You’d think a recession and housing crash this deep would wipe the chutzpah off most developers’ faces, especially in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a nabe which first enjoyed the biggest real estate buzz and now shoulders the most “stalled projects” of any in New York City. Yet chutzpah is the only way to describe a proposed $1.5 billion dollar, 2,200 unit, 11-acre, residential complex centered around an old Domino Sugar factory in Williamsburg’s south side. Of course, the developer, Michael Lappin didn’t forget to bear gifts as the public review begins. First he throws in a very generous 30% affordable housing mix. That would mean 660 units set aside for low to moderate income residents.
Comparable development projects along the Riviera de Williamsburg have previously offered 20% affordable housing, along with a few bells and whistles like a public esplanade. Then again, the New Domino Sugar project is even more ambitious than Schaefer Landing, Northside Piers and the Edge put together. The tallest of the buildings would be as tall as 40 stories and according to Brooklyn11211, the biggest news is the addition of 100,000 square feet of proposed office space along the Grand Ave end. We predict this might in fact be the most controversial element. Is South Williamsburg a future destination for morning reverse commuters to head to work? Which industries do they have in mind to lure? Does this portend a train stop a little closer to the water than the JMZ’s Marcy Ave? Oh well, there’s still time to negotiate everything since completion wouldn’t happen until sometime around 2021 — yes, 9 years after the apocalypse. By the way, if you’re not familiar with the area, the Domino Sugar factory sits on a beautiful waterfront view that hasn’t been open to the public in 150 years, (save for one special Sunday last October).
While there’s general concern about the mammoth nature of the project, we, as residents of Williamsburg’s South Side, can’t help but long for sustainable development to take advantage of the many wonderful waterfront views and a particularly convenient location at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge. We’re also digging that whole Tate Modern look. Here’s hoping the community activists lobby for invigorating, publicly accessible community space we can all enjoy, both outdoors on the waterfront and inside the complex itself. We wouldn’t mind a movie theater either.
Savalas, is like it’s namesake, sexy in an ugly kind of way. Trashy with an old school Epson projector showing weird 70s movies and subprime Bedford Ave location, it’s popular with yet-to-be indoctrinated hipster youth who like to dance, and according to Kristina Marino’s The Downtown Diaries, a new party blog we’re digging, it threw a rager the week before Xmas thanks to DJ MSB. Yes, there’s always some drunken dancing and flirting happening at Savalas, but according to TDD:
“the bartender jumped up on the bar, grabbed the whiskey bottle and started pouring shots down into the crowd. People were on the bar dancing, this one guy took his shirt off… shit like this does not happen in Williamsburg. This was the first time I’ve seen people straight up rage in this part of town.”
DJs with dead crowds take note, “electrohouse/dubstep/mashups” instead of the usual hip hop/90’s might just do the trick.
The New York Herald is seeking a multi-media savvy editor with a sharp eye for finding a good story ahead of the pack. We are moving towards an editorial focus on art, culture, dining, media, trends, with bread and butter reporting of bars and restaurants, real estate development, and personal interviews and profiles of the many interesting, rising stars that make up this fine city. We are seeking a reliable and imaginative editor who can not only spin a witty line but also engage in deeper investigation when the opportunity arises.
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Williamsburg Moonshine has a nice ring to it, we always thought there’s always been a bit of Appalachian DIYness about these here neck of the woods. Now two fellas see gold in that sweet, sweet water. No it won’t be Maker’s Mark, so sayeth Grub Street, but it won’t cost as much either. Under the banner of Kings County Distillery David Haskell and Kentucky native Colin Spoelman will be selling to Williamsburg, than the rest of the world, double-destilled whiskey, bourbon and apparently straight up moonshine. Their studio space is at 35 Meadow Street (off Grand/Morgan) in case you can’t wait for the Liquor Authority’s approval.
The Woods, (48 S. 4th between Wythe/Kent – no sign), is getting and giving good buzz in its first month of opening. Foodie blog PlateoftheDay.com admires its great selection of cheap beer, including Schlitz, Schaefer, the ubiquitousPabst, and yes, Colt 45. There is alot to like about a $6 Jamison and Bud combo, a taco truck serving $2 tacos, a proper DJ on the wheels of steel and an opening promotion of free beer ’til its gone. The Village Voice calls the view just beneath the Williamsburg Bridge, “charming”, and we like the what owners James Jadic, Jason Radich, David Rosen and Matt Relkin have in mind, a “multi-functional space..where we can have bands, DJs, and other community-based events like talent shows and stuff.”
Commenters have noticed a resemblance to “Union Pool”, and dissed the slightly slow taco truck food service – but Union Pool doesn’t hold a monopoly on affordable priced drinks and a low-tech vibe with outdoor space. It’s also a little far for those who inhabit Williamsburg’s South side. Winters might be tough for a place this far from the train (JMZ is closest), but we’re pretty sure The Woods will be jamming along with neighbor Miss Favela during the warmer months.
photo credits: (top) PlateoftheDay, (bottom) Village Voice via Puja Patel
McCarren Pool, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. With an official groundbreaking featuring Mayor Bloomberg and Brooklyn borough chief Marty Markowitz, it appears the ambitious future $50 million McCarren Pool really is happening. The original pool opened in 1936 and closed down in 1984. Here are some pics via architects Rogers Marvel PLLC of how the renovation will transform the old pool. Unfortunately we’re looking at a Spring, 2012 opening. Does it really take that long to build a swimming pool?
