It Took A Long Time, But Warehouse Conversion At 333 Carroll Street Getting Closer To Completion

It has taken a very long time and quite a few twists and turns, but it appears as though construction on 333 Carroll Street, between Hoyt and Bond Street, is getting closer to being completed. A few windows have been installed, and now that some of the netting has been removed from the scaffolding, it is easier to imagine what the building will look like when it is all done.

Permits to convert the lovely old brick manufacturing building into residential condominiums were first filed in 2005.  Owner/developer  Isaac Fischman of AMI Development, LLC, had hired bad boy architect Robert"Mezzanine" Scarano to convert an old brick manufacturing building into 30 units. As part of the plans, a two story, 40 foot steel addition was erected on top of the old structure.

Alarmed by the size of the addition, residents asked the NYC Department of Buildings to review the plans, which revealed that Scarano had been more than creative with the floor-air-ratio (FAR) calculations. The Building's Department confirmed in March 2008, that the architect has lied on the application, claiming that the cellar was a basement. Scarano intended to use the "habitable" basement for parking and had transferred the square footage onto the roof. A stop-work order was issued on March 4th 2008 and the developer fired Scarano.

Eventually, Fischman replaced Scarano with another controversial architect, Karl Fischer, to resolve the floor-area-ratio problem. Fischer, the architect behind the 11 story 'finger' at 100 Luquer street, filed for an amendement, which he self-certified. The DOB accepted an audit in October 2009 and new permits were issued.

However, by then, the neighborhood had organized and, with the help of the Department of City Planning, was able to down-zone Carroll Gardens. Unlike the neighborhood's original R6 zoning, the new R6B zoning has a 50 foot height limit. The City Council voted the re-zoning into law on October 28, 2009.

As with any re-zoning, all construction projects were served with a stop-work-order and were re-visited by DOB to see if construction was far enough along to be vested under the old zoning. In the case of 333-335 Carroll Street, DOB determined that only 15% of the work has been completed and therefore needed to comply with the new 50 foot hight limit. Another stop work order was issued.

Finally, in April 2011, the steel structure, which was so hideous that many in the community had begun referring to 333 Carroll Street as the 'hunchback' building or "hell house", was taken down. Work on the actual building finally resumed under Nicholas Scire-Chianeta of NSC Architecture, P.C. a few months later.

Since construction began, the site has raked up 60 complaints and 22 DoB violations (of which 9 are still open).  I bet neighbors will be happy to see this project completed.

A reminder of what it looked like:

The building at 333 Carroll Street in 2011 with the illegal addition

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From Condo To Rental: The Lightstone Group Presents Its Gowanus Project To Community Board 6

363-365 Bond Street 

CB6 Landmark/Land Use Committee meeting last night

Committee Chair Peter Fleming

Lightstone Representative 

Steven Lenard and Aline Fader representing New York City Planning

David Von Spreckelsen, senior vice president at Toll Brothers

After seven weeks in France, the last place I wanted to be last night was at the Community Board 6 Landmark/ Land Use Committee meeting, but The Lightstone Group was presenting its plans for 363-365 Bond Street on the shores of the Gowanus Canal. And well, it was too important to miss.

As many of you probably know by now, Lightstone is reviving the former Toll Brothers project. Back in 2009, after a Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) that was set in motion by Toll Brothers, the property was successfully spot re-zoned from manufacturing to special mixed-use by the City of New York despite the protests of many members of the community who pleaded with city officials to first clean the Gowanus Canal thoroughly before rezoning the area.

Shortly afterwards, however, the Environmental Protection Agency came to the community to inform residents of the toxicity of the Canal and declared is a Superfund Site.
It did not take long for Toll Brothers to abandon its plans, stating that the Superfund designation made it impossible to go forward with the 447 unit condo project.

If Toll Brothers got cold feet, the Lightstone Group is ready to charge ahead with a 700-unit rental building. The developer came in front of CB6's Land Use Committee last night as a "courtesy" since the "relative minor alterations" apparently do not need a new ULURP nor a new Impact Statement.
CB6 Land Use Chair Peter Fleming was quick to tell board members and residents that this was an 'informal presentation' by Lightstone. "They are looking for input from the community, so try to be productive with your comments."

