Joe Chan's Vision of Downtown Brooklyn

"It is tempting, of course, to call this something like the “Brooklyn Plan,” but it isn’t a plan in the literal sense. No one person or group of people sat down and sketched out an entire scenario. What has been looked at in the past several weeks is a combination of individual developments." (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

News Analysis: Radical New Look Ahead for Brooklyn (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Fulton Mall. Change coming soon

“With all the housing stock that we have now and the demographics in the communities that surround Downtown Brooklyn,” said Joseph Chan, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, an economic development group, “the fact that there’s not a Bed Bath & Beyond, a Pottery Barn, a Pier 1 in the downtown of a city of 2.5 million people is odd.”

"And so the mall’s transformation, predicted for years, seems about to finally begin. The old Albee Square Mall, an enclosed shopping center within this stretch of Fulton Street, closed this year to make way for City Point, a high-rise tower that will house people, businesses and, on the ground floor, major retail tenants along the lines of Target.

Albert Laboz, one of the street’s biggest property owners and chairman of the Fulton Mall Improvement Association, said that deals were in the works with several leading retailers. “I think you’re going to see a nice transition in the next few years,” he said." (NY Times)

Brooklyn Mall Is Oasis and Anomaly (NY Times)

JC Penney to replace Conway on the Fulton Mall

"Next year, JCPenney will be opening its first location in Brooklyn, on Fulton Street. It will occupy the retail space presently leased to Conway's, which is directly across the street from Macy's.

Stanley Chera, a principal at Crown Acquisitions, one of the largest owners of property in the Fulton Street area, said leasing "continues to be excellent, with no slowdown in prime locations. Retailers are committed to downtown Brooklyn, and expect to see a new tenant mix over the next few years".

"With thousands of new residents moving to downtown Brooklyn, expect to see a large supermarket and health and beauty centers opening in this underserved area," a retail broker, Lori Shabtai of Winick Realty Group, said." (NY Sun)


'A Very Exciting Time' For Retail in New York (NY Sun)

Downtown IHOP

(image courtesy NYDN)
"An anticipated International House of Pancakes that opened in downtown Brooklyn to a swarm of hungry flapjack fanatics Tuesday is owned by a hip-hop producer behind Foxy Brown and Mary J. Blige, the Daily News has learned.

Former MCA Records executive Robert Cummins, known to hip-hop fans as Don Pooh, opened the Livingston St. flapjack joint to crowds of hungry customers, who poured by the hundreds into the 50-year-old pancake chain's newest location" (NY Daily News)

IHOP owned by hip-hop stars opens (NY Daily News)

It's Official. Morton's Steakhouse At the Downtown Brooklyn Marriot

"PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. today announced that it has signed a lease to open a new Morton's The Steakhouse in Brooklyn, N.Y. The 14,500 square-foot restaurant will be located in the New York Marriott(R) at the Brooklyn Bridge. Morton's expects to open the restaurant, its first in Brooklyn, in late 2008.

With a total seating capacity of nearly 300, the restaurant will seat approximately 125 guests in the main dining room, 100 in Morton's exclusive private boardrooms and 70 in Bar 12-21, Morton's new bar dining concept, the place for specialty cocktails and Morton's appetizing Bar Bites menu. Morton's will be on the ground level of the Marriott. The Marriott, located at 333 Adams Street, is a 25-floor hotel with more than 600 rooms and suites." (CNN Money.com)



Morton's to Open its First Restaurant in Brooklyn
(CNN Money.com)

Morton's Steakhouse (official site)

Luxury retail and a steak house coming to Downtown Brooklyn

(image courtesy Marriot.com)
Some of this will be in the Marriot Hotel and some will be in the building on the corner of Adams Street and Willoughby Street


"The unnamed restaurant (High end steak house) - the announcement is expected this week - could open as early as Labor Day on the ground floor of the hotel.

Next door, on two floors of a city-owned building, Muss Development plans 40,000 square feet of luxury shopping. Barneys, Apple, The Gap and Banana Republic top a list of potential retailers." (NYDN)

Luxury shops for Downtown Brooklyn (NY Daily News)

Rentals in the hood

(image courtesy Brownstoner)

Looks like a nice location for rentals. It's close to the trains at Atlantic Avenue.


Dermot Plans High-Rise Rental Near BAM (Brownstoner)

V3 Hotel, at 237 Duffield St, will have it's groundbreaking today.

image McBrooklyn)
Brought to my attention by our friends at McBrooklyn
, groundbreaking will be set for 10:45 am today. Apparently, they will be tossing indigo colored paint all over the place. It will also be known as the Hotel Indigo, hence the choice of color. If anyone gets pictures of this, let me know.

