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 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]