NEW YORK | 532 Neptune Avenue | 470 FT | 40 FLOORS

[chris08876]

40-Story Tower, Tallest in Coney Island, Planned for Trump Village Shopping Center, 532 Neptune Avenue

Southern Brooklyn is undergoing a veritable building boom. In addition to the small infill projects planned in Brighton Beach and Borough Park – two of the last remaining neighborhoods in the city where single-family homes can be redeveloped en masse – we saw a pair of permit filings late last year for bonafide skyscrapers in Sheepshead Bay and Bath Beach.

Now, comes a filing for an even taller building: an application was submitted today to construct a massive 40-story, 430-foot-tall tower in Coney Island, at 532 Neptune Avenue (also known as 2851 West 6th Street). The project would bring a small mall’s worth of new retail space to the neighborhood, topped by 544 new apartments. If built, it would be by far the tallest tower south of downtown Brooklyn.

The developer is listed as Cammeby’s International Group, led by Ruby Schron (but with Avi, his son, listed on the permit). SLCE, who’s also designing the Sheesphead Bay project developed by Muss and AvalonBay, is listed as the architect.

The project would be located in what is today the Trump Village Shopping Center, the anticipated closure of which set off alarm last year among senior citizens at Trump Village, which surrounds the site. It would sit just south of the Neptune Avenue F station right next to the elevated tracks, in the West Brighton section of Coney Island.

The low-rise strip retail center would be demolished to make way for the 40-story tower, as rumored, which would amass air rights from across the massive 212,000-square foot site in order to build the tower, clocking in at a bit more than 690,000 square feet in size.

While the loss of the retail might be an imposition during construction, it would be more than replaced in the new project. The 120,000 square feet of existing retail would make way for a 162,000 square feet of new retail on the tower’s lower three floors, fronting on West 5th and West 6th streets as well as Neptune Avenue, along with nearly 16,000 square feet of community facility space, per the permit.

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http://www.yimbynews.com/2015/01/why...ed-to-die.html
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/01/...sland-project/

[Design-mind]

This is good news, as this area needs a bit of an update.

[Crawford]

Yeah, that part of Coney Island is commieblock central (and ironically almost 100% former Soviet residents) so can use some modern updates.

The thing is that these existing commieblocks are actually pretty expensive. The Russians, Ukrainians and Belorussians that dominate the area seem to like highrise housing, and they pay a big premium to be in their community. New construction gets very high prices in this general area.

[Design-mind]

^^^ Location is awesome, you have a single train into Manhattan, and Brighton Beach is walking distance. Work and Play from one location!

[Busy Bee]

There's plenty of room in CI for many many high rise projects. I'd like to see some Hong Kong style clusters there to take advantage of that beautiful ocean view, maybe with a bit more air between them:


][][][][

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

There's plenty of room in CI for many many high rise projects. I'd like to see some Hong Kong style clusters there to take advantage of that beautiful ocean view, maybe with a bit more air between them

Not as much as you think, but yeah there is room for residential development on Coney Island, just not on the oceanfront. One of the most expensive neighborhoods in Brooklyn is on one end,
and a gated enclave is on the other. But there should be beautiful ocean views from this development.

Anyway, welcome to de Blasio's New York, where there will be larger buildings in more places.

They've been talking about this particular development over at the Coney Island boards for a while...
http://community.coneyisland.com/cgi...m=1411345093/0


Because I love Google Earth, an overview of the area...

[NYguy]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...icle-1.2086146

Coney Island locals are mobilizing to battle plans to raze a strip mall and replace it with a massive 40-story tower
The proposed tower, slated to include 544 apartments atop three floors of commercial businesses, would be nearly 20 stories higher than the nearby Trump Village complexes





BY DOYLE MURPHY
January 20, 2015

Angry neighbors are gearing up to do battle with the developer that’s planning a 40-story tower in Coney Island.

“We have to fight this,” longtime resident Barbara Sherman said. “It will destroy our whole quality of life here.”

She lives across the street from a Neptune Ave. strip mall now slated to be demolished and replaced with a skyscraper that’s nearly 20 stories higher than the surrounding housing complexes of Trump Villages -- among the tallest in south Brooklyn.

