One of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s first triumphs in office was instituting universal pre-kindergarten across all five boroughs, and by this September, 65,500 kids were enrolled in the city’s pre-K program. Now the city’s School Construction Authority is planning for a three-story pre-kindergarten building at 359 93rd Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues in Bay Ridge.
A non-profit that develops affordable homes is expanding its Bed-Stuy office building into a seven-story rental building. Neighborhood Housing Services of Bedford-Stuyvesant sent along plans to add five stories of affordable apartments to the two-story structure at 1012 Gates Avenue, close to Broadway and the border with Bushwick.
The Neo-Gothic high-rise at 212 Fifth Avenue has occupied a wedge-shaped plot just north of Madison Square Park since 1912. It once held furniture and garment manufacturers, who had their offices on the upper floors and massive showrooms on the lower ones. Now, Madison and Thor Equities are converting the 24-story building to condos, and they’re restoring the landmarked limestone facade and cornices in the process. YIMBY recently toured the property and got a close-up look at the restoration.
A six-story condo building is set to replace a 19th century townhouse at 162 South Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, and YIMBY has a rendering of the project planned near Barclays Center.
Central Harlem hasn’t seen quite as much development as the area southeast of 125th Street, but developers have finally started paying attention to the quiet and transit-rich blocks next to the City College campus. The latest project headed to the neighborhood is an 11-story residential building at 308 West 133rd Street, between St. Nicholas Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.
