Checking in on the Wiliamsburgh Savings Bank Reno

02/16/2012 | Comment

The developer for the Williamsburgh Savings Bank renovation was at CB1 last night for a Landmarks approval, and Brownstoner has the details.

Things got a bit testy – and surreal – when the developer refused to admit that they were building an event space (it’s a museum!) or even had any plan to make money from the development. According to the Chief Financial Officer, they just haven’t worked any of that out yet.

The CFO did have the Landmarks proposal well in hand. The substance of the application to Landmarks was straightforward – so much so that it is not clear why it even requires a public review at LPC.

Bushwick BK is Back (I Hope)

02/14/2012 | 1 Comment

Bushwick BK is reincarnating itself as Bushwick News, a non-profit website to report on news, events and history at the other end of the Eastern District. To make it all work, they are trying to raise money through a Kickstarter.

What they are trying to raise – $40,000 – is ambitious, but Bushwick BK was nothing if not ambitious.I had this to say when Bushwick BK shut down last fall:

This is a loss – BushwickBK managed to be a lot more than a neighborhood blog. It had some great reporting, strong editing and a ton of content. That’s tough to maintain…

Or, as they say, “it’s real journalism”. And it was.

I hope it will be again, too. So get on over to Kickstarter and make a pledge. If you have any doubt of their seriousness, just look at the list of supporters they have organized for the swag (I’ll be on the Dereszewski/Schwartz tour myself) – this is not a spur of the moment thing (and from what little I know of the folks over there, if they say it needs $40,000, it probably needs $40,000).



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Domsey Development Site Up For Auction

Brownstoner reports that the former Domsey parking lot at South 8th and Kent is up for sale at a foreclosure auction. The property was rezoned ages ago, and development at the former used-clothing mecca started in 2008 and then stalled. $30 million, and it’s yours.

Details on North 6th Street Church Purchase, Conversion

Brownstoner has a post about the DOB applications that have been filed for the conversion of St. Vincent de Paul Church on North 6th Street. One application is to convert the rectory into 10 apartments, while the second is to convert the church itself into 33 units (neither application has been approved yet, though the demolition of the church interior is a go). Presumably there are more applications to come, as the church property includes the former school on North 7th Street and the large parking lot to the west of the rectory.

The architect for both jobs is Zambrano Architectural Design, whose local projects include 8 Hope Street. The development company, North Flats LLC, appears to be headed up by Michael Lichtenstein; the same developer who is behind the new Karl Fisher building going up at Grand and Driggs (once upon a time, a mini-tower).

Jardin Going Rental

Jardin (née Urban Green), the development that takes up the middle of the block of North 5th/North 6th and Bedford/Berry is repurposing itself yet again, this time as luxury rentals.

For a development with three very big things in its favor (location, location and location), this project has been particularly star crossed. It went into the ground at least 5 years ago this month, spent at least two years completely stalled, and then was revived as Jardin this past summer.