Stores, School up to Three Stories on 4th Avenue in Gowanus

After years of delay, a long-planned three-story commercial building is pretty far along at the corner of 4th Avenue and 3rd Street in Gowanus. The building at 340 4th Avenue will include 7,945 square feet of commercial space and 3,485 square feet for a community facility, according to permits first filed back in 2011.

Schedule A filings reveal that there will be retail on the first two floors and a school on the third floor, in addition to six parking spots.

Way back in 2008, there were rumors that Starbucks was considering a location on the empty lot, which sits in front of a Staples. The site is across the street from the park housing the Old Stone House in Park Slope — and now a block from Whole Foods.

Ultimately, developer Joseph Zafarani of BYP Capital LLC bought it for $3,250,000 in 2007, according to public records and a story in the Brooklyn Eagle at the time. It has been and out of lis pendens since then, and Zafarani seems to have bought it out of foreclosure at auction in 2012, according to public records, which may explain the construction delay. The architect is Douglas Pulaski of Bricolage Designs, according to the permits.

It’s not clear whether the building has topped out or will go higher, as per the rendering. Click through to see the rendering, which appears to be covered in Obama conspiracy theory graffiti.

Commercial Development Coming on 4th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP