Message to Belltel Blog followers

I've been posting on the Belltel blog since 2006. I've met a lot of great people and appreciate all the support from my readers. It all started out as a way to meet future neighbors at the Belltel Lofts but has became something larger. It turned into a reporting of the goings on of Downtown Brooklyn. That's why I've decided to have all future postings on my new blog (link below in pink). There will be postings of new restaurants, real estate development, hotels going up, businesses opening and closing and quite frankly anything else that tickles my fancy. Feel free to make suggestions on what you'd like to see. I entertain all input. Thanks again.
Downtown Brooklyn Blog

More hotels for Duffield Street

Brooklyn Eagle

Jonathan Adler Store Opens on Atlantic

BBB Restores Landmark New York Telephone Headquarter

VH1 Divas Concert at BAM in September

The old Fulton Mall is no more

I know this link is dated but if you have been to the mall recently, you will notice that all the bus shelters have been removed and that ugly blue steel entrance has been chopped down. It's nice to see steps in the right direction.

City Point gets a well need push from Mayor Bloomberg

The Bloomberg administration has picked the City Point project--to redevelop Albee Square Mall--to receive $20 million in tax-exempt bonds financed by the federal stimulus program

Willoughby Windows installation Began Today

If you were walking down Willoughby Street today, between Bridge Street and Duffield Street, you would have seen the transformation begining. The Willoughby Windows installation has begun. Finally, something to bring life to a street that has been dead for a while. In speaking with on of the organizers, Alison of Ad hoc art (www.adhocart.org), I found out that there will be some festivites around the installation of the remaining store fronts. It will be from 9am to 6pm. Also, the big party will be July 10th. Expect to see guest DJs and people on stilts. More info to come. I'll be sure to keep people posted.

Revamping of Fulton Mall is still scheduled to happen (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

More Hotels yet to arrive in Downtown BK (Bklyn Daily Eagle)

Finally, the eye sores are coming down on Duffield (Duffield Street Underground)

Belltel Retail space getting ready for tenants (Brooklyn Eagle)

Finding Value, Despite a Droopy Market (NY Times)

Retail Dreams for Belltel

Bridge Street

Avalon Buying Bridge Street Properties

Image credit (Brownstoner.com)

$40 Million for Downtown Lots

Albee Square/Fulton Makeover

H&M 2010

New York Observer

United Land unloading Bridge street property to Avalon Bay

It's official: Polytech to become NYU

(image courtesy of The Real Deal)
NYU-Polytech merger approved (The Real Deal)

NYU-Poly Merger Approved (110 Livingston Blog & News)

TKTS booth opening in Downtown Brooklyn

(image courtesy of Broadwayworld.com)
"Theatre Development Fund (TDF) and MetroTech Business Improvement District today announced that a new TKTS Discount Ticket Booth located in the MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn will open on Thursday, July 10 at 11am, preceded by a ribbon cutting ceremony. TDF will offer Broadway, Off Broadway, music, dance and Brooklyn performing arts events at discounted prices to Brooklyn residents and visitors. TKTS Downtown Brooklyn will be located on the ground floor of 1 MetroTech Center at the corner of Jay Street and Myrtle Avenue. TKTS offers same-day evening and next-day matinee tickets at discounts of up to 50% off full price." (Broadwayworld.com)

left>New TKTS Booth To Open In Downtown Brooklyn 7/10 (Broadwayworld.com)

H&M at the Fulton Mall Has been confirmed

According to Sarah Portlock of the Brooklyn Paper, H&M has confirmed that they are coming to the Fulton Mall. The likely location will be the old Price Mart space near Macy's which currently has going out of business signs up. That space is located between Lawrence Street & Bridge Street on Fulton.
Fulton Mall goes trendy (The Brooklyn Paper)

Reminder: Atlantic Avenue Art Walk is this weekend. June 7th & 8th

Atlantic Avenue Artwalk
MAP

Real World at Belltel Lofts. Confirmed

The NY Daily News has confirmed, through an interview with the sponsor David Bistricer, that the Real World will in fact be filming at the Belltel Lofts in Downtown Brooklyn. They will be occuping the 6000 sq ft penthouse. I couldn't be happier.


A cast of 'pioneers' to invade Belltel Lofts for 'The Real World: Brooklyn' (The NY Daily News)

Shake Shack to hit Metrotech this summer

(image courtesy of shakeshack.com)

Well known restauranteur David Meyer will be opening a mobile version of the Shake Shack in metrotech by the end of the summer. Currently, the Shack Shack is located at Madison Square Park in the city.

Links below to their Menu and main Website.
Menu

Shake Shack.com

Brooklyn Seeming Somewhat Resilient in this Real Estate Downturn

(Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

H & M at the Fulton Mall?

I welcome it with open arms. Hopefully it's not just a rumor.

