Warnings Before Roof Collapse on First Place in Carroll Gardens?

Were there warnings before the roof collapse at that building at 90 First Place in Carroll Gardens on Sunday night? Brownstoner has details on the collapse and the Department of Buildings response, including a Stop Work Order. A look at the DOB website, finds 6 complaints lodged against the building since May, including ones for large pieces of falling debris, an illegal fence, debris being tossed from windows and construction exceeding the approved permit (exterior work being done when the permit only covered interior work). Three of the complaints, however, relate to the roof collapse itself.

In any case, we got the following email via the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, saying neighbors have been concerned about the building:

The roof of a building under construction at 90 First Place collapsed last night. The fire, police and building departments were on site assessing the situation. There is currently a stop work order posted on site. The elected officials were notified. This is the building that has a construction shed that goes completely to the sidewalk, and that sometimes has a truck collecting debris in the courtyard. (Parking in the courtyards is illegal under the City Transportation Code).

I was told by tenants of the adjacent buildings that the roof had been sagging for some time, and that 311 had been notified by several of the nearby tenants and property owners. Some of the nearby neighbors surmise that the rain on Saturday probably may have facilitated the collapse. This building had been completely gutted and the walls had just been stabilized with supporting beams, but a neighbor who has a view of the building said that many of the beams seemed to have been knocked down by the weight of the roof debris. Neighbors told me that they have reported other construction site problems to the building’s department and 311.

There’s no record of “sagging roof” complaints on the DOB website, which is interesting.

[Photo courtesy of Property Shark]

Gowanus Development Site: Yours for $12M, Canal Views

We’re not even sure how we found the listing for this building at Union and Bond in Gowanus/Carroll Gardens, but it can be yours for a mere $12 million. It’s listed on City Cribs, and this is what they have to say:

This corner warehouse on Bond Street is very large development site in a very hot area – Gowanus. The warehouse is located on the Gowanus Canal, hugging a bridge connecting the two neighborhoods. Lots of very famous artists have bought large studios there. The zoning has been changed on a number of properties to allow for more building. Currently there are several condo conversion projects underway.

The building itself is 40′ by 247′ and the lot is 28,500 square feet. The current zoning for the property is commercial, but the listing doesn’t mention the ongoing process of an overall rezoning for Gowanus.

Kent Avenue Rising: 291 Kent

We’re not entirely sure what is planned for 291 Kent Avenue, which is a long, narrow lot across the street from the Domino Sugar Plant (AKA, as of recently, the New Domino with 2,000 apartments). What we can say is that the building on the site has been demolished and that the Department of Buildings website shows approval for a new building with 23 units. (It also shows the new building being one-story tall, so we’re figuring there’s an error somewhere.) The developer of the property is 291 Kent Properties LLC. Anyone with further info, do let us know. What we do know is that any building going up in that spot and anyone moving into a property there better be a fan of long-term construction as the mega-development across the street should be going strong until 2017ish.

Domino #2: Questions About the "New Domino"

Without question, the proposed “New Domino” development that was formally rolled out to the press at an on-site event last week and which is has its first hearings today in from of the City Planning Commission, would be a huge project. It would include at least 2,200 residential units and several buildings of 30 and 40 stories. It would create serious transportation challenges and significant new density in the neighborhood, among other things. Overall, the $1.3 billion development would take at least eight years to build and be one of the most significant projects on the entire North Brooklyn waterfront. For anything that comes close (at least, in terms of announced projects) one needs to look at the Queens West project in Long Island City.

We say this in order to say that Norman Oder dug deep into the Domino project on Atlantic Yards Report yesterday, drawing parallels between the New Domino and Atlantic Yards. Mr. Oder, was particularly taken by the developer’s spin on the project (which emphasized affordable housing, open space and historic preservation) and flipped it on its head:

The press release (not online) issued last week sure sounded good:
Plans for the New Domino Set Goal of 30% of Units for Affordable Housing in Mixed-Income Community on the Brooklyn Waterfront
Former Industrial Site Will Mirror the City’s Economic and Cultural Diversity and Preserve Historic Architecture in Williamsburg

An equally skewed, though likely not inaccurate, press release might have stated:
Plans for the New Domino Include 1540 Million-Dollar Condos on Brooklyn’s Waterfront
Four Tall Towers, Minimal Historic Preservation Needed To Achieve Profits for Much-Criticized Silent Partner; Significant Government Subsidies and Rezoning Sought

Mr. Oder’s examination of the proposal is very, very long, but anyone interested in gaining a real sense of the development and its impact ought to read it. For instance, he points out that the developers will be seeking to upzone land across Kent Avenue from the main plant site, in addition to upzoning the waterfront site itself. He also notes that the developers spent $400,000 on lobbying the Department of City Planning in 2005 and 2006. The Department is holding “Scoping” hearings today from 2PM-5PM and from 6PM-8:45PM

Domino #1: Domino Plant as as Art Museum?

The email we got along with the link to the YouTube vid above, which is really more of a Powerpoint presentation than a video, said “why can’t we have affordable housing and something that gives back to the community, city, etc? it could even be private financing if need be.” Yesterday, Lost City described the group advocating for this as “a group of prominent Billyburg arts leaders are trying to stir up support for a plan which would transform the Domino Plant into a world-class art center, a la The Tate Modern in London.” He has an extended explanation of why the plan would make sense. And, the idea even makes the jump to a story in today’s Sun. Anyone interested in New Domino alternatives should also check out the Waterfront Preservation Alliance‘s extensive postings on further historic preservation on the property. Right now, the Adant House, which is probably the most attractive historic structure on the property is not up for landmarking and would be demolished. Its loss would be an architectural tragedy for future generations of Brooklyn residents. One doesn’t have to have an architecture degree to see how the Adant Building could be renovated and repurposed–say as space for the arts.