The project would consolidate a cluster of parcels nestled next to the Neptune Ave. F train station, and would include 544 apartments atop three floors of commercial businesses, building plans first reported by YIMBY show.

Billionaire real estate investor Rubin Schron’s Cammeby International has already begun laying the groundwork, informing merchants throughout the Trump Villages shopping center that their leases won’t be renewed.

The developers will reveal more about the plan and city environmental officials will discuss the site’s remediation on Wednesday at a special public meeting convened by Councilman Chaim Deutsch at 7 p.m. at Lincoln High School.

“I think it was only the right thing to let the community and elected officials know,” said Deutsch (D-Brooklyn), noting his concerns about traffic, displaced businesses and contamination on a site that he said was once a gas manufacturing plant.

Neighbors along Neptune depend on two pharmacies in the retail strip, where they also do their banking, post letters and parcels, take clothes to be laundered and eat in restaurants. It’s all within walking distance of the nearby co-op complexes.

Merchants in the doomed strip mall said Cammeby representatives promised to find them new homes in the vacant Royal Palms spa, about a block away.

“They’re trying not to hurt anybody,” said one merchant who declined to give his name.

“They’re offering people money to buy them out” of existing leases.

A spokeswoman confirmed that the firm is planning to revamp the former bathhouse to accommodate the businesses along with the residents who depend on them.

“The building is just one block from the existing shopping center and will enable tenants to continue to meet the needs of the neighborhood’s residents,” spokeswoman Christa Segalini said in a statement.

Some residents remain worried, though.

“They should drop dead,” said one senior, who said her name was Ce.

“Where are we going to go?”

Several tenants in a Coney Island strip mall expect to relocate to the vacant Royal Palace building after the mall is razed for development of a 40-story tower.




A notice in the front window of a dry cleaners in a Neptune Ave. strip mall warns patrons of an impending closing.



http://brooklyn.news12.com/news/prop...ents-1.9832002

Proposed apartment building concerns residents


January 21, 2015

Hundreds of residents packed a town hall meeting in Coney Island where leaders spoke to discuss a potential new 40-story apartment building.

Residents voiced their concerns at the Lincoln High Auditorium on Wednesday over the project at 532 Neptune Ave.

Most of the buildings in the area don't stretch higher than 23 stories. But that's only the beginning of community concerns.

The site is potentially highly contaminated because it used to be a gas plant. According to health and environmental officials, the development of the land could cause major health issues in the surround area.

The Department of Environmental Conservation will inspect the site, but residents and politicians like New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer still adamantly oppose the project.

"After all this community has gone through, the answer is not to simply come up here and build a 40-story building on what may be a toxic site," Stringer says.

The developers were also able to speak at the meeting. They focused on the positive economic impact that the project would have. But, that was greeted with many jeers, boos and even laughter from the crowd.

[NYguy]

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/0...tory_tower.php

Coney Island Residents Vehemently Oppose 40-Story Tower


January 22, 2015
by Evan Bindelglass

Draft rendering of the proposed 40-story tower. All photographs by Evan Bindelglass.





Draft rendering of the rehabilitated 614 Sheepshead Bay Road

...Schron's firm Cammeby's International company bought the property in 2004, and the new building would have three stories of retail, plus a whopping 544 rentals apartments. City Councilman Chaim Deutsch called a town hall meeting at Abraham Lincoln High School to discuss the proposal, and hundreds of neighbors came out to make it clear that they do not want this building. Concerns about toxic materials, overcrowded schools, overdevelopment, and the relocation of existing businesses were raised.

One person told the developer's representative he should take his plans to Manhattan, and another wished to throw "a load of shit" at him. Good times were had.

The development, which would feature 544 rental units over 40 floors and 430 feet, would be located at 543 Neptune Avenue near West 6th Street, just half a block from the Neptune Avenue D train stop. The development also includes plans for a 750 space (or more) parking garage.

Hasher said that the existing businesses would be relocated to a bathhouse at 614 Sheepshead Bay Road, which Cammeby's also owns. City Councilman Mark Treyger, whose district borders this one, told Curbed that some of the business owners told him that the space they'd been offered there is smaller and costs more.