A 'Splashy' First Look at 'Hotel Indigo' in Downtown Brooklyn; Yes, They're Throwing Paint All Over The Place (McBrooklyn)

V3 Hotel Indigo at the former VIM (Belltellofts)

Ian Schrager in Downtown Brooklyn?

(image courtesy USA Today)
"What Brooklyn neighborhood excites you most as a potential place to work?

Williamsburg, I suppose, or even downtown Brooklyn, where Bruce Ratner is doing a lot of work; around B.A.M. [the Brooklyn Academy of Music]—I have been asked to do a couple projects over there. I am thinking about it, but there is only so much you can do …. I haven’t been entertaining offers about doing anything in New Jersey yet, but I might if the right project came along."
(NY Observer)


Ian Schrager: Viewing Studio 54 From Age 60
The man who forever placed ‘boutique’ before ‘hotel’ talks about his High Line plans, Brooklyn dreams, and why he wouldn’t mind selling One Madison’s clock tower
(NY Observer)
www.ianschragercompany.com

NY SUN urges a second look at Downtown Brooklyn's Architectural Masterpieces

(image courtesy streetshooter1 on flickr)


Changes Are Afoot In Downtown Brooklyn

LONG ISLAND HEADQUARTERS of the NEW YORK TELEPHONE COMPANY pdf (NYC.gov)

"Downtown Brooklyn's most beautiful skyscraper is the former New York Telephone Co. Building at the northeast corner of Willoughby and Bridge streets. Built in 1931, it was designed by Ralph Walker of Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker, as the firm had recently been renamed. It is Walker's second-best building in the city, after 1 Wall Street. Walker and Ely Jacques Kahn were the two architects who went furthest in exploiting the zoning-mandated skyscraper-setbacks to dramatic advantage. Walker paid fastidious attention to the "skins" of his buildings, with subtle gradations of color and ripplings and folds that outdo any of the skin games played by today's so-called starchitects. Recently, the office building has been converted to apartments called the BellTel Lofts. City Tech Tower should be half as good."

Bam Developments: Revisited

(image Brownstoner)

All I can say is I love it. I think the building will fit in perfectly to the new and improved Downtown Brooklyn. This may be the only place in Brooklyn that it makes sense to build something like this. What do you think? Is this good for Downtown?


BAM Cultural District: Full-Speed Ahead (Brownstoner)

227 Duffiel saved from eminent Domain.

Duffield Street Press Conference (Brownstoner)

I know that this is old news but here it is. The city will not be demolishing 227 Duffield due to it's alleged connections to Abolitionist history. Willoughby Sq Park will have to built around it.

Garage on the Corner of Willoughby and Flatbush Ave is coming down. Look at what's going up.

The 650 unit residential building should be up in no time. There is also a class A office space component to this.

Development Watch: Acadia Starts Albee Demo (Brownstoner

388 Bridge Street. 360 Residential units.

(image courtsy Brownstoner)
It's more condos if you can believe it. All I can tell you is that this thing is huge in the rendering (see link below). I like the way it looks. Any thoughts?

Rendering

Development Watch: 388 Bridge Street
(Brownstoner)

600 units at 1000 ft. I'll believe it when I see it.

This information is brought to you by our friends at 110livingston. We'll see if this comes to fruition.

Renzo Piano’s 1000-foot Downtown Brooklyn Tower (110 Livingston News & Blog)

Another hotel. This one's on Schermerhorn St

(image courtesy Brooklyn Paper)

Hotel for Schermerhorn (Brooklyn Paper)

The Sheraton & the Aloft are on there way up.

(image courtesy of brownstowner)
At 222 Duffield Street, the construction has begun on the Sheraton & the Aloft. apparently, the are sharing the same building split down the middle. This should be up in no time. These 2 floors went up very quickly.

On Duffield Street, Two Stories Down, 23 to Go (Brownstoner)

This neighborhood really is getting cleaned up. Literally

(image courtesy aaroscape on flickr)
Apparently, the Doe Fund, with the creation of the Court Livingston Schermerhorn BID, has begun steam cleaning the streets in Downtown Brooklyn. They will also be removing graffiti in an ongoing beautification project aimed at creating a new perception of DoBro.
Court, Livingston, Schermerhorn Streets Getting Steam Cleaned (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Belltell gets bloglines

Closing Bell: First Move-Ins at Belltel?
(Brownstoner)

Christmas Tree at Metrotech

It was put up yesterday and the lighting is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 4:15 p.m. The Brooklyn Chorus will be singing as well as special appearances by Bruce Ratner and Santa Claus

MetroTech Christmas Tree Ushers in Season (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Non profits being sought for commemoration of Abolitionists movement (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

V3 Hotel Indigo at the former VIM

The V3,designed by Karl Fischer, will be built to accommodate 90,000 sq ft. that's 180 “high-end, amenity rich” rooms.

