Split-level manufacturing building in DUMBO will be converted to 52-unit residential building. 37 Bridge Associates, LLC, the owner of 37 Bridge Street, a 12,500-square-foot lot between Water and Plymouth Streets in Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, proposed to convert a 67,500-square-foot manufacturing building for residential use. The split-level, three- and seven-story building, formerly occupied by a soap manufacturer, is located on the border of M1-2 and M1-3 zoning districts within the DUMBO National Register Historic District.

37 Bridge initially submitted three feasibility studies showing manufacturing, office and residential use scenarios. 37 Bridge argued that the building was unsuitable and unmarketable for manufacturing or commercial use because eight metal silos ran vertically through five stories, breaking through the floor plates. Upon BSA’s request, 37 Bridge submitted additional evidence that the silos were unmarketable and that removal would be cost prohibitive. BSA also requested evidence that the three-story portion of the building was unmarketable as a manufacturing site under a mixed-use scenario. Further evidence of the building’s unsuitability for modern manufacturing included non-conforming loading docks, 11-foot ceilings, and unaligned floor plates between the building sections. (more…)

Watchtower reduced height to gain approval of complex. On December 2, 2004, following extensive negotiations between the developer and Council Members Leticia James and David Yassky, the City Council approved the 736,400 sq.ft. development proposed by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., subject to a height reduction. The modification, which reduced the street-wall heights of the Front Street buildings to 82 ft. and a maximum height of 110 ft. away from the street, was the second modification agreed to by Watchtower to obtain City approval.

Watchtower assembled the 135,000 sq.ft. site, encompassing the entire 3-acre city block bounded by Front, Bridge, York and Jay Streets, during the 1980s and the 1990s, but left it vacant. It remains one of the only large, undeveloped parcels in the area, and its location, immediately adjacent to an “F” subway line entrance, makes it a vital entry point for DUMBO. (more…)

Tower to have been built adjacent to Brooklyn Bridge withdrawn within hours of Council’s vote. With only one day remaining in the Council’s 50-day review deadline, Two Trees Management Co., the developer of a proposed 178-foot residential tower adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge side span, withdrew its application on October 13, 2004, the same day Council scheduled its vote.

The project was proposed for DUMBO along Water, Dock, and Front Streets, with a part of the site located directly beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The Planning Commission had approved the 178-foot tower with 200 residential units, 327 parking spaces, retail and community facilities space on August 25, 2004, only after the developer reduced the building’s height closest to the Brooklyn Bridge from 170 ft. to 88 ft., matching the Brooklyn Bridge roadway. Furthest from the Bridge, the building’s height remained 178 ft. (more…)