Checking In On Olive Park
It’s been a couple of years since we checked in on the Olive Park Condos. (Curbed took a look a year ago.) Back then it didn’t have a name. It also didn’t have the strange structural appendages that is has now. (What’s the deal with those?) Regardless of being a few stops out on the…
It’s been a couple of years since we checked in on the Olive Park Condos. (Curbed took a look a year ago.) Back then it didn’t have a name. It also didn’t have the strange structural appendages that is has now. (What’s the deal with those?) Regardless of being a few stops out on the L train, Olive Park has fared pretty well in the marketplace: 70 of the development’s 87 units are currently in contract. The remaining 17 are a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging in price from $370,000 to $915,000. One buyer was excited enough about his purchase to start a blog dedicated to his new home.
Development Watch: 100 Maspeth Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
I think this building is actually pretty good looking – compared to the sand stone/brown poo brick color that dominates this neighborhood. Also, it’s RIGHT on a park, and has a pool (what??). I would much rather live here where it’s quiet and has some nice interesting architecture than the clusterf**ck McCarren park neighborhood. Also I live in the “ghetto row buildings” and they’re actually quite nice and as far as being in the ghetto – in four years I’ve never had any problems with crime or loud frat boys coming home from bars. Also, haven’t you HEARD??..Michel Gondry lives next door…on Orient Avenue.
50years from now someone will be arguing that the building should be landmarked due to its interesting design.
Once again, this is NOT structural. It’s zoning.
There’s apparently a huge loophole in the zoning laws that allows them to build bigger if they qualify for the Quality Housing program, which requires a continuous streetwall (i.e. not setbacks). The building was originally built with setbacks, and they had to add these columns to extend out to the property line.
What’s hard for me to believe is that these columns qualify as a continuous streetwall for zoning purposes, but apparently they do.
I’ve got to say, those flying buttresses are disgusting, and if it is true they are required to maintain the structural integrity of the building – that is very bad news.
I have never heard of any building constructed this century that required such a design feature.
Heather…I wrote “is” not “was”.
I am arguing against your assertion that it was ALWAYS a dirty, charmless area. I think it used to be a dirty yet charming area. Now it seems a little creepy.
Didn’t mean that kind of “connected”, kuroko. “Sonny Black [USED to belong] in Brooklyn.”
“Well” connected moved out of that nabe years ago…dems only associates my friend. Fugeddaboutit.
“This is on a dirty charmless stretch of road surrounded by a dirty charmless neighborhood.”
Simply put, unless you are well connected to that community, it’s on the “wrong” side of the BQE.