January 25, 2008

Friday Blogwrap

1860 House. Photo by brewpez.
Greenpoint Looking for Something to Rebel Against [Curbed]
More Details: Brooklyn Heights Financial Conwoman [McBrooklyn]
"Serious Smell" Mystery on Williamsburg's Grand Street [GL]
Scary Movies Off-Screen in Crown Heights [Gothamist]
Bed-Stuy Real Estate Picks 01/25/08 [Bed Stuy Blog]
NYC Pet: Nice Inventory! [CH Blog]

Closing Bell: Moving Out at 475 Kent Avenue

When we stopped by 475 Kent Avenue, the site of this week's matzoh-driven mass evacuation, these two fellows were in the process of moving their couch out the front door. According to one of them, the official word is that (former) residents will have daytime access through Sunday and then only on an ad hoc basis. He also noted that the circus of Fire, Buildings and Red Cross personnel has calmed down and there are just a couple of officials now on-site. Meanwhile, political pressure builds for a tenant-friendly resolution and conspiracy theories (is a rival developer pulling strings so he can take over the entire block?) swirl. Hopefully there will be more information on Monday.
‘Commune of Creative Types’ in the Burg is Emptied Out [Brownstoner]
475 Kent Message Board [475kent.com] GMAP

Today on the Forum: Salvage Edition

There are three for-sale items posted on the Forum today:
Antique Dressing Room Built-In For Sale
200 Square Feet of Red Oak Flooring for Sale
Stickley Chair for Sale: Make Me an Offer

StreetLevel: Café Opening on Third Avenue

A new coffee and sandwich shop is about to wash up near the banks of the Gowanus. The Crooked Tail Café, on Third Avenue and President Street (next to Canal Bar and across the street from G-town’s hotel row), is going to serve breakfast food, paninis, coffee and espresso drinks. “The area needs a place like this,” one Crooked Tail’s owners told us. “It’s tough to even find a decent sandwich around here.” They also said that they intend to serve high-quality food and coffee, “but not at Starbucks prices.” The business is opening in a storefront that used to house the Italian American Grocery, which was in operation for decades and closed a few months ago. Crooked Tail should be up and running by the end of February, and the owners hope to eventually have sidewalk tables and performances in the back room. GMAP

Open House Picks

house Park Slope
106 Park Place
Corcoran
Sunday 12:30-2:30
$2,850,000
GMAP P*Shark

house Carroll Gardens
304 President Street
Douglas Elliman
Sunday 1-3
$2,100,000
GMAP P*Shark

house Bedford Stuyvesant
171 Bainbridge Street
Stuyvesant Heights Brokerage
Sunday 12-1
$995,000
GMAP P*Shark

house Brooklyn College
2777 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn Properties
Sunday 2:30-4
$649,000
GMAP P*Shark

Open House Picks: Six Months Later 8/3/07

Comment: The broker for the Crown Heights house says the listing has been temporarily pulled while C of O issues are sorted out. All the rest did pretty well, it seems.
Open House Picks, 8/3/07 [Brownstoner]

Development Watch: 840 Bergen Street

A little later to the game than some other neighborhoods, Crown Heights has seen some new developments get underway recently. Last week, we took a look at the 8-unit building going up at 717 Prospect Place; this week, we stumbled upon a much larger project at 840 Bergen Street. After purchasing the one-story warehouse for $5,250,000 in 2005, the owners are in the middle of putting up a five-story, 67-unit building. The design, which isn't far enough along to get a feel for yet, is by Manhattan-based Kutnicki Bernstein Architects. Anyone know if this has an affordable component? If not, this would have to be the biggest market-rate project in the area yet, no? Any other big Crown Heights developments underway that we should check out? GMAP P*Shark DOB

Verdi's Sales Like Its Architecture: Ugly

The Verdi, a 14-unit development at 80 Adelphi Street in Fort Greene, definitely falls into the "What Were They Thinking?" category. When we scratched our head over this place back in September, two units were allegedly in contract. Now, four months later, there are just three. Is this over-the-top eyesore bound for the rental pool?
The Verdi [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark DOB
At Verdi, All That Glitters Ain't Gold [Brownstoner]
New Development: Verdi on Adelphi [Brownstoner]

Checking in on the Atlantic YWCA Revamp

It’s been more than a year since the New York City Housing Development Corp. authorized funding for a massive overhaul of the YWCA on Atlantic Avenue between Nevins and 3rd Avenue, and the renovation is in full swing. The entire building is being revamped and, when complete, will contain 84 new studio rental apartments on the lower floors. The timeline for the project was two years, according to a representative for HDC, which puts the expected completion date at late this year or early next year. The studios will range from 250 to 300 square feet and marketing for the units will begin six months before the project is complete. The apartments will all go to low-income women through a lottery. The upper levels of the building will continue to have SRO units, and those rooms are also being renovated. GMAP

Foreclosure Pressure at 14 Fort Greene Place?

The asking price of 14 Fort Greene Place, recently cut from $1,469,000 to $1,399,000, may get a lot cheaper a lot faster, if a tipster we heard from is on the mark. According to someone who lives on the block, the owner was just served with foreclosure papers this week for a $910,000 mortgage that was taken out on the property in 2006. If that is indeed the case, the seller, who's been trying to dump the place since last summer, might be what real estate agents like to refer to as "motivated" at this weekend's open house, which, in case you're interested, takes place on Sunday from 1:30 to 2:30.
14 Fort Greene Place [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

Video: Imagining Flatbush in 2030

Here's a clip put together by the Municipal Art Society about a workshop the organization conducted last month along with the Flatbush Development Corporation. The workshop was one of a series called Imagine Flatbush 2030 that "is piloting the idea that full implementation of the Mayor’s PlaNYC 2030 will depend on engaging neighborhoods more fully in the dialogue about sustainability in planning and development," according to the MAS. The most recent Imagine Flatbush meeting was held last night—did any readers attend?
Building a Consensus for Growth in Flatbush [Brownstoner]
Imagine Flatbush 2030 [Vimeo]

De Blasio, Yassky Replacements Start to Campaign

This morning the Brooklyn Paper has stories about the candidates who are looking to replace Councilmember Bill de Blasio (our next Borough President?) and Councilmember David Yassky (our next Comptroller?). Five hopefuls have already announced their intentions to vie for de Blasio's seat in the 39th District (which includes Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Street, some of Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, and Boro Park), while only three candidates (so far) have said they're running to replace Yassky as the Council rep for the 33rd District (which covers Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint; parts of Williamsburg, some of Park Slope, and Boerum Hill). Here's a rundown of the candidates' bona fides and platforms:

39th District
Craig Hammerman: CB6 district manager; says he's pushing for “affordability, sustainability and livability.”
Brad Lander: Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development; focusing on affordable housing and urban planning.
Gary Reilly: Lawyer, member of CGNA, writes nabe blog; wants to focus on improving mass transit.
Josh Skaller: IT director, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats president; chief priority would be education.
Bob Zuckerman: Executive director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation, CB6 member; pushing government reform.