 Lightsone's project looks very much like what Toll Brothers had proposed. The "minor modification" are reflected in the massing to allow affordable apartments to be distributed throughout the buildings and 'to accommodate the addition of the NYC waterfront Sponge Park at the end of 2nd Street."
However, the new plan will "reflect the current economic conditions and real estate market." It is a mixed-use, all-rental development with fully integrated affordable and market components.
There will be 560 market rate apartments, 140 affordable apartments. There will be two small retail spaces on Bond Street, community spaces on the Canal and on 1st Street as well as open space along the Canal. There will also be parking for 316 cars.
The buildings will range in height from 6 stories to 12 stories, with the higher buildings on the canal front.
The affordable component will be affordable in perpetuity and will be managed by the Fifth Avenue Committee.

It did not take long for CB6 members and local residents to address the environmental issues affecting this particular site during the question-and-answer period. According to Ethan Geto, Lightsone's public relations person, "the EPA has responded positively to the development project" and "supports remediation of the site by Lighthouse" because the proposed steel pile along the bulkhead, storm sewers and other site work will reduce pollution in the canal.

Steven Miller, Committee member and EPA Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) member urged Lighthouse to set up a meeting with members of the CAG and representatives of the EPA "as soon as possible".

The community also reminded Lighthouse representatives that the Gowanus area used to be marshland and that it is prone to flooding. In addition, the sewer infrastructure is totally inadequate. "I have had 5 feet of raw sewage in my basement, "Richard Beanman , who lives on Carroll Street at the corner of Bond Street, stated. "I welcome you to come to my house when it rains. Before you build. Not after."
Another resident added: "You are increasing the sewer load by 700 units in the area."

It is interesting to note that Lighthouse has retained the services of both Lee Weintraub of Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture and of AKRF a leading environmental, planning and engineering consulting firm. Both had previously worked on the Toll Brothers Project.

It was also strange to see David Von Spreckelsen, senior vice president at Toll Brothers, in the audience. Longtime resident Celia Cacase asked directly if Toll Brothers still had any involvement with the project.  A Lighthouse representative was quick to deny. "Toll is neither directly involved or indirectly involved."

Also, when asked if Lighthouse had already purchased the site or had an option to buy, their representative said that because of confidentiality, he could not answer the question, but that 'an option to buy would not be a misrepresentation."

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City Council Unanimously Says "Yes" To Carroll Gardens

City Hall, New York City

Dear Reader,
You probably already heard the good news about the outcome of the City Council's vote on the Carroll Gardens Wide Street Text Amendment:
It passed unanimously today. That is wonderful news for the neighborhood.
After almost a year of meetings, hearings and community outreach efforts, there is finally something written into law that will truly help to protect the historical character of the neighborhood.

The amendment goes into effect immediately!

Though this is excellent news, it is just the first step. Next: the entire neighborhood needs to be down-zoned and efforts are already on the way.
Ultimately? Lets hope that very soon, we will be able to expand the existing Carroll Gardens Landmark District.

Below is a press release by our Councilperson Bill DeBlasio, who has supported the amendment from the start.

Councilmember de Blasio Applauds Passage of Text Amendment

Carroll Gardens— Councilmember Bill de Blasio released this statement following the City Council's unanimous passage of the "narrow streets" Zoning Text amendment, which would limit the permitted heights and densities in Carroll Gardens.

"I would like to thank my colleagues as well as the Borough President, Community Board 6 and the City Planning Commission for supporting the Carroll Gardens text amendment. I am proud to say that the entire community played an important role in making this a reality. This amendment is a critical piece in the larger puzzle of preserving the character of our neighborhood."

De Blasio added, "While this is a positive step forward, we must continue to focus our efforts on a neighborhood wide down zoning. Limiting the permitted heights and densities of new buildings will help to match future developments to the existing low-scale context of the neighborhood."

The proposal amends sections of the Zoning Resolution that regulate height and setback, density and Floor area ratio (FAR). For those sections of the Zoning Resolution, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Places, and 2nd Street, Carroll Street and President Street between Smith Street and Hoyt Street would be considered 'narrow streets'. The mapped width of the streets on the city map would be unchanged. For buildings developed pursuant to Quality Housing, the proposed amendments would limit new development to an FAR of 2.2 and a maximum height of 55 feet.

