It wasn't going to come easy for Howard Hughes Corp.: "Save Our Seaport, the South Street Seaport Coalition and Children First are now arguing that this decision violated precedent, was unduly influenced by other city officials and did not establish that the developer's plan was appropriate and consistent for the neighborhood. 'The Howard Hughes Corporation, which owns or controls much of the Seaport area, sees it as a goldmine,' the lawsuit reads. 'And so, in a relatively small district which has miraculously maintained its pre-skyscraper era scale of buildings commonly three- to five-stories high, the Howard Hughes company has convinced the Landmarks Preservation Commission that it should be allowed to build a 24-story behemoth.' The LPC’s approval was inappropriate for multiple reasons, according to the suit. The agency almost exclusively considered the 250 Water St. block itself rather than the overall Seaport, for instance, and members considered factors they were not supposed to when making their decision, namely the affordable housing the project would bring to the neighborhood and the financial support the developer would give the South Street Seaport Museum, the suit argues." (Crain's)
Rendering of the new Google store
A brick-and-mortar Google store is coming to Chelsea: "Google plans to launch its first brick-and-mortar store this summer in Chelsea, where it has been steadily growing its office presence during the past decade. Executives with the search giant detailed the plans to Crain’s for the 5,000-square-foot store at 76 Ninth Ave., part of the former Port Authority building purchased by Google for $1.9 billion in 2010. The store—which does not yet have an opening date—will showcase, sell and repair the Nest thermostats, Pixel phones, Fitbits and other physical products sold by Google, the executives said." (Crain's)
Williamsburg is getting even more parks: "The city will spend $31 million on construction on four new parks projects in Brooklyn — bringing a new greenspace to Williamsburg, and much-needed upgrades to three other dilapidated parks." (Brooklyn Paper)
Ten stories of apartments could be coming to a corner overlooking McCarren Park: "A developer is seeking a rezoning in order to build a 10-story mixed-use building near the northern end of McCarren Park in Greenpoint. With an address of 840 Lorimer Street, the proposed building, if it is approved, will wrap around and hover over a diner that was once the home of the beloved Park Luncheonette" (Brownstoner)
Brooklyn Point infinity pool | Extell
The highest infinity pool in the Western Hemisphere opens at Extell's Brooklyn Point: "Situated 680 feet above the ground – making it higher than the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel pool in Singapore – the 27-foot-long pool offers nearly 360-degree views of the skyline. Set atop the 68-story building, the heated, infinity-edge pool will be open to residents Spring through Fall. Designed by Matthews Nielsen Landscape Architects, the landscaped rooftop retreat is surrounded by lounge chairs, al fresco dining areas and an outdoor movie screening space, as well as a stargazing observatory." (REW)
DOB releases a new map that allows the public to see the location of city buildings under mandatory building sustainability requirements: "A new website, 'NYC Sustainable Buildings,' serves as a one-stop-shop for owners and property managers of buildings that are covered by Local Law 97. Buildings covered by this law are required to meet stringent greenhouse gas emissions limits and may need to make energy efficiency retrofits to meet those targets. In addition, new maps allow the public to see the location of all large buildings in the city that must meet new greenhouse gas emission limits, as well as the energy grades of those that are required to provide benchmarking information on their energy and water consumption." (NYC DOB)
Brooklyn is seeing more restaurant openings than Manhattan: "City restaurants reopened to 100% capacity Wednesday, lifting owners’ hopes of a full plate of business — including those bravely opening new establishments. THE CITY reviewed new-permit data provided by the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene going back to 2017. The numbers show that Brooklyn is where the action is, while Manhattan’s star is fading. From January through mid-April of this year, 832 new restaurants received health department permits to operate. Typically, nearly 40% of new restaurants have opened in Manhattan. But this year, that share has dropped to 32%. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is now rivaling Manhattan, accounting for 30% of new restaurants." (THE CITY)
