Long-vacant Bed-Stuy lot will give way to this ground-up townhouse

UPDATE 2/20/18: The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the construction of a new townhouse on an empty lot at 514 Halsey Street, in Bed-Stuy. Many of the commissioners still had issues with the protruding exterior portion of the building, the lack of masonry on the facade, and the rooftop addition’s visibility from the back, but asked that the architects work with the Commission’s staff to make these changes.

Kane Architecture and Urban Design has proposed a new townhouse addition to Halsey Street in Bed-Stuy that will be heard by the Landmarks Preservation Commission this week. The proposed building, which sits within the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District, would rise four stories—amended from a previously proposed five—and despite being a new, ground-up structure, would be a contextual addition to the neighborhood.

The current design, which goes before the LPC today, is a revision from one that was proposed back in November. At the time, the Historic Districts Council called it “grossly out of scale,” since it would rise higher than the other buildings on that block; it was sent back to the drawing board.

The architects have since amended the building’s height, bringing it more in line with the historic homes currently found on the block; in the current proposal, it would rise 40 feet. In back, there will still be a rear elevation, but a series of proposed balconies has been removed. The back of the home will also extend slightly further into its backyard than its neighbors.

The building is due to be sliced up into apartments—per the new plans, there will be three apartments, two of which will be duplexes. The plans also call for a roof deck and a large rear yard. According to Kane’s presentation, the lot they’re hoping to fill has been empty since 1965.