Are Brooklyn developer websites for controversial projects the latest thing? Well, the Toll Brothers have just launched a site for their 460-unit development on the Gowanus Canal. It intends to give the developer a kinder, gentler face in a neighborhood where there has been what could politely be called some hostility. Per a release accompanying the launch of the site, tollbrothersgowanus.com, it "will provide updates and information to the Gowanus community throughout the planning, zoning review and, if the project is approved in ULURP, construction phases, and will allow members of the public to send comments and suggestions to the development team." Last month, the developer of the 360 Smith Street project also launched a site to keep residents posted, albeit much later in the process. The site has sections outlining the project plans, a "calender of events" (currently listing events that happened in March), a press section and a contact form so that residents can, you know, make suggestions to the firm.
So, how many protests, rallies and turns of events will there be in the Coney Island Redevelopment drama? There are many in 2007, culminating with the Joe Sitt is Toast bombshell lobbed in November. That was followed by the Maybe Sitt Isn't So Bad After All Rethinkinga few weeks ago. The byproduct of that reconsideration--a dramatic shrinkage in the Coney amusement park announced in November so that Mr. Sitt can keep a lot more of his land and, maybe, make nice with the city--is a demonstration now planned for "opening day" of the Coney summer season. What's interesting is that the protesters will be many of the same people that were cheering in November. In any case, the Post reports that "community organizations with 4,000 members" will be turning the May 22 opening of Coney Island's beach "into a freak show to protest the city's revision of a rezoning plan that reduces a planned 15-acre amusement park to nine acres." The Polar Bear Club and Coney Island USA are among the organizations involved. It's safe to say they're not fans of the redone plan.
· Coney Rally "Freak" Out [NYP]
· City Releases Coney Island V.3.1. Plan with Major Revisions [Curbed]
The Coney blog Kinetic Carnival ran across some interesting renderings of Coney Island plans on the Arquitectonica website, which had been worked with the city to develop the master plan and zoning guidelines. They're interesting to look at, even if they're dated and were used by the city early in the process, and they may bear some resemblance to what the city will allow in terms of the height of buildings around the amusements after the little change in course a few weeks ago when it cut the planned amusement district from 15 acres to 9 acres. Note the tall-ish buildings that would adjoin the reduced amusement park. As for the tenants, well, think Hard Rock Cafe, Knitting Factory, AMC cinemas, Virgin Records, ESPN Zone, Madame Tussauds, Bliss spa, tattoo parlors, etc. per some documents that are floating around. (Virgin Records?) The city and developer Joe Sitt currently disagree about what kind of retail would be appropriate in the land that the city would no longer be trying to buy from him int the amusement district.
· Architecture Firm Dishes Up Designs For City's Coney Master Plan [Kinetic Carnival]
· City Envisions Hard Rock Cafe, Bliss Spa in Coney Island [Brownstoner]
Anyone that doesn't know where the heck Dutch Kills is, might recognize it when passing through Long Island City by the unusual amount of work there on hotels. Over the weekend, the Times offered another look at the weird Dutch Kills Dilemma: an announced intention to rezone the neighborhood that has led to one of the city's weirdest hotel booms beyond the confines of Gowanus. There are hotel plans on at least 14 sites within an eight-block area. The Dutch Kills Hotel Boom came about because of a 2005 City Planning proposal to rezone the neighborhood and clamp down on commercial construction. The trouble is that the review process for the rezoning hasn't even started and, in the meantime, developers have been playing Beat the Rezone and a lot of people think the hotels will be converted to condos or apartments down the road. The city says it's working really, really fast. Residents aren't seeing the speed, except of construction. Says one: "With all the delays, by the time we get our zoning, we most probably will have lost our neighborhood." Us, we can't wait to see the marketing pitches for hotels in Dutch Kills.
