Domino Sugar Refinery
Photo: Harlan Erskine

Photographer Harlan Erskine has posted some beautiful photos of the Domino Sugar site that he took for the recent L Magazine article, Williamsburg’s Last Domino (a good read itself). My favorite is above, but there are plenty more at Erskine’s site.

The memory issue that was wreaking havoc with the commenting here has been fixed. You should be able to leave comments without getting cryptic error messages.

Capital New York – a new online magazine – continues to impress on the content side – this time with a look at why Williamsburg is becoming the meat eating capital of NYC. The article covers the history of Peter Luger, including its salvation in the 1950s by Sol Forman, and covers all of the latest entrants into the neighborhood’s meat frenzy – Marlow & Daughters, Pies ‘n’ Thighs (and all their spinoffs) and Fatty ‘Cue.

349 Metropolitan’s courtyard mural
Photo: Curbed

Curbed has photos of the now completed (and now for rent) 349 Metropolitan Avenue (a 11211 favorite over the years). The recladded exterior of the building is a huge improvement, though the building overall is still a mess. But the interior courtyard at least has something worth looking at – a mural by artist R. Nicholas Kuszyk

Curbed also has a bit of revisionist history when it comes to the original facade. The Jerusalem stone was not “defiled” by vandals. It fell off. Whether it was installed improperly or was just not meant for these climes, the installation looked like shit from day one and was failing by day two. It was too long after that the project (under the original development team) went down the path to foreclosure and classic condo blight.

The Times is out with a quick article on Karl Fisher and the Brooklyn condo boom. Fisher (along with Bob Scarano and a handful of lesser lights) are certainly responsible for changing the face of North Brooklyn. But with “only” 50 buildings to his name over the past 8 years, Karl’s output pales in comparison to his late 19th-century peers. Architects like Theobald Engelhardt would routinely design 50 or more buildings a year.

[It sure sounds as though I am hiding behind “what other people think”, but that was the question the reporter put to me. It’s always strange to see 15 minutes of conversation boiled down to one quote.]

Movable Type and SQL are annoying me lately, so I’ve (at least temporarily) set up shop at Tumblr – at least for the linked posts. My latest over there – Vans is opening up a 20,000 sf retail shop in Greenpoint – smack dab in the middle of what should be Bushwick Inlet Park (I hope its a short lease).

(PS – if you haven’t noticed, I’m also on Twitter. None of this social media stuff is aggregated yet, but I’m working on it.)

Joe Lentol is sponsoring legislation to outlaw the siting of radioactive storage facilities within 1,500′ of schools. This legislation – inspired by Luis Garden Acosta’s “toxic-free school zone” idea – would force Radiac, located at the corner of Kent and Grand, to cease radioactive waste storage. (As Luis says, if we can have drug-free school zones, why can’t we have toxic-free school zones?)

Lentol’s press release is reproduced in full, below:

Legislation to Close Radioactive Waste Site, RADIAC, Next to Elementary School Passes Both Houses

Legislation Forbids Radioactive Waste Facilities Within 1500 Feet of Any School
Assemblyman Lentol Urges the Governor to Sign the Legislation into Law

Assemblyman Joseph Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) is thrilled to announce that legislation he wrote and sponsored making it illegal for Radiac Research Inc., a radioactive waste storage facility, to continue to operate at its current location in North Brooklyn has passed both the Assembly and Senate. The legislation is on its way to Governor Patterson and Assemblyman Lentol urges the Governor to sign the legislation into law.

“This legislation would be a real victory for the North Brooklyn community and the safety of our children,” said Lentol. “I want to thank Senator Martin Malave Dilan for sponsoring it in the Senate and all of my colleagues in the legislature for helping me to take this important step towards ensuring that there is a plenty of space between our children and radioactive waste.”

At issue is the company’s close proximity to a local elementary school PS 84; so close it is actually in violation of NYC code. Despite the site typically storing medical low-grade radioactive waste that many experts see as relatively safe to store, Assemblyman Lentol refuses to gamble with the health of his constituents. This has been an especially worrisome because the City of New York has recently closed Fire Company 212 which was the engine company specially trained to deal with facilities such as RADIAC. Also, the Department of Justice has stated that such facilities are at high risk of terrorist attacks.

Lentol believes that any company storing radioactive waste should not be located in such a populated area. “No one wants to live next to a dump, let alone one that contains radioactive waste. It is only common sense that my constituents be safeguarded against potential health hazards that are completely avoidable. It is appalling that the students in this community are going to school next to radioactive waste, if the Governor signs this legislation it will be a real victory for the environment for health, for safety and for our children,” said Lentol.

Assemblyman Lentol teamed up with local students from the El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice to create the legislation. The legislation prohibits any kind of radioactive waste facility within 1500 feet of the boundary of a school. In order to write the legislation Assemblyman Lentol needed to know exactly how many feet were between PS 84 and the toxic waste facility. So as a special project, the math class at El Puente went out in the community and measured the exact distance.

