NEW YORK | 286 Ashland Place (BAM Tower) | 364 FT | 32 FLOORS

[NYRebel]

From the Brownstoner link. . .

It will include a 30-story rental building with 20 percent affordable units, 225 on-site parking spaces, a 10,000-square-foot public plaza, a library, cinema, rehearsal space, a restaurant and cafe, and 15,500 square feet of retail space. The Brooklyn Public Library currently on Pacific Street will close and move into this new development, and the branch will work with BAM to provide cultural initiatives. BAM will run the cinema, which will include three mid-size theaters. And the nonprofit 651 Arts will run the rehearsal spaces, where a preference will be given to Downtown Brooklyn arts groups.

He spoke on the challenges of designing for the triangular site, as well as building something right in the heart of the BAM Cultural District. Ultimately, Two Trees was seeking Community Board Two’s blessing for a zoning change, so they can increase the height of the development by about 10 stories and add more residential and community facility space.

The land-use committee approved the design with conditions on the abatement of noise, the removal of terraces, a traffic plan, and an unobtrusive illumination plan.

Happy with this news! Though it's strange they mentioned an 'unobtrusive' illumination plan, while Barclays Center is a few blocks over lol. Apple should really consider the area now, more then enough foot traffic and much more on the way. Downtown Brooklyn is becoming a gem right before our eyes!

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012...nity-blessing/

[NYguy]

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories...ll+articles%29

Looking for apartments: Two Trees seeks zoning change to allow more housing near BAM





By Eli Rosenberg
January 16, 2013

A developer has the green-light to put up a skyscraper on a marquee spot right next to the Williamsburgh Savings Bank — but the builder wants to fill the tower with nearly double the permissible amount of housing.

Two Trees Management Co. needs the city to sign off on its plan to put 300 apartments inside the proposed 32-story tower, dedicating about 86 percent of floor space to residences when current zoning only allows a max of about 53 percent.

The development company claims putting about 300,000 square feet of apartments above 50,000 square feet of commercial space and cultural offerings — including three Brooklyn Academy of Music theaters, a new home for the Pacific Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, and a rehearsal space managed by 651 Arts — is a far better proposal than the tallest possible structure it could build without a zoning change, which would set aside about 152,000 square feet for arts and commercial tenants and 171,000 square feet for housing.

“Our design is respectful of surrounding buildings and is a great improvement of what you could develop as-of-right,” said David Lombino, the director of special projects for Two Trees.

“When this was originally proposed, it wasn’t supposed to be luxury housing,” said Community Board 2 member Carolyn Hubbard-Kamunanwire.

Hubbard-Kamunanwire and others also worry a tall, dense building at the development site will block views of the historic Williamsburgh Savings Bank

“[The Two Trees building] does make a gesture to not blocking the tower’s skyline presence, but I think that gesture isn’t quite working well enough,” said architect Gregory Kiss, a resident of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank who crafted renderings showing the proposed skyscraper obstructing the art deco masterpiece from several vantage points. “This building has a unique place in the skyline and it’s clearly got a very unique history; it’s worth trying to preserve as much of that as possible.”

The CB2 land-use committee voted in favor of the plan earlier this month, but enough members of the full-board abstained or voted against the project that it did not win the group’s outright approval last week.

Borough President Markowitz — who has publicly praised the Two Trees design — will host a hearing on the plan tonight before making a ruling.

[sbarn]

This project is in jeopardy at the moment, depending on the actions of the City Council.

Fate of big BAM expansion is a cliff-hanger

Noisy Councilwoman gets pushy, Two Trees may build as-of-right and kill cultural and residential components altogether

The drama surrounding a major expansion of the Brooklyn Academy of Music's campus, the so-called BAM South development in Fort Greene, is now worthy of the 105-year-old theater.

At center stage is local Councilwoman Letitia James, who has long sung the praises of the project to bring 300 apartments and three cultural institutions to a site just off Flatbush Avenue. Just last week, however, Ms. James said she will oppose the development unless a series of demands are met. BAM South's developer, Two Trees Management Co., along with the project's many boosters, fear Ms. James' change of heart could foil the plan before the development comes up for its final City Council vote.

