3052 West 21st Street

Ford Amphitheater on Coney Island Boardwalk Opens for Business at 3052 West 21st Street

6:00 am on July 5, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Last week, the open-air Ford Amphitheater on the Coney Island Boardwalk, at 3052 West 21st Street in southern Brooklyn, held its ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 5,000-seat venue debuted its first show, Impractical Jokers, on Friday. Live Nation is operating the amphitheater, according to Crain’s, and the location now serves as the new home of Seaside Summer Concert Series, which hosts free shows during the summer months. The three-story former Childs Restaurant Building, an individual landmark, was renovated and incorporated into the new amphitheater structure. The 90,164-square-foot building will also feature a restaurant on the ground floor and the rooftop, although it’s unclear when that will open. The rest of the property includes 40,000 square feet of public open space. The project is the work of iStar Financial, the nonprofit Coney Island USA, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). Gerner, Kronick + Valcarcel (a.k.a. GKV Architects) is the architect of record.

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Foster's 200 Greenwich, composite by Jose Hernandez, image originally by Joe Woolhead

It’s Time to Bring Back Norman Foster’s Design for 2 World Trade Center

5:00 pm on July 1, 2016 By Nikolai Fedak

News broke this week that billionaire Ron Perelman committed $75 million to financing the World Trade Center’s Performing Arts Center, which will provide the complex with a much-needed cultural amenity. But with 175 Greenwich (3 World Trade Center) nearly complete and the remaining puzzle pieces now falling into place, it is YIMBY’s opinion that it is also time to reconsider the design changes proposed for 2 World Trade Center. With Fox failing to commit to BIG’s proposal for the site, it makes much more sense to return to Norman Foster’s far more attractive design for the tower, which was shelved last year.

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510 East 185th Street

Two Six-Story, 88-Unit Extended-Stay Hotels Filed at 150 East 185th Street, Belmont

3:00 pm on July 1, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Nehalkumar Gandhi, doing business as North Bergen, N.J.-based Ratan Realty, has filed applications for two six-story, 88-unit extended-stay hotels at 510 East 185th Street, in the West Bronx’s Belmont section. One of the buildings will measure 43,895 square feet while the other will measure 53,340 square feet. Across both, there will be a total of 121 hotel rooms located on the ground through third floors, and 55 apartment-hotel units located on the fourth through sixth floors. Amenities include off-street parking for 20 cars, storage for 34 bikes, laundry facilities, meeting rooms, fitness centers, and breakfast areas in the cellars. Michael Kang’s Flushing-based architectural firm is the architect of record. The 21,411-square-foot site, bound by Bassford and Bathgate avenues and East 185th Street, is currently occupied by a single-story warehouse. Demolition permits were filed in April. The site is six blocks south of Metro-North Railroad’s Fordham station.

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1040 Herkimer Street

Two Three-Story, Three-Unit Residential Buildings Coming to 1040 Herkimer Street, Ocean Hill

2:00 pm on July 1, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Floral Park, N.Y.-based Metropolitan Homes has filed applications for two three-story, three-unit residential buildings at 1040-1042 Herkimer Street, in Ocean Hill. Each will measure 4,410 square feet. Across both, the full-floor residential units should average 1,102.5 square feet apiece, indicative of family-sized configurations, although it’s unclear whether the apartments will be rentals or condominiums. Amenities include a total of four off-street parking spots. Roslyn, N.Y.-based Shahriar Afshari is the applicant of record. The 50-foot-wide, 4,900-square-foot plot, located on the corner of Howard Avenue, is currently vacant. It’s just two blocks away from the Ralph Avenue stop on the C train.

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331 Saratoga Avenue

Construction Wraps at Five-Story, 80-Unit Affordable-Supportive Residential Building at 331 Saratoga Avenue, Ocean Hill

1:00 pm on July 1, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Construction has wrapped up entirely and occupancy is currently underway at the five-story, 80-unit affordable/supportive housing project at 331 Saratoga Avenue, located on the corner of Bergen Street, in Ocean Hill. Photos of the completed building can be seen in a Curbed NY report. Dubbed Bergen Saratoga Apartments, it measures 74,614 square feet. It will feature 40 one- and two-bedroom apartments that will rent at below-market rates through the affordable housing lottery, in addition to 40 studio apartments that will be occupied by formerly homeless people. CAMBA will also supply social services for the building’s residents. Amenities include a library with a computer room, an outdoor recreational space with a playground, a community room with a kitchen, laundry facilities, storage for 40 bikes, and 15 off-street parking spaces. Dunn Development Corp. and the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HDP) are the developers, while SLCE Architects is behind the design. Construction on the project began in 2014.

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