Dumbo NYC

Below is a video of the Two Trees presentation for the PS 8 parents given last Wednesday to explain more about the proposed project. Jed Walentas discussed the proposed plan and highlights the following:

• The site is on the corner of Dock and Water Streets and occupies 45,000 square feet, consisting of three buildings, a 17 story building set back from Dock, an 8 story building facing Water and running 65 feet down Dock, and a 2 story building along with rest of Dock.
• 3 levels of below grade parking to accommodate 450 parking spaces with the entrance facing Front Street. This replaces 200 parking spots currently on the site.
• The plan calls for 400 rental units, 80 of which will be affordable.
• 10,000 square feet of retail along Water Street
• a 45,000 square foot middle school on one floor with a separate entrance on Dock Street for 300 students. Two Trees is effectively donating the space to the Department of Education with a 99 year lease.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Previously:
{Two Trees to Present Plans To Address Lack of School in Dumbo, 28May2008}
{Joint Statement by BHA, DNA, FFL, on Dock St Dumbo Building, 01OCt2007}
{Dock Street Dumbo Building Opposed by Yassky, 06Aug2007}
{Dock Street Dumbo Plans Revealed, 27Jun2007}

Tonight, Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 6:30pm
Plymouth Church, 75 Hicks Street (Between Orange and Cranberry Streets)

{Op Ed: Give B’KLYN This School!, NY Post}

Discuss DOCK STREET and the DUMBO REZONING PLAN with PAUL GRAZIANO

When: Sunday, May 18th, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Where: 70 Washington St. PH-E, DUMBO, Brooklyn
Cost: $75 per person donation, including wine and hors d’oeuvres

The Dumbo Neighborhood Association invites you to spend and evening with Paul Graziano, noted historic preservationist and the urban planner behind DNA’s rezoning plan for DUMBO.

Space is limited, please RSVP to: karen@dumbo-dna.org. To pay in advance, mail checks payable to “DNA” to: DNA, 45 Washington St., P.O.Box 123, Brooklyn, NY 11201

It was announced yesterday that Daniel Doctoroff, NYC’s deputy mayor for economic development is leaving the Bloomberg administration. He has been a proponent of the Jets stadium over the Hudson Yards and bringing the Olympics to NYC. Mr. Doctoroff is the architect of the positive PlaNYC 2030 which outlined plans for making NYC environmentally sustainable by 2030. I hope his successor continues ahead with that. According to a ‘friend’ of Mr. Doctoroff, who wished to remain anonymous, he is friends with Mr. Walentas and supported the Dock Street building in Dumbo. Is this bad news for the Dock Street building?

More on Mr. Doctoroff from Curbed: here and here.

(Photo from savethebrooklynbridge.org)

In late August, The Brooklyn Paper and NY Post published stories about neighborhood groups joining together to fight against Two Trees Management building proposal on Dock Street in Dumbo. The joint statement was not published in either article. But the Dumbo Neighborhood Association just posted the statement on their website (click on more below to view the whole statement). The Brooklyn Heights Association, Dumbo Neighborhood Association, and Fulton Ferry Landing Association have joined together to oppose the project citing negative impact on the surrounding historic neighborhoods, being out of scale with adjacent structures, and failure to recognize its unique and significantly historic urban context. They have joined Council member David Yassky who also does not think the building is appropriate so close to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Read the rest of this entry »

 All renderings of Dock St. Dumbo from Two Trees

Since Two Trees Management released their plans for the 18 story building in June, city politicians were quiet about their stance until they saw the plans. On Sunday, the NY Times published a letter from Council member David Yassky, who does not think the building is appropriate on a historic block so close to the Brooklyn Bridge.

“Families should not need to accept an inappropriate building for the soon-to-be-landmarked Dumbo neighborhood in order to get a much-needed middle school. I have spoken with the Department of Education, and am forming a task force comprising neighborhood residents and P.S. 8 parents to evaluate the qualities the middle school should have. Based on that evaluation, we will consider available locations and create an appropriate middle school for the area.”

