Up,up and away! House Prices

Found on The Economist. I thought that it may interest you to see how house prices have gone up in other houses in the last 30 years. All I can say is: Germany or Japan, anyone?

House prices
Through the roof
Jun 4th 2007
From Economist.com

IF A Briton had bought a house in 1975, by 2006 that happy homeowner would have an asset worth over 14 times more. Since the mid-1990s an increasing population, supply shortfall and low interest rates have all contributed to the steep increase. Newly-flush Brits have also pushed up prices by buying properties in neighbouring countries, such as France. Germany and Japan, by contrast, have experienced relatively modest increases.

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Architect Scarano In The Naughty Chair

The above picture is of a building at 333 Carroll Street in Carroll Gardens. Care to guess who the architect is? Yes, no other than Build-Sky-High Robert M.Scarano. Well, now the New YorkTimes is taking a closer look at this "creative mind". By the way, after lots of protest about the pictured building on Carroll, the Buildings Department slapped the project with a Stop Work order. It has been sitting idle for about 2 months now. A source in the know thinks Scarano may need to take the top story off again. That would be great. The building is so visible that when you look down landmarked President Street from Smith Street, it is all you see.

New York Times April 16, 2006
How Big Is Too Big?
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
New York City's honor system that allows architects and engineers to approve their own plans is put to the test by buildings that may be larger than zoning rules allow.

IT is not hard to spot the buildings that Robert M. Scarano Jr., an architect, has designed in New York City: they tend to be a lot bigger than the other buildings around them.
In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Mr. Scarano's building at 78 Ten Eyck Street is about twice as tall as the modest three-story houses on either side of it. In the East Village, the new building at 4 East Third Street, at the Bowery, rises to 16 stories, far above the other buildings on the block, including a row of 18th-century town houses.
Mr. Scarano has played an active role in the city's current construction boom, particularly in Brooklyn, where he has numerous projects in rapidly changing neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Brighton Beach. His designs have brought him plenty of business from developers rushing to take advantage of rising real estate values.
But the sheer bulk of many of Mr. Scarano's projects has prompted some residents to complain that he ignores the zoning code and puts up buildings that are simply too big, blocking the light and views of their neighbors. And too often, they say, the city has stood by and done nothing.
Continue reading article:
New York Times: How Big Is too Big

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Picture Of The Week

Blessing Sand Bags. Found on Flikr under Carroll Gardens. Great Picture, no?

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A Greener Bush? Nah...

After spending some days writing about very local happenings, I am on to more national news once more.
Our ever entertaining President last week thought he could take on the role of global savior yet again. This time he did not want to bring Democracy to all, no, he wanted to save the world from green-house effect by lowering worldwide emission standards. Like democracy. reducing those standards is a good thing. But the irony of George Bush, of all people, positioning himself as a decisive leader on environmental causes did not go unnoticed by European leaders who have been much more resolute in stopping global warming. The German Der Spiegel states:

"It's a clever PR move. Back home in America, Bush can present himself as the decisive leader he so yearns to be, giving the voters the impression that he has launched an offensive in the climate change debate -- a debate that has long since moved on however, even here in the US. And in Europe the plan is intended to take the wind from the sails of G-8 critics -- if they attack his proposal, they will now be the ones that risk being labeled as "rejectionist."
To read the full article, and I hope you do, click here:
The Emperor's Green Clothes

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Could It Be? DeBlasio On The Right Side Of A Construction Issue For Once?

My, my! Will wonders never cease? Is Bill DeBlasio actually getting involved in the Scarano Smith Street building debacle? A showdown between De Blahblah and Scarano? That's priceless.
Finally a worthwhile cause for our Councilman to pursue, one that will actually help Carroll Gardens. Now if we could only get him to change his mind about some other, bigger Brooklyn construction projects. Lets keep blogging away, folks.....

Release from Bill De Blasio's Office:
Join Councilmember Bill de Blasio and Stand up Against Illegal Construction!
Wednesday June 4, 2007
12:30 PM
In front of Robert Scarano’s latest project
360 Smith Street, Brooklyn.

What we want:
We want Robert Scarano and any other architect, developer or contractor working in this city to know they must be held accountable for their actions. Anyone who violates zoning codes, building codes and practices unsafe construction is not wanted in our neighborhood!
The New York City Department of Buildings has already relieved Scarano of his self-certification. Now we are calling on the New York State Department of Education to strip Robert Scarano of his architecture license.
Power in Numbers! We must show that we will no longer tolerate this abuse!

Councilmember Bill de Blasio 2907 Ft. Hamilton Parkway (718) 854-9791

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Is Scarano Scared Of Carroll Gardeners?

Well, the first crack in the facade of Scarano's proposed building at 360 Smith Street. Scarano, architect exraordinaire (not) went from modern to traditional in a heartbeat.
I guess he got scared of the Carroll Garden residents. But I don't trust his sudden change of building style. Stay tuned. Things are happening fast.


Scarano caves to Gardeners
By Ariella Cohen
The Brooklyn Paper
Controversial DUMBO-based designer Robert Scarano has scrapped a plan to erect a flashy, steel-skinned building on Smith Street and Second Place in favor of a brick edifice with a green roof and “gigantic apartments perfect for families,” he told The Stoop this week.
The change of heart came after some brownstone-loving Carroll Gardeners — and the blogs and pols that cater to them — started a campaign against the metal-clad condo, which was to replace a parking lot and a popular, open-air newsstand above the F-train entrance at Second Place.
“I know what they’re saying out there,” Scarano said. “But now we’ve studied the area, and the building is going to be less modern.”
To continue reading this article, click here:
Scarano caves to Gardeners

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High-Rise Nightmare In Case of Emergency

Surprise, surprise. The article below says it all. I was wondering when someone was going to address the safety of these New York City monster high- rises. Turns out that you are pretty much toast if your tall office or apartment building is under attach. The reason? A lack of emergency measures and drills to safely evacuate.
Do you guys remember right after 9/11 when everyone was saying that they would not ever be able to work in a sky-scraper again? People also walked away from huge deposits they had placed on million dollar apartments because they could not bear to be high up for fear that another plane could crash into a tower. How soon we forget. In the last five years, the city has built more tall buildings than ever before. So it goes.....
* As an aside...why hasn't anybody addressed the incedible lack of energy- efficiency of some of these buildings. Am I mistaken in thinking that a glass-clad building probably is incredibly badly insulated? It must be very, very cold in the winter time


HIGH-RISES NOW 9/11 SCOFFLAWS
By CHUCK BENNETT

June 1, 2007 -- Half of the city's high-rises have failed to create post-9/11 emergency-response plans, as required by law, FDNY brass said yesterday.
All large office buildings over 10 stories were supposed to submit terrorism- and disaster-preparedness plans - complete with blueprints, evacuation details and an internal response team - to the FDNY by November last year.
But as of yesterday, just 666 of the estimated 1,200 to 1,400 buildings had done so, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said during a City Council hearing.
"We have been really quite firm with the real-estate industry," Scoppetta said. "We have been pushing them pretty hard."
Even so, fire-safety experts warn that the skyscraper owners are moving too slowly and leaving tens of thousands of office workers at risk.
"There's a lackadaisical approach to safety six years after 9/11. God forbid anything happens, you have to have a plan in place," said Jack Murphy, vice chairman of the Fire Safety Directors of Greater New York and an expert on the commercial high-rise safety.
"You could say it's negligent."
Owners are required to submit the plans under upgraded city building-safety laws that were passed after 9/11.
cbennett@nypost.com

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