326 State Street: Fudging the Mezzanines
Maybe we were too quick to praise the design of the new Scarano building at 326 State Street last month. According to a reader who got a look at the interior, the building’s working the whole plywood mezzanine charade. Here’s what the reader had to say: I thought you might be amused by this little…
Maybe we were too quick to praise the design of the new Scarano building at 326 State Street last month. According to a reader who got a look at the interior, the building’s working the whole plywood mezzanine charade. Here’s what the reader had to say:
I thought you might be amused by this little anecdote resulting from my popping into the open house at 326 State today on my way to Atlantic Antic. The developer is selling the units himself, without the aid of any agent, and he was there, in person…What was much more interesting was that when I saw a ladder, as opposed to a stair, going up to the mezzanine and asked “So, is that a way to get around the FAR situation?” he said, “Kind of,” and then volunteered the information that there was a built-up plywood floor in the bedroom upstairs (or actually up-ladder), adding, “You can remove it once you move in”.
Word to the wise: If you’re going to facilitate the violation of building codes, probably better not to advertise the fact to someone walking in off the street.
326 State Street: Eating Our Words [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
Still Out of Scale on State Street [Brownstoner] DOB
326 State Street: When Too Much FAR Is a Bad Thing [Brownstoner]
“The reason so many of you on this blog are having such a hard time finding affordable housing is precisely because of big government. Look at Williamsburg now, finally the chains of regulations have been taken off of developers and presto, the private sector responds with new units being built on every single block.”
Yeah, and certainly affordable prices for the average working to middle class NYer.
Give me a fucking break. Total BS.
Sorry, gotta call it as I see it. Elitism du jour. Libertarians unite!
who is the contractor/developer?
Allow me to retort since I am the Libertarian in question. My point was this, building codes do have functionality, as in safety, breathable air and everything else Jacob Riis wrote about a hunderd years ago. My problem with governmental intrusion is that it tells people where they can live and what they can do with their own property. That’s just plain un-American if you ask me. The reason so many of you on this blog are having such a hard time finding affordable housing is precisely because of big government. Look at Williamsburg now, finally the chains of regulations have been taken off of developers and presto, the private sector responds with new units being built on every single block. Now imagine a city in which the entire city was open. That’s right, prices will come down as the market takes over. What is keeping the prices up so high? Limited space AND inflated prices due to affordable housing quotas. Who wants to pay top dollar when they can get someone else (that would be you the taxpayer) to pony up the inflated costs of other peoples homes. I say abolish all rent controls, rent subsidies, section 8 and public housing. Sure keep reasonable safety measures in place but allow the natural buisness cycle to take care of the rest. And if you can’t afford to live on Park Avenue for $200 a month, move somewhere you can.
Sure it’s a stark way of looking at things but individual property rights are the cornerstone of America (unless you are an Indian). As another example did you know that the Libertarian party has been fighting for the landowners around the newly planned arena in Downtown Brooklyn? It’s all about principle. The principle is this; if it is yours and you are not harming anyone else, then do with it as you please. I think we would be better off if we all applied this philosophy to our lives.
One of the few things that libertarians think the government should do is protect people- public safety. I think that many would agree that there are many nonsensical codes that seem clearly to have been developed out of greed and corruption. Libertarians believe that these drive up housing costs and ultimately hurt poor and working-class people.
Posted by: guest at October 4, 2007 1:21 PM: “…if people want to buy a bedroom without windows or a small crawlspace, let them.”
Yeah, let them burn in case of fire. Let those folks who choose to buy Chinese toys enjoy their lead poisoned kids. Everyone knew Ford Explorers rolled over; let ’em get crushed. If you don’t like the prospect of global warming, then piss off to Antarctica. Damn, libertarians piss me off so much!
“a libretarian to whom i mentioned scarano and the building codes was apalled that the government is regulating who can buy what”
Your libertarian friend is appalled by building codes? Aren’t many of these codes for safety reasons?
Is there a website or something else that gives a good intro to this kind of building regulation in NYC stuff, e.g. FAR, and the below-grade bedroom whatever. I find it all confusing and fail to see the motivation behind it. I’m starting to consider buying and feel like I need to get on top of all this stuff somehow.
> You can also run into problems when you try to sell if there are
> modifications to the space that are not pursuant to the C of O.
Exactly. If you buy a studio with a *wink wink* mezzanine and turn it into an illegal bedroom, you can’t try to sell the place later as a one-bedroom condo. You’ll have to inform potential buyers that it’s non-complying; maybe even return the mezzanine to its original configuration before putting it on the market. It affects long-term resale value.
Ah, Libertarians. Don’t get me started.
Agreed, let folks buy them if they wish. But, buyer beware. C of O’s seem to be hard to come by with these projects.