As reported by Brooklyn Heights Blog and a NY Daily News article and a Brooklyn Paper article published yesterday, State Senator Daniel Squadron proposed a plan that would eliminate the need to build additional condos in Brooklyn Bridge Park. His plan calls for increased tax revenue from any rezoned properties from nearby landowners to pay for the controversial park costs. The tax would directly fund the park’s annual maintenance, estimated to be $16million per year. This would essentially make the buildings included in the proposed rezoning in Dumbo pay for much of the maintenance of the park. The Brooklyn Paper points out that this is a potential “Achilles Heel in the plan. Dan Wiley, a staffer for Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D–Gowanus) said the reliance on seeking increased land values might create an urge in City Hall to allow taller new construction near the park, while many neighborhoods have been trying to reduce permissible building heights.” Does this mean that since Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, and Fulton Ferry, with very little new development will not fall into the proposed tax?

Dumbo is home to artists, photographers, designers, media companies, techies, fashion designers, and lots of small businesses. This is why Amy Nicole, owner of Chic Studios NYC (www.chicstudiosnyc.com) felt that here along the waterfront of Brooklyn, Dumbo was the perfect location to set up a makeup school for both women and men, who are aspiring to be (or currently) involved in media, fashion, film, and photography. Amy is a professional makeup artist and the founder of Chic Studios, which she originally opened the first Chic Studios in Calgary, Canada before moving to NYC. She has an eye for current and hip trends, and knows the industry’s best professional makeup lines. Chic Studios NYC is focused on education the current and modern makeup techniques and the basic fundamentals of being a great artist, along with that, they offer professional photo shoots to begin, build or bring a bang to your portfolio. And, one of the most exciting offers, is they also do makeup applications for those who want to be made up.

Congratulations on your new business in Dumbo Brooklyn. What is Chic Studios and who are your clients?

Chic Studios NYC, is actually separated in a few divisions, two as of right now, and we are proud of both equally. Most people may have heard of our makeup school, Chic Studios NYC- School of Makeup Artistry, which offers courses for those beginning their careers as Professional Makeup Artists or Current Artists brushing up on their skills. With the school we offer courses ranging from 1- 3 weeks in duration (for now, but stay tuned as we are developing ADD ON courses), and vary in theory from Hygiene, Color Correction, Day & Evening Makeup, Fashion Makeup, Business Branding and Portfolio Development…. and everything in between! Our clients are anyone interested in makeup.
Then the division most people haven’t heard about yet, is Chic Studios Fitness, which specialized in Fitness Boot Camps, and offers Meal Planning and Personal Training. We begin our Boot Camps April 6th, and kick butt through out the entire spring, summer and fall months. (April-October) Check out our website for either of our divisions. www.chicstudiosnyc.com.

How did you end up in Dumbo? What do you like and/or dislike about the neighborhood?

Dumbo was our first choice when we considered opening Chic Studios in New York, as it is so artistic and full of Inspiration. It has the feel of a big city, with the heart of a small town! We loved the mix of the waterfront and park with the cobble stone roads and old buildings. Photo shoots here, are a lot of fun for our makeup artist students, and can you imagine being inspired to run or work out in any other area, Dumbo was great for both the school and the fitness division?! I remember thinking when I had Chic Studios in Calgary Alberta, “someday I want to be bigger than this city”, and in travels to NYC in the meantime, I felt that it would fit here in NYC nicely, right here in Dumbo actually, so I made plans to move… and I had to take chic studios with me.

As a student, what can they expect at Chic Studios NYC?

Tuition costs are affordable; the courses are designed to be the beginning phase of an artist’s career! We offer portfolio photo shoots, sell top brand cosmetics in our makeup kits, our curriculum is intensive and effective, and our instructors are leaders in the beauty industry! You can expect to begin your Career!

For further information on Chic Studios NYC or Chic Studios Fitness, go to www.chicstudiosnyc.com or email chicstudiosnyc@gmail.com.

The following are selected links from this past week on blogs and websites with discussion about Dumbo (and its neighboring areas):

• Has Anyone Tried the Cubano at Pedro’s?, 20Mar09, Brooklyn Paper
• Vandal (Squad) Vendetta, 20Mar09, paulinepechin
• Squadron Announces BBPark Plan, 20Mar09, BHB
• It’s F-ing scary at York Street Stop, 18Mar09, Brooklyn Paper
• Did city lie about its Dock Street plans?, 20Mar09, Brooklyn Paper
• Proposed Dock Street Project: A Reprise, 14Mar09, Noticing NY
• Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, 15Mar09, backyardchef
• Rickshaw Dumplings Invade Dumbo, 17Mar09, Brownstoner
• Getting Eco-Friendly in Vinegar Hill, 20Mar09, Brooklyn Eagle
• Taking Pigs For A Walk in Dumbo, 16Mar09, Pardon Me For Asking
• Postal Service Station in Dumbo, 16Mar09, Brooklyn Eagle
• Jacques Torres Hints At Expanding To Ice Cream, 17Mar09, Huffington Post
• Graffiti Artists Face Off With Cops, 20Mar09, Brooklyn Eagle
• ‘Park’ still on time — for now, 17Mar09, Brooklyn Paper
• Graffiti Artists Hold Panel With NYPD, 20Mar09, NY Times
• Could Rezoning Drive Artists from Dumbo?, 16Mar09, BHB
• Dumbo will be a mail power, 19Mar09, Brooklyn Paper

