As we predicted, Quadriad is back.

Henry Wollman of Quadriad made a brief informational presentation to Community Board 1 tonight. Mr. Wollman professed his fondness for the board, and stated that the as-of-right project is being permitted now and will start construction “next week”. That is the five-story project that requires no rezoning and no community review.

Mr. Wollman also said that they will be filing an application “next week” for their “New Strategy” proposal. That is the 22-story project that requires a rezoning and community review. The “New Strategy” project promises 30% affordable housing in exchange for a 165% density bonus (by contrast, the as-of-right project could provide 20% affordable housing and get a 30% density bonus – but Quadriad isn’t offering that – its their bonus or no affordable housing).

Mr. Wollman also mentioned other community benefits that he regretted weren’t discussed last summer – benefits such as “community retail” and “community employment”. Presumably, these community benefits were discussed in detail in the many briefing books issued by Quadriad over the past few months.

No word on when Quadriad’s rezoning application will reach the Community Board for an actual hearing.

What’s left of the building, at least. The demolition fence is up at 227 Grand Street, as seen above. What’s interesting about this site is not that it will be (yet another) finger building, nor that it will be (yet another) Karl Fisher joint. What’s worth noting here is the building’s history, dating back to the early days of Williamsburgh.

J. C. Gandar was a civic and literary leader of early Williamsburgh. His bookstore (pictured above) was located at the corner of Grand and Fifth Streets1 (Fifth Street is now Driggs Avenue). The building, which probably dates to the 1840s or early 1850s, is distinguished by its curved front – about the only identifying feature left on the building (see below). W. H. Gandar sold the property on “Grand st, n e corner Fifth” in 1874. The building survived in its original form into the 1950s – at which point it was home to Whalen Brothers’ clothing store. In the 1940s, it is pictured as three stories tall, with a one-story extension along Driggs (where the arched openings are now). So it is relatively recently that the building was cut down to one story. Still, the curved front remains – for a short while longer.

1. The address on the advertisement above (156 Grand Street) reflects the original Grand Street numbering system, which had the even numbered buildings on the north side of the street. Other versions of this print add the street names on the side of the building: Fifth Street is on the left facade and Grand Street is on the right.↩

Mayor Bloomberg, looking for answers in Greenpoint.

So the Mayor came to Greenpoint, and Greenpoint (mostly) behaved itself.

The show was organized by North Brooklyn Development Corp., and was not open to general questions. As it was, fewer than half the planned questions were put to the Mayor. (As predicted, there were plenty of soap boxes mounted, and most questions went on too long (mine included) but NBDC did a good job of keeping things moving and people (mostly) on message.)

It may have been overlooked, but if there was a single newsworthy item, it was that City Planning has finally completed its contextual zoning study for Greenpoint & Williamsburg. This is something the Community Board has been working with DCP on for over a year now, so we are anxious to see the details. DCP Commissioner Amanda Burden did announce that all of Greenpoint would be getting contextual zoning (as recommended by the Community Board). That means no more finger buildings, no more community facility bonuses, and more opportunities for inclusionary (affordable) housing.

Elsewhere, the DOB discussion focused entirely on the issue of construction safety, as illustrated by the case of one homeowner whose foundation was undermined two years ago and is still homeless. DOB Commissioner Patricia Lancaster had, frankly, the usual response – we have more inspectors, new special enforcement teams, the ability to hold contractors criminally liable, blah, blah, blah. Bloomberg did step forward and promised to get involved in this particular case “next week”1.

Unfortunately, none of the larger issues revolving around DOB’s lack of enforcement were even raised – lax zoning enforcement, enforcement of stop work orders, issuance of after-hours variances, trucks running into neighboring buildings while pouring concrete on a job with a stop work order in effect, and so on. But the highlight of this segment was the resounding hiss elicited by the mention of everyone’s favorite architect.

On the question of displacement, the issue was largely framed by a single case – 202 Franklin Street. HPD Commissioner Shaun Donovan promised to look into whether the Department could use emergency funds to effect repairs to the building (and at Bloomberg’s prompting, promised an answer tomorrow).

