The Department of Housing Preservation and Development presented details last night about two proposals that are finalists for developing the Public Place site in Carroll Gardens/Gowanus. The proposals come from development groups led by The Related Companies (left) and by The Hudson Companies (right). (A number of proposals have been eliminated.) Both would have more than 700 units of housing, although the Hudson proposal would offer three times as much retail and community space. The size of the development could grow significantly as it does not currently include a privately-owned warehouse to the south of the site. Gabriella Amabile of the HPD, who made the presenation, said that the property owner “has expressed interest in joining one of the development teams.“
HPD officials would only identify the proposals as Plan A and Plan B without even naming the competing developers, even though the finalists have been previously identified publicly. GL learned that “Plan A” has been submitted by the Related Companies and “Plan B” is from the Hudson Companies. Buildings in both plans range from 6-12 stories in height. While both plans are similar in some respects, they also differ in some significant ways, particularly regarding density and size of the buildings. The Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation is a partner with both teams. A significant portion of the housing in each proposal would be designated as affordable, with different levels of affordability outlined during the proposal.
The Related Companies. Related would build 725 units of housing, 18,050 square feet of retail, 9,013 square feet of community space, 86,529 square feet of public open space. It would include 375 underground parking spaces. Of the housing in the Related proposal, 245 would be rental units, 480 would be condos and 100 would be senior citizen apartments. The project was designed by Handel Architects. Partners include Monadnock Construction Inc., Catholic Charities and Donna Walcavage Landscape Architect.
The Hudson Companies. Hudson would build 774 units of housing, 38,800 square feet of retail, 26,400 square feet of community space and 98,300 square feet of public open space. It would include 365 underground parking spaces. Of the housing, 380 units would be rental, 394 would be condos and 120 would be for seniors. The design comes from Dattner Architects. Partners in the ventur include the Fifth Avenue Committee, Jonathan Rose Companies and The Bluestone Organization.
The city hopes to select one of the proposals next month and to begin the land use review process next spring, with cleanup efforts slated to start in the summer of 2009. The site, which is bounded by Smith Street, Fifth Street and the Gowanus Canal, is deeply polluted due to earlier use as a manufactured gas plant. It would be cleaned by KeySpan. The pollution is so severe that a complete cleanup will not be done. Instead the site will be partly remediated and remaining contaminants will be capped in place. Both proposals have extensive sustainability features including green roofs. Officials expressed the hope of having people living on the site by late 2011 or 2012.
We will have individual renderings and additional details coming up.
12 responses so far ↓
1 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 6:48 am
12-stories seems a bit low – they should ask each developer to increase height to 20 stories and use some of the extra revenue for site cleanup.
What’s the open space for? How boring – why not a canal-side restaurant/bar/cafe? Is there a boathouse? The gassy space doesn’t look large enough for any active recreation and is just a dumb, boring front lawn for the new co-op owners.
sigh…
2 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 7:10 am
As a concerned resident of Carroll Gardens, I was at the meeting last night. Unless you were sitting in the front row you couldn’t really see the presentation. However, I do know that the lead developers are actually Monadnock Construction and the Hudson Companies and the open space does have a cafe, recreation, and a boathouse.
3 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 7:11 am
What a joke that presentation was. The developers that submitted plans and the present two contenders are the worst kept secret in Carroll Gardens.
My big issue is that the most vocal members of the CB 6 land use committee (note that only members of this committee were allowed to ask questions) have other work related agendas which was underscored by the large contingent of people in orange T-shirts. Were they from the carpenter’s union? Hmmmm.
And there is still is that pesky canal CSO problem.
This process has been corrupted since its inception but I expect nothing less when the GCDC is involved.
4 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 7:42 am
Boathouse? Are people really expecting a clean up? When I moved to CG the Canal’s flushing system wasn’t working, then years later it was and I saw fish and relatively clear water. Then, back to sludge. I used to think, someday, this could be like Amsterdam. Canal living, but, all this highrise nightmare and all the polution, I mean, how can they build over it all? Will it be just another Battery Park city? Where will the children go to school and whose subway do they plan on using??? This will destroy us. Start packing. Look, I like they idea of public space but, all those apartments??? There has to be something nicer, better..smaller. How much are they paying the cement factory to leave???
5 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 9:01 am
stop hating on the gccdc.
many people talk the talk or walk the walk, but they are actually doing good.
did you help get the redhook sewer treatment plant, the flushing tunnel upgrade, the recent flushing tunnel schedule moved to its original starting date, start a conservancy, help to create a master plan and invite other neighborhood groups to pitch in even when they were not mandated to (and including a page by other neighborhood groups who described not liking the plan and describing changes to hpd when it was submitted).
it is easy to complain. it is easy to throw stones.
i can say one thing as a fact…no other neighborhood goup has attempted to do so much and in recent years tried to be so inclusive.
the gccdc has many people who are trying very hard to make a difference. they are an educated and moral bunch. you need to reset your image and if you are not big enough to do so should just remain silent.
6 Bruce // Feb 26, 2008 at 11:31 am
For whatever it’s worth, Jonathan Rose Companies, a nationally-recognized builder of affordable housing & an advocate for environmentally sustainable development, won a juried City competition to build affordable, “green” housing on a publicly owned site in the South Bronx. Dattner Architects – with a history of good quality public & non-profit design – is part of that team, including the non-profit operator, Phipps Houses. Here’s the press release: http://aiany.org/NHNY/Legacy_Press.html.
In this case, the Fifth Avenue Committee, an established local development corporation, is a partner.
7 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 11:53 am
Let’s stick to the merits of the plans. Hudson/Rose’s plan looks like Mitchell-Lama housing to me. That’s not what I want in my neighborhood – I don’t care how “green” it is.
8 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 12:00 pm
the gcdc is corrupt that’s a fact; and this whole process is too..that has been obvious from the get-go too..the presentation was a joke
9 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Hey Mr. or Ms. GCDC is corrupt,
What’s your evidence of this?
10 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Interesting combination Related and Monadnock Construction. Both have affordable housing records, have built big project in Brooklyn (granted a large mall with some affordable housing in East NY is not really the same in Related’s case). Tough climate for this project, hope they select some one who can actually get it done, can’t have another stalled project in my neighborhood!
11 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 6:56 pm
i openly invite anyone who questions that gccdc to stop by, learn, and join.
please stop the anonymous name calling and fact stating.
just because you write it doesn’t make it a fact.
12 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 9:29 pm
More like Cabrini Green..and what other “stalled project” are you panting after? What, are you waiting to move on in? Why “can’t you” have another one? Are you walking by construction sites everyday? The bottom line is someone is paying someone and the designs are ambitious… “and therefore never send to know for whom the bells TOLLS; it Tolls for thee.” A stretch, but it works for all the proposals that you must support.