(Photo from Thrillist)

After some delays, according to Thrillist.com, Ignazio’s will be opening next week, ‘barring any unforeseen circumstances’. Thrillist says:

“A supremely confident upstart will throw the gauntlet right in their competitor’s face — Red Mango opened mere feet away from Pinkberry, while Google took on Yahoo! in the very same internet. Baking pies in the face of a Dumbo legend, Ignazio’s, planning to open next week.”

They’re referring to Grimaldi’s, of course, which is around the corner from Ignazio’s, right under the Brooklyn Bridge. There are enough interest in the pizzas to support both restaurants, as long as the quality and taste are high. Based on emails and comments, there is a lot of anticipation for Ignazio’s pizza. Owner Louis Termini imports his cheese from Italy and is very picky about how the pizza is made. There will be entertainment with the baby grand piano in one corner of the restaurant, while patrons enjoy the pizzas.

4 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
718.522.2100

{Ignazio’s To Open Soon?, 06Jan2009}
{Ignazio’s to Open at Fulton Ferry Condos, 06July2007}

(Rezoning Proposal by Dumbo Neighborhood Association)

As previously posted, the proposed rezoning would change the current M1-2 and M3-1 manufacturing zoning designations, which neither permit residential use nor have height limits, to a mixed-use contextual zoning district. The Community Board 2’s Land Use Committee voted 8-6 to disapprove the proposal to rezone this portion of Dumbo. From this point, the full Community Board will vote on the proposal in the next meeting in April.

The opposition for the proposed rezoning mainly centers around the potential height, scale, and density of the streets and buildings that fall within the zoning area. The Dumbo Neighborhood Association stated during their testimony that the proposed rezoning will create out-of-scale development in this part of Dumbo, will harm the Dumbo Historic District, as new construction may not relate to the historic fabric of the neighborhood, and will loose businesses and jobs that result from residential conversions. (Read DNA’s testimony (PDF) and proposed plan (PDF)).

Merchants and the Dumbo Improvement District support the proposed rezoning because it will promote positive change in the area and increase the number of potential shoppers and residents. The Dumbo Improvement District’s testimony can be seen on their website. In a Brooklyn Daily Eagle article summarizing the hearing, the owner of Gleason’s Gym in Dumbo, Bruce Silverglade expressed his support for the rezoning to welcome additional neighbors to support his business.

[UPDATE: Brooklyn Heights Blog has the full FOIL documents and The Brooklyn Paper writes about it.]

After yesterday’s School Construction Authority’s budget hearing, in which Council Member David Yassky questioned SCA officials, his office released a statement (below) with FOIL documents that explain his pressure on the SCA’s planning with regards to the Dock Street Dumbo development. At the hearing, he pressed SCA on the issue of alternative sites for the construction of a school in the Dumbo area.

In a June 7, 2008 Brooklyn Paper article, City: We don’t need a middle school in DUMBO — now, the SCA told PS8 parents that “Right now, in this district, we do not identify a need” for a middle school. However, documents obtained by Yassky’s office as part of the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), contradict SCA’s public statement on a few issues. While SCA claim that a public middle school is not needed, a document dating a few weeks earlier (PDF) shows that SCA coordinated with Two Trees to propose a middle school in the controversial development on Dock Street in Dumbo. This document includes a draft term sheet between SCA and Two Trees, but it is unknown how long the negotiations have been taking place.

Mr. Yassky also pressed SCA on researching alternate sites for a middle school in the Dumbo area. During the Borough President Hearing on Dock Street in January, the owner of 205 Water Street expressed interest in working with the SCA to look at the lot as a potential site. (Ref Dock Street foes, supporters clash at hearing, Brooklyn Paper). However, Yassky’s office notes that there are FOIL documents that show that other sites are not being seriously being considered. (PDF) According to Yassky’s office, the developer of One Brooklyn Bridge Park (at 360 Furman Street) also indicated that they have approx 45,000 square feet to dedicate to a new public middle school in an existing building, but the development does not generate revenue for BBP.

