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Yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved revised plans for the redevelopment of the Domino Sugar Factory on the Williamsburg waterfront. The new plan includes less glass on top of the historic factory building, and saves the complex’s iconic sign, as shown in this rendering, via the NY Observer.
Developer Michael Lappin of CPC Resources implied in a statement that the new design may threaten some of the planned affordable housing: “The reduction in size translates into a loss of more than 20,000 square feet of residential space or over 20 apartments. This presents an economic challenge that we must meet to fulfill our firm commitment to develop 660 affordable housing units,” he said.
This Saturday, May 31, the South Brooklyn Accountable Development Initiative (a project of the Fifth Avenue Committee) is hosting the People’s Accountable Development Summit. The summit seeks to create dialogue and forge alliances among residents and various community stake holders in Brooklyn facing large developments, re-zonings and other land use changes.
The centerpiece of the Summit will be a series of panel discussions on four major accountable development topics: Housing, Labor, Environment, and Process.
The Summit will take place at PS 282 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, 180 6th Avenue (btw. Lincoln and Berkley) . It is free, and food, Spanish translation, and childcare will be provided. For more information, contact Dave Powell at dpowell@fifthave.org or 718-237-2017 ext 148.
Check out the full schedule after the jump.
The NY Times reports on the City’s revisions to its Coney Island plan. Private owners, including Thor Equities, would be allowed to develop their own property, as long as they follow the City’s master plan, which, “calls for a series of buildings that could include a glass-enclosed water park, games and amusements, a bowling alley, restaurants and entertainment-oriented businesses like House of Blues, Dave & Busters, NikeTown and movie theaters,” as well as high-rise hotels on Surf Avenue.
Meanwhile, in other parts of Brooklyn: AM NY reports that Williamsburg is about to lose more of its industrial heritage, this time in the form of an historic power plant; the Brooklyn Paper covers another waterfront neighborhood, Red Hook, as it braces for the June 18 opening of Ikea; and the Brooklyn Paper also explores three Brooklyn Council Members’ efforts to impose a moratorium on construction/demolition at the Atlantic Yards Site, “until developer Bruce Ratner commits — in writing — to building the full state-approved project.”
Also, in news sure to reach all parts of the City, the Times reports that the downturn in the economy is not only tough on the mom ‘n pop shops (such as music stores), but on national retail chains as well.
Finally, we must put in a plug for the Municipal Art Society and Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance’s documentary, City of Water, which, “explores the aspirations of public officials, environmentalists, academics, community activists, recreational boaters and everyday New Yorkers for a diverse, vibrant waterfront at a time when the shoreline is changing faster than at any other time in New York’s history.” It makes its television premiere tomorrow (Saturday) at 1:30pm on PBS (Thirteen). Watch the trailer here.
According to many reports, Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza is the busiest intersection in New York City, connecting Flatbush Ave., Vanderbilt Ave., Eastern Parkway, Prospect Park West, and Union Street. In the coming months, the Grand Army Plaza Coalition and the Design Trust for Public Space are holding an “Ideas Competition” for a redesign of this space.
According to Streetsblog, the organizations are creating a Briefing Booklet for competition entrants, and they want the public’s thoughts, ideas, hopes, frustrations and visions for Grand Army Plaza represented. The briefing booklet will quote from responses to the following questionnaire, which can be filled out and e-mailed to info@reinventingGAP.org by Dec. 20:
- What about Grand Army Plaza currently functions well?
- What existing problems could be addressed by a Plaza re-design?
- What potential uses or opportunities for the Plaza might a Plaza re- design incorporate?
- Please include your name, organization/affiliation, neighborhood and contact information in your response.
Photo via Curbed.
Community visioning news from the Municipal Art Society Planning Center: As part of Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York, the planning center is working with the residents, business owners, and civic leaders of Flatbush, Brooklyn, with the partnership of the Flatbush Development Corporation, to assist in creating neighborhood sustainability goals and tools to measure progress toward consensus-based goals. Flatbush is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the city, growing at a rate of eight percent annually, and mirroring the needs and attributes of a growing population within a district that is both architecturally and historically distinct. Yet the lack of affordable housing undermines the ability of the neighborhood to stay diverse, the resident to open space ratio is among the highest in the city, and heavy vehicular traffic compromise the quality of life.
A community visioning meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 pm at the Brooklyn College Student Center, 6th Floor. (Located at E. 27th St. and Campus Rd). If you live in the Flatbush area and would like to get involved, contact Sideya Sherman at ssherman@mas.org.
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