Brooklyn construction 10/03

[Gulcrapek]

Not that much, just a few places. I was very tired from walking all over the Pratt campus.

Brooklyn Law School Dormitory

8 floors, shooting up like crazy...

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album29/ls1.sized.jpg

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album29/ls2.sized.jpg

53 Boerum Place - 9 floors

Just the corner because it's too big for one shot
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album29/53bp.sized.jpg

The ground floor started getting facade - I'm hoping this crap doesn't go up the whole thing, thankfully the rest is supposed to be red

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album29/53bp2.sized.jpg

Court St. YMCA - for some reason, every single one of the viewing holes in the fence has been plugged up, boarded over. I managed to peek in cracks and such and saw a huge, deep hole.

Site in foreground, Law School Dorm mid, 53 Boerum Place background. In 2 months or so this'll be crane-o-rama.

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album29/DSCF0181.sized.jpg

12 Metrotech Center - scaffolding coming off

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album29/12mc.sized.jpg

Random things -

Finishing renovation/reconstruction of a building on I think Willoughby St

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album29/DSCF0183.sized.jpg

32, 26&16 Court St

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album29/DSCF0175.sized.jpg

[Gulcrapek]

I forgot 295 Atlantic Avenue. Not much to see.

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/album29/295at.sized.jpg

[TLOZ Link5]

What about Atlantic Terminal?

[Gulcrapek]

Looks around the same as the last photo I took of it. :D I didn't see a reason to drag my already tired father another 3/4 mile and back to see it. Next month I'll go, it'll probably be fully clad then.

[Kris]

12 Metrotech Center is okay, in a way.

[JMC]

Looks like the law school might be stalled for a few weeks. I just read that, becuase of 3 incidents last week, they've got to pay a bunch of fines and meet with some board, before they can start using the cranes, again...

[DominicanoNYC]

I really like the 12 Metrotech Center. By they way what happened during those three incidents?

[matt3303]

I've grown fond of 12 Metrotech, but I think that it's too short. Imagine if it was like 25 floors higher...

[Gulcrapek]

Agreed, I think its major faults are A) its proportions are a bit too stubby) and B) The aluminum is too dull and also clashes with the vertical lines.

However the height is a matter of law; the building is merely 22 feet under the height limit.

[DominicanoNYC]

Oh so there are zonning rules in Brooklyn. That's why they don't have larger buildings....

[TLOZ Link5]

Hence, the rezoning.

[matt3303]

Thank God they're rezoning. Downtown Brooklyn needs to compete with Jersey. (I think in some parts the current limit will be doubled) You can see when you look at the skyline that the buildings are just waiting to break out.

[billyblancoNYC]

I actually think they may totally eliminate height limits in DT. So much opportunity to develop. Would love to see all those self-storage places converted to lofts and offices.

[TLOZ Link5]

There has to be some height limit, as DT Brooklyn is in the flight path of some commercial planes.

[DominicanoNYC]

That's great to hear, and I hope that the re-zoning will at least allow some 700-800 foot buildings. They'd need to be of good design though because height does not compare to design.

[billyblancoNYC]

There has to be some height limit, as DT Brooklyn is in the flight path of some commercial planes.

Not sure if this is it...

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/dwnbklyn2/dwnbklynplan3.html

[Clarknt67]

From the link:


Tower building forms would continue to be permitted (with no height limit) and a 250-foot height limit would be established for a non-tower building form.


Yes, it was kind of big news this summer when the city council lifted the height restrictions in Downtown Brooklyn (I guess to stem the rush of office towers in Jersey City). Previously, nothing could be taller than the Williamsburg bank approx. 420 feet(?).

I don't know what the FAA has to say about it, but it seems there's no height restrictions now in some areas.

Does anyone know what is the difference between a tower and non-tower? I assumed it was height, but since non-tower have a height restriction, there must be some other distinction (is it set back from the street, maybe?).

