Things are getting real for Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed whopping 5,000-unit waterfront development called Greenpoint Landing. The ball is rolling and land-use review will begin this summer. Greenpoint as we know it will be changing dramatically. Say bye bye to vast views of Manhattan from the once sunny and quiet waterfront. Say hello to 10 high rise buildings, 25% more Greenpoint residents and inevitably crowded G trains. A new park, a marina and a public school are part of the proposal. I imagine many new businesses will be opening up as well. (Hopefully not two nearly identical franchise pharmacies like on Kent Ave.)
Want to learn more or share your opinion? Attend a public meeting on May 6, 2013 at 6:30pm at McCarren Park Recreation Center.
“Last week Community Board One posted a notice that representatives of the mayor requested a meeting with the land-use committee to brief them on three important projects coming to Greenpoint. The first, and easily the largest project in store for Greenpoint, is the 5,000-unit Greenpoint Landing … (The developer previously stated that they hoped to break ground by this summer.)
Second, the mayor’s office will present on 77 Commercial Street and the former MTA property at 65 Commercial Street. Clipper Equities is proposing a development at No. 77, using the air rights from No. 65, the lot that is slated to become a park. The developers will need a special permit to do so, and like Greenpoint Landing the project will undergo the city’s land-use review process this summer.
Finally, a rep from the Economic Development Corporation will talk about the Newtown Barge and Box Street Parks, the two parks adjacent to Greenpoint Landing and 77 Commercial Street.”
Margarita Jimeno made this short documentary on architect Old Sondresen who is designing the Kickster HQ on Kent St in Greenpoint. His sustainable design is using 100% reused and recycled materials, then putting an inverted glass box inside of the building in order to create light and a sense of nature in our otherwise “dirty” city. Materials in the construction such as post-recycled denim are so healthy you can eat them, according to Sondreson. With the proposed Greenpoint Landing coming to town, hopefully the new Kickstarter building won’t be an exception but an example of the eco-friendly (and edible!) possibilities for design in North Brooklyn.
I remember having a conservation with a architectural historian about Greenpoint. He remarked at how beautiful our landmarked blocks are and I said, “how about landmarking the siding? That is quintessential Greenpoint!” And Connie O’s, of course.
What is Keramos Hall you say? Our thoughts exactly. Which is why we decided to devote a lil’ bit of research to this. Like us, you might have been surprised recently when the scaffolding came down from Milton St and Manhattan Ave, revealing a whimsical half-timbered Swiss Chalet confection where before was a drab vinyl-covered building. Where did this slice of Switzerland come from? Read on to be illuminated on a piece of forgotten Greenpoint architecture. Continue reading →
Progress on Kickstarter’s forthcoming Greenpoint HQ at the old Pencil Factory on Kent Street has been ongoing, but perceptible improvements have been hard to report for the last few months.
Well that and my lack of snooping around…
Architect Ole Sondresen has released a portfolio for the Kickstarter project. Visit the link to see an illustrated rendering of what their vision for the roof deck/courtyard seen above will morph into.
This isn’t the only urban design project Kickstarter is getting behind. Check out these 6 recent Kickstarter projects for cities from This Big City.
Follow (intermittent) progress reports on Kickstarter’s new Greenpoint based HQ at buildingkickstart.
The Historic Districts Council (HDC), New York’s city-wide advocate for historic buildings and neighborhoods, has just selected Greenpoint as one of the six neighborhoods to celebrate in 2013!
Preservation Greenpoint–a newly-formed organization dedicated to protecting the historic architecture and character of our lovely neighborhood–submitted Greenpoint for participation in this program. Throughout 2013, HDC will work with Preservation Greenpoint to set and reach preservation goals through strategic planning, advocacy, outreach, programs, walking tours, and publicity.
As insightfully put by Simeon Bankoff, executive director of HDC: “Neighborhoods throughout New York are fighting an unseen struggle to determine their own futures. By bringing these locally-driven neighborhood preservation efforts into the spotlight, HDC hopes to focus New Yorkers’ attention on the very real threats that historic communities throughout the city are facing from indiscriminate and inappropriate development.”
Check out the press coverage from NY Daily News and Brownstoner, and make sure to like Preservation Greenpoint’s facebook page to follow along with their development over the coming year.
With all the devastation from Hurricane Sandy, let’s enjoy some photos of Greenpoint’s most beautiful blocks! What is your favorite block in Greenpoint?
As we all know, October = Archtober. Brooklyn has been the hub of emerging designers and forward-thinkers mainly because of the influx of cultures colliding and a healthy mix of locals and migrants. Greenpoint is no stranger to that phenomenon.It is a neighborhood where histories of migration, real estate pricing and burgeoning gentrification bring pierogis industrial arts spaces and the scent of impending property development within a few steps of each other.
In conjunction with Archtober, this Saturday, October 6, 2012, The Street Plans Collaborative and CNU New York will be hosting a guided street tour. A crew of experienced urban tacticians will educate and inform you about using the streets to advocate for positive urban change, as well as finding new ways to think about and live in neighborhoods. With Greenpoint as our laboratory, we’ll walk and talk our way through tactical logistics, practices, histories and possibilities, ending in one of Greenpoint’s finest refreshment establishments to debrief and plan the next steps for making actual change.
Tactical Urbanism Walking and Talking Tour
Meet: 5pm sharp meet @ Pencil Factory Bar (142 Franklin St)
5.30-6.30pm walking tour
6.30-7.30pm merry debriefing at the Pencil Factory Bar. What to bring: An umbrella, comfortable shoes, an open mind and plenty of ideas
If it’s raining:
We’ll meet inside the Pencil Factory Bar equipped with plenty of materials for discussion Cost: Free
Registration:
Please RSVP your name to natalia (AT) astudioforallthings.comor leemor.chandally (AT) gmail.com by Friday, October 5, 2012.
As Greenpointers reported last month, Kickstarter is moving into Greenpoint. So how’s the construction coming along?
Work in progress. The guys are bringing in the supporting construction frames. They will be installing Doka formwork products, which is like LEGO for big boys.
While the plans call for a theater, art gallery, lounge and cafeteria, in addition to offices, I’m still holding out in hope it’s a medieval castle.
Funny how synchronicity works — I was just thinking if there was Fashion Night Out for the fashionistas, there has to be one for the design-junkies, like me. Lo and behold, ARCHTOBER is here, my friends! It’s a month-long festival of architecture and design all over the city. They’re hosting design-centric events, workshops and home tours. Check out their city-wide festivities here.
To properly kick-off Archtober, City Modern, sponsored by Dwell & New York Mag, will be hosting talks, studio and home tours from October 1-7.
Talks feature the leaders and trendmakers in the ever-evolving face of architecture and design. See full schedule here.
Things are getting real for Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed whopping 5,000-unit waterfront development called Greenpoint Landing. The ball is rolling and land-use review will begin this summer. Greenpoint as we know it will be changing dramatically. Say bye bye to vast views of Manhattan from the once sunny and quiet waterfront. Say hello to 10 high rise buildings, 25% more Greenpoint residents and inevitably crowded G trains. A new park, a marina and a public school are part of the proposal. I imagine many new businesses will be opening up as well. (Hopefully not two nearly identical franchise pharmacies like on Kent Ave.)
