Author: linked

I thought they owned it already, but apparently not. I wonder if the final purchase price was contingent on the FAR Quadriad could win through their proposed rezoning?

Miss Heather wonders what’s up at the former Greenpoint Hospital site on Kingsland and Maspeth. A lot, actually, and a lot of nothing.

The big building at the north end of the site (the one Heather was asking about) is a homeless shelter; I believe the smaller buildings north of there contain affordable housing units. The building at the corner of Kinglsand and Maspeth is being renovated by St. Nick’s (the purpose escapes me). That’s a lot.

The lot of nothing is what’s happening east of the St. Nick’s site. The building fronting Debevoise at Maspeth is the former Nurse’s Residence. Community activists have been trying for decades to place a nursing home here, but that seems all but dead. Instead, this is one of the city-owned sites slated to become affordable housing in order to meet the city’s promise of “30%” affordable in the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning (private sites are supposed to account for 20%; public sites the balance). HPD issued an RFP for the Nurse’s Residence and adjacent parking lot in April, 2007. To date, HPD is still reviewing applications. Hence, a lot of nothing.

Speaking of bad architecture, Gowanus Lounge has a post up on Soleil, the Southside Finger on South 1st between Havemeyer and Marcy. GL has a photo of the base of the building, but it really needs to be seen to be believed. The entrance is below grade, with a series of Escher-like ramps leading down. A huge glass canopy sits atop the main entry, but because the entry itself is below grade, the canopy juts out into the sidewalk just above eye level (you’d be forgiven for ducking as you pass under this “monumental” canopy.)

The overall effect is only slightly less confusing than 20 Bayard, but equally atrocious.

Pretty amazing – U.S. housing starts were up 9.1% last month, and the increase was fueled almost entirely by multi-family construction in NYC. Single-family housing starts dropped 5.3% nationwide, and excluding multi-family housing starts in the northeast, overall new housing starts dropped 4%.

FT attributes the NYC increase to the enactment of the new building code on 1 July, which they say prompted builders to rush to file plans under the old code. I bet the changes in the 421-a program also had a big impact on these numbers. Either way, it will be very interesting to see how many of these “starts” stay building, and how many wind up as grandfathered foundations.

The view from 80 Metropolitan (for now).

On Curbed today, an owner at the Mill laments the loss of his sliver view of the Williamsburg Bridge – blocked in part by the construction of 80 Metropolitan. Which brings to mind the old NYC adage that if you want views that can’t be blocked, buy on the park. (I think the adage refers to Central Park, but I suppose it applies to McCarren too.)

80 Metropolitan’s website proves the point. That million dollar view in the first Flash screen is probably not long for this world – Domino’s development of 20 to 40 story towers (shaded red above) will easily block the bridge views in this image, leaving the Woolworth building and Knickerbocker Village. The view west is already crap (the last bit of industrial waterfront in Williamsburg, which is owned by Con Ed and probably not going anywhere), and the view to the north is quickly being eaten up by 184 Kent, Northside Piers and the Edge.

Even Northside Piers is about to block its own views – the new towers that are part of phase 2 will block much of the western views from phase 1.

Just goes to show.

I was out of town when this hit, so am coming to it a bit late. Based on what I’ve read, it seems as though Rangel was on thin ice for using one rent-stabilized for purposes other than a primary residence (it was his campaign office), but is OK on the other three because the mini-compound forms his primary residence. So today he has given up the campaign office, but is keeping the others.

Fair enough, its apparently all legal. But can someone explain to me why its legal? Why is a program that is designed to make more housing available allowing people to “live” in more than one apartment? This isn’t a question of Rangel’s right to live in three apartments, but one of a rent stabilization law that would allow any tenant to occupy more than one apartment.

Moronic.

An excerpted version of Hindy’s longer piece on the lack of affordable manufacturing space in Brooklyn, originally published by the Center for an Urban Future. The original article was in pdf format only, so some may have missed it; even if you downloaded it, its worth a second read to remind yourself that the City is quickly losing some of its most valuable economic resources.

According to the latest NYPD figures, felonious assaults in Williamsburg are up 21 percent this year, from 96 to 116 as of last July 6.

Its hard not to notice the huge increase in beat cops on the street the past few months, and there have been rumors of knife attacks (even machete attacks) in the past few months. In this case, it sounds like a vendetta incident, but previous attacks have been more random.

Nydia Velasquez and Yvette Clarke have endorsed Bill de Blasio for Brooklyn Boro President. Clarke had this to say about her former campaign manager:

No other voice has been as strident about our children’s education as Bill de Blasio.

Clearly, Clarke’s speechwriter needs a dictionary.

Larry Harmon dies at 83.