The FOIL also indicates that the there may be disagreement internally at SCA as to what $43 million in their capital budget represents. In one place, they indicate it is a stand alone building (PDF), in another they say that is the cost of the buildout from a shell (PDF). That figure stands in contrast to a proposed new public school in Queens that would serve 1,100 students at a cost of $70 million to retrofit, which is different than delivering a shell to specifications. In the Queens school build, the city has agreed to give preference in admissions to students living in three of the seven Queens districts. SCA has not said whether the Dock Street school will serve specific districts.

Statement released by Danny Kanner, Council Member Yassky’s Press Secretary:

“David has fought for years for a middle school for our community, and still believes that our children would be best served by a top-flight school in Downtown Brooklyn. However, the documents disclosed in this FOIL request and SCA’s testimony yesterday clearly indicate that they are doing one thing in private, and saying another in public. While they were publicly sticking by the position that Downtown Brooklyn does not need a middle school as of June of last year, these documents prove that they had already been in negotiations with Two Trees on final terms of agreement. They also continue to insist to this day that they are doing their due diligence by carefully reviewing alternate sites, yet their private correspondence clearly indicates otherwise.

“Brooklyn and all New York City taxpayers deserve a process by which the School Construction Authority gives careful consideration to the cost-effectiveness of a variety of sites, not one by which they allocate over $40 million for a project that has not been determined to be the most fiscally responsible. However, the Authority seems intent on pursuing the Dock Street project without doing their homework. Simply put, they are acting in bad faith, should be forced to answer for their contradictions, and begin an authentic process that carefully reviews the numerous sites our office has provided them with.”

amNY’s City Living profiles Dumbo Brooklyn in today’s edition. Reporter Hesper Desloovere writes:

It’s a familiar Brooklyn tale: manufacturing businesses give way to abandoned warehouses; artists trickle in; hipsters stake their claim; yuppies invade, toddlers in tow. Dumbo’s evolution has its pros and cons. Crumbling facades are restored to their former glory, independent businesses are flourishing, unsavory characters are few and far between. However, rents are astronomical, artist types have gotten the heave-ho and strollers choke the Belgian-block streets.

The article continues by saying that at first glance, Dumbo seems an unlikely destination for young families inhabiting the neighborhood: streets are sparsely populated and basic necessities such as grocery stores are not around. However, for some residents, sparsely populated streets (especially in East Dumbo and in Vinegar Hill (mislabeled as Dumbo in the piece)) is the appeal and walking and discovering street art or seeing familiar old buildings along the water has its comforts.

“Even yuppie staples such as wine bars and vintage stores are curiously lacking. But upon closer inspection, the area’s appeal reveals itself. Dumbo’s major draws are space and light.” Dumbo does seem lacking in the ‘yuppie staples’, and we can see why some visitors/tourists don’t get the neighborhood. But to appreciate Dumbo, I tell tourists that there’s no walking guide; they just need to walk around, talk to gallery owners, residents, and bar/restaurant servers and bartenders to know Dumbo. We’ve talked with other residents, many who agree that the majority of out-of-towners aren’t willing to do so and get back into a cab to SoHo. (Agree/disagree?) The following are the places to shop, to do, eat, and play per amNY. To shop:

• Jacues Torres
• Baxter & Liebchen
• powerHouse Arena
• Dumbo Winter Antiques Pop-up Market
• Spring
• Melville House

To do:

• Galapagos Art Space
• St. Ann’s Warehouse
• The Cove at Brooklyn Bridge Park
• Tobacco Warehouse
• Manhattan Bridge
• Jane’s Carousel

To eat:

• King’s County BBQ Truck
• Bubby’s Brooklyn
• Grimaldi’s
• The River Cafe
• Five Front

To play:

• Hecho en Dumbo
• Water Street Restaurant
• ReBar

{amNY.com}

[For those who were able to attend, please let us know how it went.]

Per Dumbo Neighborhood Association:

The Department of City Planning (DCP) has initiated a 10 block rezoning in DUMBO. Under the proposed plan, the current industrial zoning for this area would be changed to allow 12-story residential buildings to replace the mostly 2 to 6-story buildings in the affected blocks. This will have an impact on people currently living or working in DUMBO as it will substantially increase building heights and, equally as important, alter the mixed-use character of the neighborhood.

The DCP’s website states that the proposal was developed “in consultation with Community Board 2, local civic groups and elected officials,” yet many people living or working in the community haven’t even heard about DCP’s plan. Download details of Public Hearing. The hearing is a good chance for everyone to get introduced to the proposal and raise any concerns or questions.

DATE: Wednesday, March 18, 2009
TIME: 6:00 p.m.
PLACE: Polytechnic Institute
5 Metrotech Center, LC 400

Also, please join State Senator Daniel Squadron as he presents his proposal for Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Date: Thursday, March 19
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: Long Island College Hospital, Conference Rooms A & B 339 Hicks Street, (corner of Hicks and Atlantic)

Download flyer for Brooklyn Bridge Park meeting.

