[+]
(Existing site at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Main Street)

 [+]
(preliminary design of Main Street Conversion Site, October 15, 2012)

Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) is proposing 37,617 square feet (0.863 acres) of land in the Main Street section of the park at the end of Washington Street a final design for the site. The section of the park is currently used for non-park municipal purposes, the parcels that house an indoor facility that was used by NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) as a water meter testing site, the streetbed of Washington Street, which is currently used as a parking lot for the NYCDEP facility, and a New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) paint shed.

Once developed, these replacement parcels would be integrated into the Main Street section of Brooklyn Bridge Park, which has already been developed as a waterfront park space with beach access.

Leigh Trucks, senior project manager for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation (BBPC), will present the park’s final design for the Main Street Conversion Site. The presentation is made for CB2 recommendation to the Public Design Commission.

• The presentation of the preliminary design made at the October 15, 2012 parks committee meeting: PDF file (6mb file)
• A summary of the proposed use of replacement parcels is on the BBPC site (PDF file).

CB2 Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting
Monday, May 20 2013, 6pm
Dining Rooms A&B, Brooklyn Hospital, 121 DeKalb Avenue at St. Felix Street, in Fort Greene

More info on the Main Street Conversion Site.

The Dumbo Improvement District notes that two new restaurants will open in the former Governor and Rice spaces. The Atrium, at 15 Main Street, will offer casual fine dining showcasing locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. At 81 Washington Street, Mediterranean restaurant Dish is scheduled to open in June.

The Atruim (owned by Cobblestone Restaurant Group) received their liquor license last month. The restaurant seats 63 and will open Mon-Wed 5:30pm-12am, Thur-Sat 11:30am-2am, Sun 11:30am-12am. According to the Community Board 2, the owners of The Atrium have extensive experience in 4 star restaurants in Europe and USA and have worked with Daniel Boloud and Jean Georges.

The Atrium
15 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Mon-Wed 5:30pm-12am
Thur-Sat 11:30am-2am
Sun 11:30am-12am

Dish
81 Washington Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

The L Mag’s annual 50 Best Blocks in Brooklyn was posted last week. Among the best included a few in Dumbo, one in Vinegar Hill, and Brooklyn Heights:

Best Urban Palimpsest: Plymouth Street, between Washington and Main streets, DUMBO
“On one side are old Gairville warehouses, repurposed for start-ups and a (now out-of-business) restaurant; on the other, a mod Brooklyn Bridge Park playground. In the middle are belgian blocks cut through with decommissioned rails, driving over which you might spot an aughts-model sports car (as we did the other day).”

Best Honest-to-Goodness Alleyway: Howard Alley, DUMBO
“Watch a Hollywood movie set in NYC, and you’ll likely see at some point a character dash down an alley. But truth is this city ain’t got many alleys, at least not anymore. (It’s the one thing Chicago has on us.) But this back-passage in DUMBO looks just like the genuine article—much cooler than nearby Fleet Alley, a glorified driveway—complete with a scary door at its end we’d dare never approach, let alone pass through.”

Best-Smelling Block: Front Street, between Adams and Washington streets, DUMBO
“We walk down this street to work almost every day and are greeted by olfactory goodness. First the smell of freshly made juices from Foragers, then the toasted bread from the panini grill at Al Mar, and finally the scent of bacon-y goodness from Peas & Pickles. Then, of course, you cross the street and get assaulted by the mysterious sewage smell outside of West Elm and are forced to recognize that happiness is fleeting and garbage is always around the corner. Such is life.”

Cutest Private Street: Harrison Alley, Vinegar Hill
“If you’ve never wandered through the strange few blocks that constitute Vinegar Hill, you really should. Like, just around the corner from the popular Vinegar Hill House restaurant is this alley, basically a driveway, long-since (always?) fenced off by the people who live in the house at its end. (A curious sculpture surrounds their mailbox on the public side of the fence.) Yet it still has an official city street sign, adorably hanging off a crooked pole.”

Best Bike Lane Block: Flushing Avenue, between Washington Avenue and Hall Street, Clinton Hill
“Just in general, Flushing is one of the borough’s most reliable thoroughfares for cyclists, but the stretch along the Brooklyn Navy Yards, starting at Washington? Pure bliss. Here, there’s an actual cement barrier separating you and your bike from oblivious drivers. It’s almost too good to be true!”

(One of) Five Best Blocks to Live On
College Place, Brooklyn Heights
“Love Lane is the one everyone knows, but it’s this side street off that side street that’s really where you’ll find some of the prettiest housing stock in Brooklyn. Get down to the end and it’s just ridiculously European—plus totally secluded, even though you’re a very short walk away from stores and subways.”