33rd District:
Steve Levin: Chief of staff to Assemblyman Vito Lopez; focused on affordable housing.
Jo Anne Simon: Democratic District Leader; broad platform includes education and land use.
Evan Thies: Nonprofit adviser, CB1 member; taking on district growth.

Let the races begin.
A Five-For-All to replace DeBlasio [Brooklyn Paper]
Three-Way for Yassky’s Seat in Heights, W’burg [Brooklyn Paper]
Q&A: Brad Lander On His Run for City Council [Brownstoner]

Prelude to a Downzone in Carroll Gardens?

New building height limitations are likely to be imposed on a section of Carroll Gardens thanks to a zoning text amendment, a proposal that’s riding the larger wave of momentum to downzone the entire neighborhood. The amendment—which was championed by Councilmember Bill de Blasio, Community Board 6 and various Carroll Gardens residents—will affect 1st through 4th Place and change the four blocks’ classification from “wide streets” to “narrow streets.” The zoning tweak is going to go through a public review process and should result in “a lower Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and maximum building heights that are more in keeping with the surrounding character and context of the neighborhood," according to a statement sent out by de Blasio’s office. “This is the first piece of the larger puzzle,” says de Blasio spokesperson Jean Weinberg. “Bill is really fired up about preserving the character of Carroll Gardens, and he’s going to keep the pressure on it.” The “larger puzzle” Weinberg is referring to is the push to downzone all of Carroll Gardens, which de Blasio is holding a rally about next week.
Update on Carroll Gardens Development Issues [Brownstoner]
Days of Some Carroll Gardens "Wide Streets" May End [GL]
Great News Re: Wide Streets [BSCG]

Weekend Events

Brooklyn Museum: Brooklyn Philharmonic
On Sunday, in conjunction with its "American Identities" exhibition, Brooklyn Museum welcomes members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. They'll perform pieces from three renowned American composers as part of their "Music Off the Walls" series. Award–winning composer John Corigliano will speak about his music. Sunday, 2:00 p.m. $14 adults, $7 seniors and students. Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway. (718) 638-5000.

Bird Sale
Today until February 10, Bird holds its end-of-season sale. All fall merchandise will be 25%-75% off, including clothing, jewelry, shoes and accessories. They have locations in Cobble Hill (220 Smith Street) and Park Slope (430 7th Avenue).

Gnarly Vines Tasting
Today, Gnarly Vines hosts a free in-store tasting of Mezcal Los Amantes. Served with homemade pico de gallo and tortilla chips. Friday, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 350 Myrtle Avenue (between Carlton and Adelphi). (718) 797-3183.

Jeremy Zmuda at Two Boots
Tonight, Park Slope's Two Boots Restaurant presents "soulful jazz groove" from Jeremy Zmuda. There is no minimum or cover. Friday, 10:00 p.m. 514 2nd Street (between 7th and 8th avenues). (718) 499-3253.

Metropolitan Opera at BAM
On Saturday, Brooklyn Academy of Music continues its "Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD" series. This weekend, BAM presents a screening of Hansel and Gretel. Fred Plotkin speaks. Saturday, 11:30 a.m. brunch; 1:30 p.m. film. $42, $40 includes brunch. $22 for film only. BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Avenue. (718) 636-4129.

Prospect Heights Community & Family Design Day
On Saturday, work with architects and help direct the vision for the PS 9 playground at a free workshop. Discuss community and school needs with neighbors and PS 9 families. Snacks and art materials will be provided. RSVP online or by phone. Saturday, 11:00 a.m. PS 9’s Gymnasium, 80 Underhill Avenue (between St. Marks and Bergen). (917) 756-9029.

Johnny Rodz’s Professional Wrestling Show
Tomorrow, Johnny Rodz promotes his monthly wrestling show at Gleason’s Gym. Catch a glimpse of the up-and-coming stars who have trained under him. Saturday, 8:00 p.m. $15. 83 Front Street. (718) 797-2872.

The Tempest at Brooklyn College
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College presents The Acting Company’s production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Sunday, 2:00 p.m. $30, $20. Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College, 2900 Campus Road. (718) 951-4600.

Photo by Steve Sherman.

Have an event you think we should list? Send it along to events@brownstoner.com.

Friday Links

Fort Greene. Photo by shianlotta.
In Turnabout, Mayor Bloomberg Seeks Spending Cuts [NY Times]
Corruption in Brooklyn South Narcotics Unit [NY Times]
Longshoremen's Bldg Razing a Non-Union Job [NY Daily News]
New Rules Endanger Red Hook Vendors [NY Daily News]
Stimulus Package a Boon for Housing [NY Daily News]
Parks Dept. May Sell Off Naming Rights [NY Post]
No Operator in Place for Slope Armory [Brooklyn Paper]
Is NYC Becoming a College Town? [AM New York]
Ask About Tenant-Landlord Issues [City Room]

January 24, 2008

Thursday Blogwrap

Kent Avenue Building. Photo by technoparty.
Days of Some Carroll Gardens "Wide Streets" May End [GL]
Burg's Hipster Parking Lot & Purple Truck Doomed? [Curbed]
Mom of Toddler Laments New Union Hall Rule [OTBKB]
On Your Marks! Get Set! Idiotarod! [Gothamist]
Ticket Quota Met, Case Dismissed [Bed Stuy Blog]
“The Bakery” is Open! [CH Blog]

Closing Bell: Raising the Roof on 2nd Street

Tonight Community Board 6’s landmarks/land-use committee will consider a Certificate of Appropriateness application submitted to the LPC that involves building a new mezzanine addition on the rooftop of one of the houses on 2nd Street between 8th Avenue and Prospect Park West (in addition to some changes to the rear of the house). As the photo above shows, most of the historic district block has an uninterrupted roofline. so if this is to have any chance of approval it'll have to be set back from the sight line. GMAP

Looking Forward to Preservation

Per Queens Crap, a new initiative called “Preservation Vision: Planning for the Future of Preservation in New York City” has been launched. The project—which is being administered by the nonprofit Minerva Partners and has a steering committee with reps from the Pratt Center, World Monuments Fund, and the New York State Council on the Arts—“is a call to interested citizens and preservation practitioners to think about the future of historic preservation” in the city, particularly in light of Mayor Bloomberg’s plaNYC goals for 2030. Preservation Vision will run in three phases, the first of which involves an online survey (take it here) meant to gather opinions about preservation in the city. Further phases of the project will involve a conference on preservation and a report that includes recommendations culled from the conference and survey.
Preservation Vision: NYC [Preservation Vision]
Preservation Vision: NYC Has Been Launched [Queens Crap]

Today on the Renovation Blogs and Forum

There's one new post on the Renovation Blogs:
Little Things [Windsor Terrace Reno]

Here are some of the topics posted on the Forum today:
Salvage Materials Free for the Taking!
Ebony Stain for Maple Floor?
Appraisal for Re-financing During Renovation
Need Help Understanding Assessed Value Calculation
Cost of Installing 4-6 Recessed Spots