The G train is not a city issue, so it was easy for Bloomberg to make promises there. He promised to call MTA Director Elliot Sander tomorrow (though he conceded he might not get through until next Tuesday), and to raise the issue with Governor Spitzer, also tomorrow.

That’s as far as NBDC got on its agenda, and that’s when the, ahem, more passionate and vocal members of the community felt compelled to speak out. Bloomberg did stay on for a lightning round of questions from NBDC, in which we learned that Parks has allocated $200 million for capital projects in north Brooklyn and an additional $100 million to acquire parks property at the Bushwick inlet site (a contentious issue, as some of that property is owned by the non-profit Monitor Museum).

And, I finally got to meet Miss Heather. I’m sure she has a slightly less wonkish take on the evening’s festivities.

1. Bloomberg showed his mettle as a manager, constantly asking for goals or deadlines. Commissioners were put on the spot and asked to meet specific deadlines in getting back to questioners, meeting certain goals, etc. And the Mayor himself promised to follow up on some items personally. Schtick or not (and I get the impression that this is really how he works), it was effective and impressive.↩

The Mayor is coming to Greenpoint to talk about Greenpoint. As we said earlier, this is an opportunity not to be squandered. We will have the Mayor for a very brief amount of time – probably an hour or so – so this is no time for soap boxes, breast beating, grandstanding and hyperbole.

Get to the point.

Stay on message.

And the message should be this: the city needs to do a better job of managing change.

There are going to be a host of issues thrown at the Mayor. If there is one theme that ties most of these issues together, I think it is this: we need to do a better job of managing change and growth in Greenpoint. The rezoning and redevelopment of Greenpoint have brought tremendous changes, and no one wants to stop this process or turn back the clock. At the same time, the community needs help managing this growth and we are not always getting that from city agencies. Issues of construction safety, zoning, transportation, parks and open space, the environment, housing and industry – all of these are brought on by, or made worse by, the incredible pace of change we are undergoing in this neighborhood. If the rezoning and redevelopment of Greenpoint is going to be a success (and we should certainly want it to be) the city needs to step up and work with the community to manage change.

“Derelict” in the city’s eyes

A while back, we noted the City’s recent crackdown on illegal sidewalk parking of motorcycles and scooters. Since then, we’ve heard first-hand a tale of woe that anyone on two wheels should take note of. After multiple incidents of having his vintage Norton knocked over on the streets of Tribeca, the hapless soul we heard from had taken to parking on the sidewalk1. Like many bikers, Mr. Norton pulled the license plate off his bike to prevent the revenue agents from issuing tickets2.

Unfortunately, the city’s crackdown now entails the Department of Sanitation towing AND DESTROYING “derelict” bikes. By the city’s definition, a bike is derelict if it has no plates, is over 20 years old, and has any visible damage. Our victim in this case claims that his Norton has no damage, but unless its in concourse condition, its east to see how an overzealous Sanitation agent could flag any old bike without plates as derelict. Which is what happened to Mr. Norton.

The good news is that Mr. Norton actually checked on his bike on a daily basis, so he discovered that it had been towed almost immediately. The bad news is that he made this discovery on a Friday evening. After a frantic weekend of calling every tow yard in the city, talking to the local police, trying to get a hold of the Sheriff and Sanitation, Mr. Norton finally found a supervisor at Sanitation who could tell him where his bike was.

What the supervisor at DoS told him was not good: “You’re bike has been destroyed”.

Not what anyone wants to hear, particularly the owner of a well-maintained, mint-condition vintage Norton.

Standard procedure and all that, said the guy at DoS. It was towed by a private wrecking company, and destroyed immediately. Happily, the gods smiled on Mr. Norton, and when he called said wrecking company, it turned out that they hadn’t destroyed the bike. Yet.

So the story has a happy ending, but is a cautionary tale for anyone out there with an older bike or scooter. Don’t pull the plates. If your bike is that important to you, park it in a garage. Or find an out of the way place, preferably on private property, to park the bike. With a cover. And with the plates. You may get tickets, but it sure beats having your “derelict” bike destroyed.

