while some people question the viability of the high-end project in this market, the neighbors are generally happy with…
As you may recall, IBEC, the developer behind the State Renaissance Court, recently floated the idea of building six multi-million-dollar new townhomes on an empty lot they still own on State Street between Hoyt and Bond; while some people question the viability of the high-end project in this market, the neighbors are generally happy with the use for the space. But the developer also owns a second empty lot on that block, on the corner of Hoyt, and its plans for it aren’t sitting as well with some homeowners in the community. According to a letter we received, the developer is apparently close to doing a deal with Brooklyn Friends School, which wants to build a five-story, 55,000-square-foot academic building on the site. In order to do this, however, IBEC needs New York State to void the restrictions it placed on the property when it sold the land to IBEC in 2004. As part of that deal, lots along State Street were to be low-rise residential. Here’s how the opposition put it:
A school won’t have the positive impact that housing will on a neighborhood likes ours, rebuilding after years of blight and hemmed in by downtown Brooklyn and Atlantic Avenue to the north and south, and the jail and courts to the west. Unlike a nonprofit private school, residents pay property taxes that support our public schools. Residents patronize local businesses morning and evening, weekdays and weekends, summer and winter. They help keep the street safe at night. Homes make a neighborhood more cohesive and more desirable.
The group thinks that one of the nearby lots on Schermerhorn Street would be more appropriate. Do you agree? The group is reachable at keepstatestreetresidential@gmail.com.
Six More New Brownstones for State Street? [Brownstoner]
Do the IBEC developers own or control the “empty lot” at Hoyt and Schermerhorn (actually now used as a surface parking lot)? I thought this was part of the developments being managed by the group that did the 14 townhouses and the new building with the ballet school?
Dear Heskel,
Do not confuse YOUR interest in making quick money with our desire to grow and live in this neighborhood for the long term. You have made it really clear that you are here to make as much money as you possibly can with a complete disregard to the local folks. Do not try to associate us with your own motives. We bought because we love this neighborhood and because we want to see it grow in a healthy and constructive way.
If you are so concerned about the area, why don’t you complete phase two of your construction project and build the townhouses that you were supposed to build in the first place on all of State St?
The neighborhood has definetely improved with all the new townhouses and local business. Nobody is saying the contrary. Every resident enjoys it.
What we dont want is more traffic accidents (2 deaths already at the corner or Atlantic and Hoyt), and more car honking at the cross of state and hoyt due to doubel parking. I dont believe that traffic jam and noise will make the area more pleasant. Lastly, State street has a lot of new owners that bought at the highs so the issue is not profit to be made here but rather a question of maintaining the quality of life.
Just in case none of you noticed, there is a glut of housing in the neighborhood and no support services. For your information we poured $55.0m into the neighborhood and did more than our share to create a viable community. With our rental building we are committed to the neighborhood for a long time to come. You will all profit handsomely when you flip your townhouses. Isn’t this what it is all about?
Whoaa…this blog is starting to get crowded…I guess Residents want to be heard now.
I agreed with the Boerum Hill and State street, the issue is not the school but rather the fact that the developers were awarded the empty lot on State and Hoyt with the understanding that they would build townhouses to maintain the residential charactere of State street. State street is the last charming and residential street before Downtown Brooklyn. High rise and commercial buildings are coming out everywhere. What happen to the initial project of 8 beautiful townhouses. What happened to your promises, Mr developers ?
If you check the following website http://www.jamesmccullar.com
and then clik on staterenaissance project, you can check the initial and great proposal for state street with townhouses.
extract from the website
Phase 1
“The proposed design for Site B in the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Urban Renewal Plan is planned in two phases: Phase 1 includes an 8-story mixed-use building with 158 apartments, retail stores, and indoor parking at Schermerhorn Street. Phase 2 includes the design of new infill townhouses on State Street. The development team was selected in a competitive RFP by the Empire State Development Corporation with community based design guidelines.
The building designs are intended to form a transition in scale from the commercial activity of downtown Brooklyn to the residential character of “brownstone Brooklyn”. (phase 1) The 8-story building is located above the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station which was designed to support a future building. … The Phase 2 townhouses will be a market-rate condominium”
PHASE 2 was supposed to be TOWNHOUSES !!