House of the Day: 280 Park Place

We're liking the old bones at 280 Park Place, a new (surprisingly nice) listing from Century 21. The four-story house is also well-suited to a condo conversion because of its two-story addition. That said, this would take a lot of dough to convert, and it's not really in move-in condition for a two-family play either. Given both those factors (and the fact that the market's jittery), we don't think that the asking price of $2,100,000 is realistic. More like $1,900,000.
280 Park Place [Century 21] GMAP P*Shark
280 Park Place [NY Times]

Condo of the Day: 661 Carroll Street

Maybe the difference was timing, but the developer of both 659 and 661 Carroll Street had an easy time selling out the former while the latter has been more of a struggle, culminating in a price cut for the last available unit (#3) from $949,000 to $875,000 two weeks ago. As we said last spring, we really like the way the owner cleaned this place up with some modern flashes while maintaining the inherent charm. While the comments were generally positive about the listing last spring, evidently $1,000 a foot was too tough for the market to swallow. Think $875,000 for the 923-square-foot pad will get the deal done?
661 Carroll Street [Warren Lewis] GMAP P*Shark
661 Carroll Street, #3 [Corcoran]
Condos of the Day: 659/661 Carroll [Brownstoner]

Inside Third & Bond: Week 21

012408%20Nbr%20on%20roof.jpg
While the talking heads worry over a recession and the people on the street wonder if there will be down market buying opportunities, we thought this would be a good time to check-in on the neighborhood surrounding our site. We like to keep an eye on what’s happening, just like this neighbor from across the street who is watching us work (see pic).

Whole Foods
Our informant tells us that DOB was about to sign off on the latest permit when they realized that they didn’t like the reference datum that the survey was based on. This is after having seen the survey many times. We can relate to the frustration… and we hope they get it worked out soon. We’re anxious for them to get going because having Whole Foods down the street is a huge benefit to our project. We don’t love hearing the constant rumors and all the comments about that damn construction fence. Before the blogosphere, we never could have imagined the endless speculation based on a couple of sheets of plywood.

Continue reading "Inside Third & Bond: Week 21"

Residential Sales in Brooklyn

PARK SLOPE $517,000
10 Montgomery Place GMAP
1-bedroom, 1-bath 750-sq.-ft. co-op in prewar building; eat-in kitchen, high-beamed ceilings, h/w floors, bay windows, 2 exposures, Prospect Park view; maintenance $776, 50% tax deductible; listed at $535,000, on market 8 weeks. Broker: Aguayo & Huebner.

BOERUM HILL $325,000
251 Pacific Street GMAP
1-bedroom, 1-bath co-op in prewar building; common roof deck; listed at $325,000. Broker: Corcoran.

First item from the Times's Residential Sales Around the Region. Photo of 10 Montgomery by Kate Leonova for Property Shark.

10 Jay Street to Get Another Five Stories

DumboNYC reported yesterday that the nine-story building at 10 Jay Street, currently full of "creative" commercial tenants, is slated to get a five-story addition. If they can ever get the Stop Work Order lifted, that is. The design for the addition is being done by TKA Studio, one of the building's tenants. Back in October, we speculated that rooftop cabanas were in the works; evidently, we underestimated the owner's ambitions: Curbed theorized yesterday that the addition could be a prelude to converting the entire building to residential. Think that's likely? Any long leases still in place?
5 Story Extension Planned For 10 Jay Street [Dumbo NYC] GMAP DOB
Historic Dumbo Building to Have a New Growth Spurt? [Curbed]
Cabana Envy in Dumbo? Prepping at 10 Jay & One Main [Brownstoner]

Your Friends and Neighbors, 475 Kent Edition

It’s still unclear when or if the hundreds of tenants evacuated from 475 Kent Avenue on Sunday night will be able to move back into the building. Betsy Kelleher, who told the Times she has been fighting for years to get the building legally converted into apartments, left a post on a 475 Kent message board saying that judges are likely to allow the residents to move back in after the hazardous materials are removed: “as a result of the fact that this is a multiple dwelling and there are already laws in place protecting this many tenants in ‘defacto multiple dwellings’ our lawyers can go to the court to ask for an order from a judge that says we can return to our homes.” (Another conspiracy theory making the rounds: That the shut-down was payback from the Fire Department against owner Nachman Brach.) The AP, meanwhile, had a story about the many well-known photographers and artists who lived in the building, including: David Alan Harvey and Robert Clark, National Geographic photographers; Paolo Pellegrin and Alex Majoli, noted war photographers and members of Magnum Photos; Stanley Greene, who has covered the devastation in Chechnya; Kadir van Lohuizen, who has covered conflicts in Africa; Simon Lee, a visual artist; and Eve Sussman, whose exhibit at the 2004 Whitney Biennial was one of that year’s favorites.
Renowned Photojournalists Forced Out of NYC Building [AP/SI Live]
‘Commune of Creative Types’ in the Burg is Emptied Out [Brownstoner]
475 Kent: Confusion, Anger & Calls to Allow Residents Back [GL]
475 Kent Message Board [475kent.com]
Photo by D-Trubble.

110 Livingston Rental Ads Go Underground

We’re not sure how many units Two Trees is looking to rent at its pricey condo conversion 110 Livingston (according to a Curbed report a few months ago, it’s only six) but the firm has gone on an ad blitz at the Borough Hall train station. Some of the ads read, “Not Pressure You But With Rentals Like These, You’d Better Bring Your Checkbook.” Anyone have more info on the "not pressure" apartments? How about a copy editor referral for Two Trees?
BREAKING: Two Trees Renting Unsold Livingston Units [Curbed]
Rental of the Day: 110 Livingston Street Studio [Brownstoner]

Time Equities CEO Weighs In On Amity Plan

Time Equities head honcho Francis Greenburger has responded to blog posts on Brownstoner (last week), the Historic Districts Council Newsstand, Lost City, and Gowanus Lounge about all the hoo-ha surrounding the developer’s plans for 110 Amity Street. In the statement, which seems legit, Greenburger says Time Equities and its development partner Lucky Boy “do not want to present a project that does not have community support” and makes it sound like the “mews” design is toast: “At this point, we will re-conceive the project in a traditional street wall approach and try to present a plan that is responsive to the input received at the most recent Landmark hearing.” Last year the Real Deal interviewed Greenburger, and the following Q&A seems like it has bearing on the 110 Amity situation:

Q: How do you deal with antagonists?

A: It depends on what kind of antagonists they are. If they're bullies, I'm extremely stubborn and I'll fight them tooth and nail. If they're crazy people, then I try to figure out how to work around them and not waste my time with them. If they are people who have a reasonable point of view that's different than mine, I try to understand it and work with it.

Sounds refreshingly logical for a developer.
Amity Street Development Turned Back By LPC [HDCN]
The Closing: Francis Greenburger [TRD]
Sometimes They Hear You [Lost City]
Amity Street Developers Go Back to the Drawing Board [GL]
110 Amity Proposal Takes a Drubbing at LPC Hearing [Brownstoner]
Cobble Hill Association: 110 Amity Plan ‘Unacceptable’ [Brownstoner] GMAP
Opposition to 110 Amity Plans Grows [Brownstoner]
CB6 Tries to Avoid Amity Street Horror [Brownstoner]
Inset photo of Greenburger from TimeEquities.com.

