Archive for the ‘Brooklyn Real Estate News’ Category

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1,000 new affordable homes available in outer boroughs

7, Nov 2009

Nearly 1,000 moderately priced homes and apartments are now available for purchase in the city through the Housing Partnership Development Corp., a non-profit that works to create new affordable housing with the help of government grants, subsidies and tax credits. Of those, 700 are located in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights and East New York neighborhoods and [...]

Roddick Condo Hunting in Brooklyn?

6, Nov 2009

Just saw this Page 6 item…Andy Roddick and wife spotted at J Condo in Dumbo!

85 State’s Roller Coaster Ride

6, Nov 2009

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The pricing of 85 State Street in Brooklyn Heights sure has been interesting to watch, and now that the renovated five-story townhouse’s sale for $3.4 million has been recorded in public records, a trip down memory lane seems in order:

9/2005: The house trades hands for $2.5 million in an estate sale.
3/2006: Only 6 months later, the 5,000-sf property flips for $3.2 million to a developer.
1/2007: The house is placed on the market by Corcoran for $5.8 million.
5/2007: Brown Harris Stevens takes over the listing and prices it at $5.95 million.
1/2008: The listing jumps to Halstead and is priced at $5.75 million.
2/2009: A series of price cuts brings the asking down to $4.2 million.
6/2009: Warburg takes over marketing but doesn’t cut the price further. Listing now says: “Offered at less than cost! Stunning XXX mint Brooklyn Heights townhouse…the home has just undergone a complete renovation from top to bottom.”
10/2009: The house finally sells for $3.4 million.

House of the Day: 85 State Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
85 State Street [StreetEasy]

The Albemarle Renovation Blog Launches!

6, Nov 2009

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We’re thrilled to announce the launch of a new renovation blog which will be called the Albemarle Reno blog. As the picture above shows, the house itself is incredible but there’s lots of work to be done; this is also the first non-rowhouse we’ve featured as well as the first house in Victorian Flatbush. So please give a warm Brownstoner welcome to the Albemarle Reno bloggers and go check out the first post which just went up!

DOB’s Stalled Site List Passes 500 Mark; BK Still on Top

6, Nov 2009

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The Department of Buildings’ latest tally of stalled construction sites counts 531 pits of inactivity citywide, up from 453 in its last report. As it has since the DOB started making a list of no-go construction, Brooklyn leads the way in the five boroughs, with 246 stalled sites. (Back in the summer, when the DOB first started releasing these reports, 63 were counted in all of Brooklyn and only 143 in the whole city.) Dubious honors for second and third place go to Queens, with 147 sites, and Manhattan, with 80 sites. In Brooklyn, the area covered by CB1, Williamsburg and Greenpoint, continues to have the most stalled sites, with 80 properties making the list this time around. No other area in Brooklyn comes close to CB1, though there are significant numbers in CB2′s zone (21), CB6′s (14), and CB7′s (16). Meanwhile, there are still obvious omissions from the tally. For example, long-dormant 333 Carroll is nowhere to be found, and neither are a couple of 4th Avenue sites where nothing’s been doing for a long time. Click though to see the full list.
Stalled Construction Sites [DOB]
Williamsburg Ranks #1 in City’s Stalled-Site Sweepstakes [Brownstoner]

Fulton Sports Bar Signage Revealed

6, Nov 2009

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chance-signage-1109.jpgThere’s been a lot of speculation (in a neighborhoody, chit-chatty sort of way) about the sports bar that’s going to be opening soon on Fulton Street between Vanderbilt and Clinton Avenues in Clinton Hill, so we were interested to receive the photo at right yesterday of the new signage being installed. Just to make sure they we’re only going to 11, we rode by this morning to regard the handiwork ourselves and, sure enough, the name’s “Chance 11″—anyone have any ideas what that might be a reference to? The sign might be a little flashy for our taste but at this point we’re 100% rooting for any business that can generate foot traffic and stimulate the local economy in this part of town. On a related note, this block as a whole has really come a long way in the last few years, hasn’t it?
Streetlevel: Sports Bar for Fulton [Brownstoner] GMAP

