Williamsburg's dilapidated Domino factory is getting a residential makeover, and Greenpoint's waterfront is poised for a collection of glassy towers, so that leaves just one North Brooklyn neighborhood without a megaproject to call its own. Developer Read Property Group would like to change that. DNAinfo and the Daily News report that Read Property presented their plans for a 6.4-acre site near Bushwick's Flushing Avenue to Community Board 4 this week. A large chunk of the land was once home to Rheingold Brewery, and the proposed development would break up that superblock and remap parts of Stanwix and Noll Streets. There would be 10 buildings rising up to eight stories tall for a total of 977 rental apartments with garage parking for 50 percent of the units. Retail would occupy the street-level, and a 17,000-square-foot public green space would be plopped in the middle of the complex. Twenty-four percent of the homes would be affordable.
Unsurprisingly, the Community Board did not greet the proposal with unbridled joy. Read Property is seeking a rezoning for about nine blocks to move forward with the project, and CB4 decided to delay its vote on whether or not to support it. None of the sites are occupied by anything that one might consider aesthetically pleasing (one building looks like a massive concrete bunker, others function as overgrown parking lots for trucks), but the community (board and residents) still had plenty of complaints:
· Not enough affordable housing
· Pollution - they want an Environmental Impact Study of the site
· Not enough parking
· "Make this [development] look like it belongs in Bushwick, not Indianapolis."
· Give local businesses priority for the retail space (which Read says they will try to do)Some residents were also concerned about the impact on area schools, which are at capacity, but Read is already in talks with the city about adding space for a new school to the development. Read did not reveal pricing for the non-regulated units, but DNAinfo reports the affordable breakdown as such: "Studios would cost $830 to $900; one bedrooms $890 to $967; two bedrooms $1,085 to $1,160; and three bedrooms $1,246 to $1,340." CB4 didn't decide when they would decide on the project, but after they vote, the rezoning application must go before City Planning. If things go according to Read's plans, the buildings could be complete by 2016, but we're not holding our breath.
· Controversial Bushwick Rezoning to Add High Rises, Streets and Retail [DNAinfo]
· Developer Read Property has Vision for Old Rheingold Brewery Site, Wants to Bring 10-building, 1,000-unit Complex to Bushwick's Flushing Ave. [NYDN]
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