Permit # FF-144: Thursday, 11/10/2011 between 2pm – 5am

Filming for Broken City is taking place today, Thursday, November 10, 2011 around Dumbo.

- Jay from York to Water
- Pearl from York to Plymouth
- Adams from York to Plymouth
- Front from Jay to Main
- Water from Jay to Main

According to a summary on IMDB, the storyline for Broken City:

“An ex-cop trailing the wife of New York City’s mayor finds himself immersed in a larger scandal.”

Stars include Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

All filming posts are tagged here: DumboNYC.com/tag/filming

As Streetsblog pointed out in late June, the NYC Department of Transportation presented plans for expanded pedestrian areas and upgraded bike markings on Old Fulton Street, which serves as the primary gateway to the recently opened Pier 1 of Brooklyn Bridge Park. As part of the reconfiguration, the B25 will be re-routed to avoid performing a U-turn on Old Fulton on weekends, most likely by following the same circuit it takes on weekdays. That means all buses will be rerouted down Main Street in Dumbo, an already cramped street. A resident of Main Street sent us the below letter to CB2, which he says has not been responded to. With the bus schedule on Main Street as many as 9 times an hour on this now busy residential street, it would make sense to route the bus down Front Street and left on Adams Street, a less busy street, then turn left on Water Street as it does now. Makes sense to us, but are there other considerations? Read the letter to CB2 below (as originally sent but with names removed).

Read the rest of this entry »

Common Good, a new green household cleaning products company based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has been selling their product in Dumbo since their launch at the end of 2010. We were curious about the product and the people behind it. The locally produced, bulk household cleaning products comes ready to use in plastic bottles but also at in-store bulk refill stations, such as the one at Foragers Market. People can bring in any clean bottle to refill or you can purchase a screen-printed empty glass bottle. We caught up with co-founder Sacha Dunn (who with Edmund Levine) started Common Good.

Great seeing your products in Dumbo (Foragers Market). Since your launch in November 2010, how have buyers reacted to your cleaning products?

We’re really happy with the way people have taken to Common Good – especially bulk refill. We knew when we started that we had a couple of barriers to break. we were a new brand no-one had heard of and we were asking people to make a major change in the way they bought cleaning products. It’s just great to have our suspicions confirmed – people are ready to make an extra effort to reduce waste and help the environment. And we hear they like our packaging too, so that’s nice.

How did the company get started? What were the major challenges in launching Common Good?

Common Good was started because we felt we were using too much plastic. We were already using green products and recycling but we were still blowing through so much plastic. It seemed like the right time and place to try to make a change.

We were both essentially prop stylists so we had ideas about how we wanted the brand to look. We were used to sourcing weird things for shoots and we used that styling background to pull together the packaging we wanted. One of the major challenges in launching Common Good was learning the chemistry. We knew we had to create products that worked or people wouldn’t come back to refill. We found a chemist who understands green cleaning products and worked together to create the best product we could.

We really felt that there was room for a new aesthetic in household cleaners. Nothing fancy but just good, simple and clean. That was the easy part. The chemists have the hard job!

What are the most common consumer misconceptions about household cleaning products?

The good news is I think people are becoming more aware of the chemicals they bring into their homes. I’d say the main problems in our market are:

• artificial fragrances, some of which can be quite harmful and are rarely disclosed but mostly because we don’t know enough about them.
• we use too much product to do the job – overdosing laundry detergent is a major problem and i think vinegar is a great substitute for window cleaner.
• the need for anti-bacterial products when soap and water does so nicely.

Overall, we’re moving in the right direction – last year, Senator Al Franken introduced the Household Product Labeling Act. People are reading websites and blogs about this stuff. We need to spread the word farther but even large supermarkets are buying into green now. We believe the next level of awareness is about packaging. Most high density plastics take over 1000 years to break down. We need to move beyond recycling to a greater emphasis on re-using.

Thank you Sacha and to Common Good for the awareness to reduce waste and keeping the environment safe. To buy Common Good products, go to Foragers Market at 56 Adams Street, Dumbo Brooklyn NY. Other locations are listed in the Common Good website.

The sidewalk on Washington Street, between York Street and Front Street is being replaced with ‘pigmented sidewalks’. The West side of the street is being completed this week. Repairs will begin on the East side of the street tomorrow, according to the NYC Department of Design + Construction. Ongoing work is occurring on Washington Street and Plymouth Streets with the installation of Auger piles, installing curbs on Water Street between Washington and Adams Streets, and backfilling of trench and placing temporary asphalt on roadway over the trench near the intersection of Water and Adams Streets.

Since many have asked, yes, the Belgian blocks in Dumbo will eventually be repaired as it was on Water Street between Old Fulton Street and Main Street.

For more information, please call Paul Kidder, the Community Construction Liaison at 718-643-2850 or email: waterstreetccl@gmail.com

All construction posts are here: dumbonyc.com/tag/construction

Previously:
{Construction Update in Dumbo (Mar 2011)}
{Construction Update in Dumbo (Feb 2011)}
{Pile Driving on Washington Street, 17Dec2010}
{Two Way Washington Street, 10Nov2010}
{Washington Street Construction (Oct 19 Update)}
{Washington Street Construction (Sept Update), 22Sept2010}
{Asbestos Abatement Project, 27Aug2010}
{Washington Street Construction Update, 13Aug2010}
{Construction Around Dumbo Through 2011+, 10May2010}
{Notice: Cars Parked on Dock Street, 12Apr2010}
{Water Street Reconstruction Update (Mar/Apr 2010), 10Mar2010}
{Water/Washington St Reconstruction Project Update, 03Dec2009}
{Belgian Block Reconstruction to Begin, 04May2009}

The Dumbo Brooklyn location of Gramercy Park Flower Shop is now open. Welcome to the neighborhood!

