City Council Approves Rose Plaza, Sans Beach

As expected, the City Council approved plans yesterday for a three-tower complex on the South Williamsburg waterfront following an eleventh-hour deal to increase the amount of affordable housing in the proposal. After a lengthy and public opposition to the 754-unit project (which some suggest was more about political payback in the Hasidic community than anything else), Council Member Steve Levin backed Rose Plaza when developer Isack Rosenberg agreed to increase the percentage of affordable housing units to 30 and the number of three- and four-bedroom affordable apartments to 74. The Architect’s Newspaper includes one interesting bit about the terms extracted by Levin:

Other compromises for the deal included the removal of an urban beach—part of a 33,000-square-foot open space plan designed by Thomas Balsley—and the elimination of restaurants as a possible use within the ground-floor retail.

Wait a minute! Did a public official really just kill a waterfront amenity and any chance of there being some street life in this area to capitulate to a certain voting block with extreme far-right-of-center views?
Balancing the Burg [The Architect’s Newspaper]
More ‘Affordable’ W’burg Tower Gets Council’s OK [NY Daily News]
Last-Minute Deal Reached on Rose Plaza [Brownstoner]
Levin Sticks It To Rose Plaza Again [Brownstoner]
Satmar Feud Sinking Rose Plaza? [Brownstoner] GMAP
City Planning Commission Greenlights Rose Plaza [Brownstoner]
Big in the Burg: Rose Plaza on the River [Brownstoner]