Variance Sought for Four-Story Bushwick Build

At this week’s Community Board 1 meeting the lawyer representing the owners of the development site at 949-951 Grand Street, between Morgan Ave and Catherine St, petitioned the board for approval on a variance being sought for the construction of a four-story residential building with ground floor retail. The site in question is a vacant lot in an M1-1 zoning district. The building will hold seven rental apartments, each around 550 square feet. The new buildings will not be any taller than its neighbors and will have a brick facade. What really excited board members, though, was the price the developer planned to charge for these rentals: $1,900/month. He told the board, “It’s what the market bears right now,” but board members weren’t convinced, especially since you have to state why the variance will benefit the surrounding community. “How does this help the community?” asked board chair Chris Olechowski. “It’s putting a building in a space that was once empty before,” was the lawyer’s response. Sound convincing enough?
Photo via Property Shark GMAP