New development doesn’t come often to Manhattan Beach, a Russian and Jewish middle-class enclave that juts out into Sheepshead Bay on a peninsula in southern Brooklyn. And the homes that do get built here are generally huge, single-family mansions that sell for millions of dollars. But a developer recently filed plans for a new apartment building at 51 West End Avenue, close to the border with Brighton Beach.
New York City is full of amazing stories of transformation. Many neighborhoods are dramatically different from the way they were 100 years ago. That’s certainly true of Midtown East, the area around Grand Central Terminal, and it is on the cusp of a new era of transformation. Various city agencies are managing that transformation, which included a rezoning plan abandoned in 2013. It also includes preservation. That’s where the Landmarks Preservation Commission comes into play.
The 12-story Standish Hotel in Brooklyn Heights is getting a makeover, and YIMBY has a rendering of the revamped property at 169-171 Columbia Heights.
An upscale 11-story dorm may replace a factory at 292 North 8th Street, near the BQE in Williamsburg.
One of the most interesting condominium developments in Brooklyn draws inspiration from a distant land. It’s called Oosten, and it’s the product of Chinese developer XIN Development, Dutch designer Piet Boon, and Brooklyn-based think! architecture and design pllc. You’ll find it under construction at 429 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg and our friend Tectonic sent YIMBY exclusive photos of an inside tour.
