Plan calls for partial demolition and conversion of three buildings into residential units. Ironworks LLC proposed to convert three vacant buildings located along Old Fulton Street in Dumbo into residential units. Built in the early 1800s, the adjacent four-story brick buildings sit within the Fulton Ferry Historic District, less than 75 feet from the Brooklyn Bridge. Due to their manufacturing zoning, conversion to residential use triggered the need for a variance from BSA.

Ironworks’ plan called for the demolition of the rear of all three buildings above the first story, the internal connection of the buildings, and the addition of a fifth story. The final project would contain 15 dwelling units in one 22,948- square-foot structure with 5,237 sq.ft. of commercial and retail space in the cellar and ground floors. (more…)

Commission decides that Brooklyn Bridge sightline merits destruction of a building within a historic district. Landmarks held a hearing on February 21, 2006 on an application to demolish the Purchase Building, located at 11-85 Water Street in Brooklyn’s Fulton Ferry Historic District. The applicant, Brooklyn Bridge Development Corporation, was created to manage the development of Brooklyn Bridge Park, a new 85-acre park expanding from DUMBO to Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. The Purchase Building, a 300-foot-long Art Deco warehouse built as a WPA project in 1936, divides the park site and blocks views of the Brooklyn Bridge.

At the hearing, a representative from the Brooklyn Bridge Development Corporation testified that Brooklyn Bridge Park would be the most significant park project for the City since construction of Prospect Park in 1860-1868. Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe urged Landmarks to approve demolition despite the fact that, according to him, Parks “usually appeared before Landmarks to urge preservation and restoration.” A representative from the State Historic Preservation Office also testified in favor of the project, arguing that the warehouse was out of context and non-contributing to the Fulton Ferry Historic District. Other demolition supporters felt it was important to reconnect surrounding neighborhoods to the Brooklyn Bridge and the shoreline, and stressed the area’s current state of industrial underutilization. (more…)

BID will encompass 366 properties and address sanitation, security and marketing needs. The Planning Commission unanimously approved an application by the Department of Small Business Services to create a DUMBO Business Improvement District. The proposed BID would encompass 366 properties containing 575 existing businesses bounded by DUMBO’s York, Old Fulton, Gold, and Bridge Streets and extending to the East River.

Under the proposed BID, businesses and industrial uses would be assessed $.05 per-square-foot and $.004 per dollar of assessed valuation. DUMBO residents would pay an annual $1 assessment. Government and not-for-profit groups will be exempt from the assessment, relieving the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, which, in 2004, obtained City Council’s approval for a 736,000-square-foot development on a full city block within the BID area. 1 CityLand 33 (Dec. 15, 2004).

There were no speakers in opposition at the Commission’s April 27, 2005 hearing. The Commission approved the BID as submitted.

BID Approval Process The Department of Small Business Services, as lead agency, issued a negative declaration on March 9, 2005 and submitted the BID plan to Mayor Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Community Board 2, Council Speaker Gifford Miller, and Brooklyn Council Member David Yassky.

Community Board 2 unanimously approved. Mandatory public hearings before the City Council Finance Committee and the mayor are pending.

CPC: DUMBO BID (N 050365 BDK) (May 25, 2005). CITYADMIN

After significant redesign, Commission approves building close to Brooklyn Bridge. Two Trees Management Company, the developer often credited with the dramatic conversion and rebirth of DUMBO, sought approval of a large project involving new construction, a building conversion, and demolition of a historic building close to the suspended side span of the Brooklyn Bridge. The City Planning Commission approved after the building’s western portion was reduced to match the height of the bridge’s roadway.

Two Trees sought approval of a 200-unit residential, mixed-use development with a 327-space parking garage. The original design had a 178-foot residential tower fronting on Water Street and a 23-foot height at the Dock/Front corner, which is directly beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Three buildings would be demolished. One of these – 54 Water Street – is within a landmark district on state and national registers. The project also involved the rehabilitation of a vacant 4-story brick building in the state and national historic district. (more…)

90 Sands Street Building/Image Credit: Breaking Ground/CPC

The conversion of the former Watchtower hotel will bring 508 residential units to DUMBO, Brooklyn. On February 19, 2020, the City Planning Commission approved an application to rezone a block in DUMBO, Brooklyn from a light manufacturing district to a mixed-use residential and commercial district. The block is bounded by High Street to the north, Sands Street to the south, Jay Street to the east, and Pearl Street to the west. The rezoning would facilitate the conversion of a 29-story former hotel building at 90 Sands Street to a mixed-use residential, commercial, and community facility building. The applicant does not have plans to demolish the existing building or make changes to the building’s height or bulk. The applicant only plans to convert the existing hotel rooms into apartment units. After conversion, the building will have a total of 415 studios and 93 one-bedroom units.

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