55 Wythe Avenue

Opening Imminent for 23-Story, 183-Key William Vale Hotel at 55 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg

Things are moving along swiftly at a new hotel in Brooklyn. Construction is complete on the 23-story, 250-foot-tall mixed-use building — which YIMBY has been chronicling the construction of since its superstructure began to rise in early 2015 — at 55 Wythe Avenue, located between North 12th and 13th streets in northern Williamsburg. The 183-key boutique hotel, dubbed The William Vale, is expected to open later this month, Curbed NY reported. The hotel rooms will be located on the 11th through 21st floors. The 248,000-square-foot structure boasts 19,257 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space, followed by 35,678 square feet of medical office space on the fifth through ninth floors. The complex will be accommodated by a 210-car parking garage, a pedestrian plaza, a slew of amenities on the second through fourth floors, a restaurant on the 22nd and 23rd floors, and a 15,000-square-foot roof terrace. Zelig Weiss and Riverside Developers co-developed the project, and Aldo Liberis served as the design architect. The Nassau Avenue stop on the G train is seven blocks away.


21 Commercial Street

Construction Complete on Six-Story, 93-Unit Affordable Residential Project at 21 Commercial Street, Greenpoint

Construction has been completed on the six-story, 93-unit mixed-use building at 21 Commercial Street, in northern Greenpoint. The update is possible thanks to photos posted to the YIMBY Forums. The latest building permits indicate the project, officially dubbed 7 Bell Slip, encompasses 88,706 square feet. It will include 2,557 square feet of ground-floor retail space, followed by residential units on the floors above, 92 of which will rent at below-market-rates through the affordable housing lottery. The apartments will range from studios to two-bedrooms and should average 887 square feet apiece. Amenities include laundry facilities, storage for 47 bikes, and a fitness center. The project is being built as part of the 10-building, 5,500-unit mixed-use mega-development Greenpoint Landing. Park Tower Group and L+M Development Partners developed 21 Commercial Street, and Handel Architects designed it.


585 Union Avenue

Six-Story, Eight-Unit Residential Project Planned at 585 Union Avenue, Williamsburg

The Kraus Organization has filed applications for a six-story, eight-unit residential building at 585 Union Avenue, in northern Williamsburg. The project will measure 12,135 square feet and its residential units should average 1,337 square feet apiece, indicative of condominiums. All of the apartments will come with private balconies, although the top-floor units will also feature space in an upper penthouse level and a private roof terrace. Amenities include private residential storage space and a single automobile parking space. Anthony Morena’s Midtown South-based Mortar ARCH + DEV is the architect of record. The 40-foot-wide assemblage, at 585-587 Union Avenue, is currently occupied by two two-story townhouses. Demolition permit were filed earlier this month. The Lorimer Street/Metropolitan Avenue stop on the G and L trains is six blocks away.


Willoughby Square, rendering via EDC

217 Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn Gets Demolished for Park and Parking Garage

It’s been a few years since the city’s Economic Development Corporation announced plans to develop a 700-unit underground parking garage on Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn and create a one-acre green space on top. Now, the park, Willoughby Square, is one step closer to reality, as the city prepares to demolish an office building at 217 Duffield Street, between Willoughby and Fulton streets. Prolific construction photographer Tectonic brought us photos of what the site looks like now.

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Completion Near for Aloft Long Island City at 27-45 Jackson Avenue, Future Tallest Hotel in Queens

Construction is wrapping up on the Aloft Hotel at 27-45 Jackson Avenue, in Long Island City’s Court Square district. According to Starwood Hotels, the 176-room property, officially called the “Aloft Long Island City – Manhattan View,” is set to open on October 27. At that point, the 18-story, 186-foot-tall high-rise should become the tallest all-hotel building in Queens. Though the 31-story slab of the nearby 29-11 Queens Plaza North, which opened its doors just recently, stands a good deal taller, the Marriott Courtyard within occupies only the tower’s lower half, with the residences at Aurora LIC sitting above. By YIMBY’s count, Aloft Hotel’s lofty pinnacle rises higher than that of any other hotel in the borough.

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