Brooklyn Village Redevelopment in 2nd Ward

[ertley]

8 hours ago, RANYC said:

I'm thrilled by this project!  According to the Ledger, work will begin in 3-4 months.  Bones will be kept but structure totally gutted.  Building was bought by the Linden Thomas private wealth firm back in 2019, but United Way continued to lease space there until recently.  Now Linden Thomas will move its offices to the renovated building from elsewhere in Uptown.  Firm has 30 employees now but anticipates "big growth."

Will direct you to a couple lines I read in a Downtown Zoning Code, which makes me celebrate this as much as a soaring tower:

Great downtowns are built in fine-grained increments. The mega-project rarely saves a downtown and is very difficult - financially and politically - to achieve. The focus now must be on filling in the numerous small-scale gaps with highly-detailed mixed-use buildings that enliven the sidewalks with ground level activity such as shops and restaurants and provide opportunities for employment and housing on the upper floors.

Such fine-grained increments will be much faster and less capital-intensive in getting surface lots throughout Uptown and center city filled in and activated for pedestrian engagement, than waiting for someone to come along and buy this lot with this forlorn building, consolidate with surrounding lots, tear structures down on those lots, and then design and engineer and finance and build some soaring skyscraper.

I believe this is a big core city win and am thankful to the Ledger for covering it.

I agree 100%. No one wants a city center that's all canyons, every street, because they block the sun for most of the day and create wind tunnels that are especially awful in the winter. Tall buildings and bigger developments ideally are evenly distributed throughout a downtown, alternating with smaller and mid-sized buildings. This is a great (re)development for Uptown because it improves one quarter of a block and doesn't waste new development dollars on tearing something down that's already doing a serviceable job occupying the space--but now soon to be improved.

My personal, dumb metric for the health and appeal of a downtown is assessing intersections, specifically their four street corners--really sidewalk corners-- for good buildings, (potential) street activity, etc. This redevelopment will take this intersection of Brevard and Third from having only one good corner to pretty much two--it would be ideal if this building had a retail component, but it's not its purpose and at least it will have activity going in and out--and the older, renovated building across the street *almost* has a decent corner presence (that with some modifications could be realized) that's at least better than nothing. 

Those three historic buildings on the opposite corner do so much to make this intersection have character, and hopefully they'll host increasingly good, interesting (and profitable) businesses that engage directly with the neighborhood.

If the Transportation Center is ever actually redeveloped, Brevard & Third is teed up for being a nice (if minor) locus of activity in Uptown.

[DMann]

Is this guy still in the running?  https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-developer-aims-to-build-new-yorks-tallest-skyscraper-11638882002

[TheRealClayton]

2 hours ago, DMann said:

Is this guy still in the running?  https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-developer-aims-to-build-new-yorks-tallest-skyscraper-11638882002

he is literally the only one running

[DMann]

is he running to it, or from it?

[stiluvclt]

IMHO, No Brooklyn! At least not by this guy.

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

5 hours ago, DMann said:

Is this guy still in the running?  https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-developer-aims-to-build-new-yorks-tallest-skyscraper-11638882002

Can't tell if he or former Bobcats owner is a bigger clown from DC who tried to use race to get preferential treatment.

[Durhamite]

2 hours ago, CarolinaDaydreamin said:

Can't tell if he or former Bobcats owner is a bigger clown from DC who tried to use race to get preferential treatment.

You speak of ignorance. Well, that’s the only leverage Black people can use, really. The network is the network...and penetrating that network is almost impossible...and if you’re Black....fuggedabout it.  

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

6 hours ago, Durhamite said:

You speak of ignorance. Well, that’s the only leverage Black people can use, really. The network is the network...and penetrating that network is almost impossible...and if you’re Black....fuggedabout it.  

Look at his track record. In multiple places where he used race as a selling-point to receive favorable opportunities, he lost lawsuits and projects never got off the ground. DC, Philly, Miami. The Charlotte project is on track to fail or be extremely delayed as well. 

[SydneyCarton]

To the extent that he's planning a 1,660' tower in NY, he clearly aims high.  I expect that he will build something magnificent in Charlotte.

This developer clearly is ambitious.  The massive height isn't even necessary to preserve views since this tower will rise across the street from the convention center, as seen in this photo.  

I can't wait to see his plans for Brooklyn Village.

 

This is on the developer's website.  I think that it looks amazing.

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by SydneyCarton

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

6 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

To the extent that he's planning a 1,660' tower in NY, he clearly aims high.  I expect that he will build something magnificent in Charlotte.

This developer clearly is ambitious.  The massive height isn't even necessary to preserve views since this tower will rise across the street from the convention center, as seen in this photo.  

I can't wait to see his plans for Brooklyn Village.

 

This is on the developer's website.  I think that it looks amazing.

 

You're delusional if you think that NY tower happens or that the Charlotte project happens this decade.

[deleted account]

19 minutes ago, CarolinaDaydreamin said:

You're delusional if you think that NY tower happens or that the Charlotte project happens this decade.

The fact that this languished during the biggest development boom in Charlotte's history would indicate that you aren't wrong...

[SydneyCarton]

23 minutes ago, CarolinaDaydreamin said:

You're delusional if you think that NY tower happens or that the Charlotte project happens this decade.

