As the dust settles after a contentious rezoning in East New York, Brooklyn, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development has set its sights on Brownsville, a neglected and similarly working class neighborhood next door. The housing agency announced the start of a new “neighborhood planning process,” which will collect feedback from residents, organizations, and business owners on how the city could improve the neighborhood.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has revealed the design for New York City’s 1,025 newly crafted subway cars, in addition to unveiling plans to renovate and upgrade 31 subway stations throughout the city. The details were presented on New York State’s website. Of the 1,025 new subway cars, 750 of them will boast accordion-like connectors to increase capacity, a configuration known as open gangway. The doors will also open wider, increasing from 50 inches in width to 58 inches, enhancing the flow of passengers. Other changes to the exterior include a slightly redesigned front with larger windows, LED headlights, and blue coloring. Amenities in the interior include Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, new digital displays and advertising, and security cameras.
The Lower East Side is in the midst of a new era of transformation. The Streit’s Matzo Factory has moved, construction of Essex Crossing is humming along, a neighborhood-wide beautification project should reach its goal this summer, and the Lowline is moving forward. The Houston Street corner opposite an iconic deli is also getting a new neighbor, and now there’s a new look at that project.
Renderings have now surfaced of the 19-story, 130-unit mixed-use tower planned at 321 Wythe Avenue, located just three blocks in from the East River in Williamsburg, as per a tipster’s tweet on Friday. The renderings are credited to the project’s architect, Nataliya Donskoy’s Brooklyn-based ND Architecture & Design. The structure will encompass 134,995 square feet, according to the latest filings. The second floor will host 5,218 square feet of medical offices, followed by 130 residential units across the fourth through 19th floors. The units should average 759 square feet apiece, indicative of rentals, and amenities will include a 92-car parking garage on the ground floor, storage for 65 bikes, outdoor terraces on the second and third floors, and the rooftop. Watermark Capital Group is the developer and Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church is the property owner. The church’s existing single-story facility must first be demolished.
Property owner Vanbarton Group is currently renovating the 16-story, 135,533-square-foot commercial-office building at 45 West 45th Street, in the heart of Midtown. Progress on the work being done on the interior can be see in a Commercial Observer report. The property, which was last renovated in the 1980s, will see its lobby redesigned with increased lighting and new finishes, and it will receive façade restoration. The office floors above are getting their dividing walls demolished, modernizing and enhancing the flow of the floor plates. Significant repairs are also being done to fix the floors and ceilings, which were revealed to be crumbling. Mechanical equipment, like elevators, is being replaced with new appliances. Probably the most exciting upgrade is an outdoor roof deck and lounge. A restaurant is also planned to occupy as much as 16,346 square feet of space on the ground, mezzanine, and lower levels. The work is being done in three phases, with the last expected to be complete by spring of 2017. Spivack Architects is the architect of record.
