Williamsburg Food & Retail Rumormill, McDonald’s Included

Yesterday, we had a photo of a Dunkin’ Donuts sign affixed to the scaffolding fronting the Quadriad Development site on Bedford Avenue. Some readers left comments saying that the sign was attached to some wood that had been put up, so lacking definitive word on a planned DD on Bedford, it’s still in the rumor stage. (Though one caused by a sign.) There is other interesting Williamsburg information to report. One report is clearly based in reality and one that is a crazy, yet mildly plausible, and definitely-worth-mentioning rumor. First, the crazy, then the more run-of-the-mill:

1) Rumor has it that McDonald’s has its sights set on Bedford Avenue. (Repeat: This is a rumor. It is only a rumor and we are presenting it as a crazy rumor.) A reader notes that “Word on the street is: Mc Donalds bought Salvation Army on Bedford and N7 few months ago. Their lease is ending soon, here come the Mc Muffins in the morning. This is a rumor, but it sounds awfully accurate.” Property records show that the building (above) is still in the hands of the Salvation Army, however, which acquired it in 1974 from GTR Realty Corp.

2) A significant number of shops are opening on N. 3 & N. 4 Streets by mid-year. A tipster writes, “I’ve learned that between 5 to 10 stores will open on the next block in the next 5 months, between Wythe and Berry. This is getting out of control. Fastest gentrification of a neighborhood ever? Feels like the developers want to beat Brasilia on the speed level…” The detail provided includes “a furniture store, a candy store, a fashion store on the north side of the [N. 3] street and i have no clue about the 3-4 shopping spaces on the ground floor of the new condo building on the south side.” The new building in question, which is pictured below with its street-level retail space, is 100 N3 Lofts.

J. Fiber and Yoon Lee at Williamsburg’s Pierogi

With this post, we welcome the contributions of Owen Roberts. His task is clear–to supply us with posts about whatever moves him:

The crowd at the opening at Pierogi, on North 9 Street off Bedford Ave in Williamsburg last Friday night was consistent with expectations–older and very white–but the art was far from predictable.

The first room featured seven paintings by the San Francisco based artist Yoon Lee. From far away, the paintings all look fairly similar, but on close inspection each is based on a unique color scheme and architectural conception. Lee’s paintings are analog reproductions of images that originate on her computer, done with precisely layered, thick lines and dots of acrylic paint. From close up they look machine manufactured, but take a step back and you will see a more chaotic, expressive image.

In the second room, a husband and wife duo with a single moniker, J. Fiber—a concatenation of the two artists’ names: Jane Fine and James Esber—have fifteen works that combine acrylic, colored pencil, graphite and ink. Each work is a complex arrangement of limbs, flowers, guns and abstract shapes, along with a few phalluses thrown in here and there. The result is something consistent with many recent independent comic book artists’ interpretations of anatomy (see Dash Shaw, Gipi), M. C. Escher, and fantastic story telling. Each drawing presents a self-contained world, where violence and masculinity appear at war with feminine imagery.
–Owen Roberts

Bklink: Window Pains

The big new Williamsburg building known as 125 N. 10 appears to be done gobbling up the windows at 55 Berry, proving that once a construction project gets going–even if it takes a couple of years–it really gets going.–Curbed

Bedford Ave. Report: Dunkin Donuts Coming?

A GL reader sent this photo taken today on Bedford Avenue at N. 3 Street where a Dunkin Donuts sign is up on the scaffolding around the Quadriad Development project. The Dunkin Donuts–which is not going to be opening immediately, would be just up the block from the Commerce Bank. Perhaps it is time to begin a Starbucks Betting Pool with the keys points being where and when. Our bet: the retail in Northside Piers on Kent Avenue by October. (Actually, the retail space is in the Palmer’s Dock affordable housing part of the development, which is the mid-rise building on Kent Avenue.)

UPDATE: Two readers have left comments that sign was pre-attached to scaffolding that went up and must have come from another site. Very neatly placed, however. Time will tell.

Bklink: Why is the Building Shaking?

“They haven’t started construction on the building right next door, but as I live within what one Curbed commenter brilliantly dubbed ‘The Williamsburg Quadrangle of Death,’ there is no shortage of construction projects going on within spitting distance. One of them is shaking the hell out of my building at the moment and the most chilling thing is, I can’t even hear what’s causing the shaking. Which means it’s a good couple blocks away. Can’t wait for the piledriver to take up residence 20 feet from my window!” On the other hand, it’s better than a near-fatal bikini wax.–Bad Advice

Demolition Foreplay: Ready to Fall at Roebling & N. 9

We last noted this building at Roebling and N. 9 Streets in Williamsburg when workers were on the roof doing what appeared to be asbestos removal. A demolition fence has now gone up around the building, which will be the site a new…drum roll…prepare to be shocked…Karl Fischer building. The building at 261 N. 9 Street will be five stories and have 91 units.

Williamsburg Power Plant Up for Another Decision This Week

One day we may wake up and find that an actual decision has been made on the big power plant proposed for the Williamsburg waterfront by TransGas. The 1,100 megawatt plant which has been knocking around for six years is up before the obscure, yet powerful in this case, State Siting Board on Thursday (3/20) in Albany. The session will take place at 1:30PM. In the meantime, the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn is urging residents to send emails again the plant. Here’s a bit from their email:

Click here to send a message to Stop the Power Plant now!

The Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA) is grateful to GWWTF, GWAPP, NAG, other local groups and our local electeds for leading the fight against TGE’s power plant for more than six years. OSA supports the plan to build a public park on this waterfront site, not a power plant.

Will the state allow a power plant next to towers of luxury highrise housing? Will the Power Plant That Refuses to Die finally get a stake through the heart and be dispatched forever? Will the Burg have gas? Stay tuned.

Signs of Spring: Williamsburg Edition

It’s not a tree about to turn green or flowers, per se, but this storefront on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg is still a very powerful sign that spring is upon us.

Two New Buildings Coming to Burg’s Bedford Avenue

These are the sites of two new buildings that will rise on Bedford Avenue. The lot above, which is 310 Bedford (at S. 1 Street), will be a five-story building with four units. It’s designed by an architect named Armando Porto. The site below, which is 201 Bedford (at N. 6 Street) is another four-story building. It’s from an architect named Asher Hershkowitz. The gap in the fence would be because it blew down on Saturday night. Someone called DOB and filed a complaint about it, including “nails protruding.”

Construction Site Du Jour: Skillman Ave. Pool of Death

On Friday, we posted about the foul nuisance at Skillman and Manhattan Avenue, which is a construction site with a building designed by Robert Scarano that has had a Stop Work Order for a year. What we found when we happened upon 123 Skillman yesterday was an open fence, meaning that any child or drunk or idiot could wander into the site and stumble into a one-story deep pit filled with what looks to be four or five feet of water. Fun.