Some in the community said relocating any business about a block away would be too far for some seniors.

The $450M investment in this project would result in $1 billion in economic activity, according to Hasher, who said the new retail would include an "upscale level of stores plus local stores." One member of the community said that what they really need is a Chinese restaurant and a pizza place. Hasher said the new tower would be storm proof, and have reserve tanks to capture water, plus he said the plans include environmental remediation.

At the start of the meeting, City Comptroller Scott Stringer expressed his opposition to the project, saying that it would "cast a shadow over cherished open space."

One member of the community said, "A tree grows in Brooklyn, not a high-rise." Another said this proposal "just doesn't fit," and someone else suggested that a hotel would be better. We overheard a member of the audience saying that Hasher was being smug, and "I wish I had a load of shit to throw at him." (Hasher did remain seated while standing members of the community directed their questions to him).

Other concerns included loss of views, the effect on bus lines, and noise. One woman was upset the presentation didn't have detailed plans, including which stores would be relocated, and another community member was worried the electrical grid would't be able to support the tower.

[Ploppalopp]

That rendering looks good. These fools who are against this project are so short sighted. They are replacing a dilapidated strip mall with probably more commercial space than is in that awful looking mall. What are the chances that the complainers will be able to effect the project?

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Ploppalopp

That rendering looks good. These fools who are against this project are so short sighted. They are replacing a dilapidated strip mall with probably more commercial space
than is in that awful looking mall. What are the chances that the complainers will be able to effect the project?

The people are going to complain, regardless, even if the building was half the proposed height.

I believe the proposal is an as-of-right proposal, but whether or not it can be built will depend a lot on the remediation of the site.

The site is potentially highly contaminated because it used to be a gas plant. According to health and environmental officials,
the development of the land could cause major health issues in the surrounding area.

The Department of Environmental Conservation will inspect the site

Here is the DOB application...


http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/Jo...ssdocnumber=01

Building Height (ft.) 430

Building Stories: 40

Dwelling Units: 544

It looks like the tower would face east/west, and rise at the western end, where the marker is shown here...

[chris08876]

^^^^

One of the residents nearby emailed me yesterday asking me about the project and expressing her concern on how this will ruin the neighborhood. She mentioned: traffic, the loss of the pharmacies, and how this is a Zone A, and its very vulnerable to flooding.

The emphasis was on the Zone A flooding issue.

Originally Posted by Ploppalopp

That rendering looks good. These fools who are against this project are so short sighted. They are replacing a dilapidated strip mall with probably more commercial space than is in that awful looking mall. What are the chances that the complainers will be able to effect the project?

I told her she could take it up with the mayors office or the community board, but good luck, as this administration is very pro-development. A project like this is essentially a tall filler. It is not on the scale of lets say Astoria Cove or other projects with 2000 plus units. The traffic argument is old, as there is adequate transit. It seems like the biggest inconvenience is the loss of the strip mall.

[Ploppalopp]

I would imagine that the developer who is proposing this building would have already taken the possible contamination of the site into account and decided that it is probably worth his while to pursue developing this tower. Anyways, I like the looks of this tower and also like that it is replacing a structure that is neither sightly or historic.

[antinimby]

At the start of the meeting, City Comptroller Scott Stringer expressed his opposition to the project, saying that it would "cast a shadow over cherished open space."

Scott Stringer is such a slimey, pandering politician. He will take whatever position he thinks will win him support with the ignorant public even if it isn't any good for the city. Its shadows will have little effect on neighboring blocks because the site it sits on is huge and is literally a whole city block.

Furthermore, that whole area is full of depressing open space, tower-in-the-park style. There is no shortage of open space, light and air.

This project is the best thing that can happen for this eyesore strip mall.

I don't usually vote, but I just might register next time to vote for anyone that runs against him. So sick of him and NY politicians like him.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by chris08876

One of the residents nearby emailed me yesterday asking me about the project and expressing her concern on how this will ruin the neighborhood. She mentioned: traffic, the loss of the pharmacies, and how this is a Zone A, and its very vulnerable to flooding.

The emphasis was on the Zone A flooding issue.