"The 180-room new hotel is one of at least seven planned for Downtown Brooklyn. On Oct. 31, the Eagle broke the news about the new Holiday Inn planned for 300 Schermerhorn St. (see list below). At a Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce forum on Oct. 16, moderator Joe Chan, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, reported that there are 1,250 hotel rooms currently under development in Downtown Brooklyn. The list of hotel rooms that follows raises that total to 1,950 and it doesn’t include the 100-200 hotel rooms that have been discussed for Brooklyn Bridge Park, near Pier 1; or the 48 rooms — in the works for some time — at 262-276 Atlantic Ave. near Boerum Place, which so far have been denied a variance.

Known Hotels in Development

• The Smith, 75 Smith St., 93 rooms. Boymelgreen Developers and Meltzer/Mandl Architects.
• 32-38 Nevins St., 180-200 rooms. McSam Hotel Group with Michael Kang Architect.
• Cambria Suites 75 Schermerhorn St., 300 rooms. Choice Hotels and Perkins Eastman Architects.
• Hotel Indigo, 237 Duffield, 180 rooms. V3 Hotel Management and Karl Fischer Architect.
• Holiday Inn, 300 Schermerhorn, 250 rooms. Tyler Hospitality and Gene Kaufman Architect.
• NY Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge Expansion, 333 Adams St., 280 rooms (already open). Muss Development and William B. Tabler Architects.
• Sheraton/Aloft, 216 Duffield, 500 rooms combined. The Lam Group and Gene Kaufman Architects.
• Atlantic Yards’ Miss Brooklyn, 150 rooms. Forest City Ratner and Frank Gehry Architect." (Brooklyn Daily Eagle excerpt)

Downtown Brooklyn to See Yet Another Major Hotel (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

New High School in the hood.

It's at the corner of Adams and Johnson st in Downtown Brooklyn. Specializing in Criminal Justice. I believe that the are keeping some of the existing court rooms in the building for the students to have a real courtroom experience.


Closing Bell: Adam Street High School Aiming for '08 Opening(Brownstoner)

Rendering of 235 Gold Street

(Brownstoner)


235 Gold Street Revealed
(Brownstoner)

Department Stores Seem to be Eyeing up City Point (the old Allbee Sq Mall)

"Department stores are making a huge comeback in downtown Brooklyn, with Target, JCPenney, Kohl's and Nordstrom eying spots in the Fulton Mall, the Daily News has learned.

Target has already signed a deal to open a store at City Point, sources who are familiar with the project said. The soaring tower, slated to be built where Albee Square Mall stands, will include residential, retail and office space." (NYDN)


Target signs deal to open a store at City Point (NYDN)

Things Moving Forward for BAM Cultural Center

Brooklyn SPACE


Unusual Building in Brooklyn’s BAM Cultural Center Will Combine Arts and Apartments
(BDE)

More Downtown supermarket rumors.

(image courtesy of Brownstoner)
There is nothing to fully substantiate these claims but people are saying Finefare or Amish Market. Location: The State Renaissance Court on Schermerhorn Street between Hoyt St & Bond St. Certainly a short walk for residents of Belltel.

Streetlevel: A New Supermarket for Schermerhorn
(Brownstoner)

CBS Channel 2 covering a story on Downtown Brooklyn

This was brought to my attention By fellow blogger McBrooklyn. Interesting Video clip.
Brooklyn's $10 Billion Makeover -- Watch the Video (McBrooklyn)

9 Billion Dollars, give or take

"Beginning early next year, the complete overhaul of Flatbush Avenue from Tillary Street to Atlantic Avenue, costing about $15 million, will begin. It is expected to take about a year to complete." (BDE)


$9 Billion Makeover To Transform Downtown Brooklyn (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Downtown 2012. What a sight to see.

This came to my attention through Curbed.com this morning. It's a video rendition of Downtown Brooklyn by 2012. I can't believe they got Sir Ian McKellen to do the voice over work on this one. That must hve cost some dough. Watch and enjoy.

