Quality of Life meeting: no updates on big issues or affordable housing lotteries; 662 Pacific and 18 Sixth move-ins soon/November. Dean Street early morning construction through end of year.
This is the first of three posts on the 9/14/21 Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Quality of Life meeting, held on Zoom, sponsored by Empire State Development (ESD).
As expected, there were no updates on some big unknowns regarding the project:
Rather, the 19 attendees at the meeting got incremental updates on construction.
Greenland USA’s Scott Solish said that the B4 tower, 18 Sixth Ave. (aka “Brooklyn Crossing”) should see the completion of the lower residential floors and “hopefully a TCO” (Temporary Certificate of Occupancy) “sometime in the fourth quarter.”
“Hopefully we will have residents in there sometime at the beginning of November,” he said. The building has a hoist, used for completion of the upper floors, which should be in operation until the end of the year.
After that, along with sidewalk work, facade panels will be added where the hoist was. Greenland is developing that building in partnership with The Brodsky Organization.
As expected, there were no updates on some big unknowns regarding the project:
- the timing for the two-block platform over the Vanderbilt Yard, crucial to the construction of six towers
- plans to complete the project's required affordable housing by May 2025, and/or plans for an exemption or extension regarding that deadline, which imposes a $2,000/month fine for each delayed unit
- plans to transfer bulk from the unbuilt Miss Brooklyn tower, which was to loom over the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic avenues, site of what’s now the arena plaza, but likely will be transferred across Flatbush to Site 5, currently home to P.C. Richard and the shuttered Modell’s, already approved for a large building, creating a giant two-tower project.
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| The Vanderbilt Yard between Carlton & Vanderbilt Avenues, awaits a platform |
B4, B15 on their way
Greenland USA’s Scott Solish said that the B4 tower, 18 Sixth Ave. (aka “Brooklyn Crossing”) should see the completion of the lower residential floors and “hopefully a TCO” (Temporary Certificate of Occupancy) “sometime in the fourth quarter.”
“Hopefully we will have residents in there sometime at the beginning of November,” he said. The building has a hoist, used for completion of the upper floors, which should be in operation until the end of the year.
After that, along with sidewalk work, facade panels will be added where the hoist was. Greenland is developing that building in partnership with The Brodsky Organization.
It will be 51 stories, with 858 units, 258 (or so) affordable.
The B15 tower, 662 Pacific St. (aka “Plank Road”), is being developed by The Brodsky Organization. They expect a TCO “as soon as possible,” so move-ins could start later this month or in the beginning of October. (The middle-school there, however, is not due until 2024.)
The B15 tower, 662 Pacific St. (aka “Plank Road”), is being developed by The Brodsky Organization. They expect a TCO “as soon as possible,” so move-ins could start later this month or in the beginning of October. (The middle-school there, however, is not due until 2024.)
It will be 28 stories, with 312 units, 94 of them affordable.
Affordability issues
Both buildings are 30% affordable, but B4 (definitely) and B15 (likely) will be geared to middle-income households earning 130% of Area Median Income (AMI), which means discounts compared to the buildings’ market-rate units but not hardly affordable to the needy. That translates to one-bedroom units for up to $2,838, at current income levels.
In neither case, however, has the city’s affordable housing lottery system launched, and requires months for selection and processing. “The development team is working closely with HPD [Department of Housing Preservation and Development] to get the final rules” set related to the lotteries, said ESD's Tobi Jaiyesimi.
“Once that information is available, we'll be sure to distribute to the community accordingly,” she said. They will appear on the city's Housing Connect database.
B12/B13
Amir Stein of TF Cornerstone said that the B12 and B13 towers (615 Dean St. and 595 Dean St.) are on schedule for completion by spring of 2023. B12 is at the eighth floor and B13 at the 6th floor.
