With a construction fence staring to go up today at the site of the controversial former Heavy Metal Building at 360 Smith Street, the Oliver House Condominium has launched a new website. It's not intended to sell units in the building, but to keep residents posted "in real time" about what's going on with the building. Word of Brooklyn's first website to try to keep a neighborhood up to date about condo construction was passed around by a local City Council Member rather than the developer himself. The building has been a local lightening rod and the developer has had public meetings with residents and even booted controversial architect Robert Scarano from the job. While the design of the building has changed from Heavy Metal to Easy Listening, it is still the seven stories it was when the Scarano version surfaced last May. The new website allows residents to submit comments although, sadly, they aren't displayed. In a related development, a new South Brooklyn Neighborhood Alliance (SoBNA), some of whose roots can be traced to last year's Heavy Metal furor, was officially announced this morning.
· Oliver House Condominiums [oliverhousecondos.com]
· 360 Smith Condo Gets a Website, but Not for Sales [Gowanus Lounge]
· Scarano Booted from Smith Street 'Heavy Metal' Job [Curbed]
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