LeCom
October 17th, 2004, 08:19 PM
:bash:
DUMBO tower plan is yanked
BY HUGH SON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
In s stunning development, real estate magnate David Walentas has withdrawn his proposal to erect a DUMBO apartment tower that residents complained would block views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Walentas backed out of the project late Tuesday because he knew it was set to be voted down yesterday by the City Council, sources said.
It is extremely rare that a project that has been approved by the City Planning Commission would fail after it reaches the City Council.
"I recognized immediately that it would seriously affect [views] of the Brooklyn Bridge," Councilman Tony Avella (D-Queens), chairman of the Council's Zoning and Franchises Committee, which was set to vote against the project.
"This is only the second time it's happened in the three years I've been here," said Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn Heights), who opposed the proposal for a 16-story rental tower at 38 Water St. in DUMBO.
Walentas had made several revisions to the plan in a failed bid to make it acceptable to Council members, including moving it farther from the Brooklyn Bridge. Even with the revisions, critics said, the 178-foot tower would loom over the bridge.
The 200-unit building was to include 8,000 square feet of retail space, a performance area, a 327-car public parking garage and 40 affordable housing units.
It was a jubilant moment for the DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights and Vinegar Hill neighborhood groups who fought the project.
"This was a huge victory for us," said Judy Stanton of the Brooklyn Heights Association. "We had champagne when we heard."
It was also a shot in the arm for other Brooklyn groups involved in their own development battles - most notably, the Atlantic Yards arena and housing complex that developer Bruce Ratner has proposed.
That project, however, is expected to sidestep the city review process that ultimately proved fatal to Walentas' plan.
"This is encouraging to any citizen groups that are working to make sure development works within the neighborhood," said Daniel Goldstein of Develop - Don't Destroy Brooklyn, an anti-arena group.
Walentas has been dubbed the mayor of DUMBO because he helped transform the formerly desolate warehouse district into a chic residential neighborhood. His company, Two Trees Management, owns several hundred million dollars' worth of DUMBO real estate.
The developer didn't return several calls from the Daily News yesterday.
DUMBO tower plan is yanked
BY HUGH SON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
In s stunning development, real estate magnate David Walentas has withdrawn his proposal to erect a DUMBO apartment tower that residents complained would block views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Walentas backed out of the project late Tuesday because he knew it was set to be voted down yesterday by the City Council, sources said.
It is extremely rare that a project that has been approved by the City Planning Commission would fail after it reaches the City Council.
"I recognized immediately that it would seriously affect [views] of the Brooklyn Bridge," Councilman Tony Avella (D-Queens), chairman of the Council's Zoning and Franchises Committee, which was set to vote against the project.
"This is only the second time it's happened in the three years I've been here," said Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn Heights), who opposed the proposal for a 16-story rental tower at 38 Water St. in DUMBO.
Walentas had made several revisions to the plan in a failed bid to make it acceptable to Council members, including moving it farther from the Brooklyn Bridge. Even with the revisions, critics said, the 178-foot tower would loom over the bridge.
The 200-unit building was to include 8,000 square feet of retail space, a performance area, a 327-car public parking garage and 40 affordable housing units.
It was a jubilant moment for the DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights and Vinegar Hill neighborhood groups who fought the project.
"This was a huge victory for us," said Judy Stanton of the Brooklyn Heights Association. "We had champagne when we heard."
It was also a shot in the arm for other Brooklyn groups involved in their own development battles - most notably, the Atlantic Yards arena and housing complex that developer Bruce Ratner has proposed.
That project, however, is expected to sidestep the city review process that ultimately proved fatal to Walentas' plan.
"This is encouraging to any citizen groups that are working to make sure development works within the neighborhood," said Daniel Goldstein of Develop - Don't Destroy Brooklyn, an anti-arena group.
Walentas has been dubbed the mayor of DUMBO because he helped transform the formerly desolate warehouse district into a chic residential neighborhood. His company, Two Trees Management, owns several hundred million dollars' worth of DUMBO real estate.
The developer didn't return several calls from the Daily News yesterday.