Previously:
{4 of 50 Best Brooklyn Blocks in Dumbo, 03Nov2010}

Belgian block restoration on Water and Washington Streets in Dumbo started in May 2009 and completed in September 2011. The NYC Department of Transportation installed a new 14″ thermal block bicycle lane in the center lane of Washington Street, a look that disappointed preservationists. Doreen Gallo told us (in November 2011) that most people are unaware of what is being sacrificed and what the difference is between restoring the Belgian block in an historic, authentic way and the recent execution on Washington and Water Streets.

Today, The New York Times published an article that the city “has offered to install new cobbles that are aged artificially, like a pair of stonewashed jeans, to appear more worn.”

“Somebody cut those things — thousands of people,” said Doreen Gallo, the executive director of the Dumbo Neighborhood Alliance, a residents’ group. “And we’re careless.”

The Transportation Department has pledged to save as many of the old cobblestones as possible. Some have been retained, but turned 90 degrees to create makeshift bike lanes, pointing in the direction of traffic flow — a visually striking intervention that the city “just made up,” Ms. Gallo mused, to promote cycling.

But many of the stones must be replaced, the Transportation Department said, in part because, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, stones on a crosswalk or sidewalk must vary in height by no more than a quarter of an inch — far less a discrepancy than is found along the typical stretch of Belgian block.

Mindful of some community members’ disdain for the machine-cut cobbles that already exist on Washington Street, the department has promised an exhaustive search for the perfect replica stone. (Technically, cobblestones are rounded and irregular, but New Yorkers generally describe Belgian blocks as cobblestones.)

Andy Wiley-Schwartz, the Transportation Department’s assistant commissioner for public space said that in a citywide study in neighborhoods that retain their historic stones, including TriBeCa, SoHo and the meatpacking district, “…you see a much more uniform color and size of stone,” he said. “In Dumbo, there are a variety of colors and a variety of sizes.”

Residents from the Vinegar Hill Neighborhood Association have posted an online petition to preserve the original Belgian block streets in Vinegar Hill. Their letter states:

To:
The City of New York
As a resident or friend of Vinegar Hill, I oppose the use of mass-produced, modern cobblestones in Vinegar Hill.

Hence, when the planned sewer and water work on Water Street in Vinegar Hill are complete, I oppose the use of machine-made or machine-altered cobblestones of any kind or for any purpose in Vinegar Hill because they are incompatible with the designated historic character of our landmarked neighborhood, of which our Belgian blocks are a vital and irreplaceable component.

I also oppose the addition of a bike lane on Water Street made from anything but our own historic Belgian Blocks.

This measns infrastructure changes to Water Street (sewer work, water work, etc.) should faithfully restore in kind, not replace or redesign in any way, our historic Belgian block street surfaces.

Additionally, any planned changes to curbs and intersections should not include modern materials or designs.
Sincerely,
[Your name]

What do you think about the restoration of the streets in Dumbo?

Previously:
{$20 Million for Phase II of Dumbo Streets Announced, 07Nov2011}
{Belgian Block Paving On Washington Street, 25aug2011}
{Water Street Belgain Blocks Looking Good, 29Jul2011}
{Washington Street Prepped for Belgian Blocks20May2011}
{Belgian Blocks Being Replaced on Water Street, 02Oct2010}
{Water and Washington Street Reconstruction Project Update, 03Dec2009}
{Belgian Block Reconstruction to Begin This Week, 04May2009}
{Dumbo Belgian Blocks, 13Jan2007}

A TV movie Murder in Manhattan is being filmed in Dumbo Brooklyn today on Washington Street, Front Street, and Jay Street. According to IMBD, the plot is centers on mother Blythe and daughter Lex who team up as amateur sleuths. The sassy Lex works in the Mayor’s office by day, and works as sleuth with Blythe by night.

Filming is also occurring inside One Girl Cookies and will be closed today. They will reopen on Friday morning at 8am.

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

The following six condos are new to the Dumbo Brooklyn market for the week of February 17-26, 2013. Four of them are 102 Gold Street condos:

• 02/23/2013: [In contract] 102 Gold St, #6F (Corcoran), $589,000 ($861/sf), $348/mo cc, $14/mo tax (15-year 421A tax abatement), 684sf, 1 bed, 1 bath
• 02/21/2013: 42 Main Street #4C (Halstead), $925,000 ($880/sf), $850/mo cc, $37/mo tax, 1050sf, 1 bed, 2 bath
• 02/20/2013: 70 Washington Street, #11V (Halstead), $1,425,000 ($974/sf), $528/mo cc, $80/mo tax (15-year 421A tax abatement), 1,463sf, 2 bed, 2 bath
• 02/19/2013: 102 Gold St, #4F (Corcoran), $485,000 ($741/sf), $333/mo cc, $13/mo tax (15-year 421A tax abatement), 654sf, 1 bed, 1 bath
• 02/19/2013: 102 Gold St, #1R (Corcoran), $895,000 ($706/sf), $645/mo cc, $26/mo tax (15-year 421A tax abatement), 1,267sf, 1 bed, 1.5 bath
• 02/23/2013: 102 Gold St, #5F (Corcoran), $495,000 ($756/sf), $334/mo cc, $13/mo tax (15-year 421A tax abatement), 654sf, 1 bed, 1 bath