Affordable Housing on Tap

6, Nov 2009

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1509-Bergen-Street-1109.jpgIt may seem like there’s not any affordable housing available, but, reports The Brooklyn Eagle, there are 700 units currently up for grabs through one non-profit development company alone in Brooklyn. The Housing Partnership Development Corp. which has created 30,000 units of affordable housing over its 25-year history, is currently offering “moderate-income” apartments at the newly-developed Bergen Street Co-ops at 1509 Bergen Street in Crown Heights (at right). The Partnership is also involved in other projects like 320 Sterling Street, which is about three-quarters done, and Atlantic Terrace next to the Atlantic Center (at top), which just started making applications available.
700 Affordable Homes, Apartments in B’klyn Now Available [Brooklyn Eagle]

EDC’s Deal for Wonder Wheel Park Goes Through

6, Nov 2009

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The Economic Development Corporation’s purchase of the Coney Island land that Wonder Wheel Park sits on was recorded in public records yesterday. The EDC announced it had gone into contract with the property’s owner, Ward Realty, last year, and that it would pay $11 million for the parcels, but the purchase price ended up being $9.75 million. According to an EDC spokeswoman, the Ward family agreed to reduce the purchase price in exchange for closing at an earlier date. In a press release about the purchase last year, the EDC said that Wonder Wheel Park would remain a tenant on the site through 2020 and that “the deal is the first of what NYCEDC expects to be a series of land acquisitions in the coming months as the City proceeds with its vision to create a 21st century entertainment destination and protect Coney Island’s amusement legacy in perpetuity.”
Deed: 1025-27 Boardwalk West, 1102 Bowery, 3001 Jones Walk [ACRIS] GMAP
Photo by OMG! Ponies!

Open Thread

6, Nov 2009

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New Kosciuszko Bridge Won’t Come Cheap

6, Nov 2009

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In October, a Department of Transportation panel narrowed the list of potential designs for the new Kosciuszko Bridge down to three finalists, including what The Brooklyn Paper calls the front runner, above. In addition to a new look, the bridge of the future will have nine lanes instead of six (yay!) as well as a bike and pedestrian lane; the whole thing will be set at less of an incline than the current structure because tall boats no longer go underneath. All this good stuff won’t come cheap though: We’re looking at a $1 billion price tag. Sounds like a lot of dough to us, but apparently that’s what it takes to get bridge builders out of bed these days. “For a bridge that is a mile long in New York City, $1 billion is the going rate,” said DOT spokesman Adam Levine. The Feds will pay 80% of the freight, leaving the state with the rest. But the state is now talking about slashing its transportation spending, so it remains to be seen of the bridge, over which 160,000 vehicles pass every day, makes the cut.
The Billion-Dollar Bridge! [Brooklyn Paper]

Weekend Events

6, Nov 2009

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Cobble Hill Bike Ride
The Cobble Hill Association and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative are hosting a 10-mile casual bike ride that will start at Cobble Hill Park and pass through Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, the Columbia Waterfront District, Red Hook, and Carroll Gardens then loop back to Cobble Hill. The weather might be chilly so dress warm! Sunday, November 8. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Free with RSVP to cobblehillbikeride@gmail.com. Verandah Place at Cobble Hill Park.

The Dogs of Brooklyn
The Dogs of Brooklyn is Susie DeFord’s fresh poetic narrative about her colorful life as a dogwalker accompanied by vibrant photos of Brooklyn and the dogs by Dennis Riley. Susie DeFord, Melissa Febos, and Vijay Seshadri will be reading poems and stories about Brooklyn and its “wildlife.” All are welcome to attend. Friday, November 6. 7 p.m. Free. 7th Ave & Lincoln Place, Ozzie’s Park Slope.

Brooklyn Flea
The Brooklyn Flea takes place in Ft. Greene on Saturday and its historic Brooklyn Bridge location on Sunday. Both locations feature a great mix of vintage, antiques, jewelry, and food. Saturday, November 7. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Lafayette Avenue between Clermont and Vanderbilt Avenues. Sunday, November 8. 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. In Dumbo, underneath the Brooklyn Bridge at the corner of Water and New Dock Street.

Please send your events listings to events@brownstoner.com

Friday Links

6, Nov 2009

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Bloomberg Asks for Patience on M.T.A. Plan [NY Times]
Reyna Breaks With a Formidable Patron [NY Times]
It’s Plaza Sweet on Schermerhorn Street [NY Post]
Artists Transform Fort Greene Laundromat [NY Daily News]
Arby’s Opening Soon in Fulton Mall [NY Daily News]
Sustainable Living Structure for Flatbush Building? [Brooklyn Paper]
Guerilla Marketing Campaign for 23rd Street Project [Brooklyn Eagle]
“Pokey” Award for Slowest Bus Presented [Gothamist]
Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gansv1846/4076544382/"omoo

Thursday Blogwrap

5, Nov 2009

Moon between Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges
‘I Joined The Park Slope Food Coop, And All I Got…’ [FiPS]
Union Street Gets a New Coat of Asphalt [Lost City]
Hidden Gems of Local Modern Architecture [BushwickBK]
“Area” Stores Going Bagless [PMFA]
Segway Man, In Brooklyn Heights [mcbrooklyn]
So What’ll It Be? [Brooklynology]
Moon between Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Photo by jackie weisberg from the Brownstoner Flickr Pool.

