[All photos for GL courtesy of Brenda From Flatbush] Last Friday, we posted a big gallery of photos of the now completely vacant blocks of Willoughby and Bridge Streets where Avalon Bay West may (or may not) build a gi-normous commercial and residential tower. If they don’t they will leave behind abandonment, blight and danger […]

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Why have we posted this slideshow? Well, first off it show nearly an entire city block in Downtown Brooklyn where buisinesses have closed. Why? Because the properties have slowly been sold off for a huge project called Avalon Willoughby West that will tentively be 60 stories tall. Brownstoner has been following the development of this […]

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We don’t know what’s up at City Point, the once grand development planned at a property originally owned by developer Joe Sitt–the Galleria Mall that he promised to turn into the “Belaggio” of shopping malls. (Guess “Bellagio” is Italian for sell it and tear it down?) In any case, what’s signficant about this, other the […]

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On Wednesday (2/25), there’s a screening and discussion of the anti-gentrification documentary “Some Place Like Home” at 7pm at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church (85 S. Oxford St b/w Fulton/Lafayette). For more information check out their website. But, if that don’t interest you or your still in a tangle about our contemporary hell on earth, […]

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We’ve been so not on the 111 Lawrence Street story that the more we think about it, the more we want to kick ourselves. It’s a little residential deveopment fromm the Clarett Group which will be Brooklyn’s tallest building at 51 stories and have 491 residential units when all is said and done. It’s rather astounding in that […]

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A while back, Dermot Company announced it would be building a high-rise at 29 Flatbush Flatbush Avenue near BAM. Now, we have a partial rendering from the Dermot site. The building will be designed by an increasingly popular architect in Brookyn Ismael Leyva and will clock in at 44 stories with 333 rental units. The […]

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[Old rendering on left Skyscraper Forum, center photo 110 Livingston, right rendering Clarett Group] We’re not sure if the Clarett Group has a death wish or just had access to toxic financing, but the firm that built the virtually vacant Forte in Fort Greene is now well into construction of 111 Lawrence Street in downtown […]

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City Controller William Thompson slammed City Hall Thursday for out-of-control costs at the Brooklyn House of Detention – putting a halt to the unpopular project. Thompson, a plaintiff in the lawsuit to stop the reopening and expansion of the downtown Brooklyn jail, rejected a $31 million architectural contract. The move effectively blocks the project – […]

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Borough President Marty Markowitz supports the reopening of the Brooklyn House of Detention, but is against the Jail with Retail expansion plan. (Well, he is for a Jail with Retail, but not for a bigger one.) In a statement he says: “It is my understanding that the DOC is within its right to reopen the […]

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It feels like we’ve been covering the contentious issue of the reopening and expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue forever. Well, tomorrow (1/6) at 9am there’s to be a rally in front of the Brooklyn Courthouse to protest and there will be another court hearing. The Stop BHOD Coalition, elected officials […]

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The Stop BHOD coalition formed to end the New York government’s attempt to re-populate and expand the Brooklyn House of Detention (over on Atlantic b/w Smith & Boerhum Place) has relaunched its website and also added a blog. In addition, they will be holding a rally outside the State Supreme Court building in Cadman Plaza […]

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This issue deals with a number of New York City government buildings that some people consider to be a blight and to be interfering with efforts to improve the area. Here is an email we came across about 345 Jay Street that also deals with 370 Jay Street, which is the MTA’s Board of Transportation […]

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This is a trailer for a documentary about the gentrification of Downtown Brooklyn produced by FUREE. AYR had a great deal of detail about it a few day ago.

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The powers that be went out to the Fulton Mall, yesterday (11/19), and officially kicked of the great “Buy Brooklyn” (Or is it “Shop Brooklyn”?) as a borough wide event to promote spending your money here this holiday season. Participating retailers, restaurants, bars, and other service providers will display a “Shop Brooklyn” logo in shop […]

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A Judge has issued a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the reopening of the Brooklyn House of Detention. A statement from State Sen.-Elect Daniel Squadron says: “I commend the Department of Corrections for agreeing to halt the proposed expansion of the House of Detention pending further conversation with the community.  I hope it is a […]

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As we mentioned yesterday, a lawsuit was filed to block the $440 million expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue. A judge is hearing the case today (11/20) at Kings County Supreme Court (360 Adams St., Brooklyn). From a release the landed in the inbox: Kings County Supreme Court Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix […]

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[Click to enlarge] There’s a new online petition to protest the reopening and expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street. Here’s what it says: We are an association of over 2000 residents from Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Downtown Brooklyn, and other parts of Brooklyn. We are committed […]

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Well, that lawsuit has been filed against the reopening and expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention. The headline on the press release is “Lawsuit: City Broke the Law, Avoided Scrutiny to Push Through Massive New Brooklyn Jail.” Officials claim the $440 million expansion has to go through a standard community land use review process […]

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We’ve already mentioned to you about Buy Brooklyn. Well, there seems to be another concept peaking the minds of our local government, and now have Shop Brooklyn to promote: “Shop Brooklyn” is an awareness campaign highlighting the uniqueness of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods and thriving shopping corridors, re-introducing Brooklyn to Brooklynites, and inviting tourists and visitors to […]

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City Comptroller Bill Thompson and City Council Member David Yassky have filed papers in court asking a judge to block the reopening of the Brookyn House of Detention and are filing a lawsuit against the city arguing that plans for the $440 million expansion have to go through community, land use process under city and […]

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It’s just hard to find love for a big jail in a gentrifying neighborhood, especially when it involves a $450 million expansion and there are people that think the money ought to be invested in alternative programs that encourage rehabilitation. And so, yesterday, a number of elected officials including City Council Member David Yassky and […]

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Issue Project Room was recently awarded a 20-year lease for the amazing theatre space at 110 Livingston St. Problem is – they need $2.5mil to make it happen. Word has it that they’ve already raised $1mil of it, but they still have a lot more work to do and a lot more money to raise. […]

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Sure looks pretty shining there in the sun, but is this turkey the biggest gobbler in all of Brooklyn. It started out with astounding prices (higher than Toren and Oro on Flatbush Avenue) and, then, as noted by both Curbed (where we brutalized it) and Brownstoner, got serious price cuts. A new look at Streeteasy […]

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[Photo courtesy of Eugene Gannon/GL Flickr Pool] Sometimes photos need no words. This was shot on Fulton St. in Downtown Brooklyn.

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No, the borough’s not for sale (well, except to certain developers), but there are hundreds of locally owned and operated business that provide just about any and every kind of service and product you can think to want or need. The BEDC, the Brooklyn Chamber, and the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office are currently designing a […]

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