360 Smith: Update and Review of New Plans
No one can accuse the group of Carroll Gardeners protesting the large building that William Stein is trying to build at 360 Smith Street of lacking enthusiasm. Tact and subtlety, maybe, but definitely not enthusiasm. In the wake of the developer being granted permits to erect a fence around the property at the corner of…
No one can accuse the group of Carroll Gardeners protesting the large building that William Stein is trying to build at 360 Smith Street of lacking enthusiasm. Tact and subtlety, maybe, but definitely not enthusiasm. In the wake of the developer being granted permits to erect a fence around the property at the corner of Smith and Second Place last week, the group, which calls itself CORD (Coalition for Respectful Development), called for Bill de Blasio’s head on a stick in a somewhat manic email. Up to that point, de Blasio’s targeting of the project’s architect, Robert Scarano, had jibed nicely with CORD’s agenda of reducing the size and increasing the contextuality of 360 Smith. The issuing of the permits, however, prompted the protesters to accuse de Blasio of being “very disingenuous.” This email followed another in which they urged people to fight the building on behalf of the squirrels who like to hang out in the plaza and the circulation of a petition calling for a moratorium on the construction of any building over the height of 50 feet “until landmarking or a down-zoning is decided.” (The petition had over 800 signatures at last count.) The latest news, via a CORD email last night, is that the revised renderings (which have not been publicly released yet) are still unacceptable:
With or without the trademark Scarano elements the building is clearly massive. On the southern-most corner of the Smith Street side, where the building facade will be “commercial” not residential is a seventy foot tower. This rectangular prism juts vertically into space sure to cast an enormous shadow and act as a light barrier for all the buildings on Smith Street. The rest of the commercial facade is very tall and goes along the Smith street sidewalk with no set back and joins the Hannah Senesh School known for its VERY! eclectic mix and match materials and colored architecture. The new facade in turn, will cast an enormous shadow on Second Street.
It’s hard for us to weigh in on without seeing the new renderings but there’s no reason to think that the description above isn’t right on the money. Can anyone email the renderings to us (anonymity guaranteed)? In the meantime, if there’s anyone in the neighborhood with a background in public relations who opposes the project, you should think about donating your time to CORD. They would benefit from some polish and focus.
Scarano Pushback on Smith [Brownstoner] GMAP
Mixed Agendas at Anti-Scarano Rally on Smith Street [Brownstoner]
“Yes, an 8 story building is not a ‘tower’, but it would tower over the 3 to 4 story houses in this area.”
Give me a break! How about the Wycoff and Gowanus “towers” which are much taller? Other than the drugs and the occasional shooting, how much of a physical detriment are they to the surrounding community?
You NIMBYS are ridiculous! Where’s SPer, Sterling Silver and the rest of the wackos? How can you defend this cause?
I’m all for giving Brooklyn a lively, diverse, varied and interesting streetscape. There is nothing wrong with a little variation here and there, especially along commercial strips. It creates FLAVA. Which is good.
There is a serious housing crunch in this city and as such everything cannot be low scale. There must be room for high density development, within reason, especially near good public transportation. The F subway line is about a block away.
Thanks for that info, Rocco. 4th Avenue is a very wide street. Smith is not. 2nd is not, unless you measure house to house which is ridiculous. Obviously, the people who are protesting cannot tell the developer what to do. They can only protest and express their opinion and work for landmarking/zoning changes in the future. Carroll Gardens is not landmarked like Cobble Hill because homeowners in the past did not want limitations on what they could do with their property. Seems the sentiments have changed for many but we shall see…
I think what most people don’t realize (or maybe just don’t give a shit about) is the fact the the developers are beginning to use a loophole in the zoning resolution that allows the ‘garden’ streets on CG (which are precisely wide enough to allow one car down them at a time) to be considered wide streets, and consequently build greater FAR on the lots than would be allowed on narrow streets. This is because the gardens in front of the rowhouses are an easement from the city (laid out in the 1840’s I think), and the actual lots in the area start at the face of the buildings. I believe that this is the only place in the city where this condition occurs (if somebody knows of something similar, I’d love to hear about it). Thus, what gives CG its charm is starting to be exploited to build buildings out of scale with their surroundings.
Yes, an 8 story building is not a ‘tower’, but it would tower over the 3 to 4 story houses in this area.
THE BALLS people have to tell someone what they can and cannot do in their property. Ever hear the words As of right?
So I guess every city in Europe is nothing but towers. The basic streetscape in Rome, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and many others is about 70 feet. Even smaller cities generally have the same streetscape. Have these crazy NIMBYs ever left the U.S.?
No John. You are wrong. This is not just any tower. This is a 70 foot MASSIVE TOWER!!! It will cast long dark shadows from Carroll Gardens to Bay Ridge!!!!
LOL!!!!
Just to reiterate—a seventy foot tower… ha!
yes, you’re talking about roughly 6-8 floors. oohhhhh… the outrage! lol!
give it a rest people. feigning moral indignation is a major turnoff.