Slow Going at Big Flatbush Conversion

Back in April there was word that the Caledonian Hospital complex on Parkside Avenue was going to be converted into a condo/rental hybrid with 270 units, but so far it appears that workers haven’t made a great deal of progress beyond starting to gut the structure. The city has yet to approve a permit for a phase of the project that will involve a two-story addition and result in 123 units, though permits recently went through for partial demolitions of three of the complex’s buildings, as well as the full demolition of a fourth. (It’s unclear from city records which buildings are being demolished, but more construction activity is visible from the Woodruff Avenue side of the property; click through to see a few shots.) When the Wall Street Journal first reported on the conversion, architect Karl Fischer said the rental units could be on the market within a year, but that seems unlikely if work continues at the current pace. The shadowy developer, Joseph Chetrit, has been in the news a lot lately for his purchase of the Hotel Chelsea.
Details on the Caledonian Hospital Conversion [Brownstoner]
Caledonian Hospital Conversion Moving Forward GMAP
Chetrit Stitches Up Hospital Buy for $15 Million [Brownstoner]