102 Gold Street:

70 Washington Street, #11V:

42 Main Street, #4C:

See all ‘new to market’ posts

The following two condos are the latest to the Dumbo Brooklyn market:

• 11/29/2012: 70 Washington Street #8C (Halstead), $1,197,500 ($974/sf), $409/mo cc, $44/mo tax (J-51 Abatement expires in 2018), 1,229sf, 2 bed, 2 bath
• 11/26/2012: 70 Washington Street #6U (Tarlin Realty), $1,185,000 ($984/sf), $389/mo cc, $64/mo tax, 1204sf, 2 bed, 2 bath

(70 Washington Street, #8C)

Unit 8C in 70 Washington has been owned by one owner since the building’s conversion in 2006. We’re told by realtors (not the brokers offering this unit) that the 8th floor+ of this east view in Dumbo is ‘protected’, so the morning light will always be bright and the “sunset light is reflected by the glass of 100 Jay Street”. Ok, that’s good.

(70 Washington Street, #6U)

Unit 6U was previously listed by owner in August for $1,175,000. There’s another unit with the same floorplan on the 10th floor on the market for $1,075,000 since October.

See all ‘new to market’ posts

As we mentioned earlier this week, the West Elm’s first West Elm Market opened today. The store includes an espresso bar serving La Colombe coffee as well as pastries and light food choices. (Pastries are from Roberta’s.)

The new store concept will sell “solutions for everyday living, designed to delight and made to be used” and include items for the kitchen, garden, personal care, and “care and repair“.

There are tables where you can enjoy your coffee and space for cooking and product demonstrations.

West Elm Market
50 Washington Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
(Google Map of 50 Washington Street)

Store Hours
Mon-Sat: 7am – 8pm
Sunday: 9am – 7pm

Looks like the new West Elm Market (previous news about 50 Washington Street) will also include a “La Colombe workshop“. The sign above was displayed in the window of the West Elm Market store, which will open on Thursday, October 25 in early November. West Elm Market will sell kitchen, garden, tools, and personal care, according to the sign on the window.

You may know that La Colombe is also served at Almondine Bakery as noted in our old Dumbo coffee post, which needs updating. Maybe once West Elm Market opens, we’ll do an update on coffee in Dumbo. Anyone what to do a coffee tasting?

West Elm Market
50 Washington Street, Brooklyn NY 11201

The following two condos are new to the Dumbo Brooklyn market for the week of October 8 – 14, 2012:

• 10/13/2012: 100 Jay Street #6F (NY Casa Group), $479,000 ($907/sf), $320/mo cc, 528sf, 0 bed, 1 bath
• 10/12/2012: 70 Washington Street #10U (Two Trees), $1,075,000 ($892/sf), $407/mo cc, $60/mo tax, 1,204sf, 2 bed, 2 bath
• 10/12/2012: 70 Washington Street #11B (Two Trees), $1,075,000 ($869/sf), $425/mo cc, $62/mo tax, 1,236sf, 2 bed, 2 bath
• 10/12/2012: 70 Washington Street #3G (Two Trees), $1,465,000 ($843/sf), $674/mo cc, $99/mo tax, 1,737sf, 3 bed, 3 bath
• 10/09/2012: 70 Washington Street #5J (Sotheby’s), $1,080,000 ($887/sf), $485/mo cc, $70/mo tax, 1,217sf, 1 bed, 1 bath

(100 Jay Street, #6F)

This studio apartment is currently one of three studios on the market in Dumbo. The other two are also in J Condo (#10J for $489,000 and #4J for $499,000). Rentals are going for $2,350. The same layout in another unit (#8F) sold for $435,000 on 7/27/2012.

(70 Washington Street, #10U)

There is another unit with the same layout on the market (#6U) for 1,175,000 (we previously listed it.)

(70 Washington Street, #11B)

(70 Washington Street, #3G)

This corner unit 2+home office condo is 1,737 square feet at $843 per square feet, which is lower by approximately $100 per square feet compared to recent sales for units with the same layout. (This one is on a lower floor).

(70 Washington Street, #5J)

From the listing: “Spacious, pristine, beautiful mint condition loft is perfect for entertaining. This 1,217+/- SF home has a huge living/dining room with soaring 11ft +/- ceilings. Beautiful sunsets, downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge views from oversized windows. Open chef’s kitchen is state of the art with stainless SubZero, Viking and Thermador appliances.”

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