East Williamsburg was subject to heavy development pressure during the last market cycle, but the area’s semi-industrial pre-war building stock — as well as losses due to urban decline — means that there are still many buildable sites. South Williamsburg-based developer Leo Kaufman found one when he bought up a 75-foot-wide lot in 2012 for $1.75 million.
And now, he seems ready to build. Wantagh, N.Y.-based Joseph Mucciolo Architect filed for permits for No. 127 last month, and for Nos. 123 and 125 last week. Nos. 123 and 127 will have eight units, while the middle one will have seven; they’ll be spread over 5,655, 4,444 and 5,830 square feet of net residential space, respectively, for apartments with an average area of just under 700 square feet each.
The developer could likely save some money on construction if he could put all 23 units into one structure, with shared mechanical and common space. In fact, the wide lot was previously home to a single commercial building – what appears to be an early 20th-century garage with a floor of warehouse, office space or apartments above.
123-127 Boerum Street, photo by Christopher McBride via PropertyShark
Unfortunately, the city requires an expensive off-street parking garage if a building in this zone (R6) has more than 10 units, so to keep the project viable, the builder must split the new apartments into three separate structures. Higher construction costs are a result of parking requirements for medium-sized buildings, and will ultimately harm consumers by harming the viability of otherwise marginal projects, and lowering the amount of supply delivered — without even fulfilling the goal of adding more parking.
The person who picked up the phone at Kaufman’s office could not give any further details about the project, except to say that it would be rentals.
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