For buildings developed pursuant to R6 height factor regulations, the text change increases the depth of the initial setback distance, and produces a more shallow sky exposure plane ratio.

This post linked here:

New York Times

CGZoning Tweak Passes; Oliver House Height Doomed? (Brownstoner)


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Another 'Yes' Vote For The Carroll Gardens Wide Street Text Amedment

City Hall, Manhattan

****UPDATE****


The Wide Streets Text Amendment unanimously passed in the City Council!

Now that's worth celebrating!

Today Is the Day!

The full New York City Council will vote today on the Carroll Gardens Zoning Text Amendment. This is the last step, friends.
Let's hope it passes so that there is at least a small measure of protection
for our great little neighborhood.

Related reading:

Another 'Yes' Vote For The Carroll Gardens Wide Street Text Amedment

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Another 'Yes' Vote For The Carroll Gardens Wide Street Text Amendment

Sketch of the proceedings by Triada Samaras

Councilperson and Sub-Committee Chair Tony Avella

Councilperson Bill deBlasio

Councilperson Melinda Katz
Chair Of the Council Land Use Committee

Purnima Kapur, Director Of City Planning, Brooklyn

Richard Bearack, Deputy Director of Planning and Development,
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz's office

Developer Billy Stein

Another giant step towards protecting Carroll Garden's unique character!

Yesterday morning, the Zoning & Franchises Sub-Committee of the New York City Council Land Use Committee, chaired by Queens Councilperson Tony Avella , voted 6-0 to approve the Carroll Gardens' Wide Street Text Amendment.
Prior to the vote, Purnima Kapur, Director Of City Planning in Brooklyn and her assistant, Jennifer Posner, presented the text amendment and briefly stated the reasons why it was introduced. Richard Bearack, Deputy Director of Planning and Development of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz's office, Councilperson Bill De Blasio , Oscar Jones for State Senator Marty Connor's Office as well as Craig Hammerman, District Office manager of C.B. 6 all spoke in favor of the Text Amendment.
Then Carroll Gardeners had one last opportunity to have their voice heard.
Members of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association gave passionate testimonies about the need to protect the unique brownstone character of Carroll Gardens. Members of C.O.R.D. spoke in favor and submitted almost 700 signed petitions in favor of the amendment.

There were only three people giving testimony against the amendment.
Two were given by Peter Pober and his wife, new C.B.6 Board member Judith Thompson. Pober's objection to the Amendment seemed to encompass a whole number of grievances. He accused the neighborhood of being elitist and of trying to insulate the neighborhood. He made the claim that it is only in white, middle class neighborhoods that people were concerned with preservation. The one statement that stuck out was his assertion that " a vote for the Amendment is a vote for segregation."
Judith Thomson's objections were with the lack of notification to the neighborhood and her concern that the setback rules would ruin the uniform streetscape.
She also made the assertion that the amendment would reduce the available housing, by forcing people who could not expand their houses, to occupy more of their buildings, thereby pushing tenants out of the neighborhood.

The third testimony against the Text Amendment came from the attorney for Developer Bill Stein of Oliver House at 131 Second Place /360 Smith Street. Mr. Stein's project will be directly affected by the Amendment, should it pass.
Accusing the Carroll Gardens community of having requested the Amendment for the sole purpose of stopping the construction of his building, the lawyer stated that her client had bent over backwards to please local residents. As examples, she insisted that Mr. Stein had been attacked for his choice of architect and had to change to another at considerable expense to him. (The original architect was the notorious Robert Scarano.) The attorney also mentioned the difficulties of building on his site which is located right over a subway station.
Through his legal council, Stein let slip that if he did not get an exemption and had to argue his case in front of the office of Standards and Appeals, the inconvenience
to the neighborhood caused by the closure of the F train station in the footprint of his development, would just be prolonged. It was a thinly veiled threat that certainly will not endear him to the Carroll Gardens neighborhood.
Councilperson Bill de Blasio strongly disagreed with Bill Stein's assertion. He stated that the Wide Street Zoning Text Amendment had been discussed years before Mr. Stein actively stared the construction process of his Oliver House project.

Today, the Land Use Committee of the City Council will vote on the amendmend, followed a vote by the full Council On Wednesday



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Important Day For Carroll Gardens Zoning Text Amendment

Important Reminder From Cord

THIS COMING MONDAY, JULY 21ST AT 9:30 AM is the last opportunity to speak out on behalf of the CG Zoning Text Amendment!

This is your last chance to let our City Council Members know how strongly we support this text change which will finally and properly classify and zone the 15 blocks covered in this amendment, as the little side streets they actually are.
(Link to Text Amendment here)


This is the final public hearing. This is the last step we are permitted to actively participate in, within the process. Two days after this hearing, the full council will meet and vote.

Please come and bring a friend or a neighbor. For three minutes or less, you may read your prepared statement. If speaking out publicly is not for you, you can still show your support by coming out and standing side by side with your neighbors and friends.

WHEN: MONDAY JULY 21ST AT 9:30 AM
WHERE: CITY HALL COMMITTEE ROOM

DIRECTIONS: VIA SUBWAY
F TRAIN TO JAY ST
SWITCH TO A OR C TO CHAMBERS STREET
WALK TO MURRAY & BROADWAY


For further information on the subject, go to C.O.R.D.'s web site

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Behind Billy Stein's Labyrinth

I have been posting "behind-the-blue construction fence" photos of Bill Stein's 131 Second Place/ 360 Smith Street construction site for a few month now. The last one was just posted on July 15th. But then, Stein was issued a Saturday work permit by the Department of Buildings for July 19th which was this last Saturday.
Notice, the newsstand is gone and few of the trees in the plaza have been cut.

To see the entire series of bird's-eye-views, click here

Photo courtesy of Barbara of Carroll Gardens Brooklyn History

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Carroll Gardens Text Amendment Heroes Meet With Councilman Avella

From left to right:
Maria Pagano, Lucy DeCarlo, Rita Miller and Glenn Kelly

In the continuing battle to save Carroll Gardens, our determined heroes prepare to meet with Councilman Tony Avella. The meeting, at Councilman Avella's Bayside, Queens offices was organized by members of CORD and CGNA to present the case for protecting the garden blocks in Carroll Gardens from out of context development. The text amendment, which was introduced by the office of City Planning and approved by Community Board 6, the Brooklyn Borough President, and the City Planning Commission, is now being sent to the City Council and will come before Councilman Avella's Land Use Committee on July 21st.

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You Bet, Carroll Gardens Is "A Very Politically Active Community"

100 Luquer Street, developer: Abe Klein

340 Court Street, Developer: Clarett Group

360 Smith Street/ 131 2nd Place, Developer: William Stein

Ms. Pardon Me For Asking's Easy Check List For Developers Who Are Currently Building Or Are Thinking About Building In Carroll Gardens:

* Respect The Carroll Gardens Neighborhood

*Respect The Residents

*Respect Their Residences

*Make My Buildings Fit Contextually Into This Brownstone Neighborhood

* Communicate With Residents

*Carroll Gardeners Are Smart, Treat Them Accordingly

* Don't Lie To Them

*Don't Forget That Carroll Gardeners Will Speak Out In Order To Protect Their Historical Brownstone Neighborhood

Below is an interesting article on the subject. It just appeared in The Real Deal.

In Carroll Gardens, neighborhood watch is for developers

Community activists reshape projects in Carroll Gardens

By Amy Miller

The gray, institutional-looking building that until recently sat at 340 Court Street in Carroll Gardens used to house the once-powerful International Longshoremen's Association.

But if the Clarett Group has its way, the aging building between Union and Sackett streets, which has already been demolished, will be replaced by a gleaming new 70-foot-high condo building with 30 to 40 new units.

The seven-story design is a scaled-back plan from Clarett's original vision. In many ways, the story of 340 Court Street encapsulates the neighborhood's real estate market, as ambitious developers trim their plans in the face of community opposition.

Even in a cooling market, Clarett is not the only one gambling on Carroll Gardens, a neighborhood that has managed to maintain some of its old-world Italian flair despite the hordes of young professionals and hipsters that have settled there.

