Variance will allow new residential building on irregularly-shaped, shallow lot. BSA approved a use variance for the construction of a fivestory residential building with 13 residential units and seven parking spaces in an M1-1 zoning district. The building will be located on a 15,840 sq. ft. vacant lot on the west side of Havemeyer Street between Metropolitan Avenue and Hope Street in Brooklyn. The original proposal called for a taller, bulkier building, which was reduced in size to address BSA’s concerns about the building’s consistency with the surrounding area.

At the BSA hearings, the applicant pointed to the site’s irregular shape, and argued that one third of the lot had a shallow depth of only 50 ft., that the neighborhood was predominantly residential, and that the lot itself had a history of residential use. Sanborn Maps confirmed that from 1887 to 1965 the site contained three residential dwellings, which had been demolished in 1978, and that the site had since remained undeveloped. BSA conducted a site visit and agreed with the applicant, concluding that the irregular shape and shallow depth of the lot would make uses permitted in the M1-1 zoning difficult to accommodate, and that the proposed building was compatible with the prevalent residential uses in the area. The site is part of City Planning’s Greenpoint- Williamsburg rezoning proposal, which is currently undergoing review, and under the proposal would be rezoned to a M1-2/R6 district. (read more…)