The redevelopment of Williamsburg from industrial wasteland to residential enclave has been a slow and relentless process, and this is particularly true around Metropolitan and Union Avenues. Permits were first filed for construction of 80 Ainslie Street in June of 2015, and now, the building’s timber frame is coming into view. Syndicate Architecture is responsible for the design.
The Mann Group is currently converting the three-story, 35,000-square-foot former industrial building at 199 Cook Street, on the southern end of East Williamsburg, into a mixed-use commercial building, Commercial Observer reports. The ground floor will host retail space, followed by office space on part of the cellar level and the entire second and third floors. Additionally, a 3,000-square-foot restaurant will be located in the cellar. The commercial spaces will break down into five artist’s galleries and 28 office units. The structure will be topped by a rooftop lounge. Syndicate Architecture is behind the conversion’s design and completion is expected in early 2017. The property was acquired for $6 million in 2013.
The Menorah Home for the Aged’s long-neglected campus in Bushwick is about to sprout more apartments, after plans were filed to erect a new building and expand two old ones last month. Landlord Moshe Braver is planning a second new rental building at 885 Bushwick Avenue.
Christian non-profit Metro World Child is renovating and expanding its Bushwick headquarters, and their development partner, Moshe Braver, has filed new building applications for a five-story residential project on their former property at 338 Evergreen Avenue.
Most of Williamsburg’s larger buildings have grown on the Northside, where waterfront parcels were deliberately upzoned. But every once in a while, a developer manages to snag a fairly large parcel like 329 Broadway, on the corner of Rodney Street beneath the elevated J/M/Z tracks.
