TD Bank Will Be Tenant Of Alchemy's 'Sackett Union' Project In Carroll Gardens

Alchemy's Sackett Union Development as seen from Court Street 

View from Union Street

Corner of Court Street and Sackett Street

The project as seen from Sackett Street

Future garage entrance

The town homes on Sackett Street

A peek into the model unit on the Carroll Street side

Here is a community update from Ken Horn of Alchemy Properties, the development, marketing and consulting firm  which is currently constructing one of the largest projects in Carroll Gardens in quite a few decades.
The Sackett Union project, formerly known as 340 Court Street, consist of a 7 story, 32 unit condominium building consisting of two, three and four family units along Court Street and of 11 one and two family  townhouses on Union and Sackett Streets. There is also a penthouse and an outdoor lounge on the main building "breathtaking views of Manhattan and Brooklyn".

Though prices start at $1,105,00 for a two-bedroom unit, 15 of the units have already been sold.  So has one of the townhouses.  A model unit can now be visited by appointment, but there will not be an open house until February, when the main entrance on Union Street has been completed.
Work on the façade of this Rogers Marvel-designed building starting in about two weeks.  The color of the treatment has been described as "brownstone red".
The entire development should be completed by July or August 2013.
An official web site is going up in the next week.

Alchemy Properties took over the long-stalled project at 340 Court Street after the previous developer, The Clarett Group, pulled out.

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Big Fat Inflatable Union Rat Shows Up At Alchemy's 340 Court Street Site

A rat's work is never done in New York City. This inflatable rodent showed up this morning at the corner of Court and Sackett Streets, to protest in front of the development site at 340 Court Street, which has recently been acquired by Alchemy Properties, a development, marketing and consulting firm. Alchemy took over the project after the Clarett Group pulled out.

The big, fat rat belongs to Local Union 361, which represents ironworkers in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk.

After years of delay, construction of the 7 story, 32 unit condominium development at 340 Court Street has just resumed. The steel frame has been going up steadily in the last two weeks. Obviously, the work is being done by non-union workers.

According to the local's web site, the picket line was established in front of 340 Court as of Thursday last week.

*Thanks, M, for the use of your photos.

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Alchemy Properties Meets With Carroll Gardens Residents To Talk About 340 Court Street

On Friday morning, a small group of area residents met with Kenneth Horn of Alchemy Properties, the development, marketing and consulting firm which just took over the long-stalled project at 340 Court Street after the previous developer, The Clarett Group, pulled out.

The project consist of a 7 story, 32 unit condominium building along Court Street and of 11 adjoining townhouses on Union and Sackett Streets. The goal of the meeting was to establish a dialog between the community and the developer and to address concerns before construction on the project resumes. It was also hoped that the developer would be open to changing the dark, unappealing façade of the Rogers Marvel designed building, which had been widely criticized when presented to the community in 2008.

Kenneth Horn assured everyone present that his firm will be responsive and will make itself available to address some of the issues that will come up during the construction phase, but was quick to point out that the project is being built as-of-right and that the NYC Buildings Department has approved all plans. He was also clear that the project will continue forward with the Rogers Marvel design and that the envelope of the building will not change.

He did, however agree that the façade needed to be improved. "The building will not be black" he stated. "It will be significantly lighter."

Construction will start very soon. The steel has been ordered and cut. It will be delivered in early August. Construction on the townhouses will most probably begin in the fall.

Alchemy has been in business since 1990. The firm has completed 24 projects, mostly in Manhattan.This will be its second Brooklyn project. (The first was at 199 State Street) .

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With Clarett's Future In Doubt, What Will Happen To 340 Court Street?

The Clarett Site at 340 Court Street

Clarett's design for proposed 340 Court Street development

proposed town houses or "maisonettes" on Sackett Street

I suppose this will not come as a surprise to anyone here in Carroll Gardens, but according to the Real Deal, the Clarett Group just shuttered its offices in New York City. From an article that was published on Thursday:

"The Clarett Group, a New York residential and office building developer, has shut down its New York office, leaving one local project in limbo and the company's future in doubt. And it comes as founder Veronica Hackett has decamped for a developer of commercial space, Brookfield Office Properties.