· For a Raft of New Hotels, the Sound of Grumbling [NYT]
1) They won't let us in the building, but the Times' new development sizer-upper Suzanne Slesin had no trouble getting a look at 15 Union Square West. Everyone has been talking about what the designers did with the tall arched windows of the original Tiffany and Co. building, and now we finally see it. The dog-run views must be mesmerizing. And adorable! [Window Shopping/Suzanne Slesin]
2) Some may think that The Ludlow, the massive luxury rental building on the Lower East Side, is targeting "fratty douchebag investment bankers" with their marketing, but you'll be surprised to find out that the building's first ever tenant was a woman in her 40s. How she got around the snipers, we're not quite sure. [Habitats/Dan Shaw]
3) Corcoran Sunshine just spent $100,000 to produce 85,000 copies of a glorified sales brochure for Riverhouse that explains how eco-friendly the building is (look for it in a garbage can near you). Also, 15 units in the eco-madness Toren have sold this month. [Posting/C.J. Hughes]
4) Living in Midtown may seem like a nightmare to most people, but not to a computer geek and his wife who moved to New York from Boston to take a job at Google. Being a nerd, here's part of his hunting strategy: "Mr. Bolay listed each building’s walking time to work, assuming one minute per street block and three minutes per avenue block, and calculated the value of his travel time according to his salary." No wonder Long Island City didn't make the cut. [The Hunt/Joyce Cohen]
5) The Department of City Planning announced a rezoning plan for five neighborhoods on the Rockaway Peninsula, including Far Rockaway, the Hamptons of the '30s long since ruined by crappy development. No more high-rises casting shadows on the beach? It could be too little too late. [The City/James Angelos]
A group of developers looking to rezone a swath of the Far West Village just north of Hudson Square so that the 12-story office building at 627 Greenwich Street can be converted to residential from commercial use will get their day in front of the City Planning Commission tomorrow. But—and pardon us if you've heard this one before—some locals are vehemently protesting the proposal. The five-block area, between Barrow and Clarkson Streets west of Hudson Street, were already left out of a residential rezoning in 2003, as the neighborhood fought to preserve what remains of the area's industry (it was thought that residential development would raise property values and chase off small businesses).
The rezoning of Carroll Gardens may take a lot longer than residents would prefer, but the bizarre city definition of some very narrow streets as "wide," which allows for taller buildings to be built, may be on the fast track for change. Old zoning defines streets that are 50 feet wide (counting sidewalks) and that can barely handle two parked cars while leaving room for one to drive up the middle as being up to 130 feet wide because front yards are counted (the "gardens" in Carroll Gardens). The difference is a SizeChop in building height from up to seven stories on "wide" street" to five stories on "narrow" streets." (A map of the streets that will be covered is here.) The arcane language has led to the development of a number of loved tumor buildings.
· Carroll Gardens Narrow Street/Wide Street Amendment [nyc.gov]
· "Wide" Carroll Gardens Streets to Get Narrow [Gowanus Lounge]
· Keeping Carroll Gardens from Being the 'Next Williamsburg' [Curbed]
The downzoning of Grand Street and some surround blocks in Williamsburg has moved with lightning speed, mostly in response to two planned Karl Fischer towers. This past weekend, however, some local property owners starting sending out email blasts bout their opposition to the rezoning--primarily that limiting buildings to 4-6 stories will hurt them. The mini-revolt makes this morning's Post, which puts the cost of the rezoning at $120 million. Meanwhile, an email from a new group called the Grand Home and Business Owner's Organization says it will "cost" $400 million, actually.They say the developer of the "Karl Fischer Monster Tower" is "prepared to immediately sign-off on an agreement" limiting the building to six stories without a downzoning. Interestingly, simultaneous demolition, excavation and construction are going on on the Fischer site, indicating that the developer could be involved in a serious game of Beat the Downzone. (Another email says the rezoning "will once again put Williamsburg on the teetering edge" of "neglect, rampant crime, and out and out lawlessness.") A City Council vote on the downzoning, which covers more than 250 properties, could come as early as this week. Stay tuned as to whether the Hot Karl at Grand and Driggs will go to 15 stories or be cut in half or whether doom occurs.
