4th Avenue, the Boulevard of Broken Promises?
Streetsblog takes an in-depth look at how 4th Avenue has developed since the ’03 upzoning (when Marty Markowitz said it would become “a grand boulevard of the 21st Century”), and it doesn’t like what it sees. Crappy architecture? Check. The Novo looms fortress-like over the playground next door, while…the Crest greets passersby with man-sized industrial…
Streetsblog takes an in-depth look at how 4th Avenue has developed since the ’03 upzoning (when Marty Markowitz said it would become “a grand boulevard of the 21st Century”), and it doesn’t like what it sees. Crappy architecture? Check. The Novo looms fortress-like over the playground next door, while…the Crest greets passersby with man-sized industrial vents. Negative contributions to street life? Check. These new developments turn their back on the public realm. They burden the sidewalk with intake vents, garage doors and curb cuts while encouraging future residents to go take advantage of the healthy street life and public amenities just up the block. But is there hope? Maybe. Massey Knakal’s Ken Freeman, who specializes in the area, believes there’s a place for large stores on the strip, and that more developers will choose to go mixed-use, rather than straight-up residential, with their buildings. Freeman says that even the Novo and Crest could possibly be (somewhat) salvaged: “I do think there’s an opportunity to retrofit.” What do you think? Any reason to be hopeful?
New York Can Do Better Than the New Fourth Avenue [Streetsblog]
Interesting Question: Does Brooklyn’s ‘New Park Avenue’ Suck? [Curbed]
Why is Flatbush Ave right up to Grand Army (smack dab between coveted North Slope and Pros Heights) still such a god-awful, tacky dump. Plenty of time and proximity to high disposable income neighbors – and yet it still sucks. You can dump on 4th Ave all you want, but it’s changing faster than Flatbush and with less natural advantages.
4th Ave is a FAR nicer stroll today then it was 3yrs ago, Think about how long Atlantic Avenue took to improve and that strip is 1/2 as wide and between 3 neighborhoods that have be gentrified forever.
These things take time.
“Since the McDonalds lot is not that deep, the zoning extends beyond the “restaurant.”
Yes and no, g man. Yes, the overlay extends back, but it abuts an R6B district, so it can not gain the full R8A height and bulk in the rear of the property, having to step down to the R6B height or lower.
DCP Yards text amendments that’s at CPC covers this loophole that would allow a 12 story building next to a 4 story (that’s just one of the amendments).
10:24 – the Bronx? yeah there are a couple of ugly neighborhoods but overall might be the nicest of all the Boros – both with beautiful boulevards and amazing topography. I love Brooklyn too but frankly boro for boro – the Bronx is nicer IMHO.
hey that mickey d’s parking lot is where i meet my fiends to sell my product
layoff you will hurt my business
It looks to me like the Novo WILL have retail on the ground floor but unfortunatly the Crest cannot be retrofitted since the whole ground floor is a garage (with a circular driveway – this is supposidly a major amenity).
Future developers will likely include retail because the prospects on residential alone seem more risky (why a developer wouldnt try to minimize risk even a yr ago makes no sense to me)
And anyone who thought 4th Ave was going to look like Park Ave anytime in their lifetime is an idiot, BUT 9:35 is correct – if the developers of these new buildings just did some landscaping, that plus the retail that is growing and the eventual new buildings will make the Ave reasonably attractive.
I love window shopping at Staples.
Fourth Avenue is not pedestrian friendly in any shape or form. Until then, I can’t imagine leisurely strolling down the Avenue on a Sunday afternoon window shopping.
Parking lots are anti-urban.
When McDonalds decides it’s not worth it to have a parking lot at that location, 4th Avenue will have arrived.