StreetLevel: Swedish Fast Fashion to Invade Fulton Mall?
(Brownstoner)

125th Anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge

(image courtesy of NY Daily News)

This Weekend isn't only Memorial Day Weeekend, it's also the 125th Anniversary o the Brooklyn Bridge. The Festivities begin tonight, Thursday May 22, at Empire Fulton Ferry State Park. Doors open at 6pm and a concert will begin at 7:45pm with the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Concert will include special guest performances including the legendary Marvin Hamlisch, followed by a Grucci Fireworks display. The Bridge will also be illuminated from 9pm to 11pm for the weekend. For more information regarding the rest of the weekends activites, please see links below.

NYC Visit.com Brooklyn Bridge 125th Anniversary
NY Daily News Brooklyn Bridge 125th Anniversary Celabration

MTV's Real World coming to Belltel Lofts

(image courtesy Brooklyn Paper)
Brooklyn gets ‘Real’ (The Brooklyn Paper)

DoBro Average Household income is on the way up

DoBro's Average Household Income to Double? (brownstoner)

Willoughby Street likely to get high end retail

(image courtesy of Brownstoner)
"There are portions of 345 Adams Street, a city-owned building mainly occupied by the Department of Finance, that sunlight has never touched. Other parts, as in the last eight feet of the building's magnificent 16-foot ceilings, were blocked after the hideous but energy-efficient drop ceiling trend hit the nation by storm. But that will change now that Muss Development owns "the disgustingly ugly, city-owned office's" first two floors, 35,000 square feet, which the adjacent Marriott and Morton’s Steakhouse landlord intends to make beautiful and rent as retail space. Greenstone Realty CEO Robert Greenstone said Muss would remove the mezzanine and carve windows into the first two floors extending from Morton's to Willoughby Street. A third floor of "knock out windows" would be added in case the city wants to use them and sidewalk lights would illuminate the building at night. "We were going to put sconces on the walls but it looked too ordinary," said Greenstone, who is marketing the space." (Brownstoner)

Developer to Air Out 345 Adams Street (Brownstoner)

TWO BIDS ROLL OUT PODCAST WALKING TOUR FOR DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN

Two Downtown Brooklyn BIDs unveiled a podcast walking tour of Downtown Brooklyn on April 30. The Fulton Mall Improvement Association (FMIA) and the MetroTech BID partnered to create and produce a free 45-minute self-guided tour of Downtown Brooklyn.


With the rapid transformation occurring in Downtown Brooklyn – including millions of dollars invested in public enhancements and a surge of new residents, office workers and tourists – Downtown Brooklyn is burgeoning with new energy and excitement. Addressing the increased interest and awareness in the area, the two BIDs have created an easy-to-navigate tour that allows visitors to discover Downtown Brooklyn’s rich cultural and architectural history.



“This Podcast Walking Tour shows Brooklyn is truly the place for big ideas, or rather, ‘BID’ ideas! I applaud the MetroTech BID and The Fulton Mall Improvement Association for their insight in recognizing that tourists are indeed good for business, and embracing new technology as a way to educate curious visitors about our fascinating Brooklyn landmarks. A fundamental goal of my office’s tourism initiative is to support exactly this kind of synergy between business and tourism.



Those looking to get an insider’s view of Historic Downtown Brooklyn can now take this self-guided MP3 tour with expert John Manbeck, brush up on their history, and of course, enjoy the area’s wonderful eateries and shops along the way.”
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz



The walking tour highlights critical historical events that shaped the nation’s history and pivotal cultural trends that originated Downtown. As part of the tour, listeners visit the last stretch of road taken by British and American soldiers during the American Revolution’s Battle of Brooklyn before coming to the steps of Brooklyn's first African American church, a refuge for runaway slaves during the Civil War. Along the way, striking examples of Downtown Brooklyn’s rich architectural treasures are discussed and includes, most notably, a visit inside one of the City’s most magnificent bank buildings and the Borough’s first fire house.



The podcast is the first of two for Downtown Brooklyn. The second podcast, scheduled for release later this summer, will focus on more contemporary activities, namely the district’s thriving shopping and cultural offerings.



The podcast format allows visitors to take the tour at their own pace, at any time. Easily downloaded to any MP3 player, and accompanied by a map, the tour is available on both BID’s websites

MetroTech BID

Fultonstreet.org

Event Listing: Free E-Waste Recycling Event at MetroTech BID, Downtown Brooklyn

Spring Fling! Downtown Brooklyn E-Recycling Day

Brought to you by MetroTech Business Improvment District

Friday, May 9th

12pm -4pm

Location: MetroTech Commons, in front of 15 MetroTech Center



The first Downtown Brooklyn E-Recycling Day is happening this month! Donate old cell phones and accessories to Verizon’s HopeLine program, old electronics to LES Ecology and gently used work clothes and the “Dress for Success” initiative at the HOPE Program.



Acceptable Electronic Equipment: Working and non-working computers (laptop & desktop), servers, mainframes, monitors, printers, scanners, fax-machines, copiers, network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.), peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, etc.), components (hard drives, CDRoms, circuit boards, power supplies), TVs, VCR & DVD players, audio visual devices, radios/stereos, cell phones, pagers, PDAs.



Clothing: Pants, dresses, shirts, sweaters, shoes, belts. Only donate clean, gently used clothing. Other kinds of household items won't be accepted.