Closing Bell: Greening of Greenpoint

5, Nov 2009

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Over in Greenpoint, Sargent William Dougherty Playground (which is located here) is getting a makeover, notes New York Shitty. The underused 0.76-acre park appears to be getting five large planters.

Mrs. B Side-Swiped In The Heights

5, Nov 2009

A few minutes ago Mrs. B was side-swiped on Pierrepont Street in a hit-and-run by a yellow cab with medallion number 3Y65; there were three small children in the back of the car. No one was hurt but we’re out a side view mirror. We reported it to TLC but don’t have a lot of faith they’ll do anything about it. It will be interesting to watch the slow wheels of bureaucracy turn though. Anyone have any relevant experiences to share?

Development Watch: 580 Carroll Gets Its Glass On

5, Nov 2009

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One of the defining features of the controversial development 580 Carroll Street, its angled glass windows, has started to come into focus. Over the past few weeks glass has gone up on the Garfield Place side of the Enrique Norten-designed building, above, as well as on a small section of the Carroll Street part of the structure. A BSA hearing later this month will likely decide whether the increased density the developer is gunning for on the Carroll side—which would result in the glass wall reaching the sidewalk rather than being set back considerably and fronted by small yards, as in an older version of the design—will come to pass.
BSA Postpones Decision on Carroll St Norten Again [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Decision Postponed [Brownstoner]
Slope Rallies Against 580 Carroll, Rags on the BSA [Brownstoner]
Battle Over Carroll St. Norten Build Heats Up This Week [Brownstoner]
CB6 Doesn’t Buy Carroll Street Hardship Claim [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Developer Trying to Supersize Norten Project [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 580 Carroll Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
Enrique Norten-Designed Project in Park Slope Revealed [Brownstoner]
Four Developments Coming to One Stretch of Carroll [Brownstoner]

StreetLevel: Lucas Fine Foods Coming to Union

5, Nov 2009

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A reader dropped a line to let us know signage has gone up announcing that a biz called Lucas Fine Foods is coming to Union Street between 6th and 7th avenues. The poster in the window says Lucas will be a cafe and sell prepared foods, and that it’s opening in late fall. GMAP

House of the Day: 119 Fort Greene Place

5, Nov 2009

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Other than the exposed brick on the parlor floor, this brownstone at 119 Fort Greene Place in Fort Greene has a nice feel to it. Plenty of original details, nice width (21 feet) and an extention; we’d be surprised if you could actually get $2,800 a month for the garden rental but it’s probably not far off. The asking price is $1,995,000. Not insane if you factor in the expected 10% discount in this market.
119 Fort Greene Place [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark

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Co-op of the Day: 75 Henry Street, #19A

5, Nov 2009

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This one-bedroom co-op is one of the nicer ones we’ve seen at 75 Henry Street. The views from the 19th floor don’t hurt, but the recent renovation itself looks quite nice. For a full-service building, the monthly maintenance of $794 is pretty reasonable for the 750-square-foot pad. There’s also a balcony thrown into the mix. The price was just reduced from $595,000 to $565,000. There’s an open house on Sunday from 12 to 1:30. You likey?
75 Henry Street, #19A [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

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Brownstoner Directory Reaches Milestone of 50 Listings

5, Nov 2009

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A nice little moment in the young life of the Brownstoner Directory: The 50th company—Joseph Vance Architects—joined up this morning. If you know any good renovation-related companies you think should be included (and can afford the $300), please send ‘em our way.

Inside Third & Bond: Week 107

5, Nov 2009

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This week the folks from Hudson talk blowers.
Last Friday we had our first blower door test at Third + Bond. There was a small crowd of us at the event because it’s a pretty cool process and because even though the testing seems incredibly valuable, we’ve never done this before – not once in 3,500 units. How did the test go? Well, let’s just say that we thought about hiding the report card. Average or slightly above average does not cut it when you’re shooting for LEED-Gold and Energy Star. We really need straight A’s. Fortunately, this was just the PSAT. Now we know what we still need to study.