In a city that is fighting congestion and overcrowded mass transit, this is a really stupid policy. After years of benign (and not so benign) neglect, the city is finally coming to recognize that bicycles are part of the solution. Hopefully too, the city will come around and recognize that motorized two-wheelers are also part of the solution. Just as the city needs more bicycle parking, it needs more cycle/scooter parking3 – away from cars (if you build it, they will come). While we’re at it, how about allowing bikes to park between meters?

And yes, people who use the sidewalks for their long-term parking needs deserve to have their bikes towed and destroyed.

1. For many years, it has been pretty standard practice to park motorcycles on the sidewalk. There is a very good reason for this – people in cars don’t give a shit about two-wheelers, and knock them over with tremendous frequency. Keeping a bike on the streets of New York City is not the best way to keep said bike in good running condition. If you happen to have a vintage bike, or any bike that you care about, the cost of these knock downs piles up pretty quickly. And you can pretty much expect that the driver who knocked your bike over will not leave a note with their insurance information. So many bikers park on the sidewalks as a means of self-preservation.

There is also a not very good reason for parking on the sidewalk – some people are too lazy to keep their bikes registered, insured, inspected and running. Its easy enough to park a bike on the sidewalk, chain it up, and forget about it for years.↩

2. Plate removal also has a survival aspect. If you leave an unsecured plate on a bike, you stand a pretty good chance of having it stolen and winding up on some delivery guy’s scooter. Which is why you see so many plates held on by velcro (for easy removal) or padlocks (to discourage easy removal).↩

3. And not just for Vespas, thank you.↩

If you haven’t heard of them, the Open Space Alliance is a (relatively) new group that was been formed to serve as an advocate and conservator of north Brooklyn’s parks – including McCarren Park, the yet-to-built waterfront esplanade, the yet-to-bought City-owned waterfront park, and more. OSA is yet another benefit of the Greenpoint/Williamsburg rezoning (and yet another community-based benefit – the benefits promised by the administration and the Council seem to be a bit slower in coming).
OSA is in the process of hiring an executive director, and is introducing themselves to the neighborhood with a benefit concert on Saturday, 15 September. Hosted by JellyNYC, which has been putting on free concerts at McCarren pool for the past two summers, the OSA benefit features GZA playing Liquid Swords and Jamie Lidell.
The concert is $19, all of which benefits OSA, and ultimately, your parks. Ticketmaster has the tickets.
And while you’re at it, fill out the OSA McCarren Park Pool survey – add your voice to help shape the future of the pool.

You may remember that one of the theories floated for the origins of the Roebling Oil Field was the historic presence of a manufactured gas plant (MGP) storage facility nearby (at North 13th and Wythe, I believe). Whether or not this facility was the source of the bubbling goo at the Roebling Oil Field, the legacy of these plants and their storage facilities is particularly noxious. So its good to see that New York State has finally reached an agreement whereby KeySpan (successor to Brooklyn Union Gas) will clean up the contaminants at the Wythe Holders site and 6 other sites in Brooklyn and Nassau County. In addition, KeySpan will be cleaning up 5 other former MGP sites in Brooklyn.
For you Roebling Oil Field conspiracy theorists out there, note that the DEC press release states that coal tar “has proven to be a persistent environmental contaminant”. The DEC list of KeySpan sites in Brooklyn is a bit scary – by our count at least two MGPs (Greenpoint MGP and Williamsburg MGP) and four holders (Wythe, Scholes, Keap and Skillman). As GowanusLounge has pointed out, the real concentration of these plants was along the Gowanus Canal.

Michaelangelo had the Medicis, Henry Radusky has these guys. Every great architect needs a great patron, and in Williamsburg, we are lucky indeed that Bricolage and KAI have found one another.
Yes, its time again for another installment of the Brooklyn11211 B(N)B awards, an occasional celebration of north Brooklyn architecture and design1. Today, our award for Developer of the Year (Williamsburg), which goes to the KAI organization. Nitpickers will point out that most of the KAI buildings we are highlighting here were constructed some years ago – 2005 or before. Point taken, but this level of consistent and practiced banality cannot go unrecognized. So we’ll call this a lifetime achievement award, because so rarely do you find a collection of buildings that are so completely devoid of redeeming features, so replete in bad urban design and so, well, ugly.