· W'burg Groaning Over Rezoning [NYP]
· Karl Fischer Playing Beat the Downzone on Grand Street? [Curbed]
· Will Burg's Grand Street Rezoning Chop Karl Fischer Towers? [Curbed]
NOLITA—The wavy SHoP Architect's building at Mulberry and Houston Street may have been slow to get going, but just look at it now. Today's highlight at 290 Mulberry was one of those bendy cranes. The tipster that sent the photo, writes: "It has the most workers per square foot in Soho. Roof deck and million dollar views (which doesn't mean much in NYC) lost forever." That's a lot of workers. [CurbedWire Inbox]
SUNSET PARK—The latest Brooklyn rezoning proposal was rolled out at a packed community meeting last night. About three-fourths of the territory covered (side streets) will be downzoned to allow a maximum of 40 to 50 feet. The Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Avenue corridors will be upzoned to allow buildings up to eight stories tall. The area covered goes from 29th Street to 64th Street and the rezone has an affordable housing component. A long review process with tweaks to follow. [CurbedWire Inbox]
Last week, after the City Planning Commission voted for a downzoning of Grand Street in Williamsburg that would give a 15-story Karl Fischer "Monster Tower" a serious shave, the ubiquitous architect was quoted in the Brooklyn Paper as saying that the building would be "substantially redesigned" as a result. The implication was that the building couldn't slide in under the old zoning. A tipster emailed to say that maybe it still can because while the old building on the site recently barely disappeared, work is progressing at a lightening pace. In fact, demolition, excavation and foundation work are all going on at the same time. It's significant because if a foundation is completed before the new zoning takes effect then the building can go to 15 stories under the old zoning. Will Hot Karl beat the downzone? Stay tuned.
· Grand Street Rezoning Moving, Karl Fischer Shrinking [Curbed]
· Will Burg's Grand Street Rezoning Chop Karl Fischer Towers? [Curbed]
It looks like that 15-story Karl Fischer building that would go at the corner of Driggs and Grand in the Burg will end up suffering major shrinkage due to the speed at which a city downzone is moving. The downzoning--which covers a 13-block area between Berry Street and the BQE and Metropolitan Avenue and South First Street--passed the City Planning Commission this week and could go the City Council by May. It will limit building height to 50-70 feet. Fischer told the Brooklyn Paper that his 15-story Driggs & Grand Karl may get a lot less hot and will be "sustantially redesigned" as a result of the downzone. No word on the ten-story Fischer across the street, but it would also be due for a serious buzz cut.
· Grand idea, too late [Brooklyn Paper]
· Will Burg's Grand Street Rezoning Chop Karl Fischer Towers? [Curbed]
· Gandar's Getting Goosed by Big Karl Fischer [Curbed]
Although the plan to rezone a 12-block hunk of Dumbo seemed to come out of nowhere, the city's Brooklyn Planning Director says the changes have been in the works for nearly two years. The rezone covers and area between Front Street, the Manhattan Bridge, John Street and Bridge Street. Yesterday, the Brooklyn Planning office did a round of interviews to push its plan and the timetable for the changes. The entire area, which is now zoned for manufacturing, would be rezoned for mixed use so that condos, apartments and retail would be allowed. Buildings could rise up to 12 stories on Jay Street (where the J Condo currently goes up to 33 stories) and to 8 stories on Bridge Street. Because the area is also within the new Dumbo landmark district, new buildings will also have to be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Brooklyn Planning Director Purnima Kapur downplayed difference by the city proposal and one put forward by the Dumbo Neighborhood Association last week, saying the two are "along similar lines" and that the city was "willing to listen" about making modifications. The city is aiming for approval of the Dumbo rezone by late spring or summer 2009.