Gowanus Roundup: Public Pl. Bids Whittled, Builders Bullish

When will major new developments come to Gowanus and, when they do, what are they going to look like? Plans for the area—and an assessment of its prospects—are the subject of articles in both the Brooklyn Eagle and the New York Post this morning. First off, the Brooklyn Eagle reports that the city has narrowed the field of potential candidates to redevelop the 6-acre Public Place site, above. Between 500 and 1,000 housing units will be built on the land between Smith Street and the canal, which used to be the site of a manufactured gas plant. The two finalists are the Related Companies (partnering with Monadnock Construction Inc., Catholic Charities and Donna Walcavage Landscape Architect), and the Hudson Companies (partnering with the Fifth Avenue Committee, Jonathan Rose Companies and the Bluestone Organization). Both proposals include a significant amount of affordable housing, according to an HPD spokesman, and a representative from the Related Cos. has called the firm’s bid “really progressive and environmentally friendly.” The city is expected to announce which developer it has selected at the end of next month, and decontamination of the site is expected to take two years. The Post, meanwhile, has a long article about how developers are still keen on Gowanus as a whole, and it notes that City Planning is expected to release its official proposal for rezoning the neighborhood—which will allow for more residential development—soon. The builders waiting for the rezoning to go through include Leviev Boymelgreen, who is planning a development called "Gowanus Village" with several 10-story loft buildings along the canal between Carroll and Third streets; Toll Brothers, which is planning a townhouse-style condo development on Bond Street between Carroll and Second streets; and the Bayside Fuel Oil Depot Corp., owner of the Bayside Fuel Terminal, which wants to build 10- to 12-story towers along the canal at Sackett Street.
Go, Go Gowanus [NY Post]
Two Finalists Vie To Develop Toxic ‘Public Place’ [Brooklyn Eagle]
AvalonBay Stresses Affordable Housing in Public Place Bid [Brownstoner]
Gowanus Rezoning: Complete Chaos [Brownstoner]

Thursday Events

Fulton Street Alliance Methadone Clinic Meeting
Earlier this month, we wrote of the frustration of Clinton Hill residents regarding the methadone clinic on Waverly and Fulton (above). Today, the Fulton Street Alliance holds its first informational meeting on the issue. Thursday, 7:00 p.m. Brown Memorial Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 484 Washington Avenue. (718) 596-0100.

CB6 Land Use Meeting
Community Board 6 holds a meeting on land use and landmarks today. Thursday, 6:00 p.m. South Brooklyn Health Center, 120 Richard Street (Pioneer/King Streets).

Underbridge Pictures Reception
Underbridge Pictures presents "Painting Is Not Dead In Brooklyn," a group exhibition of paintings of the city. It features work from Robert Goldstrom, Doug Madill, Regina Perlin, Joan Reutershan and Ella Yang. The opening reception is tonight. Thursday, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 111 Front Street, gallery 202. (718) 596-0390.

Tracy Collins Reception
Photographer Tracy Collins presents some of his work tonight in a showing entitled "Atlantic Yards: (De)Construction of the Neighborhood." Tamboril Latin Restaurant Bar Lounge hosts. Thursday, 7:00 p.m. 527 Myrtle Avenue. (718) 622-5130.

John Burnham Schwartz Reading
BookCourt hosts a reading with John Burnham Schwartz (The Commoner). Thursday, 7:00 p.m. 163 Court Street.

Have an event you think we should list? Send it along to events@brownstoner.com.

Thursday Links

Brighton Beach. Photo by braesikalla.
Spitzer Is Said to Agree to a Raise for Legislators [NY Times]
Bush and Congress Nearing a Deal on Stimulus [NY Times]
Bay Ridge Pastor Wants to Tear Down Church [NY Daily News]
Heady Real Estate Days Are Behind Us [NY Sun]
Downtown Bklyn Becomes Residential [NY Sun]
Lopez vs. Pfizer Battle Continues [NY Observer]
Stopping Traffic on Bedford Ave. [Metro]
Carlton Ave. Bridge Closes [AY Report]

January 23, 2008

Wednesday Blogwrap

Park Slope, Brooklyn. Photo by Esters photographs.
Historic Dumbo Building to Have a New Growth Spurt? [Curbed]
Another One Bites the Dust: Sold on Guernsey [GL]
Floridians Say Bushwick Is Hot [Bushwick BK]
Snowless Winter Continues [Gothamist]
Art Studio Space for Rent [Bed Stuy Blog]
Wegmans Clarifications [CH Blog]

Closing Bell: There Goes the Front Yard

Clinton Hill just got a little uglier—and a little more difficult to find a parking space in. The owner's plan to cut the curb and turn the front of the ground floor at 174 Clinton Avenue into a parking garage that we reported back in November is coming to fruition. A reader sends in this photo that shows the concrete and facade demolition has been completed. How can this be? The property falls just outside the historic district and just within the commercial overlay from Myrtle Avenue. The flipper's gain is everyone else's loss.
174 Clinton Avenue [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark DOB
Cut and Run at 174 Clinton Avenue [Brownstoner]

Today on the Renovation Blogs and Forum

There are a couple new posts on the Renovation Blogs:
Kitchen Progress Heats Up [Windsor Terrace Reno]
People Get Ready: Painting Party [Bed Stuy Reno]

Here are some of the topics posted on the Forum today:
Experiences with 1-800-Wood-Floors?
Shortening a Spout for a Kitchen Faucet
Taking a Tenant to Housing Court?
Reliable Painter and Wallpaperer Needed
Ran Out of Fuel, Boiler Won't Start?
Financing for Coop Investor Purchase?

StreetLevel: Night Fever on 4th Avenue

The rush to open bars on 4th Avenue hasn’t quite kept up with the rush to build condos (what could?), but a new nightclub will soon open on the thoroughfare, joining the cluster between St. Marks and Bergen, and farther south, Cattyshack. Garfield’s (on Garfield Street and the west side of the avenue) is set open within the next month or two. We don’t have a ton of details about the business, which is going to be a nightclub, but the under-renovation space has looked extremely large whenever we’ve peeked in. GMAP

House of the Day: 466 5th Street

We like the look and feel of 466 5th Street, a four-story house within a gurney's-roll from New York Methodist hospital. Except for the kitchen, which we're not loving (just say no to granite!), the house has all the look and feel of an old Italianate brownstone, from the marble mantles to the pocket shutters. Currently configured as a lower owner's duplex topped by two floor-through rentals, the house has been in the same family for at least 20 years. Now that it's time to cash out, the owners are looking to get $2,200,000. Think they will?
466 5th Street [Orrichio & Anderson] GMAP P*Shark

