Checking in with the Fairway Lofts
We received an inquiry from a reader yesterday about the status of the condos above the Fairway market at 480-500 Van Brunt Street in Red Hook. The reader recalled reading that developer Greg O’Connell was planning to carve 45 apartments out of the former industrial space. “The units look nearer to completion than several other…
We received an inquiry from a reader yesterday about the status of the condos above the Fairway market at 480-500 Van Brunt Street in Red Hook. The reader recalled reading that developer Greg O’Connell was planning to carve 45 apartments out of the former industrial space. “The units look nearer to completion than several other condo developments around the area that have had plans and prices available for a while!” vents the reader. “The frontage is being landscaped now, although perhaps to make the fairway entrance look better. The windows look good and the ceilings/views are awesome. The water taxi stop right plumb in the middle of the frontage looks functional.” So what’re they waiting for. Time to sell some condos!
That’s because he was a big tall curly headed Irish cop. 🙂
I doubt seriously they will ever be posted. O’Connell has enough current tenants and friends of tenants that these will be filled by word of mouth. That’s pretty much the way he works. By the way, he owns most of the properties on Columbia St. too. Watch for him in the nabe and approach him and ask about the apts, that’s the best way to find out about them. He’s a big tall curly headed Irish-cop looking guy in a big Ford pickup. He’s always out and about in Red Hook
no rental listings as of yet
again, where are the rental listings posted?
The whole Red Hook community is *NOT* behind blocking the condos. I live in Red Hook and everyone I know who lives here would like to see some mixed use development at the Imlay St. site. Right now it’s just an empty eyesore on a desolate block where people drag race and dump stolen cars at night. If you read the Manhattan Institute report, this development would kick start growth related to the cruiseship terminal and other businesses in the area.
I happen to agree that O’Connell has done a good job redeveloping the Beard St. piers, Pier 41 and the Fairway building, but he shouldn’t be the only developer allowed to bring businesses and housing to the neighborhood.
I’m also not sure about the conviction of his environmental and ecological objections to the project because there were (and still are) many ecological and environmental objections to the IKEA, but he backed that project.
“The whole Red Hook community, including the community board, backs keeping those buildings industrial.”
You just repeated yourself. O’Connell IS the community board. He’s the main person on it, and they have always done what he wants. Which is preserve his monopoly.
He *supports* the blocking of the condoes but is not “behind” it. The whole Red Hook community, including the community board, backs keeping those buildings industrial. The conspiracy theory about him wanting to buy those buildings is put forth by their current owner, Bruce Batkin. Think about it; if O’Connell was known for years for blocking their rezoning to residential, how could he then ask for that to happen for him if he bought the buildings?
He’s not saint – he used to illegally dump sewage from his buildings into the water – but he *is* a different breed from most NYC developers, with, as has been said above, a vision for sustainable development that is unique among power brokers in this city.
That was what I did like about him too.I always felt his interest was in maintaining the character of the old waterfront and from what I understood he made the pricing and rents affordable for artists who have small businesses and work studios. He is no Ratner, for sure. If he is indeed blocking those condos I think we need more facts than that it is rumored. And I would love to hear his side of the story on these issues. I know the ecological balance and evironmental impact of development on the area were important issues to him. I can see where he would want to protect it.
it might be in o’connell’s interest to have a monopoly on residential projects in the area, but i think we need to look at his impact on red hook more broadly. his vision for red hook seems to me to be embedded in a larger vision for NYC – that the waterfront should contain both places for work and for recreation (hence his support of the greenway projects and parks next to his buildings) and that the whole city doesn’t need to be residential. he’s kept most of his buildings for small businesses, they provide good (not service industry) jobs and a tax base for the area. sure i’d LOVE a waterfront loft – but more than that, i love that he’s kept the waterfront accessible for work and recreation (how many people do you know that allow public access to private property, as he does at the pier behind the fairway?) he’s a developer, and certainly can play ball with developers, but i agree with the other posters that he deserves commendation for having a vision of sustainable economic development (as opposed to interest-dependent real estate speculation) for both red hook and nyc. that’s more than we can say for most developers, not to mention most of our public officials (voir doctroff…)