· Planning Reveals More Details About Its Dumbo Rezone Push [Brownstoner]
· Brooklyn Planning Director Explains Dumbo Rezoning [Gowanus Lounge]
· After the Historic District, the Dumbo Rezoning [Curbed]
It's only been a couple of months since the Landmarks Commission created a Dumbo Historic District, but the Planning Commission is now moving on a rezoning of part of the neighborhood that would generally allow for 10-12 story residential buildings. The development is reported in the Architects Newspaper. The "first official version" of the proposal will be presented at a closed meeting on Thursday. The area that would be rezoned is bounded by Bridge Street on the north, John Street on the west, the Manhattan Bridge on the south and Front Street on the east. Matt Chaban writes that it would be "a contextual zoning that would create bulky 10-12 story buildings, which would conform with some of the areas taller lofts but tower over others." The Historic Districts Council's Simeon Bankoff says that "it's looking like they want a high-density residential neighborhood." The first neighborhood press conference about the issue could be as early as mid-morning.
· Breaking: City to Rezone Dumbo [Architects Newspaper]
· Post-Landmarking, Dumbo Rezoning Talk Begins [Brownstoner]
· Dumbo Rezoning Being Considered [Dumbo NYC]
What can happen when the city tries to rezone a neighborhood, but the rezone takes a long time? In the case of part of Long Island City known as Dutch Kills the answer is: it leads to a hotel boom. Today's Daily News offers up a rundown on the eleven hotels--yes, eleven--that are going up as the city works on a rezone that would allow residential development, but ban tallish hotels. (Click on the image to see all the hotel goodness in detail.) One resident, who is apparently not a fan of the hotels says, "It's like fiddling while Rome burns. They're allowing all the hotels to come in and destroy the neighborhood they are trying to save." The city started working on the rezone almost three years ago. All the hotels have broken ground since then. There's some sense, though, that the developers will convert some of the hotels to condos. Or maybe they won't. There's a separate Japanese hotel boom underway on Jackson Avenue near Court Square that has nothing to do with Dutch Kills. Either that, or our tourist friends will be wandering around some far flung spots.
· Rezoning delay in Dutch Kills draws ire [NYDN]
· Dutch Kills=Hotel Land [OuterB]
The big Harlem hearing on the 125th Street rezoning plan was held yesterday, and while the headline was the warning that the neighborhood could lose Major League Baseball's cable network if building heights are limited, a lot of different neighborhood interests weighed in about a lot of things. Hundreds of people showed up at the meeting at City College to offer what the Daily News called "detailed opposition" with "many voicing criticism that the plan would change the character of an iconic African-American locale with chain stores, luxury housing and out-of-scale high-rises." Opposition to the plan has been led by local community boards (particularly Community Board 10) and by a group called Vote People that brought in former New York Civil Liberties Union director Norman Siegel to lead the charge. The group has posted a position paper (WARNING: PDF) on the rezoning and suggest that "violations of the community’s human rights come not only with the mass displacement that will inevitably occur, but with the utter lack of meaningful negotiation with affected residents." The city's proposal would allow up to 2,300 apartments, 600,000 square feet of retail and buildings up to 29 stories tall. The Planning Commission will vote on the rezoning by March 10.
· Harlem Rezoning Plan Faces Opposition [NYDN]
· Sides Dig in On 125th Street Rezoning [Sun]
· It's On in Harlem! Again. [NYO]
There was a rally this morning on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall to call for fast action on a downzoning of Carroll Gardens and calls for a moratorium on buildings taller than 50 feet while the downzone is in process. One speaker, blogger and City Council candidate Gary Reilly said he wanted to keep Carroll Gardens from "becoming the next Williamsburg." Mr. Reilly also said, "Keep Carroll Gardens/ South Brooklyn SHORT and happy!" A special correspondent noted that the workday crowd included representatives of most groups representing the neighborhood and says that at the end, "drizzle began to fall as buses roared past and onlookers disappeared into the Supreme Court lunch crowds." Last week, the Department of City Planning agreed to redefine some neighborhood streets as narrow, limiting the size of buildings that can be built. The Department of City Planning has now formally committed to a downzoning for the neighborhood, a process that will take 18-24 months under normal circumstances.