Affordability issues
Both buildings are 30% affordable, but B4 (definitely) and B15 (likely) will be geared to middle-income households earning 130% of Area Median Income (AMI), which means discounts compared to the buildings’ market-rate units but not hardly affordable to the needy. That translates to one-bedroom units for up to $2,838, at current income levels.
That's according to evidence shared by the developers of Brooklyn Crossing (18 Sixth).
In neither case, however, has the city’s affordable housing lottery system launched, and requires months for selection and processing. “The development team is working closely with HPD [Department of Housing Preservation and Development] to get the final rules” set related to the lotteries, said ESD's Tobi Jaiyesimi.
“Once that information is available, we'll be sure to distribute to the community accordingly,” she said. They will appear on the city's Housing Connect database.
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| B12/B13 sites have cranes, in between B11 (550 Vanderbilt) in background and B14 (535 Carlton) in foreground. Photo: Sept. 12 |
Amir Stein of TF Cornerstone said that the B12 and B13 towers (615 Dean St. and 595 Dean St.) are on schedule for completion by spring of 2023. B12 is at the eighth floor and B13 at the 6th floor.
B12 will be 28 stories and B13 will be 23 stories. The two buildings will have 798 units, 30% affordable--again likely middle-income.
That pace is accomplished, of course, thanks to after-hours variances, including Saturday work and a 6 am start time.
That pace is accomplished, of course, thanks to after-hours variances, including Saturday work and a 6 am start time.
In response to my question, Stein said the 6 am start times “will continue until the end of the year, at which point we're going to be topping out the two buildings.”
Other issues
He said a loading dock referred to the biweekly Construction Update is a temporary wooden platform used for unloading trucks. The hoist is an exterior elevator for workers and materials.
Separately, a permanent loading dock planned for Dean Street will be adjacent to a trash compactor room that allows the Department of Sanitation to directly back into the loading dock for pickup. That will remove a few parking spaces.
Stein noted that Con Edison will be working on electrical connections in a “vault” adjacent to B12, but has not set a date. That would temporarily block some parking spaces,
There are currently three temporary “No Parking” spaces along Dean Street, through at least October, for construction and emergency access.
In response to past questions about air horn usage, given that neighbors call it disruptive, Stein said his firm’s Director of Safety contacted the Department of Buildings regarding an alternate methodology, but DOB could not identify another method.
“So we did speak to our subcontractors to stress the importance of using their horns only when required,” he said.
Asked about condition of Atlantic Avenue adjacent to the Vanderbilt Yard, Solish said he contacted the Long Island Rail Road, the property owner, as well as city agencies. he noted that staff of the extant Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park buildings have also contribute to cleanups, but recently have been responding to the storms.
He said a loading dock referred to the biweekly Construction Update is a temporary wooden platform used for unloading trucks. The hoist is an exterior elevator for workers and materials.
Separately, a permanent loading dock planned for Dean Street will be adjacent to a trash compactor room that allows the Department of Sanitation to directly back into the loading dock for pickup. That will remove a few parking spaces.
Stein noted that Con Edison will be working on electrical connections in a “vault” adjacent to B12, but has not set a date. That would temporarily block some parking spaces,
There are currently three temporary “No Parking” spaces along Dean Street, through at least October, for construction and emergency access.
In response to past questions about air horn usage, given that neighbors call it disruptive, Stein said his firm’s Director of Safety contacted the Department of Buildings regarding an alternate methodology, but DOB could not identify another method.
“So we did speak to our subcontractors to stress the importance of using their horns only when required,” he said.
Asked about condition of Atlantic Avenue adjacent to the Vanderbilt Yard, Solish said he contacted the Long Island Rail Road, the property owner, as well as city agencies. he noted that staff of the extant Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park buildings have also contribute to cleanups, but recently have been responding to the storms.
I live next door and haven't seen much activity on Saturdays (if any) or after 4-430pm on weekdays. I'd almost prefer it if it meant getting the open space complete ahead of Spring 2023. (I'm an early riser, so I get that may not impact me the same way as others.)
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