Previously: {Dumbo Rezoning Proposal on the Table, 19Feb2009}

The Making of Noel Gallagher from Liz Lomax on Vimeo.

You can’t watch the time-lapse video of the making of Noel Gallaher of Oasis without being amazed. We had to find out more about the illustrator and how it’s done. Liz Lomax, a Dumbo-based 3D illustrator was more than gracious to share her thoughts about Noel the sculpture, her current projects, and how her art medium evolved. Liz is widely recognized as one of the leading figures in her field. Her unique process involves designing and sculpting characters in their environments and then digitally photographing them for illustration.

Her work has been published in Communication Arts, American Illustration, Society of Illustrators Annuals, Step-by-Step and several books on Illustration such as Lurzer’s ARCHIVE 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide and Taschen’s Illustration Now. Liz was the first Chair of the Society of Illustrators Biennial Dimensional Salon. She planned and pioneered the Society’s first three-dimensional, media-specific exhibition. She has taught at Parsons and Pratt, and lectured at the Society of Illustrators, SVA, Syracuse University, Loughborough University School of Art & Design UK, MTV and Golf Digest. Liz’s work has been used for advertising campaigns, record covers, billboards, magazine ads, magazine covers, packaging and gift guides.

Your making of Noel Gallagher time-lapse video is really jaw dropping. How long did it take to create the sculpture and why Noel of Oasis?

Music is a huge part of my life. I wake up and put it on and it keeps me moving all day. My favourite musicians are British which might have something to do with my strong ties to England: my Mum is English, I have duel citizenship, I’ve spent a lot of time there and am married to a Brit. There’s something so intense about that tiny little country which has spawned some of the best musicians of all time. Oasis is one of them in my opinion. They put out an album called ‘Dig Out Your Soul’ towards the end of last summer. I caught the bug to sculpt them whilst listening to it. For anyone unfamiliar with Oasis they are made up of five musicians, two of them brothers: Noel and Liam Gallagher.

The Gallagher brothers are both striking to look at but Noel stands out as the most unique to me with his enormous eyebrows and intense stare. In one of the last days of August I sat down to sculpt them both, starting with Noel.

My husband, a personal trainer who works at Fitness Guru and trains his own clients here at 1 Main as well as other buildings in the neighbourhood, had the idea of filming the ‘making of’ Noel Gallagher in time-lapse so I could show people my process. He set up the camera and away I went sculpting Noel whilst listening to the new Oasis album.

I worked for about 6 hours but had to stop as the light had changed too much. I wrapped Noel in saran wrap to protect him from dust and there he sat on the shelf waiting to be finished. A paying job came in so Noel waited some more. Then we flew to Toronto to see Oasis play at the V-Festival, which was the night Noel was attacked on stage. It was months before I could make the time to finish him. If I had to try to add up the total amount of hours from start to finish I would say it was about 20. I never finished Liam because he was so much harder to capture. He is still waiting on the kitchen shelf.

Your studio is located in Dumbo Brooklyn. How long have you been in Dumbo and what do you like/dislike about the neighborhood?

I was born in Manhattan, grew up in Chappaqua then moved to Park Slope in 2000 where I lived for 4 years. After wanting to be closer to the city but still in Brooklyn, I discovered DUMBO and wondered why I hadn’t known about it sooner! I love this neighbourhood… who wouldn’t? It’s moments away from the city but not in it, it’s got the best views, cobblestone streets, character, a mix of old and new, unique businesses, an art scene and really friendly people! I can’t think of anything I dislike, but I do wish there were an art supply store.

(Click on the jump to read more and see Liz’s Steve Buscemi sculpture.) Read the rest of this entry »

greenbuildingsNYC has new information and renderings for 100 Gold Street, a 5 story, 10 unit condominium development in Vinegar Hill we previously posted about. Per greenbuildingsNYC:

9-foot windows will provide ample natural daylight and Manhattan views for residents; gas-fired, wall-hung boilers in each unit should save up to 40 percent on heating costs. Recycled glass tile will be used for backsplashes in each kitchen and zero-VOC paints throughout are being supplied by Brooklyn-based Ivy Coatings. Other materials sourced locally include recycled-content roof pavers manufactured by Saugerties-based Unity Creations and hand-blown light fixtures by Beacon-based Niche Modern. Green features will also include on-site bicycle storage, dual flush toilets, and compact fluorescent lights throughout. REDD also intends to purchase renewable energy credits to offset the building’s projected energy consumption during its first year of operation.

They also note that the project doesn’t appear to be seeking a 3rd party certification (such as LEED).

{102 Gold Street Progress, 05Jan2009}