Known for its limited inventory and established brownstone blocks, the area is also full of politically active neighborhood groups that closely watch empty lots and building applications submitted to the city.

Abe Klein is developing a 14-story condo at 100 Luquer Street. The Karl Fisher-designed tower is going up deep in the neighborhood, overlooking the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The building will have floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides and will include 20 condos.

The units are expected to go on the market this summer for between $755,000 and $850,000, Klein said. He added that neighbors haven't complained to his company, noting the buyers will probably be Wall Streeters who want to be close to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and BQE, and have easy access to work.

"I'm already getting calls," he said. "I don't think we will have a problem selling it, even in this market."

Yet on the Internet, the building's reception has been less than warm. On Curbed.com, the real estate site, the project has been dubbed the "Carroll Gardens Monstrosity." Readers have pointed out that even though the project is in a remote part of the neighborhood, the building is out of character with the four- to five-story buildings nearby.

Residents also rallied against a 49-unit project at 360 Smith Street, which is located near the Carroll Street subway station and is now under way in full force. The developer, William Stein, had originally tapped controversial architect Robert Scarano to design the glass-and-brick structure. But recently, Stein replaced Scarano with KSQ Architects and unveiled a scaled-down plan. That may have been in response to community activists, who seem to be effective at winning concessions.

But it's not just the building's design that has activists fuming. They're worried about losing a portion of the neighboring Smith Street Plaza to the project.

For the Court Street project, an online petition drive yielded nearly 1,100 signatures to push city officials to a impose a 50-foot-height restriction on all new construction in the neighborhood. In addition, neighbors registered 22 complaints with the Department of Buildings about construction at the site.

Those same locals also seem to have prompted the Clarett Group, which, according to city records, took out a $15.5 million mortgage on its property in February, to come forward with a proposal they hope will pass the community smell test.

The developers and architects faced about 200 mostly disgruntled residents at a public meeting in early April when they revealed designs for the project.

While a few residents thanked the developers for having the meeting, many walked away disappointed, Paul Nelson, chief of staff for state Assemblywoman Joan Millman said. Residents were particularly upset by the proposed condo's slate gray color, saying it would clash with the neighborhood's typically brown, earth-toned buildings.

"Many people were stunned by how dark it was," Nelson said. He added it was unclear whether Clarett representatives would appear at another public hearing.

Clarett declined to comment or provide artist renderings when contacted by The Real Deal, but officials there have said the project, designed by architect Rogers Marvel, will be seven stories rather than the allowable 21.

"The developers could have put up a 21-story building," Nelson said. "And we're very glad at least that they're not doing that. People feel very much under attack."

Clarett is also planning 14 four-story, single-family townhouses on Sackett and Union streets with relatively spacious front yards that fit in with the other homes in the neighborhood, Nelson said.

The project will also include ground-floor retail, which could reinvigorate the block. Nelson – who noted that nobody has seen the Clarett Group's renderings yet –said he is hoping the space is rented to a grocery story or post office.

Such big-time projects aren't the only ones drawing fire in Carroll Gardens. Angela Vita, owner and broker at Vita Real Estate on Court Street, said many residents are also angry about a seven-story brick condo at 11 2nd Place between Clinton and Henry streets.

Despite such neighborhood opposition, condo sales have been strong, suggesting that there is a market for this type of development.

The 11 condos on 2nd Place sold for between $600,000 for a one-bedroom unit and $1.3 million for the penthouse, Vita said. Also, all but two of the 18 condos at the recently completed Terraces on Court located at 529 Court Street have sold, Vita said in April. The last two apartments, both two-bedroom units in the five-story, beige-brick project, are on the market for $659,000.

Meanwhile, Vita said the owner of a parking lot at 260 Smith Street and Degraw Street plans to turn his property into a 44-unit residential project. But, she said he hasn't decided whether to rent or sell units. But, given that project's location, the Carroll Gardens community groups will likely weigh in on that decision, too.

"This is a very politically active community," Nelson said. "So if you're doing something wrong, you're going to hear about it. They love their neighborhood and just want to make sure everything has been done right."

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