The NY tower is definitely happening.  NY is in the midst of a gigantic building boom, and an equally tall 1650'+ tower was approved yesterday.

Charlotte is also booming, so I don't see why BV won't rise.

[Blue_Devil]

46 minutes ago, CarolinaDaydreamin said:

You're delusional if you think that NY tower happens or that the Charlotte project happens this decade.

Why does everyone keep saying this? BV has already started.... The company who won the bid is already doing the infrastructure work, of which there is a lot of...

[deleted account]

1 minute ago, Blue_Devil said:

Why does everyone keep saying this? BV has already started.... The company who won the bid is already doing the infrastructure work, of which there is a lot of...

Go back and look at the original timelines. It's disingenuous to suggest this is moving at anything other than a glacial pace.

[Blue_Devil]

2 minutes ago, JBS said:

Go back and look at the original timelines. It's disingenuous to suggest this is moving at anything other than a glacial pace.

I mean, the new work and permits being pulled suggest otherwise, but what do I know... Projects like this can pivot fast, and this one is picking up a lot of steam with the new Med School going up. 

[deleted account]

5 minutes ago, Blue_Devil said:

and this one is picking up a lot of steam with the new Med School going up

Could be 100% true, would be surprised if it isn't. My point remains, they have moved far slower than indicated when they originally won the bid on this.

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

38 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

The NY tower is definitely happening.  NY is in the midst of a gigantic building boom, and an equally tall 1650'+ tower was approved yesterday.

Charlotte is also booming, so I don't see why BV won't rise.

That rendering looks like Minecraft. I would take bets it won't be @TheRealClaytonwould agree with me NY is a pipe dream for Peebles, and BV is practically the next Levineland.

[SydneyCarton]

3 hours ago, CarolinaDaydreamin said:

That rendering looks like Minecraft. I would take bets it won't be @TheRealClaytonwould agree with me NY is a pipe dream for Peebles, and BV is practically the next Levineland.

Ok.  Think what you want, but one of the most respected NY developers, Steve Witkoff, has partnered with Peebles.   Witkoff doesn't play games.  Also, the demand for new space is unprecedented in NY at the moment.

The WSJ doesn't report on flukes.

https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/black-developer-aims-to-build-new-yorks-tallest-skyscraper-11638882002

Black Developer Aims to Build New York’s Tallest Skyscraper

Don Peebles wants his project, one of a number of proposals for the site, to provide opportunities for minority- and female-owned businesses

"...The project known as Affirmation Tower is a 2 million square-foot, $3.5 billion development planned for a 1.2-acre plot of state-owned land facing the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. It is one of a number of proposals that New York state’s Empire State Development Corporation is considering for the site."

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by SydneyCarton

[SydneyCarton]

Anyway, there's no reason why this developer can't deliver the goods in Charlotte too, which, like NY, is another booming market.    I suspect that he'll team up with a formidable local developer like he's doing in NY -- maybe Grubb.

Edited December 8, 2021 by SydneyCarton

[JRCLT]

We’ll have to wait and see! Time can only tell.

[stiluvclt]

I certainly believe and support the concept of hiring minority sub-contractors ( it appears to have worked well at ATL) like Mr. Peebles is touting and I realize that part of being a developer is a "fake it til you make it" attitude. I would love to see this project happen.....but I don't think it will. 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by stiluvclt

[SydneyCarton]

Every major periodical, including the WSJ, has written about Peebles' and Witkoff's tower.  Today, Architectural Digest published this.  The NY tower is very real.  I think that Peebles will do a good job at BV if he has a powerful, local partner like he does in NY.  Since Charlotte, like NY, has a very strong market, I don't see him sitting on BV for too long.   For all we know, he'll plan Charlotte's new tallest like he is in NY, where he will edge out the new 1,646' tall 175 Park Avenue, with his Affirmation Tower topping out at 1,663'.  (Central Park Tower's tallest roof at 1,551' will have a short reign as NY's tallest.)

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/affirmation-tower-adjaye-peebles

Edited December 10, 2021 by SydneyCarton

[Desert Power]

On 12/8/2021 at 12:04 PM, Blue_Devil said:

I mean, the new work and permits being pulled suggest otherwise, but what do I know... Projects like this can pivot fast, and this one is picking up a lot of steam with the new Med School going up. 

Yes, and they at least care enough to put a social media presence out there: https://twitter.com/BrooklynVlgCLT

 

 

[RANYC]

7 hours ago, Desert Power said:

Yes, and they at least care enough to put a social media presence out there: https://twitter.com/BrooklynVlgCLT

 

 

I've checked out that social media presence a few times.  It's more like the Twitter Museum of Charlotte History than a development update site.  Having said that, I actually have no basis for doubting that the Peebles development is moving forward, other than its delays thus far.

[RANYC]

On 12/8/2021 at 11:12 AM, CarolinaDaydreamin said:

You're delusional if you think that NY tower happens or that the Charlotte project happens this decade.

Why the name-calling?  Why do speculative differences have to be so truculent and callous?  OK, you doubt the project will happen, or if it does, will be slow to get off the ground...got it!  But not enough to just state your piece...the other side must be "delusional."