I know that people are stupid, but I don't know why they automatically assume that a developer hasn't thought of these issues first.

The $450M investment in this project would result in $1 billion in economic activity, according to Hasher, who said the new retail would include an "upscale level of stores plus local stores." One member of the community said that what they really need is a Chinese restaurant and a pizza place.

Hasher said the new tower would be storm proof, and have reserve tanks to capture water, plus he said the plans include environmental remediation.

And also, there will be pharmacies, and likely Chinese food and pizza as well. Maybe they should have thrown in a request for a McDonald's, or some other inane nonsense.

Originally Posted by antinimby

Scott Stringer is such a slimey, pandering politician. He will take whatever position he thinks will win him support with the ignorant public

I was thinking the same thing about this guy earlier. Too bad Spitzer, a developer, didn't beat him out. This Scott Stringer is a panderer of the worst kind. I agree that this project is the best thing that can happen, because all of that land is vastly underutilized. Too many open parking lots. And if that's the "chrished open space" this guy is talking about - because I don't see any other - then he's a fool's fool.

[Hypothalamus]

Scott needs to be shut down. The open space argument is asinine. And meanwhile, the beach/Atlantic Ocean is three blocks away... doesn't get more open than that.

[chris08876]

This will go up regardless. Fighting it is futile. If they want pizza or chinese, order takeout. The asian man with a cigarette in his mouth and bike will deliver it in 15 minutes. And they work fast too!

I think AC when I see this design. Even though its a draft, I hope they add a little more variety to the design. But, it will do in the end. Better than some of the housing projects around it.

[Busy Bee]

Would be sensible if they designed it in a way where a second tower could be constructed on top of the opposite end ofthe retail podium further in the future.

[Ploppalopp]

Although I am surely not against the design, I think it would be best if there wasn't such a big retail podium. They could just build a slightly taller tower and leave the rest of the lot as a park. If there ever was demand for a second tower, then they could go ahead and use a bit more of their land.

[NYguy]

About a second tower, I believe they are using up all development rights for the development now. If they cut the tower in half, there could be two 20 story towers at either end, which wouldn't please anyone, and would block more views from existing buildings.

The retail is necessary because not only is it replacing what was there, but there will be 544 new units dropped on the site, meaning more demand for close amenities. I read somewhere people complaining that it's too close to the train station, which is insane.

And finally, there's the issue of the parking, which is being replaced with more, enclosed parking.

The draft design, while nothing special, is actually better than i would have expected.

[chris08876]

Trader Joes:


Annoyed audience: Locals booed throughout the presentation of the proposed plans for the site.

A developer wants to turn a sleepy shopping plaza in Brighton Beach into Brooklyn’s next hipster enclave — complete with a Trader Joe’s on the ground floor of a 40-story residential tower — but neighborhood seniors who have lived in the area for years say the last thing they need is the skinny-pants set moving in on their turf.

A spokesman for developer Rubin Schron was roundly and repeatedly booed by locals Wednesday night when he introduced a plan that had been making the rounds in the rumor mill for months, and when their greatest fears were realized — that the local stores they now depend on could be closed forever — they told him where he could take his plans.

“You want to make money?” said Vitaly Slobodskoy, one of the many residents of nearby Trump Village who turned out to hear about the plan. “Do it in Manhattan.”

But the spokesman, Dennis Hasher, insisted the plan would change the neighborhood for the better, bringing in better retail and younger residents that will transform the neighborhood in at way many couldn’t believe is possible.

“I never thought Williamsburg would be as popular as it is,” said Hasher. “It is our hope and our vision that this will be the same.”

The project does not have a start date yet, but shops in the center have already started closing. Kurt Cleaners, a dry cleaner, shuttered at the beginning of the month, and Walgreens is scheduled to close in February. Hasher said some of the shops will be relocating to 614 Sheepshead Bay Road, a bathhouse one block away from the current complex, though he would not say which businesses.

Hasher said the vision for the new retail space, which would have a mix of “upscale” and “neighborhood” stores, includes tentative plans for a Trader Joe’s and doctors’ offices.

[...]

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http://brooklyndaily.com/stories/201...bk_2015_5.html