Bike lanes have conveniently come to symbolize the demarcation point between New York’s hipsters and the Hasidic Jews of Williamsburg’s South Side. The latest flash point is perhaps the most interesting. First some backstory, NYC officials removed 14 blocks of bike lanes (in a move the Post suggests was engineered by Team Bloomberg and intended to please the Hasidic Community right before the election) on Bedford Ave south of Broadway. A band of young bike lane enthusiasts then decided to repaint the lanes and of course had someone on board to film and edit the whole thing for Youtube glorification. If hipsters have new media, Hasidics in Williamsburg have their own secret weapon – an unofficial police force! The so-called “Shomrim Patrol” apprehended the two cycling advocates at 3:30AM. Fortunately, no one had to go to jail as arriving police (that’s NYPD) refused to arrest or issue any summons. Still, the battle lines have been painted, erased and repainted.
It’s a sad state of affairs when “stalled projects” and “abandoned Brooklyn” become new buzzwords, at least among those who trade in real estate news gossip in our fine city. Yet, it’s hard to deny all of these construction pits that have been lingering for far too long – even with new City incentives to finish what they started, there’s just not enough financing and demand around to get these things up.
Williamsburg along with the rest of the City is suffering from a huge economic and real estate meltdown and the growing number of stalled projects is becoming a bad joke for Williamsburg haters. Yet, we doubt this will deter everyone from the 11211, which prior to its yuppification was home to those more comfortable with the apocalypse then baby strollers. There’s always a good side and a bad side to this reversal of fortune, and for those who longed for Williamsburg’s yesteryear, now is the time to jump on abandoned mattresses and reclaim the neighborhood.
photo: “stalled” project across Miss Favela (which is still partying like its 1999) in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
BROOKLYN INDUSTRIES, which started in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 1996, has blossomed into $12 million in revenue per year, and just as many locations from NYC to Portland. Lexy Funk, CEO and husband/co-founder Vahap Avsar grew the business from scratch, after Vahap Avsar put together a messenger bag from material he found in a dumpster. One of the many challenges in the company’s impressive growth had been in manufacturering, where normal New Yorkers cost too much and a team of Equadorians meant potential raids by the Feds.
What would you do? At the end of the day they chose to outsource a third of that work to factories in China, and BusinessWeek has a good interview with Lexy explaining her reasoning and some of the steps it took to get there. Outsourcing to China is not the coolest thing to do, especially considering Brooklyn Industries’ demographic, but at the same time, there’s more than meets the eye and Lexy is ready to give you the breakdown so pay attention. Read: BusinessWeek
The Brooklyn Paper is calling it a “huge bust at a hipster drug den” as news emerged of a drug investigation and arrest yielding 18 keys and $800,000 in cash money held by three middle aged suspects. Investigators say the former Laila Lounge was used as a hub for delivery all over town. The three suspects had apparently been under surveillance for months before the bust. Part of their suspicious activity may have included generating alot of trash outside their apartments and not fitting into the younger demographic. “They looked like rock world hipsters, but older,” reports a neighbor. The street value of the supply is north of a million.
Prior to this however, Laila Lounge once held court as a casual late night go-to spot featuring a pool table, an outdoor patio and often a DJ. The bar with the club atmosphere was well-regarded for consistently staying up past their bedtime. The place also enjoyed a terrific location right on North 7th and Berry, but it’s low-key vibe made it hard for tourists to spot and attracted a specific, in-the-know following that allowed the place to keep it’s composure even on a Friday or Saturday night.
A review from NYMag while it was open was unimpressed:
“It’s remarkable how little effort apparently went into Laila, which offers reasonably-priced mixed drinks like vodka and sodas or gin and tonics at $5 each, but not much else.”
You’d think a recession and housing crash this deep would wipe the chutzpah off most developers’ faces, especially in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a nabe which first enjoyed the biggest real estate buzz and now shoulders the most “stalled projects” of any in New York City. Yet chutzpah is the only way to describe a proposed $1.5 billion dollar, 2,200 unit, 11-acre, residential complex centered around an old Domino Sugar factory in Williamsburg’s south side. Of course, the developer, Michael Lappin didn’t forget to bear gifts as the public review begins. First he throws in a very generous 30% affordable housing mix. That would mean 660 units set aside for low to moderate income residents.
Comparable development projects along the Riviera de Williamsburg have previously offered 20% affordable housing, along with a few bells and whistles like a public esplanade. Then again, the New Domino Sugar project is even more ambitious than Schaefer Landing, Northside Piers and the Edge put together. The tallest of the buildings would be as tall as 40 stories and according to Brooklyn11211, the biggest news is the addition of 100,000 square feet of proposed office space along the Grand Ave end. We predict this might in fact be the most controversial element. Is South Williamsburg a future destination for morning reverse commuters to head to work? Which industries do they have in mind to lure? Does this portend a train stop a little closer to the water than the JMZ’s Marcy Ave? Oh well, there’s still time to negotiate everything since completion wouldn’t happen until sometime around 2021 — yes, 9 years after the apocalypse. By the way, if you’re not familiar with the area, the Domino Sugar factory sits on a beautiful waterfront view that hasn’t been open to the public in 150 years, (save for one special Sunday last October).
While there’s general concern about the mammoth nature of the project, we, as residents of Williamsburg’s South Side, can’t help but long for sustainable development to take advantage of the many wonderful waterfront views and a particularly convenient location at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge. We’re also digging that whole Tate Modern look. Here’s hoping the community activists lobby for invigorating, publicly accessible community space we can all enjoy, both outdoors on the waterfront and inside the complex itself. We wouldn’t mind a movie theater either.
