August 8, 2008

Closing the Door on Ouvrez La Porte

A reader informed us that the Boerum Hill boutique Ouvrez La Porte, located at 105 Bond Street between Atlantic and Pacific, is shuttering its doors, making the name a little ironic. But small business seems to be relatively healthy on the block itself. Our tipster reports that two upscale clothing boutiques have opened in the last year, Paper Doll and And Then Some, and we reported on Wednesday that a new restaurant called Building on Bond opened this week on the corner of Pacific. Do you think we'll be seeing more and more retail spill-over from Atlantic Avenue, or does Ouvrez La Porte's fate spell bad news for the area?
Retro Reno for Boerum Hill Restaurant [Brownstoner]
Photo by Lumpasaurus

What's Shaking on Jackson Place?

A reader informed us that construction is in full swing at 20 Jackson Place in the South Slope, the building damaged in last year's hurricane. The house was apparently abandoned pre-natural disaster, and now, according to the DOB, it's going to be three-story, five-unit building. "There was much speculation around here that the owner let the old property go to hell so that it would fall down and he could sell to developers. Is that what happened?" the reader asks. It doesn't look like it: According to Property Shark, the property hasn't traded since 2005. While neighbors are glad that the blight is disappearing, they might be a little annoyed at the developer's people skills—the spray painted sign imploring neighbors not to park in front of the spot has been answered by a handwritten sign on plywood, warning the owner to tow cars at his own risk. "Get a permit if you want a No Parking Area," the scrawl reads. "Work with the neighborhood and we will work with you."
18-20 Jackson Place Collapses [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB

News Flash: Everyone Wants to Live in the City

If you weren't already convinced that city life is becoming increasingly preferable to suburban life, see this article in The New Republic, which looks at a trend called "demographic inversion"—a reversal of the white flight that helped hollow out the inner city beginning in the 1950s. The author quantifies what many Brooklynites already know: the neighborhoods closest to vocational and cultural hubs (like, dare we say, Manhattan) and with shopping and services in walking distance are the most popular, forcing poorer folks to move further and further out. There's been plenty of talk about the suburbs potentially turning into 21st century slums but what will 21st century cities look like if demographic inversion continues? "In the worst case, demographic inversion would result in the poor living out of sight and largely forgotten in some new kind of high-rise projects beyond the city border, with the wealthy huddled in gated enclaves in the center."
Trading Places [The New Republic]
Beyond Gentrification [Curbed]
Photo by Daily Phototherapy.

Brooklyn Hotel Pipeline Getting Choked by Financing Woes

Six months ago, a couple of dozen hotels were in the pipeline for Brooklyn. Now, says the New York Post, only seven will see the light of day. According to Sean Hennessey, CEO of Lodging Advisors, 2,000 or so of the 5,000 planned new rooms will open, including 1,146 of the 1,976 rooms slated for Downtown Brooklyn. Apparently the rooms we do have, including the 637 at the Downtown Marriott, are 80 to 85 percent full most of the time, but the money has dried up. "Unfortunately the capital market treats the hotel industry very reciprocally, and it seems like our run of good fortune has come to a halt and that it'll probably be a while before we see a new project funded and moving forward again," said Hennessey. What Hennessey also told the crowd but the Post didn't include in its article was that he thought there was room in the Brooklyn market for a couple of smaller boutique hotels. This must have brought a smile to the face of Two Trees' Jed Walentas, who was sitting in the audience and is planning to convert an old brick commercial building on North 11th Street in Williamsburg into just such a hotel.
BKLYN Inn For Trouble [NY Post]
Bushwick Hotel. Photo by bitchcakesny.

Friday Links

Manhattan Far Away. Photo by Théo La Photo.
Landlords Court Albany Democrats on Rent Laws [NY Times]
Subway Stations for Sale? [AMNY]
Weiner Calls for Clean Up of Jamaica Bay [NY Daily News]
BJ's Wholesale Plans Two Brooklyn Stores [NY Daily News]
Coney Island History Project Launches Exhibit on Astroland [Brooklyn Eagle]

August 7, 2008

Thursday Blogwrap

Care Less. Photo by threecee.
Life On Mars Shooting on Dean Street [FIB]
Trader Joe's in Late September [Racked]
The Disappearing Bodega [Clinton Hill Chill]
Continuing Saga of Mike's Kosher Steakhouse [BHB]
New Dumbo Biz Helps People with Cancer [Dumbo NYC]
Memories of the Polhemus Building [Lost City]

Closing Bell: Happy Fruit Men Everywhere

The Brooklyn Paper reports that all is well at the Brooklyn Heights fruit stand that opened almost a month ago in front of the St. George Hotel—residents were at first more concerned with the legality of the street vendor than the quality of his fruit. Turns out, the owner's free to hawk his cherries there. Meanwhile, Khan, the Park Slope fruit vendor who set up shop about the same time, reports open arms and wallets from neighborhood residents.
Heights Vendor Wants to Make People Happy [Brooklyn Paper]

Today on the Forum

Here are some of the topics posted on The Forum today:
Who Pays for the Shared Fence?
Is This Plumbing Estimate Fair?
The Best Way to Become a Broker?
Who Can Build Us Screen Doors?

Garden of the Day: Gardening Through Weather Woes

Another entry from Carroll Gardens... When we bought our two-family home in Carroll Gardens in 2005, we had so much work to do inside that the garden felt like an afterthought. For over a year, we were so excited to have a place to grill that we didn't really care about the appearance of the backyard. The original backyard was terraced allowing the lower level (next to the house) to flood. Inevitably, what we now refer to as the Great Flood of July 5th hit, and our basement flooded due to heavy rains and poor drainage in the backyard. After this happened a few times we realized we needed to address the core problem or it would continue to haunt us. Although we wanted a comfortable and beautiful space, we needed a design that forced all water to the storm drain as opposed to letting it saturate the backyard and foundation through old brick.

Continue reading "Garden of the Day: Gardening Through Weather Woes"

Carroll Gardens Atrocity For Rent

It's the building we love to hate: 45 3rd Place, the atrocity in question that has flouted the neighborhood's vernacular architecture, has units for rent, according to a sign posted in the front yard. After 19 months on the market, and three months after the first price reductions, the aesthetically-challenged developer is trying to cut his losses. According to a reader who called the number listed on the sign in the front yard, the asking price for each unit is $6,500.
45 Third Place Open House: Yuck! [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]

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