Giglio Church’s Former Sunday Construction Building Coming Along

What you are looking at is the rapid progress being made on 525 Union Avenue, the luxury condo going up behind Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Giglio church on Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg. One of the reasons that the building has gone up so quickly is that there had been a great deal of Sunday work on the site, which as we noted (and videotaped), was making a nasty racket for parishioners during mass. We’re glad to report though that ever since our posts and the WNBC news crew that showed up one Sunday, all has been quiet. And progress on the building still seems fast.

Related Posts:
A Peaceful Sunday Morning in Williamsburg
Williamsburg’s Giglio Church Under Siege by Construction

Brooklinks: Tuesday End of July Already Edition

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn-related information and images. Today, we pay our respects to Tom Snyder, who passed away yesterday.

• Yvette Clarke Taking 6-Week Medical Leave of Absence [City Room]
• Brooklyn Housing Court Trial Over South Williamsburg Rent Strike Wraps Up [BDE]
• Weekly Coney HOOPLA! [Kinetic Carnival]
• The Wonder Wheel is a Wonder [Lost City]
• Clinton & Montague Get Craned [BK 11201]
• Group Wants Old Domino Plant Turned into Tate-Like Museum [Sun]
• Catcall Construction Site Du Jour: 240 Richardson Street [newyorkshitty]
• Is the Best Public Bathroom in NYC on the Brighton Beach Boardwalk? [NYDN]
• Updating the Scarano on Fourth Street [Brownstoner]
• Kensington’s Wikipedia Page Sucks [Kensington Brooklyn]
• Bedford Avenue, Part I [Forgotten NY]
• Community Health Information Fair on Saturday [Bed-Stuy Blog]
• Smith Street Tree Solution [McBrooklyn]
• A Day on the Gowanus [Aesthetic/Esthetic]
• Brooklyn in Berlin! [Clinton Hill Blog]
• Man Busted in Bizarre Attempted Brooklyn Abductions [NYP]

Attack of the Car Alarms on Boerum Hill

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. In recent weeks, we’ve had a spate of stories about car window smashings and tire slashings on Boerum Hill, not to mention hookers under windows and (0ur favorite) the Boerum Hill Crapper. This morning, we find some emails about everyone’s favorite urban sonic scourge–the screaming car alarm. We have this:

OK – this morning between 7 and 8 a car alarm of a blue-green Isuzu Trooper on the corner of Dean and Hoyt was going off for, like, a friggin hour. This is ridiculous. I am not a late sleeper – but who wants to hear this crap in the morning even if one is awake??? What can we do to get cars that go off like this towed?

And, we have this advice:

What to do? Go outside and write down the licence plate and make of the car. Then call 911, like I did, and give them the info. Put a note on the car telling the owner their alarm is malfunctioning. Tell the owner in a note of the time the alarm was going off and the problem that this noise has caused. (Theoretically, the police will come and deal with the problem and/or give them a ticket. However, as you know, this is not a high priority for the police.)

The car’s owner at Hoyt-Dean moved the car at some point this morning (and it will probably annoy another group of neighbors tomorrow.)

The law is that all cars that have car alarms are supposed to have their contact info on file at their local police department and that local precinct’s info and phone number should be posted on their dashboard.

Now, how many people have car alarm contact info on file at the local precinct and the precinct’s number on their dash? Huh? Huh? In the meantime, all we can say is NaNa NaNa NaNa. Ehhhhrrr. Ehhhhrrrr. Ehhhhrrr. Woooooooo-Woooooo-Wooooooo-Wooooooo. NaNa NaNa NaNa. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Say What: Stop & One-Way on High

We return to our ongoing series of compromised Brooklyn signage with this example of signs that have been relocated to accommodate buildings construction. We continue to assume that this is a totally legitimate thing because it happens so frequently, but we might suggest to the city that stop signs that are several feet higher than where people expect to find them and somewhat hidden one-way signs are not necessarily a good thing. Just saying.

Williamsburg Residents Chafe Over East River State Park Rules

The complaints about East River State Park in Williamsburg make the big time today, in a manner of speaking, with a story in the Daily News about how people are ticked off about its short hours and the abundance of rules. (You can read one of our posts about the pre-sunset shooing of visitors here, locked out visitors pictured above.) Here’s a sample of the story:

“You miss the most beautiful time of the day,” said artist Dylan Williams, who frequently heads to the park to paint the Manhattan skyline. “It should at least be open until dark.”

The park closes at 8 p.m., though rangers begin asking people to leave about 7:45 p.m. It opens at 10 a.m.

In addition, as in other state parks in the city, dogs, bike riding and roller skating are not allowed.

“This is ridiculous,” said Ana Ruiz-Castillo, who was turned away last week when she tried to take her Labrador mix, Paca, for a walk in the park. “I won’t come back. This is insane.”

The park is the second state park in Brooklyn whose hours and rules have touched off complaints. Last summer, the Daily News chronicled similar frustration at Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in DUMBO, which closes at dusk, prompting state officials to promise to install lights so it could be open later.

The punchline is that the lights weren’t installed and that there are no longer plans to do so. State park officials blame the hours and lack of lights on a lack of money. Maybe it’s us, but one would think that a state rolling in so much extra tax revenue from New York City could find a few extra dollars to invest in some lights and adequate staffing for its flagship New York City parks. On the other hand, given the public embarrassments and vaguely scandalous priorities that everyone already tolerates, what’s some New Yorkers angry because their parks are being nickeled and dimed to death?