See links below for more information

MetroTech BID

Fultonstreet.org

2 Hotels in the Oro II. Both will be Hiltons

Two Hiltons Confirmed For Oro II (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Weekend Reminder: The Brooklyn Flea Market

"Brooklyn Flea will take place every Sunday from 10am to 5pm—rain or shine—starting April 6, 2008, at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, on 176 Lafayette Ave. between Clermont and Vanderbilt Ave. The Flea will feature 200 vendors of vintage furniture, clothing and antiques alongside new designs by local makers of everything from jewelry to textiles. "

Brownstoner.com Brooklyn Flea

Here are the Directions below to the Flea Market From Belltel. Quite frankly, it's about a 20 min walk from us.

View Larger Map

Another Skyscraper growing on Flatbush. The Toren

(courtesy Brownstoner)


The Toren

SOM-designed Toren About to Hit the Market (Brownstoner.com)

Belltel Lofts in the New York Times

Belltel Lofts to have a new neighbor. That is 760,000 Sq. Ft. of new neighbors

(image courtesy of Brownstoner.com)

Downtown Brooklyn gets yet another Hotel. A Hampton Inn

(image by Brooklyn Daily Eagle)


Downtown Brooklyn Scores Another Hotel: A Hampton Inn (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

"DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The former Pepper & Potter auto dealership on Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn will soon be replaced by a Hampton Inn hotel.

The 4,700-square-foot site, at the corner of Tillary Street, sold on March 13 to Magna Hospitality Group for $10.8 million, according to Paula Ingram, a principal with Ingram & Hebron Realty (I&H)."

New Fort Greene Blog

It seems our neighbors to the East have got themselves quite the blog. One recent posting caught my eye. Being a lover of the Java, I was thrilled to see a listing of the local coffee shops. Although, it's much more detailed than just a listing. General Greene lists the specialties of each joint, prices and a separate map of all the shops (just in case you'd like to spend the day overdosing on caffeine).

Check it out

Fort Greene Coffee (General Greene)


generalgreene.wordpress.com

Coffee Shop Map

Reminder. Brooklyn’s Restaurant Week is from March 24th to March 31st.

They will be offering three-course, prix-fixe meals for $23. Some are even doing lunches. Here is a list of the participating restaurants.

Brooklyn Restaurants for Restaurant Week (Visitbrooklyn.org)

Neighborhood Survey

Downtown brooklyn's Hardware stores would like to know how to serve you better. Take a moment to fill out this survey and let them know what you need.

Hardware Store Survey (MetroTech BID)

Bring on the Glass

United American Land seems to be moving forward. Within the last month, they have acquired the air rights to the property borderd by Willoughby, Bridge, Duffield and the Fulton Mall. This is directly accros the street from Belltel. The only building that will remain is 505 Fulton due to its landmark status (that's the Conway).There are some interesting renderings on their website. No arguements here. I'm lovin the glass.


ULA United American Land LLC

Polytech & NYU merger approved

"More than 75% of the 35-member board voted in favor of the merger; the school hopes to get approval from the state Education Department and Board of Regents by June." (Crain's New York)

Bklyn Polytech approves NYU merger (Crain's New York)

Street Smarts

Metrotech BID has launched something called Street Smarts for Downtown Brooklyn. The purpose of this e mail update and web page is to keep you abreast of the ever changing landscape of Downtown Brooklyn. Things such as street closures, lane closures, mass transit changes and delays, constuction and parking restrictions. That's just to name a few. To sign up for e mail updates, simply click the link below.

e mail updates

Street Smarts web page (metrotech BID.com)

Neighborhood Survey

Downtown Brooklyn is in need of a local grocery store within walking distance of a lot of the new residential developments. A survey was put together to collect information on grocery shopping patterns and needs. This information will be useful in exploring ways to improve current shopping options as well as attracting new retailers. Please take a few moments to fill out the survey. Brought to you by our friends at the Metrotech BID

Grocery Store Survey (click here)

A Letter from Joe Chan

Joe Chan, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, responds to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle's article entitled "Much of Downtown Brooklyn Is Going Out of Business" (January 23, 2008). Here is an excerpt:
"This new development will create over 3 million square feet of space for businesses of all sizes, including locally based businesses as well as national retailers. It will reshape our skyline, create new jobs and add to businesses’ bottom line. And most importantly, the revival of Downtown Brooklyn is diversified and will withstand economic cycles for decades." (Joe Chan)

Letter to the Editor:
Downtown Brooklyn Gaining, Not Losing (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Parking Permit Program

(brownstoner)
The parking permit meeting has come and gone and here is a map of the proposed affected streets (brought to us by Brownstoner.com)

Pols, DOT: Parking Permit Program For Many 'Hoods (brownstoner.com)

Resident parking permits for Downtown Brooklyn(Belltellofts)

Another college for Downtown BK

As per Crain's, Empire State Colleg has just signed a 10 yr lease at 177 Livingston. the space is just over 15K sq ft on the 6th flor.

Downtown Brooklyn gets schooled (Crain's New York Business.com)