Red Hook's transformation from sleepy waterfront neighborhood to baron of (trendy) industry seems to inch closer every day. In October 2014, developer Est4te Fourthe company behind a wildly expensive condo building in the area whose units are selling like hotcakesunveiled ambitious plans for a massive hub near the intersection of Ferris and Coffey streets targeted towards fashion, arts, and tech tenants. Now the Times has proffered a long read about the 12-acre, 1.2-million-square-foot mecca of office buildings, green space, and room for events; some parts will be converted from former factories, while others will be new construction designed to fit in among the existing industrial structures. The whole low-lying project is designed to be flood-proof.
Things we learn: 1) It shall be called the Red Hook Innovation District. (Eeeesh.). 2) It shall cost $400 million, and be built in phases over five years. 3) The Daily News' old printing plant won't get totally razed. Instead, part of it will be removed to make way for parkland. 4) Speaking of that green stuff, the hub will contain two acres of public parkland, a promenade, a pier, plazas, and courtyards. Said Will Robertson of architecture firm NBBJ, "You can wander around with a laptop and work from different places, which Brooklyn has in its DNA." 5) One other partially preserved area is a giant factory that dates back to the 1800s and has been used for manufacturing and document storage; the "dilapidated 122,000-square-foot complex could be leased to a handful of tenants that are expected to stage shows and parties in soaring brick-walled rooms." But that's only after a $20 million roof-patching effort, installation of heat, and the reopening of a courtyard.
· Stylish Plans for Sleepy, Industrial Red Hook [NYT]
· Massive Tech Complex Floated For The Red Hook Waterfront [Curbed]
· All Red Hook coverage [Curbed]
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