Brooklyn 11211

As Robert posted on Curbed today, the rehabbed Grand Ferry Park has been open for about two weeks now (the opening was put off a couple of weeks to miss the Fourth of July and the huge n-ewplant-killing crowds it would bring). The renovation was funded by the New York Power Authority, as part of the mitigation package for the gas generating plant next door.

The new park came out very well. There is a lot more green than the old park (the wood chip piles are now grass), and the plantings are now clustered to make more intimate spaces. Along the water there is now a walkway, so you no longer feel as though you are falling into the East River. Making lemonade from lemons, the new design adds a ravine filled with small stones to move storm water flowing downhill from Grand Street (no more Grand Ferry canyon).

Overall, it is a very successful new design, one that manages to make a very small park feel much bigger. Be sure to check out the more complete set of photos here.

A really good overview of what WW is (and isn’t) all about (with a cameo by yours truly).

More on Williamsburg Walks and Yvette Helin’s Pedestrian Project.

South 2nd and Roebling, this time.

Today was the first installment of Williamsburg Walk, the street closure that is not a street fair. Turnout felt light, and the oppressive heat certainly lent the afternoon a languid tone (except at the hydrants, which were very popular). Whether it was the weather or just the extra space, the afternoon lacked that manic aspect that Bedford often gets on the weekends. (And it certainly helped that the sponsors had people going around emptying garbage cans and generally keeping things in order.) Hopefully, less heat and no Giglio festival three blocks away will mean a greater turnout in the coming weeks.

As it turns out, the closure does not effect any of the cross streets – cross town traffic continued unabated, it was only Bedford that was closed. The regulatory thicket that had to be negotiated for this was pretty incredible, and included multiple city and state agencies. One result was that restaurants and bars could put out tables, but only on the sidewalks. The street tables were all provided by Williamsburg Walks, and clearly, there needs to be more tables. Even without table service in the street, having more tables there would enliven the street. As it is, there is little to bring people into the street, other than the wide open spaces.

Inspired.

Reminder: Williamsburg Walks starts today. From noon until 7pm, Bedford Avenue will closed to vehicles from Metropolitan to North 9th. Its a hot day for the inauguration of this event, but there will be cafe seating at most of the restaurants up and down Bedford. You can also beat the heat (and the crowds) by stepping off Bedford – restaurants along Berry and Wythe will also be open, and in many cases offering some air conditioned comfort.

From Gothamist, a comprehensive map of NYC’s walkability (based on Walkscore, which I linked to in the past). NYC comes in second to San Francisco in terms of overall walkability.

The average home now costs $663,946, and condos are averaging over $650 per square foot. With literally thousands of new units in the pipeline, it will be interesting to see where those numbers are in a year or two.

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?