Click here for video Brooklyn 2012 (NY Post)


'Brooklyn 2012' As Told by Sir Ian McKellen (curbed)

237 Duffield goes for 9.5 Million

Duffield Street Hotel Site Sells for $9.5 Mil
(brownstoner)

Brits heading to Brooklyn

Brooklyn beckons in New York property war
(Telegraph.co.uk)

600 Units of Housing at NYC Tech's Klitgord Auditorium

(image courtesy of Mcbrooklyn)
Located on Jay Street and Gold Street
Digging for Gold at City Tech's Klitgord Auditorium (Mcbrooklyn)

Retail action at the Municipal Building?

(Brownstoner)


Municipal Building: From Marriage Licenses to Lattes? (brownstoner)

Brooklyn Municipal Building to convert 2 floors into shops (NY Daily News)

14,000 residential units in Downtown Brooklyn, eventually.

The NY Post writes:
"Somewhere in the pipeline, there are about 14,000 residential units and a million and a half square feet of office space," says Joe Chan, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a non-profit that's helping coordinate everything to come. Chan says roughly $9 billion in private money, plus $300 million in city funds, will be invested.

Plans call for major hotels including a Hilton; a huge Brooklyn Academy of Music expansion; a $15 million Flatbush Avenue facelift; and the Albee Square complex, with 475,000 square feet of retail space."

"The Fulton Mall and MetroTech aren't exactly considered residential areas. Yet, Belltel Lofts, a former telephone-company building on Willoughby Street, has already sold about 100 of its 250 lofts and has recently seen its first buyers move in."

(NY Post)

UPSIDE DOWNTOWN
BROOKLYN GETS READY FOR ITS 14,000-UNIT, $9 BILLION MAKEOVER (NY Post)

Gage & Tollner Restaurant space finally has a taker. Amy Ruth's

(image courtest of Forgotten ny )

This will be the second Amy Ruth’s Restaurant. The first one is in Harlem. It boasts authentic home cooked Southern Cuisine. A welcome addition to Downtown Brooklyn and a good fit in the old Gage & Tollner space. We hope that it doesn't go the route of TGI Friday's. Only time will tell. I will certainly be there on opening night.

Amy Ruth's to launch downtown Brooklyn eatery (NewYorkBusiness.com)

Things are full steam ahead at 107 Lawrence Street

(brownstoner)
Development Watch: 107 Lawrence Ready for Next Stage (brownstowner)

Rumor has it: Target at the Albee Square Mall?

(image courtesy of Racked)


Exclusive: Another Target Planned For Brooklyn (Racked)

It really is very close to the other Target at the Atlantic Center but I think it would still be very successful in this location. It's a well shopped area. I, for one, am in complete support of this idea.

Another development in Downtown Brooklyn. This one to rise 36 stories.

(image courtesy BDE)

Now here's the twist. 369 RENTAL units. Some may actually be affordable. That remains to be seen. Anyway, the location is very convenient to the trains on Dekalb Ave. which are about a block away.

Forest City Plans New Highrise East of Flatbush (BDE)

A New Life for Brooklyn Borough Hall?

(Brownstowner)
(NYT)
Brooklyn Borough Hall (NYT)
Plan for Breathing Life into Downtown Ghost Parks (Brownstoner)

Constuction of a tunnel between Lawrence St.R/M train & Jay St. A/C/F has already begun

image courtesy of BDE



Getting Ready To Dig Downtown (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Downtown Subway Transfer Tunnel Work Now Under Way (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

CB2 metting last night with Joe Chan

image courtesy of Brownstowner

Notice Belltell at the center of the image.
It looks like things are picking up around here.


Downtown Update from Joe Chan at the CB2 Meeting (Brownstowner)

Brooklyn's Tallest? Maybe.

image courtesy of Mcbrooklyn

Getting ready for Brooklyn's Tallest Building (Mcbrooklyn)

Looks like a development is coming right around the block from us (Belltellofts)

"Arts on the Commons"

Metrotech's "Arts on the Commons" Begins this Friday (Myrtleavenue)

Parking lot up the block is on the market for $10.8 million

$10M-Plus Plot Becomes Development Opportunity (Globe St.com)

Today, It's more likely that Duffield homes will be taken by Eminent Domian

City Gets Go-Ahead To Seize Duffield Homes, Financial Services Firm (Brooklyn Daily Eagle

31 % of buyers at Belltel Lofts are families or soon to be.

Downtown Brooklyn:
Baby Strollers, Dogwalkers on Willoughby and in MetroTech? (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)