Condos of the Day: 100 North 3rd Street

Just down the block from the Mill Building, the new development at 100 North 3rd Street is now on the market, having attracted five buyers to date. Which leaves thirteen units unsold, according to the Corcoran website or, if DOB filings are to be believed, another 19 units. Most of the apartments have very high ceilings, sleeping mezzanines and super-modern stylings. Do you think that the $700 to $800 per square foot price range will be compelling enough to move the rest of the units?
100 North 3rd Listings [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

Development Watch: 328 Grand Avenue

A couple of backhoes have shown up in the last few days at 328 Grand Avenue in Clinton Hill, but don't get your hopes up. First of all, there's no record of new building permits online. And even if there were, chances are we're in for another temple of mediocrity courtesy of the same guys who built the rental building across the street at 309 Grand Avenue (at right). As we said last March, we wish they'd kept the old two-story commercial building and built an interesting addition on top. ~~Some~~ Most people have no imagination.
328 Grand: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB

Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up

Rendering by Prudential Douglas Elliman

Coming Soon: Morton's Steakhouse
333-335 Adams Street, between Tillary and Willoughby Streets, Downtown Brooklyn
As previously reported, Morton's Steakhouse is set to open in the Marriott on Adams Street. The The New York Observer posted the steakhouse's most recent press release, along with this rendering of the exterior—which might be just garish enough to keep locals true to Peter Luger. (What's up with those rainbow-colored rectangles? Could they be giant lights?)

Now Open: Hotel Delmano
82 Berry Street, near N. 9th Street, Williamsburg; 718-387-1945
Both Eater and Grub Street are raving about this new looker of a cocktail lounge, opened by the owners of Union Pool. (Note: It's just a bar—it's not a hotel.) The Grub Streeters are digging "mixologist Jeff Hanson’s $9 to $12 renditions of the Last Word, Corpse Reviver No. 2, the Hemingway Daiquiri, and the Seelbach Cocktail." And Eater says "this is Brooklyn with the ante upped."

A New Spot in the Uncommon Grounds Space
50 Henry Street at Cranberry Street in Brooklyn Heights
"Just this month it came back to life as The Wine Bar at 50 Henry Street. The space has had a complete makeover and a full bar has been installed along with a matching liquor license, impressive wine list and a chef formerly of Mario Batali’s Babbo behind the stove." [The Brooklyn Paper]

After the jump: Brooklyn's own Diner Journal expands and Windsor Terrace gets a new restaurant...

Continue reading "Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up"

Rentals of the Day: Prospect Heights

Here are some of the Prospect Heights rentals recently featured on Craigslist, most of which are pitched as good shares. Judging from this sample, 2-bedrooms in the nabe tend to go for around $2,000. Clockwise, from upper left:
1. 2-bed, h/w floors, large common spaces, $2100; St John's at Underhill
2. 2-bed, 2-bath, 1500-sq-ft. duplex, priv. garden, $3500; Prospect at Vanderbilt
3. 2-bed, h/w floors, open kitchen, $1800; Prospect near Washington
4. 2-bed, r/s, gut reno, $1700; Underhill at St Marks
5. 2-bed w/ office nook, h/w floors, $2000; Bergen at Vanderbilt

Who You Gonna Call?

Brooklyn Based has compiled a neat list of its picks for some of the best repairmen and service businesses in Brooklyn. BB’s recommendations were culled, in part, from comments on a bunch of different websites (including Brownstoner), and the list is still a work in progress (bring on the feedback). Some of the recommended businesses include: Bicycle Station in Prospect Heights for bike repairs, Vego for carpentry, John Hlad Plumbing and Heating for plumbing, and The Lamp Warehouse for lighting repairs. Check out the full list here.
The Fix-It List [Brooklyn Based]
Photo from citynoise.

A Drive to Replace the Boerum Hill Post Office

“Misdelivered mail? Undelivered packages? Terrible long lines? Tell us about your experiences and help us replace Times Plaza with a real post office!” So goes the language on the Boerum Hill Association's website about the Times Plaza Post Office on 3rd and Atlantic. The group is conducting a survey about the post office (which also serves parts of the North Slope) because, as the Brooklyn Eagle reported, they feel “The facility was outgrown decades ago, but because USPS only rents the space, they cannot make the changes necessary to run it efficiently. Continued neighborhood growth, plus Atlantic Yards, will only make the situation worse.” Gowanus Lounge has posted complaints about the post office on several occasions, and we’ve witnessed the crapola service at the facility firsthand more than once (including a memorable occasion last year when the surly staff made someone cry). Residents of the 11217 Zip code can vent here.
Replace Times Plaza — With a ‘Real’ Post Office [Brooklyn Eagle] GMAP
BHA Wants Times Plaza Post Office Replaced [GL]

Yassky Floats Biodiesel Plan

Tomorrow the Environmental Protection Committee of the City Council will have a hearing on a bill introduced by Councilmember David Yassky that would gradually phase in the use of biodiesel in New York’s heating oil system. Yassky’s bill, the Bioheat Act, would require that heating oil retailers start selling oil that is 5 percent biodiesel by June 2011, 10 percent biodiesel by June 2013, and 20 percent biodiesel (or B20 biodiesel) thereafter. The use of a biodiesel blend would go a long way toward reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, and oil mixes containing up to 20 percent biodiesel don’t require users to change their oil or fuel systems. Sound like a plan?
Photo by lucky_dog.

How Will Spitzer’s Budget Affect Real Estate?

Yesterday Gov. Spitzer introduced his $124.3 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins in April, a plan that calls for a spending increase of 5 percent as well as various cost-cutting measures meant to address the state’s estimated $4.4 billion budget deficit. So what sort of impact will the governor’s plan have on real estate? For starters, one of the most significant aspects of the budget involves increasing the real estate transfer tax, which is paid on property purchases above $175,000. Spitzer is also proposing a freeze on spending for the $4.7 billion School Tax Relief program, which uses state money to lower property taxes by funding school districts and giving rebate checks to homeowners. At the same time, Spitzer is looking to increase spending on affordable housing via the new $400 million Housing Opportunity Fund, which will go to the creation and preservation of low-cost and supportive housing. Some independent budget analysts say Spitzer’s plan doesn’t go far enough in terms of curbing spending. Nevertheless, the uncertain economic climate was clearly weighing on the governor. “Like every other state in the nation, New York is feeling the effects of a serious economic downturn, requiring us to make tough decisions necessary to continue moving our state in the right direction,” Spitzer wrote in a statement accompanying the budget.
Spitzer Plans Cuts and Fees to Close Deficit of $4.4 Billion [NY Times]
Spitzer's Budget Triggers Backlash [NY Sun]
2008-2009 Executive Budget [NY State]
Photo from state.ny.us

Wednesday Events

AIA Zoning Meeting
Learn details of the American Institute of Architects' proposed amendments for contextual zoning. HDC President and urban planner Paul Graziano, Council member Tony Avella, Chair of the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises, and Community Board Land Use members from Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan will speak. Check the website for more information on the proposal and its objectives. Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. General Society for Mechanics & Tradesmen, 20 W. 44th Street. (located in third floor classrooms of The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America).