· At Rally, News of Carroll Gardens Downzoning Progress [Brownstoner]
· Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Neigborhood Roundup [Curbed]
· Carroll Gardens Meeting Report: Moratorium Now [Curbed]
One Gowanus "hotness" story in a week is a fluke, two is a coincidence, but three, if not four, is definitely a trend. First, came this week's Women's Wear Daily article, which may have marked the first time that sewage treatment got space in WWD. (It may be "fashionable," but it's still Gowanus.) Today, however, it's all clear. The Post reports on "Go, Go, Gowanus: Brooklyn's Swamp Thing Could Become Viable Neighborhood." Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle says that the field to develop the toxic Public Place site has been narrowed to two development teams, one headed up by The Related Companies and one headed by The Hudson Companies. And, to put icing on the Gowanus Moment, Forgotten NY also offers up a big new Gowanus feature this week. Not to mention the fact that Brownstoner reviews the list of developers interested in a piece of Gowanus and notes the big Gowanus rezoning proposal is coming soon.
Brooklyn's most famous Finger Fight in the Burg is not the only one. Today, the developers of the Finger of Clinton Hill, also known as 163 Washington go before the obscure, yet powerful, Board of Standards and Appeals to try for a third time to get the thumbs up to build to 16 stories. The issue is whether enough of the building was finished before the neighborhood was downzoned last year and a seven-story height limit was imposed. (The initial call was that they missed the deadline.) A group that calls itself Building Too Tall is fighting against the tower, saying that there's no way the building should go ahead. An email blast they sent out yesterday called today's hearing "a fixed fight against GLC Developers Group who are trying to build a 16-story tower in pre-Civil War Clinton Hill..." This is the third BSA hearing on the building. The issue comes down to how much concrete was poured and when and whether the developer broke the rules while playing Beat the Downzone.
· BSA Considers 163 Washington Plans for 3rd Time [Brownstoner]
· Fight Over Tall Washington Street Building Enters Third Round [Gowanus Lounge]
· BSA Postpones 163 Washington Decision Until January [Brownstoner]
Developers looking to convert the 12-story office building at 627 Greenwich Street (shrouded PropShark photo at right) to condos have encountered a small issue: the area is a manufacturing zone. No problem! Just get it rezoned to allow residential development, right? That's precisely what they're trying to do, reports the Downtown Express, but the north end of Hudson Square/southern edge of the West Village was already left out of a residential rezone once in 2003, and neighborhood advocates want to preserve some industry in the area. Well, unless the clowns come. Then everyone won't be able to get out of there soon enough. A group calling itself the Greenwich Village Task Force is leading the charge against the north-end rezoning, arguing that residential development will raise property values too high to keep anyone in the area in business. Which means expect the 'hood to be draped in Chase and Starbucks by this time next year.
· Hudson Square’s north end is eyed again for a rezoning [Downtown Express]
It looks like the proposed rezoning of 125th Street and surroundings to allow taller buildings and a lot more housing has taken another small hit. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is recommending "conditional disapproval" until it's "modified to provide affordable housing opportunities for current Harlem residents, target assistance to local small businesses at risk for displacement, and create a preference for local non-profit arts groups." Local community boards have also called for big changes (two voted in favor pending changes and one voted again unless changes are made). The city proposal would allow up to 2,300 apartments, 600,000 square feet of retail and buildings up to 29 stories tall. The latest "conditional" thumbs down also calls for reducing building height, adding more affordable housing and putting aside more space for local arts groups. The email we got forwarding details also says: "Now get ready for City Plannings Public Hearing schedule for January 30, 2008 at City College. We must be prepared to testify and save Harlem." Sounds like another boring meeting.
· Harlem's Battle of 125th Street Heating Up Again [Curbed]
· Community Boards Have Their Say on 125th Street Rezoning [Uptown Flavor]
· 125th Street [nyc.gov]
Sure, 2007 still has some life left, but an interesting Williamsburg fight is already shaping up for '08. A couple of days ago, the outlines of a rezoning of Grand Street were released by the City Planning Department. If it makes it through the process, new buildings in a 13-block area between Berry Street and the BQE and Metropolitan Avenue and South First Street could be limited to 50-70 feet in height by summer. (The area was left out the 2005 Williamsburg rezoning that limited tall buildings away from the waterfront.) What this means, in particular, is that two big Karl Fischer buildings that would rise across Driggs Avenue from each other on Grand Street could get seriously chopped in size. The Fischer tower on the left is 10 stories. The "Monster Tower" on the right is 15 stories. The height limit on Grand would be about five stories. This also means that a game of Beat the Downzone could ensue for at least one of the planned buildings. The rezoning could happen by summer if all agree to it.
