The Collective, a London-based real estate development firm, will launch its $450 million co-living building at 277 Lorimer St. on the border of Bushwick and Williamsburg by 2020.
The 350,000 square-foot building on the land purchased from Bless Properties for just over $54 million will be Brooklyn’s first co-living building and The Collective’s only U.S. location to date. Continue reading →
Frost Street / Union Ave 2005 vs 2017, by _missing_the_point_ on Instagram
There’s no doubt that North Brooklyn’s skyline has rapidly changed in the last decade plus. In place of one-story bombed out warehouses, high rises stand tall. An old sludge tank in Greenpoint has been seemingly effortlessly replaced by luxury apartments. Those who lived in the neighborhood before “the change” began probably remember a slightly different vibe: the area was rougher, with locals playing the role of war-torn veterans. The hip coffee shops and restaurants were fewer and farther between, and the pioneers that were there had worn yet comfy thrift store furniture instead of the minimalist high design stuff you might see today. Piles of trash and industrial waste have disappeared and been replaced with waterfront parks and bike racks. Still, there was something special about North Brooklyn back then in its less polished state. It was way more punk rock.
An Instagram account with the handle _missing_the_point_ has been quietly posting side-by-side comparison photos of North Brooklyn from “then” (most of them about 13 years ago) and “now”. Greenpoint native and amateur photographer Jack Olszewski says, “I’d be walking around my own neighborhood and certain blocks had become completely unrecognizable to me. I’d think, ‘Wait… what used to be here?’. That led me to revisit my old photos. I thought it might be something other Greenpointers could relate to, which led to me start _missing_the_point_ .”
A merry, mini, holiday at the Queens Museum via Artsy.net. Photo by Max Touhey
Happy Holidays, Greenpoint! Greenpoint’s festive lights, abundance of holiday markets, and glorious array of bakeries has us all set for merry making. While we have some great ideas for last minute gifts, the news this week points to one big ticket item: if all you want for Christmas is a condo… you’re in luck. Two more properties in the area have been acquired by development firms.
Meanwhile, the waterfront esplanade promised in front of The Greenpoint, a 40 story development still in progress, is beginning to take shape. Private developers are required to create public park land, and to cede that land to the city, as part of the 2005 rezoning agreement. The esplanade should be complete by the spring.
If all this redevelopment is getting you down, here’s something that might bring a little cheer: the Queens Museum has a stunningly accurate 1:1200 scale model of New York City. The model was first commissioned by Robert Moses for the 1964 World’s Fair, and has been updated over the years. In order to maintain the model, the Queens museum is “selling” the miniature properties. For $100, you can buy any apartment you like, and even get a deed in the mail.
Dealice Fuller at the CB1 meeting on November 14, 2017
As we mentioned last month, the regular CB1 meetings are a great opportunity to support our local community (or at least know what the hell’s going on around here) from the comfort of your own couch—so make some popcorn, throw back a few beers and throw on the livestream. Between committed neighborhood busy-bodies, awkward and often inane comments from the peanut gallery, and Dealice Fuller’s formidable facial expressions, the CB1 meetings are thoroughly entertaining. You can watch last night’s meeting (11/14) in full, here on YouTube. The agenda can be viewed as a PDF here. The next CB1 meeting will be held on December 5th at the Swingin’ 60s Senior Center (211 Ainslie Street) at 6pm, and will also be livestreamed via Thirteen.
Here are the highlights:
Neighbors are concerned that the crowds from Painting Lounge (309 Roebling Street) could be a boon for “drug peddling and mayhem,” and that perhaps applying for a liquor license is a clever way for the humble-seeming business to disguise its true motive of actually operating as a bar. Others brought up that there are already two liquor stores nearby, and, citing prohibition, questioned whether the community is being too harsh: “Is this 2017 or is this 1917?” And:“Am I in some lala land where this quiet little place where women come and paint is the thing that’s gonna wreck a whole community?” A motion was passed to recommend denial on the lounge’s application for a beer and wine license.
The question was brought up and not resolved… Should CB1 be recommending name changes to businesses with potentially offensive names?Xixa (241 S 4th St) is Yiddish for a non-Jewish woman, Traif (229 S 4th St) refers to non-Kosher food, and now there’s Greenpoint newcomer Ramen Mafia (opening at 208 Franklin Street).
Another skyscraper is rising along the Greenpoint waterfront, slated for completion in 2018. The area is quickly being transformed into a cordon of gleaming skyscrapers. Some people have jokingly started calling our area “Dubai” in reference to North Brooklyn’s huge skyscrapers.
Developer Andru Coren’s application to build a 12 story 60-unit residential tower at 29 Clay Street was approved by the city. The building will contain 48,000 square feet and an underground garage for parking. The tower will have a single apartment on the first floor, seven on the second and eight each on the third and fourth floors. There will be five apartments each of the second through tenth floors with two on the 11th and a single penthouse apartment on the 12th floor. Continue reading →
What’s been going on with the negotiations between the city and the owner of the CitiStorage site? Come join Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park tonight at Greenpoint Beer & Ale to chat about the park’s future. While there’s currently nothing specific to report, FBIP has been told that the parties have begun negotiating, so they’re cautiously optimistic. But that said, they believe that time is of the essence and hope the parties will come to a settlement soon. However, if negotiations fall apart and no deal is made then potentially the only remaining course of action would be for the city proceed to eminent domain and condemn the CitiStorage site for the public good, fulfilling the 2005 rezoning agreement to the benefit of all New Yorkers.
Join FBIP tonight and engage with fellow open space advocates!
Greenpoint Beer and Ale | 7 N15th St @ Franklin St. Wednesday October 5th Meet Up at 7:00pm Updates + Q&A at 7:30-8:00pm Craft Beer & Conversation thereafter
I’ve said it before, I only go to Manhattan to visit the dentist, since finding a new dentist is the only thing more painful than going into “the city.” Otherwise I’m very content to stay on this landmass we know as Long Island and within the confines of the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. But travel between the two sometimes illogically results in “having” to go through Manhattan.
With development on the East River waterfront outpacing transportation solutions, commuting remains a hugely unanswered question. In Greenpoint, with much complained about G service (which is only going to get worse before it gets better) and still no East River Ferry service at India St on the known horizon, maybe it isn’t too cockamamy of an idea to imagine a self powered wireless street car that runs along the Queens and Brooklyn waterfront between Astoria and Red Hook. Continue reading →
This isn’t a joke. TOMORROW, Tuesday, April 1st, 2014, the NYC Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will be holding a PUBLIC HEARING on the Domino Sugar redevelopment proposal by Two Trees Management. The hearing starts at 9:30am on Tuesday in City Council chambers. Arrive earlier than 9am to make sure you can get in and sign up to speak. Continue reading →
What’s been going on with the 