I’ve also received an email from a Dumbo resident who received this reply from Mr. Yassky:

—–Original Message—–
From: dock07@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007
Subject: Re: Fw: The proposed Dock Street Monstrosity

Dear Mr. [anonymous],

Thank you for writing me about your opinion of the proposed building, now known as Dock Street DUMBO. As you may know, this is not the first proposal for this location. In 2004, Two Trees proposed a 17 story building at 38 Water St. which I opposed. My position was and remains that a building at a location this close to the Brooklyn Bridge should be no taller than 8 stories or 80 feet.

The block where Two Trees is proposing to build Dock Street DUMBO, - which now includes the site of the former Nova Clutch Building on Front Street, as well as the 38 Water Street location - is of particular historical significance. The Tobacco Warehouse and Civil War Warehouses are both located on the block along with other historic buildings that are part of the calendared DUMBO landmark area. It is my opinion, that the proposed building would be totally out of character with these historical resources, many of them excellently restored by Two Trees. In addition, I find a development this tall to be unacceptable at this location, as it would block views of and from the historic Brooklyn Bridge.

The developers have included space that they would lease to the Board of Education for a middle school. There is a dire need for a middle school in the DUMBO/ Brooklyn Heights area to serve the graduates of PS 8. Children from these neighborhoods now go to variety of public and private schools throughout the borough and even in Manhattan. I have been in discussions about this issue with the Department of Education for some time. In the early fall I will be sending information about a joint task force composed of DUMBO/Brooklyn Heights residents and PS 8 parents to begin a middle school search process. I feel strongly that this location is not the only solution — a school should not be used as a reason for an inappropriate building.

As many of you are aware one of the prime aims of my work as a city council member has been to create affordable housing. Again I do not feel that this incentive should be used to build an inappropriate building.

I feel this makes my position on this issue clear, but if you have further questions please do not hesitate to write me at dock07@gmail.com or contact my district office at (718) 875-5200.

Sincerely,

David Yassky

Looks like Mr. Yassky set up a gmail account to receive emails regarding the Dock Street Building. Finally, a website has been created by a group of citizens opposed to the development, savedumbo.org, which include some renderings of the building by Two Trees (below). While I don’t think a building on the lot is a bad thing, many residents are opposed to the size and having a middle school in the same structure as a residential rental building.

{More Middle Schools in Brooklyn, 05Aug07, NY Times, Letters to the Editor}
Previously:
{NY Times: Middle School Needed in the Area, 30Jul07}
{Dock Street Dumbo Plans Revealed, 27Jun207, }
{Two Trees Seeking Approval for 15-20 Story Building Abutting Brooklyn Bridge, 18Apr07}

There is a ‘test’ window on the side of the indoor parking lot on Front and Dock Street. Does anyone know if this is intended for the Dock Street building? If so, these are solid windows.

{Google Street View of this building}

When we first broke the news on the proposed Two Trees building in April on Front and Dock Streets, most comments opposed the scale of the project (15-20 stories). We didn’t have much more information on Two Trees’ plan, but early this week, they’ve come out with more detail on the building with a mailer campaign. The revision of the original 2004 plan now includes a redesign of the 400 unit rental building (80 of them ‘affordable rentals’) to build the taller floors away from the Brooklyn Bridge (see rendering above), plus approximately 10,000 square feet of street-level retail spaces and off-street parking. The building is designed by Beyer Blinder Belle and will be the first green building under the LEED Certification Program in Dumbo. The plans include a 40,000 sq ft middle school for 300 children, which is much needed in Dumbo, where 3000+ people will be moving to by the end of the year. While I applaud The Walentas’ for the inclusion of the middle-school and the affordable rentals, the scale of the building shouldn’t crowd the iconic image of Brooklyn (and I’m not talking about the view from those $million dollar apartments) for visitors, pedestrians, and residents of Brooklyn. Also the building that houses St. Ann’s Warehouse will be demolished to make way for the project. Two Trees has said to be committed to find a new home for them.

{dockstreetdumbo.com}
{Two Trees Plans Mixed Use Building Next to Bridge, 22Jun2007, Brownstoner}
{Goodbye Nova Clutch Building, 20Jun2007, DumboNYC}
{Two Trees Seeking Approval for 15-20 Story Building Abutting Brooklyn Bridge, 18Apr2007, DumboNYC}