“El Puente’s over 20 year struggle, launched by our Toxic Avengers and, today, embraced by all, is poised to take a major step in reclaiming the safety and environment of our communities, especially, our school young. With Governor Patterson’s support we look forward to ‘Toxic Free School Zones’ across New York State, heralding our human right to clean air, green and open spaces as well as renewable, sustainable energy. Our schools can, now, teach another ‘R’ – the Right of North Brooklyn and all communities to peace and environmental justice,” said Luis Garden Acosta, the founder, president and CEO of El Puente Academy.

“El Puente has a long history of being involved in community and the environment and without them this legislation would not exist. This hands on project gave students the opportunity to learn not only math but also about the environment and government. I am grateful for their crucial role in this process,” said Assemblyman Joe Lentol. “It is my hope that these students’ work will go the full length of the process and be signed into law by Governor Patterson,” he continued. “If it does, those students will have played a crucial role in protecting all of the students who come after them. They should be very proud,” said Lentol.

Aaron Short just pointed out this RealDeal post to me – Rector Hylan, the owner of the former Kedem Winery site (south of Giando, north of Schaefer) has filed for an extension on the special permits it was awarded in 2006. The Kedem site was approved for a rezoning in 2006, and as part of that rezoning, the owner received special permits to reallocate height and density within the site (similar to the special permits that went along with the Domino and Rose Plaza rezonings). The zoning (when it is enacted) is forever, but special permits expire – in Kedem’s case, in about two weeks. The extension would run for three years.

The real story here is the work that has been going on at the site over the past six months. According to DOB, the recent work at 420 Kent Avenue involves “interior renovation of storage garage” with no change of use. The work is somewhat more substantial than that – involving the refacing of the building, the paving of the adjacent parking lot and a ton of interior work. From what I have heard, the building is being rehabbed as some sort of soundstage. Up the block, the blocked up windows of 420 Kent Avenue have been opened up and new aluminum windows installed. None of this is the kind of work that one does to prep buildings for demolition, so I’m going long and betting that this site will be looking for another special permit extension in three years.

In the meantime, a site that was to be rezoned for residential use (with 20% affordable housing and publicly-accessible open space) remains anything but.

Previously:
Kedem: Spring Cleaning
Kedem – Spring Cleaning or Signs of Life?

Two Council committees (Zoning and Land Use) approved the compromise Domino plan yesterday. Because of the modifications, the plan now goes back to the City Planning for a re-review to make sure the changes are in scope with the EIS. After that, it returns to the full Council sometime in July for a final vote. Here is a selection of reporting on the City Council’s approval of the Domino rezoning:

City Council Passes the Sugar [Chaban in A|N – best summary of the nitty gritty]

$1.4 Billion Development at Sugar Refinery in Brooklyn Wins Key Council Support [Bagli in the Times – some of the details here are incorrect]

Council, Mayor Cut Deal to Salvage $1.5 B ‘New Domino’ Project for Willliamsburg [Calder in the Post]

Embattled “New Domino” Project Scores Big City Council Win [Gothamist]

A Big Domi-YES from the Council [Short in BP]

Another “Domino” Falls for Landmark Development Deal [NBC]

Council Committees Approve Domino Redevelopment Project [NY1]

No link, so I’ll post in its entirety:

June 30, 2010

BP MARKOWITZ APPLAUDS DOMINO DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL, ADVOCATES FOR MORE AFFORDABLE AND ELDERLY HOUSING, SUPERMARKET AND ARTISAN SPACE

“I commend Speaker Christine Quinn for leading the Council on this issue, Council Member Steve Levin, the community for its input and Refinery LLC for its ambitious plan to transform Brooklyn’s gorgeous yet under-utilized waterfront into a vibrant mix of contemporary uses—including recreational, commercial and residential.

In my land use role, I always seek significant community benefits from developers asking permission to begin lucrative projects—such as more affordable housing, access to public space, the inclusion of amenities like supermarkets, the creation of jobs, use of local labor and construction supply companies and the improvement of residents’ quality of life—and this project was no different.

In keeping with my recommendations, I am pleased that a request for additional parking has been removed, the ‘shadowing’ impact on Grand Ferry Park has been reduced, there were efforts made to locate a school at the site and affordable housing has been included as part of the final plan. However, it is disappointing that not all of the affordable housing is guaranteed to be permanent, and there is no legally binding commitment to build elderly housing or a supermarket.

Additionally, my recommendation for possible artisan and creative economy spaces was not included, and rather than cutting towers as was done by City Council, I had requested cuts on the upland block which were not adopted, including height reductions and more rear yard open space to provide better quality of living for what would likely be affordable apartments.

Because there is no legal obligation to create a supermarket, elderly housing and artisan spaces, nor any guarantees that all of the affordable housing will be ‘affordable forever,’ it is my hope that the developer will act in good faith—per a letter dated April 8, 2010, provided to me—to make every possible effort to make these a reality. I will seriously consider directing my housing development funds to the project if that can help make these community benefits a part of the New Domino.”