"If the project is turned down, the losers are going to be the affordable housing and cultural community and not the developer and the council member," said Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. "We've been working on this for years, and for it to be undone in a week for political reasons is a real shame for the community and the city."

Ms. James argues that she has always been skeptical of the project, where 20% of the units would be set aside for affordable housing. Furthermore, she said that she is only now voicing her concern because the project, which has been in the works since 2006 is finally before the City Council. In addition to more affordable housing units, Ms. James is pushing for "prevailing wages" for construction workers on the project, which essentially means bringing them up to union levels.

Critics argue that Ms. James is simply making this last minute stand to appease labor leaders, many of whom are backing her current campaign for public advocate, a charge dismissed by the councilwoman. "The two have nothing to do with each other," Ms. James said. "This is a public project, where the developer is receiving tax breaks and getting a good price for the land from the city, so it is appropriate a prevailing wage standard be met."

Two Trees, which has always built its projects in the borough with a mix of union and non-union labor, said that it simply cannot afford to compromise on construction costs, because it is already providing the 60 units of affordable housing along with the cultural space in the project. Two Trees estimates that paying prevailing wages would boost its construction costs by 30%.

A rezoning, which is needed for the project to move forward, is what the City Council will take up on Wednesday. The proposed zoning change would tweak the commercial zoning on the site to allow for the residential development.

The Bloomberg administration began weighing the fate of three parking lots across the street from BAM in the last decade, and Two Trees was selected to develop one of them, the site known as BAM South in 2009. In addition to being a site for affordable housing, the property at the corner of Flatbush and Lafayette avenues was always intended to also become a new cultural anchor, with space for BAM, the Brooklyn Public Library and 651 ARTS, a group dedicated to performing arts of "the African Diaspora."

These and other cultural groups have taken a stand against Ms. James, sending two strongly worded letters to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn imploring her to rally support for the project in spite of Ms. James' opposition. Negotiations are said to be ongoing with labor unions, the Bloomberg administration and Ms. James in the hopes of reaching some agreement before Wednesday's vote.

One possible outcome in the high drama is that Ms. James could formally lodge her protest vote, while the rest of the council rallies to pass the project. Such a thing has happened before, as it did with the huge Jamaica, Queens, rezoning in 2007. Then two local council members opposed the project, but it still passed the Council 45-3. Typically, council members back the local representatives, lest they face opposition when projects come up in their own districts.

[...]

[NYRebel]

I was just about to post this update as well. . . .

I'm so disappointed

[NYguy]

At center stage is local Councilwoman Letitia James...

Say no more....

[sbarn]

There's still a chance of a last minute deal... but right now it isn't looking good.

[Crawford]

Councilmember James, who is another horrible politican, is just trolling for votes.

But it doesn't affect the building, really. An as-of-right tower can be built. She's just trying to hardball to get a bigger cut of the deal (ahem, I mean, more "affordable" housing and "livable" wages).

In the end, a deal will be worked out, and both sides will claim victory.

[NYguy]

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/06/...south-project/

City Council to approve Two Trees’ BAM South project


Zachary Kussin
June 17, 2013

The City Council is poised to green light the BAM South development today, WNYC reported. The mixed-use project, developed by Two Trees Management, will feature a 50,000-square-foot cultural center, a 20,000-square-foot public plaza, and 300 units of housing.

In order to pass the proposal, Councilmember Letitia James reached an agreement to move the nearby Pacific Street library to the BAM South building and preserve the library’s own original structure.

Previously, James had threatened to veto the project unless construction workers received a prevailing wage, as previously reported. James also indicated that the number of affordable housing units — currently at 60 — may not be sufficient and raised concerns that the Pacific Street library would be razed to make way for apartments.

[NYRebel]

Big BAM South project is finally a go!
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...TATE/130719901

After nearly a decade, the curtain has finally closed on the BAM South saga. Developer Two Trees Management has paid $16.5 million for a city-owned parking lot across from the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The city first selected Two Trees in 2009 to redevelop the 47,000-square-foot site at the corner of Flatbush and Lafayette avenues, easily identified by the revolving sign with the large red letters "B-A-M" that stands on the corner. The city was looking for a developer to build a new cultural hub underwritten by (and literally underneath) an apartment tower as far back as 2005 and Two Trees has finally delivered.

