21 Commercial Street

Construction Complete on Six-Story, 93-Unit Affordable Residential Project at 21 Commercial Street, Greenpoint

6:30 am on August 22, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Construction has been completed on the six-story, 93-unit mixed-use building at 21 Commercial Street, in northern Greenpoint. The update is possible thanks to photos posted to the YIMBY Forums. The latest building permits indicate the project, officially dubbed 7 Bell Slip, encompasses 88,706 square feet. It will include 2,557 square feet of ground-floor retail space, followed by residential units on the floors above, 92 of which will rent at below-market-rates through the affordable housing lottery. The apartments will range from studios to two-bedrooms and should average 887 square feet apiece. Amenities include laundry facilities, storage for 47 bikes, and a fitness center. The project is being built as part of the 10-building, 5,500-unit mixed-use mega-development Greenpoint Landing. Park Tower Group and L+M Development Partners developed 21 Commercial Street, and Handel Architects designed it.

585 Union Avenue

Six-Story, Eight-Unit Residential Project Planned at 585 Union Avenue, Williamsburg

6:00 am on August 22, 2016 By Reid Wilson

The Kraus Organization has filed applications for a six-story, eight-unit residential building at 585 Union Avenue, in northern Williamsburg. The project will measure 12,135 square feet and its residential units should average 1,337 square feet apiece, indicative of condominiums. All of the apartments will come with private balconies, although the top-floor units will also feature space in an upper penthouse level and a private roof terrace. Amenities include private residential storage space and a single automobile parking space. Anthony Morena’s Midtown South-based Mortar ARCH + DEV is the architect of record. The 40-foot-wide assemblage, at 585-587 Union Avenue, is currently occupied by two two-story townhouses. Demolition permit were filed earlier this month. The Lorimer Street/Metropolitan Avenue stop on the G and L trains is six blocks away.

Willoughby Square, rendering via EDC

217 Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn Gets Demolished for Park and Parking Garage

4:00 pm on August 19, 2016 By Rebecca Baird-Remba

It’s been a few years since the city’s Economic Development Corporation announced plans to develop a 700-unit underground parking garage on Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn and create a one-acre green space on top. Now, the park, Willoughby Square, is one step closer to reality, as the city prepares to demolish an office building at 217 Duffield Street, between Willoughby and Fulton streets. Prolific construction photographer Tectonic brought us photos of what the site looks like now.

Read More

Completion Near for Aloft Long Island City at 27-45 Jackson Avenue, Future Tallest Hotel in Queens

3:00 pm on August 19, 2016 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Construction is wrapping up on the Aloft Hotel at 27-45 Jackson Avenue, in Long Island City’s Court Square district. According to Starwood Hotels, the 176-room property, officially called the “Aloft Long Island City – Manhattan View,” is set to open on October 27. At that point, the 18-story, 186-foot-tall high-rise should become the tallest all-hotel building in Queens. Though the 31-story slab of the nearby 29-11 Queens Plaza North, which opened its doors just recently, stands a good deal taller, the Marriott Courtyard within occupies only the tower’s lower half, with the residences at Aurora LIC sitting above. By YIMBY’s count, Aloft Hotel’s lofty pinnacle rises higher than that of any other hotel in the borough.

Read More
160 West Street

Five-Story, 13-Unit Residential Project Tops Out at 160 West Street, Greenpoint

2:00 pm on August 19, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Construction has topped out and façade installation is underway on the five-story, 13-unit residential project under development at 160 West Street, located on the corner of Huron Street in Greenpoint. The update is possible thanks to photos posted to the YIMBY Forums. The latest building permits indicate the new building, dubbed the Gibraltar, measures 16,198 square feet in its entirety. Its residential units, condominiums, should average 1,241 square feet apiece, ranging from one- to two-bedrooms. Amenities include an eight-car parking garage and bike storage, and some of the condos include private terraces. Since the site is subject to flooding, the ground floor won’t contain any apartments and the building’s mechanical equipment will be elevated. Saddle Rock Equities is the developer and Eisner Design is behind the architecture. Completion is expected later this year.