A Green Market Planned for Brooklyn Bridge Park

Exciting news: A farmers market is coming to Pier Six at Brooklyn Bridge Park! On April 15, the green market organization Down to Earth presented to the Community Board Two Parks Committee a proposal for a market on the upland portion of Pier Six. Down to Earth runs markets upstate, in Park Slope, and in Greenpoint’s McGolrick Park. If they are shooting for a launch this summer, they will join a number of food vendors also slated to set up around the park. Fornino Pizza will serve pizzas from the Pier Six concession stand, as well as beer on the rooftop beer garden.  
Source: Brownstoner

Permits Granted for Catsimatidis' Fleet Place Build

Expect construction soon at 81 Fleet Place, right off Myrtle Avenue, the second build of billionaire John Catsimatidis’ four promised buildings on Myrtle between Ashland Place and Flatbush Avenue. The Department of Buildings just issued a new building permit for a fifteen-story mixed-use building. When a rendering surfaced last fall, the DOB had disapproved the first round of building plans. This 205-unit build will hold ground-floor retail space and studio, one- and two-bedroom units. There will also be a landscaped terrace on the third floor. Construction is expected to last until next year.
Source: Brownstoner

NYC Opens Urban Tech School Downtown

New York University’s new Center for Urban Science and Progress officially opened Thursday, April 18, at 1 MetroTech Center on the 19th Floor. The high-tech school will have graduate programs in engineering, planning and design. Research will focus on how to improve living conditions in big, crowded cities, from energy efficiency to better planning and infrastructure. “That research is expected to be crucial in the coming decades when most of the world’s population migrates to cities,” said the Daily News. The facility includes 26,000 square feet of office space and two visualization labs. The center will spin off hundreds of new companies and create thousands of new jobs, said Mayor Bloomberg at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.  There are already more than 500 tech companies in the downtown area, he added. NYU plans to remodel a building at 370 Jay Street into a permanent campus for the school, pictured in the rendering above. The goal is to move the school there by 2017.
Source: Brownstoner

Developer Selected For Navy Yard Supermarket

 

The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. has chosen Blumenfeld Development Group to build out a 74,000-square-foot supermarket along Admiral’s Row with manufacturing space on top, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. Blumenfeld will also develop other buildings with retail and restaurants for the site. The company’s founder said they’ll be developing what is “really a suburban shopping center” and plans to negotiate with retail tenants in the new year. (In other locations, Blumenfeld has developed space for Costco, Target and Old Navy.) This is the second developer selected for the $60 million project — the first one didn’t work out after one of the principals was charged in a political corruption case, although those charges were ultimately dropped. Blumfield plans to break ground in 2013. There has been a little reinforcement work happening on site, but only two of the seven historic structures will be restored in the redevelopment.

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/12/a-developer-selected-for-the-brooklyn-navy-yard/?stream=true

Condo's Planned for Landmarked Montague Street Bank

Big news for the beautiful bank building at 177 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights: The owners are planning to build out condo units there. According to the Community Board Two land use minutes, the architecture firm on the project, Barry Rice Architects, presented the land use board with renovation plans in November. The plans include building a one-story rear addition, removing air conditioning units, cleaning the exterior, replacing the skylights, and adding new insulated wood windows. Thirteen condo apartments will go in at the rear annex building; the main building bank hall (currently a Chase branch) will remain as is. The architects will add an entrance canopy for the new residential portion, as well as a “miniature grand hall” at the entryway. The architects received the blessing of the Community Board Two Land Use Committee, and the project is on the Landmarks Preservation Commission agenda for this afternoon.

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/12/condos-planned-for-landmarked-bank-building/?stream=true

Brooklyn Bridge Park Seeks Residential Developer

 

The latest vision for Dumbo: Waterfront apartments in and overlooking Brooklyn Bridge Park. Today Brooklyn Bridge Park requested proposals for a residential development at the vacant lot on the north end of the park, at John Street. According to the BBP press release, the site is approximately 9,600 square feet and located within a vacant 147,460 square foot lot just east of the Manhattan Bridge. Also, “It allows for up to 130 residential units comprising up to 101,000 square feet with a maximum height of 130 feet, up to 110 parking spaces and ground floor retail.” They have requested that developers submit proposals that are financially feasible, include green elements, incorporate flood protective measures, and are sensitive to the existing public space and community. The BBP also announced big news about the Con Edison site near the residential development site in question. The BBP is currently working with Con Edison to transfer over their property in Dumbo. Once the ownership has transferred, the BBP will build out a 1.5 acre park space with pedestrian bridges, pathways and a huge gathering lawn. It’s fully funded and should take a year to create. The residential development proposals are due on March 11. As the Observer pointed out earlier today, competition was fierce for the first residential and hotel development at Pier One, and although this is a smaller parcel there will likely be proposals from all the big-name developers. The folks at BBP will hold a site visit and information session on Jan. 23.

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/12/brooklyn-bridge-park-seeks-a-residential-developer/?stream=true

The Future of Fowler Square

 

Tomorrow the Department of Transportation will visit Community Board Two’s Transportation Committee to discuss the future of Fowler Square, which is slated become a permanent fixture in the neighborhood. The DOT installed the pedestrian plaza in Fort Greene this summer using temporary materials. They promised to study the traffic and pedestrian flow with the green street in place and come back to the community board with their findings this winter. Because of some neighborhood resistance against the closing of South Elliott Place, they are still looking for community feedback after the fact. (Last month Streetsblog reported that many surrounding businesses supported the plaza there.) Have any Fort Greene residents noticed negative impacts to the block closing? If you’re interested in attending, the meeting is at St. Francis College at 180 Remsen Street in the first floor board room at 6 pm.

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/12/tomorrow-find-out-the-future-of-fowler-square/?stream=true