120 South 2nd Street.
Architect: Henry Radusky/Bricolage

For us, the grande dame of KAI’s Southside holdings will always be 120 South 2nd Street, a building that defies every norm of good taste and sensible urban design. This is a building whose primary gesture to the neighborhood is a moat. An unlandscaped pit of concrete whose only decorative gestures are a pipe railing, a row of trash cans and faux brick panels over the air-conditioner sleeves. Of course, there are balconies – people need more above-ground bike racks. (This building earns special white trash points for the tenants, who also manage to put all manner of furniture on the balconies – we wouldn’t be surprised to see a rusted washing machine or a Camaro up on blocks appear on one of these balconies.) And of course this all comes clad in Henry Radusky’s finest Bricolage.

337 Bedford Avenue
Architect: Henry Radusky/Bricolage

Then there is 337 Bedford, which returns the historic gable front to Williamsburg architecture. Sure, its probably only there as a zoning dodge, to create an “attic” that doesn’t count against floor area, but isn’t it decorative? Once again, the streetwall shall not be honored – you don’t want a continuous street wall in NYC. The rusticated precast concrete and crenelated parapet/balcony could be humanizing touches, but in the hands of Mr. Radusky, they scratching your head and asking “what the fuck?”. And more bicycle racks!

241 South 2nd Street
Architect: Henry Radusky/Bricolage

241 South 2nd Street? Perhaps the best of the bunch (seriously – this could be the least offensive). Sure the shoddy construction shines through – we particularly like the haphazard detail of the through-wall dryer vents – but the street wall is nearly intact, and the bicycle racks downright subtle.

208 South 3rd Street
Architect: Henry Radusky/Bricolage

208 South 3rd Street (on the corner of Roebling) looks to be the largest (and most recent) KAI development we’ve found to date (we’re sure there are more – please, assault our senses). The “decorative” cast concrete at the base is completely without logic, as is the decorative soldier-course brick on the upper stories (extra credit for what appears to a few different kinds of red brick for the facade itself). The ground floor commercial space is for rent, for all you bunker lovers out there – its very secure, even if the head room is a little tight. As always, we love the kontextual keystones (a hallmark of Bricolage, sadly missing from the other KAI projects), and hands down, this building wins the prize for largest bicycle racks in Williamsburg.
So there you have it – KAI, Williamsburg developer of the year. Our architect of the year award will probably not come as a surprise…
1. For those of you who missed the earlier installments, the B(N)B awards were started in response the recent Building Brooklyn awards. Amazingly, these Borough-wide awards for outstanding architecture failed to recognize a single North Brooklyn project (and only found one even worth nominating). To rectify this clear injustice, we’ve decided to highlight some of the, well, highlights of North Brooklyn architecture over the past year.↩

Photo: teal185

We can’t find a link for this, but we received an email the other day announcing that DOT is changing the traffic pattern for the footwalks on the Williamsburg Bridge:

The south footwalk of the Williamsburg Bridge, currently closed in order to facilitate ongoing rehabilitation, will reopen at 7:00 am on Monday August 20, 2007. Simultaneously, the north footwalk will be closed to bicycle and pedestrian traffic. The north footwalk will reopen for weekends only, from Fridays at 3:30 pm to Mondays at 6:00am, beginning September 14, 2007.

What they don’t say is if the only access to the footwalks will be from Bedford Avenue, or if the Valley Forge entry will remain. Guess we’ll find out soon enough. And no word on when BOTH footwalks will be open.

Photo: DumboNYC

The Daily News has an “exclusive” in today’s print and online edition: Dumbo’s Pearl Street Plaza.
If this sounds familiar, maybe you’ve already read about here. Or here. Or here, here, here, here, here and here. To name a few.
Oh, and the press conference has been postponed. You wouldn’t know that reading the News, but you would if you read blogs like DumboNYC.
Journalmaism at its finest.