The Big Reveal at 360 Smith
The scaffolding has finally come down at 360 Smith and the blogger Pardon Me For Asking isn’t very happy about what she can see. She calls the building, which has been under construction since 2008, “uninspired,” “out of scale,” “out of context,” and for good measure: “Fugly.” Clearly the building dwarfs its neighbors but the…
The scaffolding has finally come down at 360 Smith and the blogger Pardon Me For Asking isn’t very happy about what she can see. She calls the building, which has been under construction since 2008, “uninspired,” “out of scale,” “out of context,” and for good measure: “Fugly.” Clearly the building dwarfs its neighbors but the overall look doesn’t seem to be worse than most other new buildings that have popped up around town in recent years.
360 Smith Getting Its Facade [Brownstoner]
360 Smith Tops Out [Brownstoner] GMAP
Sewers not overwhelmed? Well, technically not I suppose since when they reach capacity, which happens pretty much every time it rains, the overflow is just diverted into the Gowanus, so yeah, you’re right, the sewage system is never overwhelmed. I’m also curious as to how new construction has nothing to do with this. Take a space with no toilets, sinks, baths, etc and add people, along with sinks,toilets,etc.and sewage needs aren’t going to go up? NYS DEP recently awarded approximately 2.6 million dollars to study how to address sewage overflow in the five worst affected neighborhoods. Guess which neighborhood was one?
As to schools not being overcrowded, again, technically not. Raise the amount of students allowed in each class, or split the week for K classes and overcrowding disappears. Ask any parent who wants to get their kid into 58 and isn’t zoned for it and see if they say about overcrowding. The only children being allowed in from out of zone are part of the French/dual language program. Attendence at the school has gone from approximately 350 to 700 in less then 10 years.
But I digress. I think the real problem most of the neighborhood has with this building is the underhanded, sneaky way in which the whole process happened. No one likes to feel that someone with “friends” can bend the rules that the rest of us have to live by.
“Though I was merely trying to counter Benson’s point, which is knocking down old buildings so denser ones can be built for the middle class which in reality, are often market-rate and luxury oriented. It’s typical development babble.”
Blayze;
If you are going to invoke my name, then get my points straight. My point (in an older thread, not this one) is that increasing the supply of housing only can help to improve affordability in this town. If this building is indeed targeted at those dasterdly rich financial-sector workers, that will be that much less pressure on areas such as Windsor Terrace, which IS a middle-class section.
Also, to straighten out another point you often misquote me on: I have never advocated for suburban parking lots in the city. The point I did make, which you continue to willfully distort, is that modern housing like this contains amentities that appeal to today’s lifestyle, including the ability to park your car in an underground garage. In case you never noticed it, modern buildings can contain underground garages.
Keep it up, Blayze. You are well on your way to troll status.
NY7Guy – I dont smoke – see Bond’s post at 11:21 and Blayzes 11:28 post complaining about EXACTLY the points I said……oh and btw F^ck you too
I don’t think it’s bad, considering it’s pretty close to Gowanus, and that ‘hood is real industrial. Walking by it, I don’t think it looks like a behemoth, partly due to the location.
“But as is typical the NIMBY no-nothing crowd will put up every reason imaginable to oppose change, facts and reality be damned.”
What have you been smoking? No one on here has complained about anything you’ve listed.
does anyone know when tenants/owners will be able to move in? starting to panic about my daughter getting into 58 kindergarten with this huge new population set to come in. for the record, 58 is on the cusp of being overcrowded – it has literally doubled in size in past three years and doesn’t take out of zone other than siblings – if that.
No buildings were knocked down to build this building.
Nor are the local schools overcrowded.
Nor are the sewers overwhelmed (except that our storm drains go into the sewer – which is a problem throughout NYC and to which new construction is totally irrelevant)
But as is typical the NIMBY no-nothing crowd will put up every reason imaginable to oppose change, facts and reality be damned.
What’s overwhelmed about the sewage in this part of CG?
Or the schools? According to Inside Schools, PS 58 (the Carroll School) is undercrowded (i.e., not at max and presumably taking kids from outside ths zone.
As to the size, given it’s corner configuration and orientation facing toward mixed-use blocks, I don’t have that big a problem with variation from the surrounding FAR. (Is it actually part of a variance, or did it buy up FAR rights from other buildings)? Looks wise, I am not a hug fan of the corner glass appearance — it looks like a hospital, but it’s not fugly.
I think financial district people would prefer to live on the IRT lines anyway. This is a midtown oriented commuting spot.
and if this was nicer, more contextual, etc, it would higher rank financial industry workers as that would push the PSF up even higher than what will be asked on this puppy