In January, following the gradual departure of staff over the past few months, the handful of remaining employees at Clarett's Madison Square Park office were let go or quit, according to former employees. In 2007, that office employed several dozen employees, the sources said."

But what does this mean for Clarett's " Collection On Court" site at 340 Court Street? Since late 2008, the project, which included a 70 foot building on Court Street, 4 townhouses on both Union and Sackett Streets as well as 3 'maisonettes', has been put on hold. Apparently, after the downturn in the economy, Clarett found it difficult to get financing.

Though Carroll Gardeners never warmed to the Rogers Marvel designed project, they hadn't signed up for a huge hole in the ground in the middle of the neighborhood either.

And now this announcement.

Jonathan Marvel, of Rogers Marvel Architects, the architect for Collection at Court Street, would not comment to the Real Deal, but he indicated to the Real Deal "that the project was in "transition" and details would be coming soon."

According to a source in the business, an out-of-town-opportunity fund is buying the site.

Stay tuned.

Related reading:

Clarett Clears A Hurdle! Gets BSA Application Approval From CB6 Land Use Committee

Some Work Resumes At Clarett Site On Court Street, Despite Recent Stop Work Order

Clarett Looking For Retail Tenant For 340 Court Street

Clarett Came, Dug...And Blighted?

Clarett Restores Sidewalk In Front Of "Collection On Court'

Clarett To Pause Construction At 340 Court For Next Few Months?

Clarett Keeping Mum About Revised Plans For 'The Collection At Court Street"

Oooops! Clarett Does It Again At 340 Court Street!

Line Of Communication Not Really "Open" With Clarett Group Regarding 340 Court Street

More Deconstruction At 340 Court Street

Carroll Gardens Not Exactly Loving Clarett's 340 Court Street Design

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Who's Leaving Leftovers At Clarett's 340 Court Street Site?

Clarett Site, 340 Court Street

Union Street Side of Clarett Site

pita bread/tortillas?

Over, the week-end, I received an email from Reader Molly who sent the photos above of food dumped on the Union Street side of the Clarett site. Molly writes:

I've been noticing over the last couple of months that someone in the area has been leaving leftover food from a restaurant/bakery near the vacant lot at 340 Court Street on the Union Street side. Perhaps that person thinks they are doing a good thing feeding birds/animals in the area, this is only going to attract more rodents to the vacant lot, causing lots of issues for those of us who live on the block. I was convince it was coming from one of the nearby bakeries until I saw what looks like a taco there the other day.

The empty pit at the end of our block is bad enough, please don't add rats (or worse!) to it!

Molly

Pretty disgusting, all right. Has anyone else noticed these left-overs or even seen the person(s) responsible?

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A Moment Back In Time: When Behrens' Ice Cream Parlor Was The Most Popular Spot In Town

This photo is for all of my Carroll Gardens friends and readers who are as fascinated with Carroll Gardens history as I am.

A while back, I found this wonderful photo postcard of the Behrens Ice Cream Parlor. It is a glimpse of life in the neighborhood in the 1940's, during World War II. Two servicemen in uniform can be seen sitting next to the ladies.

The inscription on the picture reads: " The Most Popular Spot In Town."

Armed with my camera, I tried to located the address indicated, 338 Court Street. But no luck. The address does not exist anymore. It should have been between Union and Sackett Street. Where Behrens' Ice Cream parlor used to be, there is now a big hole in the ground, the stalled development site of Clarett Group's "Collection At Court Street".

But the building that housed the parlor at 338 Court Street was demolished years before that, in the 1960's, to make room for the Anthony Anastasio International Longshoremen's Association Building, which later became the Long Island College Hospital Ambulatory Care facility at # 340 Court Street. The building was sold to Clarett by L.I.C.H. in 2007 and taken down in 2008.

(The only other building still on that block now houses Apple Bank at number 326 Court Street.)

That block sure has seen a lot of changes.

If anyone remembers anything about the Behrens Ice Cream Parlor, recognizes any of the people in the photograph or has any photos of that block from before the 1960's, I would absolutely love to know.

The Clarett Group's Stalled development on

Court Street between Union and Sackett Street today.