The purpose of the blower door test is to find out whether we sufficiently air sealed the building and diagnose the problem spots. Remember, the thesis of high performance buildings is that a tight building envelope with mechanical ventilation limits wasteful loss of energy. Unlike the convention of letting the tiny cracks and spaces in a building ventilate the space, today’s leading framework is to “seal it tight, ventilate right” or if you prefer “build it right, seal it tight.”

Aside from the energy savings that come with a tight building…

Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million

5, Nov 2009

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Some of the sales recorded last week that went for $1 million or less:

$250K or under: CLINTON HILL
195 Willoughby Avenue, #109; Price=$165,000 GMAP
The listing for this co-op said it’s a 450-sf, 1st floor studio. It was asking $199,000. Maintenance=$335/month. Closed on 10/27/09; deed recorded on 10/29/09.

$250-$500K Range: COBBLE HILL
200 Congress Street, #5C; Price=$475,000 GMAP
This 725-sf, 1-bedroom co-op was listed for $499,000 in June. Maintenance=$678/month. Closed on 10/14/09; deed recorded on 10/29/09.

$500-$750K Range: SOUTH SLOPE
421 17th Street; Price=$700,000 GMAP
This 972-sf house was listed for $799,000 in late May, according to StreetEasy. Property Shark says it last sold for $450,000 in ’04. Entered into contract on 8/13/09; closed on 9/1/09; deed recorded on 10/30/09.

$750K-$1 Million Range: SUNSET PARK
551 57th Street; Price=$780,000 GMAP
This is a 3,072-sf, 2-family, according to Property Shark. Entered into contract on 7/24/09; closed on 10/9/09; deed recorded on 10/26/09.

Photos from Property Shark.

Walkabout: Italianates, the Ornamental Imperative

5, Nov 2009

A mid 19th century magazine, extolling the virtues of the Italianate brownstone, declared that, “the doorway is the most indispensable feature of the structure, and therefore calls loudly for adornment, and should generally be distinguished by more impressive decoration than any other feature”. Architects of the time must have been listening, and many went overboard, piling layers of ornament on the doorways of our buildings. Perhaps even more than the other decorative elements, the doorways of the Italianate brownstone define the style. In the most expensive homes, the doorway is a porch at the top of the stairs, formed by large columns with ornate capitals, holding heavy door hoods that are either rounded, or classic triangular pediments, with heavy carved keystones above the doors. These are flanked by enormous acanthus leaf brackets which face the street. Smaller acanthus brackets can often be found facing each other in the doorway, and for good measure, more acanthus brackets often frame the windows, and/or support the large window box shelves below the parlor floor windows. There are fine examples in Brooklyn Heights, as well as on Washington Park, in Fort Greene.

Most of the Italianates in Brooklyn do not have the columns, a feature for only the most expensive homes, but all have the acanthus brackets. Some of these brackets are beautiful in their expression of plant forms, and are in amazing condition. Some architects must have wanted to show off something different, and we can find fantastical combinations of leaves, flowers and decorative shapes. Some of these can be a bit disturbing at first glance, and to the modern eye, look like mutant plants run wild, or extruded foam, especially when the lines have been blurred by water damage, and badly painted over or “repaired”. The more creepily vegetal remind us that tastes certainly change over time, and that the desire to please a demanding public can often result in the overdone.

Subway Service on Weekends Is F@#%ed

5, Nov 2009

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We long ago gave up trying to take the subway on the weekends. Life’s too short, so it’s the bicycle or car for us. This view was confirmed last weekend when it took an out-of-town friend an hour and a half on Saturday afternoon to get from Midtown to Clinton Hill. So it was no surprise to read this lede in The Post this morning: “Here’s a subway service notice: Use your car on the weekends!” A group called the Transit Riders Council has studied subway service over the past two weekends. The bottom line: “It’s bedlam,” said Andrew Albert, a member of the council as well as the MTA board.
Expect subway service disaster this weekend [NY Post]
Photo by Zach Klein

Foxy & Winston Store Opens Saturday in Red Hook

5, Nov 2009

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The Red Hook retail scene is about to get a nice bump with the official opening on Saturday of the first storefront from Flea vendor Foxy & Winston. The shop, which is located at 392 Van Brunt Street, will showcase the design companies mix of greeting cards, accessories and children’s clothing. There’s an opening party from 6 to 9 p.m. GMAP


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