Newton Creek Meeting
DEP Commish Emily Lloyd hosts a meeting tonight to address neighborhood concerns about the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. Polish Slavic Center, 177 Kent Street (between Manhattan and McGuinness). (718) 349-0150.

Have an event you think we should list? Send it along to events@brownstoner.com.

Wednesday Links

Prospect Heights. Photo by blinkbyblink.
Fed’s Action Stems Sell-Off in World Markets [NY Times]
Musicians Struggle to Find Rehearsal Spaces [NY Times]
Heath Ledger, Actor, Is Found Dead at 28 [NY Times]
Corruption Probe Could Invalidate Arrests [NY Sun]
Evicted Residents Face Uncertain Future [AM New York]
Much of Downtown is Going Out of Biz [Brooklyn Eagle]
2 Killed in Crash of Stolen Car [NY Daily News]

January 22, 2008

Tuesday Blogwrap

546 Vanderbilt demolition. Photo by threecee.
New Burg Development & Something in Air on Roebling [GL]
Fast Food Calorie Info Coming Soon, Like It Or Not [Gothamist]
Gowanus is Now Officially, Really Fashionable [Curbed]
Educational Measurements: I Am So Sick of It [OTBKB]
Argentineans Take Over Williamsburg [Bushwick BK]
Hungry Belly Deli on Tompkins [Bed Stuy Blog]
French Immersion for Kids! [CH Blog]

Closing Bell: New Bus Shelter for Vanderbilt

No more huddling inside of Tillies waiting for the B69 bus to take you to Park Slope. As of this week, the new bus shelter at the corner of Vanderbilt and DeKalb should be fully functional. GMAP

Today on the Renovation Blogs and Forum

There are a couple new posts on the Renovation Blogs:
Oh . . . the Possibilities! [Green Roof Reno]
Here Come the Sinks [Bed Stuy Reno]

Here are some of the topics posted on the Forum today:
Should We Even Bother with ADT?
Where to Go to Find Out Selling Price?
Plumber for Recessing Gas Pipe in Wall?
Tons of Roaches Around Old Waste Line!
The Cost of Adding Another Floor?
Lots of Questions About My Plaster Ceiling

StreetLevel: Fruits and Veggies in Bushwick

A poster on BushwickBK calls the opening of Mr. Kiwi's, a new grocery store on Broadway and Myrtle, "probably the most exciting new business to open in our little corner of Bushwick in the three years we’ve been here." The store is stocking a decent, well-priced selection of fresh produce, which many folks on the site say is in short supply in Bushwick. The city backs up those claims: A study by the Department of Mental Health and hygiene found the neighborhood has a low supply of fresh produce and low-fat milk, according to an article in Crain's.
A New Option for Fresh Produce in Bushwick [BushwickBK] GMAP
Photo from BushwickBK.

House of the Day: 193 Washington Park Price Cut

"Ridiculous," "Give me a break," and "This will sit for a long time" were some of the comments from readers when we first featured 193 Washington Park as a House of the Day back in early November; at the time, it was listed for $3,875,000. Looks like the commenters were right: After a couple months of no love from buyers, the asking price for the 6,500-square-foot brownstone overlooking Fort Greene Park was cut last week to $3,625,000, a price that still seems like a stretch in the current environment. Think there'll be any takers for the 25-footer at this new price?
193 Washington Park [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
House of the Day: 193 Washington Park [Brownstoner]

Condo of the Day: 409 3rd Street

Third Street in Park Slope, with its width and grand houses, is certainly an impressive stretch. That doesn't mean, however, that an attractive, but far from spectacular, floor-through apartment will be able to fetch $1,000 a foot. The second-floor apartment at 409 3rd Street, which is asking $1,199,000, has some nice prewar charm, to be sure, but the bathroom and kitchen are definitely a little tired and the layout feels like a cluttered maze of little rooms to us. The broker's use of gross square footage to hype the place rubs us the wrong way as well. (He states a gross square footage of 1,337; PropertyShark uses the figure of 1,098. After all, you can't sleep in the common hallway!) We think they'll be lucky to get $1,050,000.
409 3rd Street [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

Development Watch: 238 St. Marks Avenue

The digging had barely begun at 238 St. Marks Avenue in Prospect Heights when the project was hit with a Stop Work Order last week. The punishable offense? A lack of approved plans at the site for the "support of excavation and underpinnings." Sketch-o-rama. The Karl Fischer-designed building is slated to have 20 units over eight stories for a total of about 27,000 square feet. No renderings are available. GMAP DOB

Navy Yard Watch: Men In Blue's Building All Yellow

As we reported back in September, the Navy Yard is building a new headquarters for the tow pound cops as part of a larger plan that will reclaim the Sands Street entrance as the main gateway to the Navy Yard itself. Apparently, two stories is all she wrote on this one. No word on whether the new digs will make the pound police any more pleasant to deal with.
Navy Yard Watch: New Tow Pound Building Rising [Brownstoner] GMAP

Foreclosures of the Week

There are two interesting co-op foreclosure auction scheduled for tomorrow morning. First off, unit 8F at the 13-story, prewar 40 Boerum Place is going on the block. There’s currently a lien of $327,669 on the property, which sold for $420,000 in 2005. There’s also an auction scheduled for unit 6A at 381 Argyle Road in Flatbush (a block away from Ditmas Park West). The unit has a lien of $78,586 on it, and it last sold for $89,610 in 2005. The Argyle Road auction is scheduled for 11 a.m. tomorrow on the steps of 360 Adams Street; the Boerum Place auction will follow at 11:30.
40 Boerum Place, Unit 8F [Property Shark] GMAP
381 Argyle Road, Unit 6A [Property Shark] GMAP

Repainting the Front Parlor

When we originally moved into our house more than two years ago, our intention was to use the front parlor in the near-to-medium term as our own home office while renting out the rear to a non-profit. (It's a five-story house and we didn't want to make it a three-family.) The hope was that within five years or so we'd be able to afford to take over the entire parlor floor and move the kitchen to the rear of it with a deck and stairs down to the yard. Of course, instead of a useful home office, its proxomity to the front door made it a dumping ground for bicycles, strollers, boots, etc. Fed up, we purged the space over the holidays in anticipation of turning it into a clean, sparingly decorated dining room: One table with chairs, maybe a sideboard and that's it. The first step is to repaint, so we put up some swatches last week. From left to right, you're looking at Farrow & Ball's Pigeon, French Gray and Black Blue. We were tempted by the Pigeon but the prevailing opinion among family and friends was that it would be too dark, as the Black Blue would be. So we're going to be going with the French Gray (center). Anyone else used this color?

