NEW YORK | 532 Neptune Avenue | FT | 20 & 19 FLOORS x2 FLOORS
 

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

http://www.yimbynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/532neptune.jpg

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http://www.yimbynews.com/2015/01/why-the-trans-hudson-arc-tunnel-deserved-to-die.html
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/01/16/rubin-schron-to-build-40-story-coney-island-project/

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

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.

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

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:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5467862365_7bae2b5b52_b.jpg
][][][][

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-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1411345093/0


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


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/158849860/original.jpg



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http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/158849869/original.jpg

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/cone...planned-40-story-tower-article-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


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BY DOYLE MURPHY
January 20, 2015




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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.


http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_f.../article_970/tower21k-1-web.jpg?enlarged

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/proposed...oncerns-coney-island-residents-1.9832002

Proposed apartment building concerns residents


January 21, 2015

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/22/coney_island_residents_vehemently_oppose_40story_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.

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/54c...coneyisland_evanbindelglass_20150121.jpg



Draft rendering of the rehabilitated 614 Sheepshead Bay Road

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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.



Here is the DOB application...


http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQu...passjobnumber=320622714&passdocnumber=01



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


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/158849866/original.jpg

^^^^

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 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. :haha:

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.

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.

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.


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.



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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Trader Joes:

http://brooklyndaily.com/assets/photos/2015/5/bn-trump-village-fireworks-2015-01-30-bk03_i.jpg
Annoyed audience: Locals booed throughout the presentation of the proposed plans for the site. :tantrum:

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http://brooklyndaily.com/stories/2015/5/bn-trump-village-fireworks-2015-01-30-bk_2015_5.html

What was really going on at that meeting:

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http://www.dancinghotdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/I-Cant-Believe-Its-Not-Butter-Logo.gif

Looks like he's gonna eat the mic.

LOL, they really are not happy.


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http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2015/6/bn-trump-tower-school-impact-2015-02-06-bk_2015_6.html

Trump class cram concerns


http://www.brooklyndaily.com/assets/photos/2014/45/bn-trump-tower-toxins-2014-11-07-bk01_z.jpg


By Vanessa Ogle
Feb 5, 2014

My grandmother lives down the block in Building 3 at Luna Park (and is on the developments chair/committee, whatever it is. She had say in the recent renovation to the complex). I understand the outrage from people there, after all, this is Coney Island and they don't welcome new residential construction lightly. That neighborhood is mostly Russian/Jewish, and not really a place for a younger crowd. All of the existing residential towers around are rent stabilized and have a waiting list of years for people to get an apartment (which usually get handed down to family members).

The last tower to go up was the one on the other side of the F train, next to the McDonalds/diagonally across from the site (not a tall one, only 12 storeys). I don't remember whether or not that caused a fuss, but it wouldn't surprise me if it did. "Upscale" stores won't cut it there I feel as the income levels aren't the best for the area, with a high percentage of people being retired/elderly. I am pretty certain though that the bulk of people who would move into this development would be Russian and new immigrants as they are most likely the only ones who could afford it (if they are condos). The design also doesn't fit the area I feel.

From what I've seen from responses in this thread, I'd say you should take some time to understand the existing community and history of the area before poking fun at those crowds from the meetings. I myself don't oppose new development there (but also wouldn't want to live in that neighborhood), but it has to be done in unison with the community, just as the future development along the boardwalk desperately needs to be.

Why? Why would a developer have to personally consult "the community"? There is no such obligation nor should there be. If there were, then nothing would ever get built.

The ironic thing is that "the community" lives in a bunch of gigantic urban renewal towers that eviscerated the old neighborhood. Anyone who lives in one of those towers and complains about new development is a hypocrite.

This project is great for the neighborhood, IMO, because it restores the urban fabric that was damaged during the 1960's urban renewal era. Essentially the neighborhood is returning to its original form, but in a denser version.

@ steyin--

The developer owns the land. What right does a bunch of elderly people have to tell him what he should/should not do with it?

He's following zoning rules and doing what he legally is entitled to do with his land. If like you say, that place is not for young people or upscale stores, then it's his problem if it doesn't sell or the stores don't do well. This is a free country (well, sort of because it's NYC after all...)

Uh, tall buildings destroy lives and infect children with Ebola. WE ARE THE 99%!!!

The biggest objection to this project is the loss of the current shopping establishments. Even though there will be new ones, the pharmacy loss is the biggest pet peeve. I know this because a local resident emailed me. When I use to have my email listed in my signature, I'd get people asking me how I could support such a thing.

Also, and this is funny, they say that they don't want high rises in their neighborhood. Now.... if you've ever seen the area surrounding 532 Neptune, its full of them. :haha:

Like Bill Cosby once said, "NIMBY's say the darndest things".

You should see the hate mail I got when some of them for other projects went through my mid rise compilation. Some actually had the nerve to say 6 stories was destructive to the community. :facepalm:

Then there's the argument of more pedestrians on the sidewalk, and it goes on. Thier logic is not compatible in a city of 8.5 million.

How can someone not support this? I guess mabye because it's too short lol. But really, its surrounded by a bunch of low income housing projects. Its not like its in some historic district of some ancient city.