[NoyokA]

I believe the definition of a tower is anything with vertical dimensions other than a cube.

[Gulcrapek]

512 ft, Clark, and the rule wasn't nothing could be taller than WSB, it was a fixed 495 ft limit in Downtown, I'm not exactly sure of the reason.

Anyway I want some news on this...

[Clarknt67]

I think previous height limits were at least a unspoken deferment to the Williamsburg bank. Some longtime Brooklynites decried the relaxing of limits as disrespectful of the Bank's landmark status. (Seems a little stupid to me, if someone wants to build a bigger tower, and it means more housing unit--hence cheaper rent, or more offices--hence the chance for me to walk to work, I say more power to them.)

[Gulcrapek]

Tell me about it... and Markowitz was with them, and then he wasn't. The whole political/community group situation over there is weird.

[NoyokA]

Furthermore, downtown Brooklyn isnt nearby Williamsburg and its tallest. A taller building would only balance the skyline.

[JMC]

A friend, who is a city planner, told me that the guy who is re zoning downtown brooklyn used to be an acrhitect. Appartently, he's all about height, and argues from the point of view that tall and thin is better than short and stubby, because shadows pass quickly, when buildings are thinner...(picture: light-bulb over NIMBY head).

The proposal for the stadium (atlantic ave) also includes apartments, of which none are shorter than 650...er, so I've been told...

[Brooklyn718]

The rezoning is fitting. Brooklyn needs a downtown that's equivalent of what would be one of the largest cities in the U.S. I'd rather see the businesses and residents flow over the East River to Brooklyn and LIC, still in the city, than over the Hudson.

[Clarknt67]

Furthermore, downtown Brooklyn isnt nearby Williamsburg and its tallest. A taller building would only balance the skyline.

I'm not arguing against taller buildings, I'm all for them. Just explaining the (IMO wrong-headed) thinking behind earlier height restrictions. And Markowitz was one of the people who came out against building taller than the Bank building, a position he later reversed (maybe after fielding a call from Ratner?).

BTW, the Williamsburg Bank building isn't in Williamsburg. It sits on the border of Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Green neighborhood, a ways from Williamsburg, (is that ironic or just unexpected? Someone ask Alanis).

[DominicanoNYC]

I agree Brooklyn718. If Brooklyn is part of NYC then it should have a skyline to compliment Manhattan's skyline.

[NoyokA]

BTW, the Williamsburg Bank building isn't in Williamsburg. It sits on the border of Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Green neighborhood, a ways from Williamsburg, (is that ironic or just unexpected? Someone ask Alanis).

Brooklyn isnt really my specialty if you know what I mean. But now that I think of it there is another famous Williamsburg Bank Building off the approach of the Williamsburg Bridge. If Im not mistaken this area is Williamsburg. The reason the Williamsburg Bank Building isnt in Williamsburg or downtown Brooklyn is very confusing. But again, Brooklyn is not my specialty.

I was also under the impression that the Nets stadium and a complex of tall residential towers would be in Williamsburg. Can someone please pinpoint the location for me? An aerial photo in relation to the Williamsburg Bank Building and Downtown Brooklyn would also be appreciated.

[Gulcrapek]

Stern,

1) The WSB tower is the second incarnation of of WSB. The original, like you said, sits near the Bridge. When building a new headquarters, they chose Ft Greene and capped the building with a dome paying homage to that of the first.

2) The stadium development is about 2 blocks from the WSB. Fort Greene.

[Brooklyn718]

For Stern and anybody else,

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/gif/dwnbklyn2/dcp-2a.jpg

The full block after the triangle on the lower right above Atlantic Terminal is where the WSB is. The block right under Atlantic Terminal, currently manufacturing, is where the stadium would go.

[JMC]

Stern: The Stadium is proposed for the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush, where there is a mess of disused LIRR train tracks...

[billyblancoNYC]

It's right across from the new 14-story Ratner BONY building with the "mall" attached.