The Anthony Anastasio International Longshoremen's Association Building

shortly before it was taken down in 2008

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Some Work Resumes At Clarett Site On Court Street, Despite Recent Stop Work Order

The Clarett Site at 340 Court Street


Proposed 340 Union Street development

proposed town houses on Sackett Street

At Monday night's Community Board 6 Land Use Committee meeting, the Clarett Group's 340 Court Street project cleared a hurdle in the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals process when the committee voted to approve the BSA application.

Although the project has been stalled due to our injured economy, it was issued a stop work order due to the recent rezoning of the Carroll Gardens neighborhood. The NYC Department of Buildings automatically stops work at development projects when there is a zoning change and requires that developers re-submit their plans to confirm that they meet the revised zoning.

As it turns out, there were a few small differences between what was permitted under the old R6 zoning with quality housing guidelines and the new contextual R6A and R6B zoning. The F.A.R. (Floor Area Ratio - which is a number which determines the allowable size of a building) did not change along the Court Street corridor but was reduced slightly (about 10%) along Union and Sackett Streets but did not significantly change the project. There was a change to the height limits along the side streets which were subject to the R6B zoning and therefore limited to a 50 foot height after a setback at 40 feet. The existing plans included townhouses along the side streets rising to a height of 42 feet without setbacks. This, it is believed, is better than requiring setbacks which would make the new townhouses look out of place compared to the existing streetscape.

As a result of this analysis and in light of the comments of a few people with knowledge of the project and with neighborhood zoning, the Landmarks/Land Use committee of Community Board Six voted to approve the application submitted by Clarett to the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals to allow their project to proceed as vested under the old zoning requirements.

The representative, Clarett Managing Director Eric Deutsch, said that they consider the 340 Court Street project one of their high priorities and that they intend to proceed as soon as financing allows. He denied that there are any plans to sell the site to another developer.

It was suggested at Monday night's meeting that Clarett should strive to work on improving communications with the community and to reach out to residents to resolve problems.

The hearing in front of the NYC Board Of Standards and Appeals regarding 340 Court Street is scheduled for January 26th.

Related Reading:

Some Work Resumes At Clarett Site On Court Street, Despite Recent Stop Work Order

Clarett Came, Dug...And Blighted?

Clarett To Pause Construction At 340 Court For Next Few Months?

Clarett Keeping Mum About Revised Plans For 'The Collection At Court Street"

Carroll Gardens Not Exactly Loving Clarett's 340 Court Street Design




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Some Work Resumes At Clarett Site On Court Street, Despite Recent Stop Work Order

Proposed 340 Union Street development

proposed town houses on Sackett Street

Neighbors of the Clarett Goup's 340 Court Street site informed me this week that work had resumed behind the blue construction fence. When workers were asked what was happening, the neighboring residents were told that Clarett was proceeding with the planned townhouses on Union and Sackett Streets.

As the photos I was sent clearly show, a bulldozer was moving dirt on Union Street. And just recently, the construction crew shored up the diagonal iron beams that hold the foundation on both the Union and Sackett sides, especially the side next to the Apple Back building.

Designed by architect Rob Rogers, of the firm Rogers Marvel, the Clarett Group development includes 4 townhouses on both Sackett and Union Streets, 3 Maisonettes towards Court and a 70 foot building on Court.
Back in April 2008, when Clarett presented their plans for 340 Court Street to a less than enthusiastic crowd here in Carroll Gardens, the developer estimated that construction on their Collection On Court project would take about 18 months to complete. That was, of course, before the downturn in the economy. Construction came to a sudden halt in November 2008.

Since then, the site has been dormant. But just in the last few weeks, there has been a flurry of activity. At the end of October, however, the NYC Buildings Department has issued a Complete Stop Work Order.
The paperwork states:

INSPECTION FOR VESTING REGARDING CARROLL GARDENS ZONING CHANGE EFFECTIVE 10/28/09. Job considered not vested.

This has to do with the neighborhood zoning change that was just passed by the City Council. The DoB needs to inspect the site to see if the development's foundation has been substantially completed, in order to proceed with the proposed plans. The Stop Work Order was serve on Tuesday, November 3rd.

However, the work has not stopped completely. As one of the site's neighbor writes:

"The stop work order says they can go in there to make things safer. I'm sure if an inspector came by they could figure out something that they're doing to call it such. So awful! (No hard hats on any of the workers.)"

That doesn't come as a surprise. What is more astonishing is that the work is moving ahead at all, especially in these economic times.

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

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