Williamsburg Residential Development

[antinimby]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2769659586_cae5061a92_o.jpg
jschumacher (http://flickr.com/photos/jschumacher/2769659586/)

[Skylimitone]

Very nice overview of Williamsburg.

[NYC4Life]

http://www.williamsburgisdead.typepad.com/my_weblog/



October 07, 2008

Two Northside Piers to Manhattanize Williamsburg

http://www.williamsburgisdead.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/07/gordongecko.jpg
I got a little treat in my inbox today--an email from Urban Daddy titled "Williamsburg Starts Ballin'." I was intrigued as I figured Williamsburg had always been ballin', but oh how I was wrong. It was apparently advertorial content for the Two Northside Piers condominium towers:
Friends move to Williamsburg, they get hipper. Their tastes improve. They start talking about hot new bands. Suddenly they've got a lot of interesting thoughts on denim.
The problem is, you always tell yourself, they gave up Manhattan. And more important: the Manhattan lifestyle.
But all that changes with Two Northside Piers.
As a public service to you, dear reader, allow me to translate.
Oh no, you lost all your money! You can't afford to live in Manhattan anymore. You could move to Brooklyn but everyone there is all like "Have you read such-and-such book?" and "I love art blah blah blah." Luckily there is a super-shiny condo for you to move into. It's got a gym so you can totally blast your delts, and a "hotel-style private concierge service" so you don't have to go outside and be judged by holier-than-thou hipsters. So what if the last book you read was written by Dan Marino! Anyway, you'll be close to Manhattan and you can totally convince that chick at Tenjune that you live in Williamsburg because you are a sensitive artist or some shit. Did I mention it has a pool?

[brianac]

Original rendering.

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2197/2438396969_8fc942e75a_o.jpg

http://curbed.com/archives/2008/04/24/bonkers_on_berry_street_2_44_berry_renovation_reve aled.php

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Latest.

Burg's 44 Berry Gets the Friedrich Treatment Big Time

Monday, October 13, 2008, by Robert

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3176/2939389188_5523d28a5b_o.jpg

44 Berry as it currently looks as the renovation progresses.

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3176/2939389188_74f0f92c97_s.jpg (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/10/13/burgs_44_berry_gets_the_friedrich_treatment_big_ti me.php?o=0) http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3292/2938537153_9589499a4b_s.jpg (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/10/13/burgs_44_berry_gets_the_friedrich_treatment_big_ti me.php?o=1) http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3173/2939389418_5a2c0b3f75_s.jpg (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/10/13/burgs_44_berry_gets_the_friedrich_treatment_big_ti me.php?o=2) http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3248/2939389084_069ab8f291_s.jpg (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/10/13/burgs_44_berry_gets_the_friedrich_treatment_big_ti me.php?o=3) http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3048/2938537551_1e8bb21975_s.jpg (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/10/13/burgs_44_berry_gets_the_friedrich_treatment_big_ti me.php?o=4) http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3246/2939389276_320b5215f2_s.jpg (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/10/13/burgs_44_berry_gets_the_friedrich_treatment_big_ti me.php?o=5)

Followers of development on the hot strip of Berry Street in Williamsburg around N. 10 and N. 11 Street might recall the reveal of 44 Berry (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/04/24/bonkers_on_berry_street_2_44_berry_renovation_reve aled.php). That's an old industrial building that isn't being demolished, but is being rehabbed and will return as rental loft units. Once upon a time it was a seltzer building. The issue is that big holes are being hacked into the building (which were never in the renderings) for AC units. The tipster who pointed this out noted:
At the corner of N 11th and Berry in Williamsburg, a beautiful old warehouse is being turned into luxury rental apts. What is astonishing is what they are doing to the façade of this brick building. They are cutting into the spaces below each of the old windows for the purpose of installing those fugly wall-through air conditioners that we usually see in cheap new construction, the "Fedders' specials"...A real shame to ruin what was such a promising renovation!
Actually, they're Friedrich! Whee. What a freaking relief. The building will ultimately have 42 rental units and eight retail spaces at street level. We are now confident it will make a superb Rendering vs. Reality candidate.
· Bonkers on Berry Street #2: 44 Berry Renovation Revealed (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/04/24/bonkers_on_berry_street_2_44_berry_renovation_reve aled.php) [Curbed]

http://curbed.com/archives/2008/10/13/burgs_44_berry_gets_the_friedrich_treatment_big_ti me.php

Copyright © 2008 Curbed

[NYC4Life]

NY Post

SCHOOLS' NETS GAIN
By RICH CALDER

Last updated: 11:51 am
October 21, 2008
Posted: 4:08 am
October 21, 2008


The Nets have yet to start building their long-delayed Brooklyn arena, but team brass are breaking ground on posh playgrounds at public schools.

The first of eight being funded with $150,000 from Nets owner Bruce Ratner and Barclays Bank, which has naming rights to the new arena, is set to be unveiled today at PS 19 in Williamsburg.


Copyright 2008 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

[NYC4Life]

Brownstoner

October 31, 2008

DCP Wants to Keep Williamsburg and Greenpoint Low-Rise (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/10/cpd_wants_to_ke.php)

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/cb1-rezone-1008.jpg

Okay, it's a little late for that, which is why earlier this week, the Department of City Planning, Community Board 1 and Council Members Reyna and Yassky chatted with Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents about the proposal to rezone 175 blocks of their neighborhoods in the hopes of preserving "the existing built character and to encourage new affordable housing," per a press release that landed in our inbox. "These areas have a consistent row house context of 3-4 stories with slightly bulkier buildings and retail uses on some of the wider streets and commercial corridor. In recent years these areas have seen new residential construction that is at times significantly taller than the current low- to mid-rise scale of the neighborhood. This rezoning seeks to prevent future out-of-context development in this area." Part of the plan includes height limits: four to five stories on narrow side streets and six to seven on wide streets, with eight stories in select spots. The ULURP should begin come winter.

[Derek2k3]

Why does that context need to be preserved? The ugly vinyl-sided row-houses are no better than the ugly finger buildings popping up all over the place.

How does it make sense to encourage bulkier buildings that will demolish more of the existing context that they are trying to preserve? Apparently the neighborhood's character is only defined by the height of its buildings.

[antinimby]

I've said this before, but the Dept of City Planning, while in the beginning of this administration, had really progressive, forward-looking, planning ideas but over time, the constant complaining from communities about heights of new developments, they too have been mentally "worn" down to the point now that they actually are believing that "height is the enemy" themselves.

Just about every rezoning they are doing, come with restrictions on height, where there were none before. Often times, their MO predictably is usually to increase conservatively the FAR (almost miniscule) for wider boulevards and streets (with height limits put in) and reduce the FAR for smaller sidestreets (also with height limits).

I am not sure these rezonings are any better than if they had just left them alone.

[NYC4Life]

Brownstoner

November 12, 2008

The Edge Tops Out (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/11/bono_views_from.php)

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We're just back from the topping out party for The Edge, Douglaston Development's huge waterfront development on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg. Even Marty was there. Gotta love those views!