Gramercy Park Flower Shop (gramercyflowers.com)
28 Adams Street (and 32 Adams St), Brooklyn NY 11201
Phone: (212) 475-4989

Previously:
{Gramercy Park Flowers Storefront Progress, 18Feb2011}
{Gramercy Park Flower Shop to Open on Adams Street, 01Feb2011}
{New Retail Space Being Created in Dumbo, 22Sep2010}

The following is this week’s anticipated construction work schedule (7am – 3:30pm work hours), field conditions permitting for this week. Please note that parking may be restricted in work areas.

• 3/4/11 through 3/11/11 – Water Street/Adam Street intersection near the Manhattan Bridge, Continue installation of chambers, valves and manholes
• 3/4/11 through 3/11/11 – Washington Street between Water Street and PLymouth Street, Excavate and prepare sewer trench for Auger piles and final section of sewer pipe
• 3/4/11 through 3/11/11 – Washington Street intersection at Plymouth Street and inside the DEP yard, Continue excavation for the installation of valves, chamber and manholes
• 3/4/11 through 3/11/11 – Front Street/Washington Street intersection between Main Street, Excavation and removal of boulder; installation of the final sewer and water connection at this location

NOTE: The B25 Bus line has been returned to the original route along Water Street.

Looking ahead:

• Water St. from Main St. to Adams St.: Continue the installation of new granite curb, sidewalk and Belgian block roadway.
• Washington St. between York St. and Water St: Continue the installation of new granite curb, sidewalk and Belgian block roadway.

For more information, please call Paul Kidder, the Community Construction Liaison at 718-643-2850 or email: waterstreetccl@gmail.com

Previously:
{Construction Update in Dumbo (Feb 2011)}
{Pile Driving on Washington Street, 17Dec2010}
{Two Way Washington Street, 10Nov2010}
{Washington Street Construction (Oct 19 Update)}
{Washington Street Construction (Sept Update), 22Sept2010}
{Asbestos Abatement Project, 27Aug2010}
{Washington Street Construction Update, 13Aug2010}
{Construction Around Dumbo Through 2011+, 10May2010}
{Notice: Cars Parked on Dock Street, 12Apr2010}
{Water Street Reconstruction Update (Mar/Apr 2010), 10Mar2010}
{Water/Washington St Reconstruction Project Update, 03Dec2009}
{Belgian Block Reconstruction to Begin, 04May2009}

Here’s a FSBO listing we found on Brownstoner’s Marketplace for a 1 bedroom 847 square feet ($797/sqft) apartment with a 325 sqft private terrace at 85 Adams (aka Beacon Tower). Per the listing:

Over sized 1 bedroom apartment with 325sf terrace, in the heart of Dumbo. South exposure drenches the apartment in sunlight all day long. Living area has lots of room for a full dining area and living room. Beautiful oak floors, large closets and an in-unit washer and dryer. 11ft high ceilings, highest in the building. Great open kitchen includes all stainless steel appliances by Jenn Air, GE & Bosch. Amazing bathroom with an over sized medicine cabinet and a deep 6ft soaking Zuma Tub.

847 sqft 1 bedroom 1 bath, 325 sqft private terrace
ask: $675,000
cc: $786.78
tax: $21.70 (tax abated)
To make an appointment, contact 85adams2c@gmail.com.

The scaffolding has come down at The Gramercy Park Flowers storefront at 32 Adams Street and it looks like it’s progressing well. The industrial-style windows resemble those of the old factories when this 1914 building at 55 Washington Street (Gair Building #6) was a cardboard factory. As posted early this month, the florist plans on opening sometime in March on April 1 (updated 2/23 per Two Trees).

(Top photo thanks to Josh Derr)

Previously:
{Gramercy Park Flower Shop to Open on Adams Street, 01Feb2011}

Friends With Kids is filming in Dumbo on Adams Street between Sands and York Streets on Saturday, February 5, 2011. Friends with Kids is a feature film starring Megan Fox is scheduled for a 2012 release.

Originally reported in The Real Deal in early January, Gramercy Park Flower Shop has signed a 12 year lease at 32 Adams Street (1,183 sqft) and 28 Adams Street (1,349 sqft) for a total of 2,532 square feet. 32 Adams Street will serve as the retail location and 28 Adams Street will serve as office space. We contacted the Two Trees folks who confirmed that construction should be done in February and the tenant will be open for business in March. The location is in the rear of the 55 Washington Street building as posted in September 2010.

Since Overpass Flowers at 65 Washington St closed in January 2007, the neighborhood has been lacking a florist, and residents have been asking for one via emails to DumboNYC. You may also remember that a flower school was to open at 73 Front Street in 2008, but the lease was cancelled.

According to a NY Observer article, Gramercy Park Flower Shop leased the space for 12 years and the asking rent was $30 a square foot. Gramercy Florists has three Manhattan locations and Dumbo will be the first Brooklyn location. With so many weddings taking place in the area, this could be good for wedding planners and brides who want to plan something with a local florist.