Speaking of construction quality, this should give people pause:
The testing of concrete by companies like Testwell is one of the most basic safety measures used for all kinds of construction projects in the city, from office towers and apartment houses to bridges and subways.
Thing is,
Testwell, according to people briefed on the case, [allegedly] falsified compression tests. Such tests are the key to determining the strength of the material used in reinforced concrete buildings…
Shoddy condos? Shoddy luxury condos? Impossible.
Is anyone really surprised that a development environment that wantonly flouts zoning, safety and construction codes might also be taking the concept of “value engineering” to new depths? That “build it fast” might not translate into “build it well”?
If they are serious about this, DOB and the AG’s office will be very busy in the coming years. Right now, they are going after the low-hanging fruit (the article says that the only case the AG has pursued so far is Mendel Brach’s project on “Bedford Street in Brooklyn”, by which I assume they mean the notorious Spencer Street project in Bed-Stuy).
Not surprisingly, the RealDeal reports that the AG’s office is “backlogged with condo construction/fraud complaints”. Also not exactly news is the revelation that DOB hasn’t been paying much attention:
[part] of the blame for poorly built condos also resides with the Department of Buildings. The agency, whose job it is to make sure buildings are habitable, has often been asleep at the wheel and has also green-lighted bad projects, sources said.
No shit.
This past weekend, we learned from the Times that there is a glut of one-bedroom apartments in Manhattan.
Seems like it was only a few months ago that one-bedrooms were the future of the Williamsburg market. Oh yeah, it was only a few months ago:
[Toll V.P. David Von Spreckelsen] said the second phase of Northside Piers would have more studios and one-bedrooms — so far the sweet spot in the Williamsburg market…
Lets hope that “so far” holds.
The RealDeal profiles 111 Kent (The Edge’s little friend, designed by Michael Muroff Architects). Quote of the day from agent Christine Blackburn of PDE:
[We’re targeting] people who want waterfront and views, but want it West Village-style, something that’s a smaller building. We’re the Superior Ink of Williamsburg.
Push for a waterfront park on city-owned land underneath the Williamsburg Bridge.
NAG – Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (the second “G” is silent) – has started a new blog. NAG’s blog focuses on the issue that matter most to the organization: balanced growth in north Brooklyn. The blog officially went live on Saturday, but they have been posting for a couple of weeks on topics such as brownfields, the Finger Building, industrial retention, Williamsburg Walks (which NAG helped to organize) – so generally, stuff about getting involved in your neighborhood and helping to shape its future.
For those who don’t know, NAG began life as Neighbors Against Garbage (hence the single “G”), fighting against the Nekboh/USA Waste waste transfer station on Kent Avenue (now the site of Northside Piers). During the waterfront rezoning of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, NAG was one of the leading neighborhood advocacy groups. (It was the NAG leadership that coordinated the formation of the North Brooklyn Alliance, an umbrella organization of community groups that fought for affordable housing, open space, jobs and reasonably-scaled development in the rezoning.)
[Full disclosure: I’m on the NAG board.]
Lawanna’s, which moved this past year from the heart of the Bedford strip to Grand Street, is having a closing sale. Apparently, the Grand Street location did not have the drop-in foot traffic necessary to maintain the business. (Grand Street, is a great retail area, but realistically, it probably is more of a destination retail area.)
Nearby, a new storefront for a new restaurant has gone in at 167 Grand (the former head shop/coffee shop next to La Villita Bakery).
