Renderings Show Ambitious Condo-Mall Complex With Plaza Coming to Sheepshead Bay

Renderings released Tuesday by Rybak Development at a Community Board 15 meeting show the developer is planning an ambitious mall with condos above as well as a large public plaza in Sheepshead Bay.

The glass-fronted retail space is broken up with zig zagging and horizontal concrete divisions, and the whole thing comes to nearly a point at one corner, like the prow of a ship. (Perhaps the marine look is a reference to the nearby waterfront area.) The architect of 1809 Emmons Avenue is Brooklyn-based Zproekt.

The renderings were first published by Sheepshead Bites. The developer plans eight stories with 50 to 60 condos. Rybak will need a zoning variance to build that many apartments, which is where the big public plaza comes in.

The building is set back from the surrounding streets by a 9,000 square foot landscaped public plaza with seating. “This plaza is going to drastically and dramatically change the look and feel of the neighborhood,” the developer told Sheepshead Bites in December. The plaza takes up a quarter of the entire property, and will have raised planters, ambiance lighting and parking for bicycles.

The community board voted 24 to 4 in favor of the zoning variance. City Planning is now considering whether the public plaza is big enough to justify a variance for more residential units.

A partial permit was granted by the building department for the project Tuesday, and zoning approval was granted earlier this month, DOB records show. However, that permit application was for a four-story building with only 30 units.

The building sits on the former site of the El Greco Diner. The property sold in December of 2014 for $13,000,000.

Rybak Development is involved in several nearby projects, including a large sports complex called Match Point NYC and other condo buildings including 3041 Ocean Avenue.

What do you think of the design and the plan for the public plaza?

Renderings Detail 1809 Emmons Avenue Where Condos Will Replace El Greco [Sheepshead Bites]
Seven-Story Building With Ground Floor Retail and Plaza to Replace El Greco [Sheepshead Bites]
Massive Sports Complex Underway in Coney Island [Brownstoner]
Renderings by Zproekt via Sheepshead Bites