Righting Wrongs in the Greenpoint Historic District

Two properties in the Greenpoint Historic District must go back to the LPC after the fact to get the commission's blessing for alterations made without its approval. At 116 Franklin Street (left), changes were made to the storefront and doors and windows were replaced without permission; at 832 Manhattan Avenue (right), the owners have applied to bring earlier rooftop and rear additions into compliance. The application for 116 Franklin Street is being heard this morning at 9:30 on the 9th Floor of 1 Centre Street in Manhattan; 832 Manhattan Avenue, originally scheduled for today, has been pushed back.
January 22nd Agenda [LPC]
116 Franklin Avenue [Property Shark] GMAP
832 Manhattan Avenue [Property Shark] GMAP

Planning Extends AIA Zoning Public Review

The Dept. of City Planning has extended the public-review period for the zoning text changes proposed by the American Institute of Architects. Although Planning intended to have a public hearing on AIA’s proposal on February 13th, the hearing has now been postponed. The institute’s amendments to the city’s Zoning Resolution are going through a process called “non-ULURP” that involves most of the same things as ULURP—such as a land-use review application and a public-review period—but aren’t subject to the same time frame as ULURP (which, for example, requires that community boards hold public hearings on a certified application within 60 days). Because the AIA changes are coming from a private entity and not the city, in other words, the burden of convincing the public, community boards, the city, etc. of its merits rests with AIA. Planning’s extension of the review period (the department hasn't yet scheduled a new date for the hearing) means that the public has more time to learn about the proposal, and the Historic Districts Council is going to have an informational session about it this Wednesday.
AIA’s Zoning Tweaks Draw Heat [Brownstoner]
Proposed Zoning [AIA]

‘Commune of Creative Types’ in the Burg is Emptied Out

Most of the dailies have stories this morning about the sad, curious evacuation of 475 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg. The FDNY designated the building a fire hazard on Sunday, forcing hundreds of tenants out of their apartments on one of the coldest days of the year. The FDNY said the building needed to be evacuated because its owner, Nachman Brach, was storing flammable materials in the basement that he used to power a matzo bakery. More than 200 tenants lived and worked in 475 Kent despite the fact that the building doesn’t have a C of O for residential use, and now many of them are suddenly homeless. The Times describes the former pasta factory as “a commune of creative types,” and quotes residents who are confused and angry about the evacuation. One of those residents, Betsy Kelleher, said the timing of the evacuation was suspicious because there’s a pending court decision that might result in all the units being rent-controlled. “They want to clean everyone out and then convert them into expensive condos,” said Kelleher. The building had been lived in for a decade. According to Am New York, the first artists who leased spaces at 475 Kent had been evicted from illegal loft conversions in Dumbo.
For Evacuated Building’s Tenants, an Uncertain Future [NY Times]
475 Kent Avenue Evacuated, Due to Numerous Violations [Gothamist]
Residents of B'klyn Loft Evicted for Fire Code Violations [AM New York]
475 Kent Update: Holdout Says It's "Creepy as Hell" [Gowanus Lounge]
A Holdout Stays in Brooklyn Loft [Metro]
Photo by i'm just sayin'.

Tuesday Events

BookCourt: The Best Of LCD
BookCourt hosts a book event for The Best Of LCD: The Art & Writing of WFMU. Started in 1986, LCD was published until 1998 as a visual counterpart for the radio station. The new book collects the best writing and artwork from the magazine, including work from Harvey Pekar, Nick Tosches, Chris Ware, Daniel Clowes, Kaz, Ken Freedman, Luc Sante, Johnny Marr, Amy Rigby, Mark Newgarden, Ron English, Daniel Johnston, Richard Sala, Tony Millionaire, Pat Moriarity, Wayno, and others. Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Free. 163 Court Street.

CB9 Meeting
Community Board 9 holds its monthly meeting today at 7:00 p.m. at 890 Nostrand Avenue.

Have an event you think we should list? Send it along to events@brownstoner.com.

Tuesday Links

Cobble Hill. Photo by dabramsrnjd.
Illegal Boarding Houses Pit City’s Laws Against Lack of Alternatives [NY Times]
Feeling Misled on Home Price, Buyers Are Suing Their Agent [NY Times]
Weapons Trove Suspect Is Linked to Hate Crimes [NY Times]
Governor Spitzer To Deliver Budget Today [NY Sun]
Brooklyn Has Fastest Fire Responses [NY Daily News]
The Two Sides of Brooklyn [NY Daily News]
Guttman Heads to Israel [NY Post]
16 Court Changes [Brooklyn Eagle]

January 21, 2008

Monday Blogwrap

Prospect Park West. Photo by MarkHout.
Dispatches from the Frigid Mass Eviction at 475 Kent [GL]
About That Brooklyn Heights Arsenal... [Gothamist]
Eater Inside: Hotel Delmano [Eater]
What About Wegmans? [CH Blog]
Clinton Hill Blogade [Flatbush Gardener]

Today on the Renovation Blogs and Forum

There are a couple new posts on the Renovation Blogs:
Skimming the Hallway [Bed Stuy Reno]
Stupid Ikea Cabinets [Bed Stuy Reno]

Here are some of the topics posted on the Forum today:
Converting a 6 Family into a 5 Family
Where to Go to Find Out Selling Price?
Super Needed for Crown/Prospect Heights Co-op
What Type of Insulation for a Brownstone?
50 s.f. of Oak Flooring for Sale

House of the Day: 41 St. Marks Place

It usually takes a few weeks or months for a seller to face the reality that an asking price is too high. In the case of 41 St. Marks Place, a three-story brownstone between 3rd and 4th Avenues in Park Slope, it only took a few days. Listed at $3,000,000 on January 14, the three-family was reduced to $2,650,000 on January 18. Still probably too much for a stoop-less house on the far side of 4th Avenue, but a step in the right direction to be sure.
41 St. Marks Place [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark

Co-op of the Day: 450 Clinton Street Triplex

At first blush, we were excited by the double-height arched ceilings on this two-bedroom in the old church at the corner of Clinton and First Place and thought that the asking price of $899,000 seemed reasonable. When we looked a little closer at the photos, the finishes struck us as a disappointment given the impressiveness of the structure itself. When we went back to an old thread about another apartment in the building, that sense was underscored by a commenter:

I used to rent in this very building. While I loved many things about it, the details and finishes always bugged me a little. The conversion was just done a little shoddy. The walls and floor/ceilings are paper thin.

