Here’s What Happened on Brownstoner Last Week: Trader Joe's Coming to Williamsburg, Brooklyn Home Prices Reach Record High, and More

Openings 

Williamsburg residents rejoiced over the news that Trader Joe’s — the affordable grocery favored by hipsters and normals alike — is on its way to 206 Kent Avenue.

Paris Baguette has a certain je ne sais quoi. The quirky, Seoul-based bakery opened its first Brooklyn location at 97 Court Street in April. Pastry-loving Do-Bro residents just got more good news. According to Peter Schubert, Maison Kayser — the high-end artisanal boulangerie — just signed the lease on a space a block north of Paris Baguette.

Properties in Development

Readers had mixed feelings regarding the rendering (pictured above) for the much-watched development connected to the landmarked Brooklyn Lyceum on 4th Avenue in Park Slope. The 12-story building, designed by Daniel Goldner Architects, will house 68 luxury rentals.

Brownstoner commenters were similarly conflicted over the news that demolition has started on three buildings on Tompkins Avenue in Bed Stuy. The properties are coming down to make way for Hancock Manor, a controversial 35-unit apartment building at 410 Tompkins Avenue. The unusually designed six-story building is being developed by Vasco Ventures. Will the property compromise the neighborhood’s historic character?

We visited the historic New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows and found the “modern ruin” in the midst of a makeover. And we provided an update on The New York City Housing Authority’s plans to build more affordable housing on publicly owned land in Fort Greene and Brownsville.

Brooklyn No Longer a Bargain?

The top story on Thursday in our Daily Links section (linking to a DNAinfo article) was that Brooklyn and Queens saw average home prices reach record highs in the second quarter. According to a report released Thursday by Douglas Elliman, the average sales price for Brooklyn homes was $788,529. Median rents in Brooklyn’s north, northwest and eastern regions reached a record $2,964 a month. Do you think $12,950-a-month is a reasonable rent for a penthouse in Williamsburg (pictured above)—even if it does come with a private rooftop terrace?

Regulations and Landmarks

If those rental numbers got you down, read-up on Berlin’s mietpreisbremse. The “rental price brake” has reined in rents in the German capital since June. Should the new rent-control laws in Europe’s hippest city become a model for New York and it’s coolest borough?

Brooklyn’s got more to preserve besides affordable rents. The Landmarks Preservation Commission announced a revised plan on Wednesday to deal with its backlog of 95 proposed landmark sites. As readers will recall, seven of these potential landmarks are located in Brooklyn.

One building that’s certainly not on the Landmarks list is 555 Union Street. The dilapidated Gowanus structure went up for auction in a Sheriff’s Sale this week. The building is one of several once owned by notable real estate character James McGown. No word yet on whether the building was successfully purchased.

What Are You Doing At Home?

If your summer concert plans are looking a little bare, make sure to check out “Downtown Brooklyn Nights” in Willoughby Plaza. Each night will feature a lineup of New York City-based acts built around a different genre. The series will run through the end of the month. Did we mention that all the shows are free?

The 11th annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival kicked off on Wednesday. Billed as “the dopest cultural festival New York has ever seen,” the concert culminates on Saturday with “The Big Show.” The daylong Williamsburg extravaganza will feature hip-hop titans Common, Mobb Deep, Lion Babe, Freeway, Consequence, and Charles Hamilton.

Need some culture in your life? Don’t miss “Inherit,” a new exhibition with work by five Brooklyn artists at BRIC in Fort Greene. In the show’s works, the artists engage their family members either as collaborators or inspiration, “creating notions of a family archive constructed through memory, stories, and images.” The show runs through August 16.