New building approved after two-story reduction

Four-story building will have 27 new dwellings. BSA approved a use variance, allowing the new construction of a four-story, 27-unit residential building with 14 underground parking spaces in an Ml-2 zoning district on the corner of North 7th and Berry Streets in Williamsburg. The building site, comprising two lots totaling 15,840 sq.ft., contains a former garage and a vacant one-story structure previously used as a food processing facility.

The original application, which sought a six-story … <Read More>


Ikea development approved

Council cited economic and infrastructure improvements. On October 13, 2004,’ the Council approved the development of a 346,000 sq.ft. Ikea furniture store on the 22-acre waterfront of Red Hook, Brooklyn, by a vote of 50 to 1. The development includes a 6.3-acre esplanade/bikeway and an additional 70,000 sq.ft. of restaurant and retail space. Ikea forecasts that the project will create 500-600 jobs and potential employment for Red Hook residents.

Red Hook Council Member Sara Gonzalez … <Read More>


Developer withdraws on eve of Council vote

Tower to have been built adjacent to Brooklyn Bridge withdrawn within hours of Council’s vote. With only one day remaining in the Council’s 50-day review deadline, Two Trees Management Co., the developer of a proposed 178-foot residential tower adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge side span, withdrew its application on October 13, 2004, the same day Council scheduled its vote.

The project was proposed for DUMBO along Water, Dock, and Front Streets, with a part of … <Read More>


Long Island New York Telephone Company

101 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn. Built in 1929-30, the Art-Deco style Long Island headquarters of the New York Telephone Company served the increasing telephone needs of a burgeoning Brooklyn. Designed by the prominent New York City architect Ralph Walker, the Landmarks Preservation Commission noted that its rich orange horizontal brick patterns, intricate metal work and series of dramatic setbacks make it an exceptional example of Art-Deco application to an office skyscraper design. Chair Robert B. Tierney … <Read More>


Sephardic Community Center to Double in Size

Variances will allow full-service early childhood/daycare center, teen lounge, senior adult center, gyms and additional facilities. In 1978, the Board of Standards & Appeals granted variances to the Sephardic Community Center to allow community facility use in an R5 zoning district. The Center operates a 3-story, 42,495-square-foot space where it offers educational, athletic, and counseling services to the Orthodox Jewish Community and area residents. The location, 1901 Ocean Parkway, is in a primarily residential … <Read More>


BSA Rebuffs Appeal Over Domestic Abuse Shelter

Group claimed shelter violated use limitations. A community group appealed the City’s Department of Buildings’ issuance of a permit allowing alterations to a Brooklyn building to accommodate a domestic violence shelter. Prior to the appeal and after the issuance of the permit, several parties, including the community group, sought an injunction in state court to prevent the shelter from occupying the building and from performing the permitted work. The court dismissed the complaint, finding that … <Read More>