DumboNYC Guest Post: Dock Street Building Plans
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be inviting some neighborhoods bloggers from around the borough to write guest posts on Brownstoner. Today, DumboNYC kicks it off: Remember the previous post by Brownstoner on the proposed Dock Street building? Two Trees Management is formally presenting their proposal to the Dumbo Neighborhood Association (DNA) this…
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be inviting some neighborhoods bloggers from around the borough to write guest posts on Brownstoner. Today, DumboNYC kicks it off:
Remember the previous post by Brownstoner on the proposed Dock Street building? Two Trees Management is formally presenting their proposal to the Dumbo Neighborhood Association (DNA) this week and have started an advertising campaign with mailers and a website, but some residents have responded with their own photo renderings and will begin lobbying against the structure citing its proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge and the skepticism of having a dual purpose school and residential tower in the same building. It’s reported that the campaign against the Dock Street building is underway, organized by residents of three Two Trees buildings; 30 Main Street, 70 Washington Street, and 1 Main Street, and 57 Front Street.
Ultimately this campaign should not be about ‘anti-developer’ or ‘not-in-my-backyard because it blocks my views’. The real issue is the need to preserve Brooklyn’s most iconic bridge view without a building next to it that stands taller than it does. Expect a full effort campaigning from both Two Trees and Dumbo residents this summer before, during, and after the formal submission of documents to the city. -Hideyoshi, DumboNYC.com
Why would PS8 be consulted at all? Has nothing to do with them. Board of Ed would be involved, yes, but not individual schools. And since when is Clinton Hill or Ft Greene in this region — even with the July 1st changes.
PS8 has been good for brooklyn heights and dumbo and vice versa. It’s not a one way street. In fact, many people think that PS8 didn’t hit anyone’s radar until Carmen Farina’s pregnant daughter moved to Dumbo and CF needed a school for her future grandchild (you can google her own quotes on this). You could agrue that without Dumbo, PS8 would be were it was 10 years ago.
“flaky non-argument?” It’s what killed the project last time. And there is a limit, which I don’t remember from 2004, to how close the building can be to the bridge (which I assume the designers have taken into account.)
Even if there is no public school in the building, the proposal is still fine.
There is no zone around the bridge approach that limits or prohibits new construction. What sort of flaky non-argument is that? This isn’t a historic distrcit and the approach ramps are not even part of the landmark section of the bridge.
Blocking the view of the bridge?
You’ve got to be kidding.
1:06 is wrong – there is no building height limit in M1-2 district. They could build that thinh as an office building. The thing is they need rezoning for the residential and school use.
you need a jet pack to get the POV these two images reflect. one flying over the BQE behind the bridge (or somewhere) and one over the river.
I don’t know where I stand on this debate yet, but images like the ones posted here don’t move the debate forward.
Let’s discuss the actual facts about that mailing:
Neither PS8, CB2, nor DNA have asked for or approved this project. I am quite involved with the first 2, and have read published quotes from the third group. 2 Trees created a mailer that makes it sound as if they got quotes and requests from them all , but they didn’t. Felicitously, CB2 and PS 8 had just begun their summer break before when the fallacious flyer mailed. What a coincidence…
How could the school be only for DUMBO, Broolyn Heights and Vinegar Hill — it would have to be for anyone in the zoned area, and the area would also include parts of Fort Greene , maybe Clinton Hill and probably the Farragut, Whitman and Ingersoll Projects. Sounds like coded language to me.
Yes, PS8 parents are in search — desperately — of a public middle school for their kids. Ironically, Walentas has profited tremendously from PS 8’s success — many young families buy his apts because there’s a good public school just up the hill. Well, truly it seems no good deed goes unpunished.
We don’t need to be bribed to support a honking big eyesore beside the Brooklyn Bridge to get a school. It’s insulting to think that any of these organizations would go for that.
Last — one fo the reasons to loein Brooklyn is because it’sdifferent from Manhattan. Even in built-up, post-industrial DUMBO, space around the bridge and between buildings.
It should be noted that Walentas has personally, firmly rejected the idea of adding a school in Dumbo for years.
Several schools have inquired about space in the neighborhood over the last several years (including a successful private school that at one point was looking for much larger space to grow).
Walentas (or his son Jed, can’t remember) responded to the school’s friendly, polite enquiries for space by saying he had absolutely zero interest in a school in any of his buildings, and had equally zero interest in talking about it any further. Unprovoked “hell no” sort of response, just like that.
So…
1) You may attribute the lack of additional school options there (despite growing community) to a deliberate policy decision on the part of Walentas, due to his outright rejection of and attitude toward schools seeking space there.
and
2) It certainly leads me to wonder if he has been reserving the school presence thing all along to pull out as an emergency goodwill ruse in the case of otherwise heavy opposition to any of his proposed developments.
Whee.
My favorite posting is the guy that says that “zoning rules should be respected”
Ha! it’s a little late now dontcha think?
Manufacturing uses are not likey to make a big come back in the area any time soon, But if they do, you can be sure that the Planning Commission would then change the zoning to residential. They are such kidders in that office.
I will be honest here. Yea I am fighting it cause it will block my views! I pay too much for an aprtemtn witha view, plus I use the parking lot aswell. So am I not entitle to fight what I dont like? So I will fight it until the end. Hopefully they make the parking lot into a park one day and I can have my views forever.