· Grand Street Rezoning [nyc.gov]
· Grand Street Burg Downzoning in the Works [Gowanus Lounge]
· Burg Downzone in the Works [Brownstoner]
This is the last time we will take note of the fight over the Sunnyside Historic District, but not the final word on Bed-Stuy rezoning. The City Council voted on both subjects yesterday, finally approving the Sunnyside Landmark District and also approving a rezone for the southern part of Bed-Stuy:
1) Sunnyside Historic District: After months of serious arguing, what is now the biggest landmark district in Queens got the thumbs up. The new district covers a neighborhood that was a planned community in the 1920s. It includes 624 buildings over 16 blocks. The Sunnyside battle spanned four years and created strong opinions on both the pro- and anti-landmarking sides.
The 125th Street development and gentrification discussion is about to get a little louder. The Sun reports that the Bloomberg Administration's big rezoning proposal for much of the corridor is going be going to the local community boards for some feedback in coming weeks. The rezone would aim to remake 125th Street as a "regional destination for business, retail and the arts" that would include 2,300 apartments and about 600,000 square feet of retail space. The rezoning corridor runs from Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Second Avenue and 124th and 126th streets. Buildings up to 29 stories tall would be allowed. Much to look forward to with both the Columbia expansion fight and the 125th Street zoning discussion going on at the same time.
· Rezoning Plan May Transform Area of Harlem [Sun]
· 125th Street Rezoning Proposal [nyc.gov]
· Harlem 'Losing Its Identity' to Gentrification? [Curbed]
So, the Mayor went to Greenpoint last night to hang with the locals. We don't know if it was his inner hipster coming out, but he talked about the G Train and parks and zoning, some of which have hipster angles. Brooklyn 11211 reports that there's progress on a rezoning that could make it harder to build new Finger Buildings. The Department of Buildings dealt with some construction safety issues and people in the crowd hissed when architect Robert Scarano was mentioned. Also, the city is spending $100 million to buy land around the Bushwick Inlet for a planned park. And Hipster Mike said he would make some calls to see if somebody can make the G Train less crappy. We've got to say, though, they've got to work on the backdrop if the Mayor really wants to hang.
· Town Hall [Brooklyn 11211]
Comments
So, how many protests, rallies and turns of events will there be in the Coney Island Redevelopment drama? There are many in 2007, culminating with the Joe Sitt is Toast bombshell 
The big Harlem hearing on the 125th Street rezoning plan 
Brooklyn's 
Developers looking to convert the 12-story office building at 627 Greenwich Street (shrouded 
It looks like the proposed rezoning of 125th Street and surroundings to allow taller buildings and a lot more housing has taken another small hit. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is recommending "conditional disapproval" until it's "modified to provide affordable housing opportunities for current Harlem residents, target assistance to local small businesses at risk for displacement, and create a preference for local non-profit arts groups." Local community boards have also called for big changes (two voted in favor pending changes and one voted again unless changes are made). The city proposal would allow up to 2,300 apartments, 600,000 square feet of retail and buildings up to 29 stories tall. The latest "conditional" thumbs down also calls for reducing building height, adding more affordable housing and putting aside more space for local arts groups. The email we got forwarding details also says: "Now get ready for City Plannings Public Hearing schedule for January 30, 2008 at City College. We must be prepared to testify and save Harlem." Sounds like another boring meeting.
The 125th Street 
So, the Mayor went to Greenpoint last night to hang with the locals. We don't know if it was his inner hipster coming out, but he talked about the G Train and parks and zoning, some of which have hipster angles. 