How 'bout it? Worth the dough?
450 Clinton Street [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark

Development Watch: 681 Driggs Avenue

We were surprised not to see any work being done at 681 Driggs Avenue when we passed by last week. The site, along with another Karl Fischer-designed project across the street, is under the gun to get its foundation in before the surrounding area can be downzoned. The community board fast-tracked its approval of a proposal to limit building height in the area two weeks ago, putting the ball in City Planning's court. Located on the border of the north and south sides of Williamsburg, this design is for a 14-story, 41-unit structure that would come in at just under 100,000 square feet; the project across the street at 207 Grand Street is slated to by 10 stories.
Race to Stop Karl Fischer Grand St. Towers [Curbed] GMAP DOB

Drugstore or Supermarket on the Horizon for 3rd Avenue

A real estate investor just paid a pretty hefty sum for an old Gowanus warehouse but, unlike some of the other recent buyers in the area, he’s not planning to tear the building down and put up a hotel. Elo Realty closed on the purchase of the old Daily News garage on 3rd Avenue between Douglass and Degraw earlier this week for $10.5 million, and the firm intends to rent it out for retail use, according to the firm's principal, Jack Elo. “It’s big enough for a drugstore like CVS or Duane Reade,” says Elo, “or even a supermarket.” Seems to us like either of those uses would be very welcome to the folks who live in amenities-starved Gowanus and to the people who are going to move into all the new 4th Avenue developments.
Going Fishing for $15 Mil in Gowanus [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark

Playing the Name Game in Greenwood Heights

A reader from Greenwood Heights tells us that two developments in the area have recently been rechristened: “Six on Sixth,” at 18th Street, is now being called “Vanguard 6,” while “The Fusion” on 20th Street has been rebranded "284 Twentieth Street”. ("Vanguard 6" has switched brokerages along with names: the building is now being sold by Aguayo & Huebener rather than the Developers Group.) Unsurprisingly, the marketers didn’t choose to go with the nicknames some in the neighborhood use to refer to the buildings (“The Cruise Ship” and “The Confusion,” respectively). Think the new names will help lead to new sales?
Vanguard 6 [Aguayo & Huebener]
284 Twentieth Street [Corcoran]
New Development: Fusion on 20th Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
Unfortunate New Neighborhood Name: Sun Slope [Brownstoner] GMAP

45 Third Place Open House: Yuck!

Pardon Me For Asking checked out an open house at 45 Third Place this weekend, aka “The Carroll Gardens Atrocity.” As you can see from the photos above, the house isn’t all that pretty on the inside, either. The units at 45 Third are listed at $1,555,000 and $1,595,000, and prices haven’t been lowered since it hit the market in September ’06. PMFA asks, “why are they showing the place looking the way it does with all the very obvious flaws?” Good question.
What's Luxurious About 45 3rd Place? [PMFA] GMAP
14 Months Later, Still No Buyers for 45 Third Place! [Brownstoner]
Condos of the Day: No Buyers for 45 Third Place [Brownstoner]
A Current Look at Third Place Horror Show [Brownstoner]
Price for CG Atrocity a "Fantasy" [Brownstoner]
Real Photos of Carroll Gardens Bastard [Brownstoner]
Carroll Gardens "Bastardization" Hits Market [Brownstoner]
CG Atrocity: There Goes the Neighborhood [Brownstoner]

Exploring Our Preoccupation With Housing

The Times has a review of an intriguing new book called “House Lust: America’s Obsession With Our Homes” by Daniel McGinn (Currency, $24.95) that tackles questions many of us can presumably relate to, like, “How did home renovations come to routinely turn families’ lives upside down?” and “Why do thousands of us now watch reality shows about home flipping or house hunting?” Although the book doesn’t specifically zoom in on Brooklyn, or even New York City, real estate, it does examine larger cultural trends that hit close to home, such as how in recent years (before the subprime fallout, anyway) Americans came to see home ownership as the most valuable investment they could make, leading many to fetishize their homes. For example, McGinn looks at “Fix-Up Fever” in Newtown, Mass., where he finds owners engaged in renovations for the purpose of “one-upping their neighbors.” The author’s conclusion? “Our homes may no longer be making us rich, but living through an era when we thought they might has resulted in a permanent shift in thinking — one that will leave many of us happily obsessed with houses for years to come.”
Who Needs a 401(k)? I’d Rather Have a Castle.
Book cover from Amazon.

Trends: Lower Rents and ‘Condo Reversions’

The Wall Street Journal examines how renters are finding excellent deals in areas of the U.S. that have been most affected by the subprime crisis, areas where many developers have put thousands of unsold condo units on the market as rentals. As with most aspects of the subprime mess, lower rents and “condo reversions” have largely bypassed the priciest segments of the New York City market, though the article name checks 99 Gold Street as an example of a condo-turned-rental. It’s also worth noting that the Real Estate Group of New York found that average rents in Manhattan, with the exception of doorman studios, declined at the end of 2007 (we couldn’t find comparable data for Brooklyn). All this data seems like good fodder for speculation, though: Think ’07 might bring falling rents and more condo reversions to Brooklyn?
Home Sellers' Pain Is Renters' Gain [WSJ]
Half Sold, 99 Gold Throws in the Towel, Goes Rental [Brownstoner]

Taking the Pulse of Townhouse Sales in the Slope

Last week we received a document entitled “Charles Ruoff’s Townhouse Report,” the first in a biannual series Ruoff, a Brown Harris Stevens broker who specializes in townhouse sales in Park Slope and Prospect Heights, intends to produce. Ruoff’s recent big-ticket listings include 598 2nd Street ($3,450,000) and 909 Union Street ($2,495,000). The broker’s assessment of the current townhouse market in the Slope and Prospect Heights is as follows:

We are once again faced with limited supply of homes in all price points. The third quarter of 2007 produced some noteworthy sales and in fact record-breaking prices in both the North and South Slope as well as in the adjoining neighborhood of Prospect Heights. Inventory as well as demand seems to be especially lacking in the high $1 million dollar to low $2 million dollar range. The limited supply of multi-family homes on the market can best be attributed to the dramatic rise in rents for landlords now receiving very healthy cash-flow.

Sound about right to you?

Photo by Da Nator.

Monday Events

MLK at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Great Day Chorale, led by founder and director Louvinia Pointer, performs spirituals at 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Take part in a special tour of the plants of Africa and the Caribbean in the Steinhardt Conservatory at 1:00 p.m. Monday. $8, $4 students and seniors. 1000 Washington Avenue. (718) 623-7270.

Spoke the Hub MLK Celebration
Spoke the Hub presents its Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration, "Creating and Sustaining Peace Inside and Out," a day of family-friendly peacekeeping workshops, discussions and performances. Check the website for a full schedule of events and pricing information. Monday. 295 Douglass Street. (718) 408-3234.

Have an event you think we should list? Send it along to events@brownstoner.com.

Monday Links

Williamsburg. Photo by kittylittered.
New York City Braces as Fear on Economy Creeps In [NY Times]
Bush Proposing $145 Billion Plan to Spur Economy [NY Times]
The ‘Have a Drink With Johnny Boy’ Reunion [NY Times]
The Hunt: Starting a New Life in Brooklyn [NY Times]
Three Die in Bensonhurst Apartment Fire [NY Times]
An Idiosyncratic Gem in Carroll Gardens [NY Times]
Flippers Still Swindling Homebuyers [NY Daily News]
Legal Dispute Over Red Hook Building [NY Daily News]
Matzo Factory Discovered on Kent Ave. [NY Post]
NJ Subprime Killer Left Suicide Note [NY Post]
Top DOB Official Violates Rules [NY Post]
Arsenal Found in the Heights [NY Post]
Bumps in the Night at 340 Court [GL]

January 20, 2008 - January 26, 2008

January 25, 2008

January 24, 2008

January 23, 2008

January 22, 2008

January 21, 2008

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