Last ….
I read couple times above that a school (helping children,sporting events etc..) would be better for the community than 8 $2.5m townhouse…but why then , the same developers are now proposing to build 6 townhouses worth 4m $.. . yes you heard correctly 4mios dollar touwnhouse next to the St Nicholas church on….on State street.
I dunno. I think I’d be happy something is being built…and I’d be even happier and working toward something being built at Smith and State/Schermerhorn…
Boerumhiller, Thank you so much for clarifying Heskel’s and Sbrahimy’s status as the developers of the discussed project. I would love to know where the people that are for this project live. Clearly not on our blocks.
Let’s get opne thing straight: no one is against BFS as a school. If there was to be a school built here, we would all be lucky to have BFS here.
But that is not the question here.
The question, that clearly the developers involved in the project and subject to make millions can not be objective about, is whether this is good for the blocks and the local residents involved, ESPECIALLY when another option to build the school is available on the corner of Hoyt and Schemerhorn.
Schemerhorn offers a lot more space to allow drop-offs as this is a 4 times wider street than State St is. To say that having the school on Schmerhorn would not have a positive impact on that street is absolutely ridiculous.
Whatever positive impact building the school at the corner of State and Hoyt would have, the same positive impact would apply with the school being built at the corner of Hoyt and Schemerhorn.
However, the impact on the quality of life on State St will be considerable. Not something that the developers would really care about as they do not live on the Street.
But those of us that are concerned do live on that street. We want this area and this street to flourish but for the right reasons. We love the idea of BFS moving in the area. We think this can have a positive impact on the neighborhood as a whole but anyone with a little objectivity will see that setting a school with over 300 kids on a residential street makes no practical sense: the cross of Hoyt and State is already a very busy corner with traffic.
Just last week (Sept 18th), as two cars were blocking both State and Hoyt Sts and arguing, a woman was hit by another car that got tired of waiting in line at the light on Hoyt and decided to pass on the side. As a parent of small children, I do NOT want this street to become a parking lot or worse a street were drivers will get so frustrated that they will put pedestrians in danger, including my own children.
So please, do us a favor, mister developers: I understand your willingness to make a (very large) profit by getting out of your previous obligations to build additional townhouses on State St and selling this lot to BFS. But do not make it sounds that people against this project are the bad guys here. We are concerned and want the actual resident of that street to have a say in this decision because at the end of the day, we will have to live with whatever gets built on that corner. You won’t.
I believe the two comments above are from the developers who want to sell to BFS. After the ESDC awarded them almost 90,000 square feet of the block for 3.5 million–yes, you heard it right–with the promise to build residential on State, the developers will walk away from their commitment with MANY, MANY MILLIONS if they sell to BFS– for doing absolutely nothing. Maybe this was their plan all along.I have some doubt they ever intended to build on these lots. The big rental bldg on Schermerhorn would provide them with a perpetual stream of income, while the State Street lots were pure gravy. The developers point out that there’s another lot being offered to BFS just a block away. BFS has oodles of money to build, and tons of space here–they can go up, sideways, whatever. But the really big problem with this site is that the Brahimys don’t own it and they won’t walk away with a pile of cash! Babysitters and pick up parents will bring plenty of business to Brooklyn Fare–even more! The school’s presence will enhance businesses on that street and further into the neighborhood without having to impose its traffic, bulk and noise on State. By the way, no one has anything against Friends or Quakers (small number of parents are actually Quakers, by the way, and school is no longer affiliated with the Meeting) or even private schools. It’s a lovely school. But the issue is traffic, foot traffic, noise, etc. Residents of neighborhoods everywhere have a right to resist new kinds of development if they are just wrong for the character and physical limitations of the neighborhood. This is one of them.
Boerumresident, regarding your question about the facility Brooklyn Friends is planning, it is for the relocation of their Lower School for a projected 350 Lower School students. The proposed building would comply 100% with the existing R6-B Zoning which was created to protect the low rise residential character of the block.
The site on Schermerhorn would increase BFS’ engineering and construction costs by close to $3 million and delay start of construction by at least 1 year because it is situated above the Hoyt Schermerhorn Subway Station and tracks.