The project will consist of a 32-story apartment tower atop a base that will include a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, plus performance spaces for BAM and local arts group 651 ARTS. The Enrique Norten-designed property will boast 300 apartments, 60 of them designated as affordable units, and a new public plaza surrounding it.

"This new development will be an exciting addition to the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District, a global destination for art and culture, and create five hundred jobs in the process," Zachary Smith, chief operating officer of the city's Economic Development Corp., said in a statement.

The project was first delayed by the recession. The public review process only got underway last winter. With broad public support, the development seemed poised for an easy City Council approval, but at the last minute local Councilwoman Letitia James took issue with the project, particularly over whether or not it would be built with union labor. Ultimately, Two Trees prevailed and the development won council approval with little changed from the original plan.

Having won approval and closed on the site, Two Trees is already working on preparing it for construction, which is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2014.

"We have a full design team in place and working on this exciting and complex project," said Two Trees Director of Special Projects David Lombino. "We have made an initial submission to the MTA regarding our excavation and foundation work adjacent to their subways, and we are working with our partners at the city on the public plaza and the cultural space."

[NYRebel]

Flatbush Avenue tower inches toward reality
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories..._11_15_bk.html

The city gave the okay for mega-developers to start work that would turn a Flatbush Avenue parking into an apartment tower with a movie theater and public library on the ground floors and a triangular plaza on a platform at its base, building records show.

The so-called “Brooklyn Academy of Music South” building will sit across Ashland Place from the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s cinema, but, though the city has signed off on foundation work, no construction is currently under way at the site. The developer of the complex on the triangular lot bounded by Flatbush Avenue, Lafayette Avenue, and Ashland and Hanson places says it will knit the Barclays Center to Downtown, which is rapidly becoming a dense residential center.

Nice lets get this started asap Two Trees! Oh and please let this part come true. . .

The building is rumored to be one of two in the running to house Brooklyn’s first Apple store, according to The Real Deal, a real estate news website.

!!!!!!!!!! I can see Apple setting up here. It's the perfect spot for the first Brooklyn store and the building actually looks like an Apple store belongs there. Remember the first renderings?!

[Perklol]

Erk I get so confused... are there 2 BAM towers?

[Tectonic]

There are about 3-5 "BAM" sites, this is the most high profile one.

[Perklol]

Got it thanks.

[Perklol]

This is close to the cluster of buildings in Downtown but not close enough. How far does Downtown Brooklyn go to?

[Hypothalamus]

As of March 21st, 2014...
Photo Credit: Tectonic


©Tectonic

[Hypothalamus]

Jim Nothnagel:

Wind Tunnel, Here We Come
By Jim | April 30, 2014

[Hypothalamus]

NEW YORK | 286 Ashland Place (BAM Tower) | 364 FT | 32 FLOORS



NYC DoB

[Hypothalamus]

New York YIMBY:

Construction Update: 286 Ashland Place
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON MAY 12TH 2014 AT 11:00 AM


286 Ashland Place — photo by Colin Miller

Excavation has begun for the BAM South tower in Fort Greene, next to Downtown Brooklyn, and on-site machinery is slowly descending below street level; the site’s developer is Two Trees, and the design architect is Enrique Norten, of Ten Arquitectos. Ismael Leyva is the architect of record, and the project’s address is 286 Ashland Place.

BAM South will stand 32 stories tall, and the building will have 381 residences, 30% of which will be designated as ‘affordable’. The tower will also have a 21,928 square foot retail component, and 45,148 square feet of cultural space, which will include a library, cinemas, and a dance studio — keeping the scheme in character with other BAM developments in the neighborhood.

[...]

286 Ashland Place — photo by Colin Miller


286 Ashland Place — photo by Colin Miller

[NYguy]

http://graincollective.com/bam-south-site-south-plaza

[Tectonic]

I like this project, hopefully they get put an apple store in. Much better location than Williamsburg.