
CPC Resources Inc.’s New Domino project at the former Domino Sugar plant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Image Courtesy: Rafael Vinoly Architects.
Community coalition failed to stop 11-acre mixed-use development at Domino Sugar Refinery site along Williamsburg waterfront. CPC Resources proposed to develop a 2,200-unit mixed-use project on the Domino plant site. The 11.2-acre site includes two parcels of land. The first is located along the East River between Grand and South 5th Streets, bordered to the east by Kent Avenue. The second, smaller parcel is bounded by South 3rd and South 4th Streets and Wythe and Kent Avenues. The Domino Sugar Refinery Building, located at 292 Kent Avenue, was landmarked in 2007 and will be redeveloped by CPC Resources as part of the proposal. The plan will provide public waterfront access, ground floor retail space along Kent Avenue, underground parking, office space, and 2,200 residential units. CPC Resources promised to market 30 percent of the apartments as affordable housing. The site had been targeted for development since 2007 and the City approved CPC Resources’ plan in 2010. (more…)

Rendering of 74 Wallabout Street courtesy of Magnusson Architecture and Planning PC.
Developer asked the City to rezone manufacturing-zoned block in order to develop a seven-story building and a five-story extension for an adjacent religious school. On September 12, 2012 the City Council approved 74 Wallabout LLC’s proposal to demolish a low-rise warehouse building and build a seven-story mixed-use building at 74 Wallabout Street in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The warehouse sits on the western half of a block bounded by Wallabout Street, and Flushing, Franklin, and Kent Avenues. The Pointe Plaza Hotel (a converted industrial building) and the K-12 Yeshiva Bnos Ahavas Israel occupy the block’s western half. The new building will be 70 feet tall and include 120 rental units, 28,439 sq.ft. of ground floor retail space, and 60 underground parking spaces. 74 Wallabout LLC plans to make the apartments affordable to moderate income households. 74 Wallabout LLC also plans to sell a 5,000-square-foot portion of its property to the yeshiva, and build the school a 17,640-square-foot, five-story rear extension. To develop the project, 74 Wallabout LLC requested that the block be rezoned from M1-2 to R7-1 with a C1-5 commercial overlay.
(more…)

Credit: Karl Fischer Architect
Developer’s two-building, 69-unit project will include 14 units of affordable housing. On September 12, 2012, the City Council approved Walton Realty Associate’s proposal to rezone a three-block area in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn to permit residential uses. The rezoning impacted portions of three blocks located just outside the Broadway Triangle Urban Renewal Area and generally bounded by Middleton and Wallabout Streets and Union and Marcy Avenues. Walton Realty requested the rezoning in order to develop a two-building residential project at 59 Walton Street. The buildings will rise eight stories and provide a total of 69 rental units, and is expected to include 14 units of affordable housing built using the Inclusionary Housing Program’s floor area bonus.
Brooklyn Community Board 1 and Borough President Marty Markowitz supported the proposal but asked that Walton Realty guarantee that it would provide the affordable housing component.
(more…)

Credit: Karl Fischer Architect
Developer plans to build two, eight-story buildings on Walton Street between Union and Marcy Avenues. On July 25, 2012, the City Planning Commission approved Walton Realty Associates’ proposal to develop a two-building residential project at 59 Walton Street in South Williamsburg. Walton Realty would demolish a low-rise storage and distribution facility on Walton Street between Union and Marcy Avenues and build two, eight-story buildings. The buildings would rise up to 80 feet and provide a total of 69 apartments, including 14 units of affordable housing.
To facilitate the development, Walton Realty requested that the City rezone three blocks bounded by Middleton Street and Union and Marcy Avenues. The northern block between Middleton and Lorimer Streets and Union and Marcy Avenues would be rezoned from M1-2 to R6A. The two southern blocks, which include the project site on Walton Street would be rezoned from M3-1 to R7A and R7A/C2-4. Walton Realty also requested that the City apply the inclusionary housing program to the R7A and R7A/C2-4 district on the block bounded by Lorimer and Walton Streets in order to use the inclusionary housing floor area ratio (FAR) bonus for the project.
(more…)

Development site in Williamsburg
City approved developer’s request to rezone 15 tax lots to facilitate the development of two, six-story buildings near site of Domino Sugar project. Bruce Terzano (through JBJ, LLC) sought City approval to build a two-building mixed-use project at the corner of Wythe Avenue and South 3rd Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. To facilitate his proposal, Terzano asked the City to expand a nearby MX-8 special mixed-use district to include 15 tax lots on the eastern portion of the block bounded by South 2nd and South 3rd Streets between Wythe and Kent Avenues, and rezone the blocks from M3-1 to MX8:M1-4/R6A. Terzano needed the rezoning in order to replace a parking lot and low-rise plumbing supply store with two, six-story buildings, providing 18 affordable apartments, 61 market-rate apartments, and ground floor commercial space.
The proposal was met with opposition from the local community during the ULURP review process. Brooklyn Community Board 1 opposed the proposal, recommending that the area be rezoned to M1-4/R6B, and that Terzano record a deed restriction excluding bars and restaurants from the development’s commercial space. At the City Planning Commission’s public hearing, Brandon Cole, president of the Williamsburg Community Preservation Committee, asked the City to postpone the “spot” rezoning and perform a comprehensive study of the neighborhood similar to the study carried out prior to the 2005 Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning plan.
(more…)