Developer Midtown Equities' ambitious proposal for Empire Stores, Water Street's crumbling waterfront coffee warehouses, includes restaurant/retail/event space, rooftop open/green space, and museum/exhibition space. Ah yes, there is also plenty of non-slashy space for complaints, which Dumbo residents freely doled out when the plans were presented to them last night. Neighbors got worked up about traffic, noise, historic integrity, and the perennially controversial topic of blocked views. Said one attendee: "We are the people that have been in Dumbo for years and helped make it what it is today... Now we have to look at your elevator shaft all day." Sounds like lots of support for adaptive reuse. [DNAinfo; previously]
Filed under: