Pyrrhic Victory for Green-wood's Minerva
The New York Times is reporting (a few days after a local publication picked up the story) that Green-wood Cemetary has agreed to stand aside and not try to block the construction of a new condo building at 614 7th Avenue by developer Chaim Nussencweig and architect Robert Scarano after the two sides agreed on…
The New York Times is reporting (a few days after a local publication picked up the story) that Green-wood Cemetary has agreed to stand aside and not try to block the construction of a new condo building at 614 7th Avenue by developer Chaim Nussencweig and architect Robert Scarano after the two sides agreed on a compromise to the design that will preserve the line of site, if not much else, between Minerva and the Statue of Liberty. Neighborhood activists are upset by the news, arguing that the revised plan still largely destroys what has been one of the greated views in Brooklyn and that there are no guarantees that developer won’t fink out on his agreement later on. We have to agree. Being able to see a glimpse of Lady Liberty through a small set-back is a pyrrhic victory. Hopefully, the Bureau of Standards and Appeals will reject the plan outright after the developer failed to get his foundation poured before the down-zoning deadline despite racking up several DOB violations in the process. Why the Bureau would cut this crew any slack is beyond us, but you never know what’s at play behind the scenes when politics and money intersect.
No Condos Between Goddesses [NY Times]
614 7th Avenue [Courier Life] GMAP
Screw Ratner!
No arena!
No to eminent domain!
Free Mumia!
Buck Fush!
Hey, hey, ho, ho, greed and graft have got to go!
Developers do not care about Brooklyn or the people who reside there. The only thing they care about is how much money they can make from a project. You can see evidence of it from the shoddy construction on the low and midrange and the prices on the high end. They also try to get around building codes and neighborhood height restrictions. I sell real estate (for one of the big ones) and have sold into several new developments. In all of them the roof leaked after the first big rain storm. In one of them the windows leaked. All of them sold for top dollar.
Developers are destroying the Brooklyn neighborhoody feeling and turning it into a mini Manhattan.
From the Census Dept, numbers are from 2004:
New York County (Manhattan):
Median household income (dollars)
50,731
Mean household income (dollars)
96,837
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=05000US36061&-qr_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_DP3&-ds_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-_sse=on
Kings County (Brooklyn):
Median household income (dollars)
36,030
Mean household income (dollars)
49,706
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_DP3&-ds_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_&-tree_id=304&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=05000US36047&-format=&-_lang=en
It would seem that the zillionaires influence the mean and the median is more useful.
(sorry – couldn’t resist the melodrama.)
iceberg –
we’re talking about the only view of its kind between two historic monuments, one that became a beacon of freedom to the world, and the other that memorializes the very first spark that eventually became that beacon.
if the top of your list is completely unfettered property rights, then what difference does it make where below that “aesthetics” falls on your list? you are advocating complete chaos and a completely unlivable city.
the minerva/liberty view is public property. an individual is infringing on my enjoyment of that property. what is the point of government if something so basic can’t be protected?
to paraphrase — “those who would sacrifice a view of liberty for property deserve neither.”
I don’t think they shouldn’t be built, and if I implied that, that’s not what I meant. Those prices aren’t bad, as long as you getting something worthy of what you are paying for. When most of us buy old houses, we get them inspected before investing what is probably the largest purchase any of us will ever make. The inspector or engineer gives us a report, and we either proceed or keep looking. I may be wrong, but most people buying new construction don’t do that. New and shiny equals good, where do I sign? More people need to be educated, and maybe the power of the consumer will help change things.
I object to any building of questionable quality, no matter where it is, and how much it costs. Again, I’m sure you’ll all correct me if I’m wrong, but the concensus is that many, if not most, of these developers, both the big guys and the anonymous little ones, cut corners, skirt laws and zoning requirements, build cookie cutter buildings with little or no consideration of anything but dollars per sq.footage, feign ignorance when caught breaking laws, and operate like the Borg assimilating entire areas in their quest for money. Please note I didn’t say ALL of them, but the ones that have been mentioned on this blog seem to fit that bill.
I will never live in a new house, so I voice my concerns because not everyone will be a fortunate as I am to own a brownstone. I do care about the housing situations of my fellow Bklynites, because one way or another, it will ultimately affect me and mine and the quality of life in this city. New housing IS needed, lots of it, but I refuse to see why that can’t be accomplished in a manner that combines profit and still maintains neighborhood quality, aesthetic standards and a pride of place.
I’ll refrain from adding my two cents to this one. I have my own problems – I’m on jury duty.
Crown
Something to consider, you seem to decry the building of yet another condo building w/ prices in the 400k-1m range (where most in Brooklyn are built these days), consider what would happen if these units werent built.
The people in the 100k-300k range of income would either:
1 – remain in or move to the already expensive nabes – thereby driving up the cost there even higher until at some point that option no longer exists @ those income levels
2 – Move to less expensive(i.e. middle class/poor) nabes and rapidly drive up the cost for middle class/poor (obviously this has happened but would be worse w/o new units to buffer demand)
3-Move out of NYC thereby seriously hurt the tax base of city, diminsh the amount of funds that can be used to provide services and help to poor and increase the tax burden on middle class.
The short summary is no matter the sales price of the unit, having more housing helps the affordabilty for everyone.
David and linus, I just read your posts written while I was writing. Thanks for the clarifications. Hope we’re cool.