The surrounding community has money, although the structures may be deceiving. They tend to be of middle class origin, and have been in the same units for ages. Its one of those cases where they community was lucky and got a good rate or bought at a time where it was way cheaper. Essentially the types who never move out. Really this comes down to construction burden, and a temporary shopping burden. But this project will commence. This is like a case of nats for the developers. Swat them away, and eventually, they go away.

And by the way Chris, did some NIMBYs really venture onto this forum and then start nagging you on your email? That's hilarious. But yeah, I hope that these fools don't cause this project to be scaled down or anything of that sort.

Yes. I even have their LinkedIn with their names and careers lol.

Believe it or not, SSP and SSC are nimby magnets. When you type a project onto google, its usually the 3rd or 4th link because we have threads with the addresses. Some of the NIMBY tabloids in the past have referenced SSP or SSC.

Even at YIMBY forums, if I go to the deleted spam posts which is a mod thing there, I find that its nimbys. They'll make an account just to piss on a project.

So when you see at the bottom members and "X" amount of guests, some may be those things we call NIMBY's. :sly:

CetraRuddy will be the next target of these groups. Some have presented a anger towards them ,especially with Brooklyn projects.

Nothing wrong with a disagreement on a project. Not even all forum members agree on everything. Whether or not something should be built is ok, as long as it's on the topic of the development itself. I don't mind that NIMBYs post. Where else could they be set straight? We're always open to discussion, but they shouldn't expect to change any hearts (and nor should we). But each side could come away with a little more understanding.

I'm glad that you pointed out the importance of discussion between people with different views. That's one of the reasons i love this site so much.

I'm a bit confused by the overcrowded schools thing. The community always seemed rather old and Russian/Jewish, and they definitely don't have high fertility rates.

Regardless, I'm not sure how these people can oppose development in an area littered with high rises already.

It seems to be a natural reaction people seem to have with anything new being built in their surroundings. A lot of people just don't like change, even if it is for the better. This is an area that doesn't see a lot of development and change, something like this is major for them. Throw in the fact that its and older crowd, and the sentiment doubles. But like anything else, you adapt to change, and it becomes a part of your life. This building isn't going to eat anyone. Still, I get the feeling they'd be against it even if it came with 3 schools and the shopping center was left untouched.

There are no housing projects around those sites. Most of the surrounding buildings are fairly expensive.

^^^

Yup. Many of these project look a likes have old money. People who have been in them for many years. Parts of Brooklyn too. Area use to be cheap, but over the decades it gradually went up. Nowadays, you need a good income to live in that area. Those who invested in the 70's will make a fortune selling in todays prices. (Thinks of Upper East Side) :slob:

My comment was more so directed at the mentality of developers/architects when they design. They don't need to consult the community literally, but should be in touch with the site's sensitivity.

As an architect I try to respect the culture/history of a given site and its context so as to not design something that doesn't fit in at all or would blatantly disrupt the area. I feel that within the profession many people ignore their site/historical/cultural research and design blindly, which personally is insulting. I know I can't control it and that it isn't necessary or a form of design law, but it comes more so as a courtesy that I like to uphold.

I look forward to seeing this one rise; I have a great view of Coney Island's skyline from the east.

http://www.bensonhurstbean.com/2015/06/t...ng-permits-days-before-421-a-expiration/

Trump Village Tower Developers Issued Building Permits Days Before 421-A Expiration

Revealed: 532 Neptune Avenue, Coney Island’s Future Tallest Building

http://www.yimbynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Neptune-3.jpg

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http://www.yimbynews.com/2015/08/reveale...ney-islands-future-tallest-building.html

Well, its not as tacky as the other condos built down Neptune around Coney Island Ave & Sheepshead I suppose.

while the tower is fine, i am dubious of what will replace the useful, blue collar shopping in trump village plaza.

Agreed. Ralph Lauren in no way fits that neighborhood, and the older crowd will complain about Whole Food's prices. Heck even the Gap isn't quite right. There is one on 86th street and 21st Ave and that one isn't too good, more catered towards kids.

Also with all the major grocery store chains being bought out they would be better off with a Stop & Shop there.

steyin, are you there regularly? Can you give updates? Are the stores demo'd yet? Are they excavating?

I'm so happy for this development.

About the stores. It's happening all over the city: mom and pops displaced by national chains and bank branches. Nothing new there. Blame New Yorkers. They like their Starbucks and CVS's.

I just read through this thread, and it really exposes a big problem with these old tower-in-park developments. None of them are mixed use, none include first floor retail. All the retail supporting the neighborhood was dumped into one or two large strip malls. So when the time comes to redevelop those strip malls, everyone naturally freaks out.

Always going to be growing pain problems where retail is lumped together instead of being distributed.

Not regularly, but my grandmother lives down the block in Building 3 at Luna Park and my Aunt lives right in Trump Village. I'll see what they can inform me of lately.

'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 ...'



^^So is this still happening? As long as they can accommodate most of the business nearby, I don't see that there really is a problem.

http://therealdeal.com/2016/05/02/schron...ke-way-for-coney-island-tower-suit-says/

Schron destroying Trump Village store to make way for Coney Island tower, suit says
Clothing chain DII says its lease doesn't expire for 7 years


http://therealdeal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Schron-DII.jpg

May 02, 2016
By Kathryn Brenzel