[NYguy]

http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot....-brooklyn.html

A working mock-up of the bulk of the "Brooklyn Behemoth" office tower

The rendering has been created by taking the bulk of 511-foot, 824,629-square foot B4, inflating it by about 30%, and plopping it on top of the 250-foot, 439,050-square foot Site 5, to approximate 1.5 million square feet. So the building would likely be at least 900 feet tall.

This is adapted from an image in the 2006 Final Environmental Impact Statement, which is why there's titanium on the arena. Needless to say, this is very unofficial.

http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot....now-about.html

FAQ: What we know/don't know about proposed "Brooklyn Behemoth" office tower

How big would it be?

More than 1.55 million square feet, combining the bulk of the B1 tower planned for the triangle currently including the arena plaza, plus the 439,050 square feet for the Site 5 development. It's supposed to be an office tower, but presumably would contain a significant amount of retail and--unmentioned, but a good bet--some condos.

We have no information on the height.

Isn't that big?

Preposterously so. The New York City Planning Commission recommended a reduction in scale of that Site 5 (named for its location in the Atlantic Terminal Urban Renewal Area) from 350 feet in height (originally 400 feet) and 572,000 square feet. I calculated the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), which is a common measure of the multiple of full lot coverage, at nearly 31. That's preposterous.

For context, note that Behemoth Brooklyn would be 4.26 times bulkier than the Williamsburg Savings Bank, which is 362,269 square feet.

It's nearly three times the bulk of a proposed 1,066-foot tower in Downtown Brooklyn.

How can they get away with it?

Well, you can't simply move bulk wherever you want it. This would significantly increase the impact on this rather sensitive site--affecting traffic on adjacent Fourth and Atlantic avenues, and life on residential Pacific Street.

It will require a new environmental review process, and new vote by the Empire State Development Corporation, which can override city zoning. Presumably there will be people alarmed. Perhaps Community Board 2 will hold an informational hearing. My bet is that this preposterous proposal will lead to a "compromise" in which the developers accept somewhat less bulk and/or try to move it somewhere else, such as to the Atlantic Center mall (which would require a city process).

Why are there no details about height and bulk, or no renderings?

They don't want to shock people. And journalists have not pointed that out. But it surely will be much taller than the 511-foot Miss Brooklyn, which was originally 620 feet. The 1.7 million square foot One Vanderbilt next to Grand Central would be 1,500 feet, as noted by NY YIMBY

Would the building be only office space?

Surely not. They've described it as having high-end retail, like the Time Warner Center. And Forest City CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin last October told the New York Times that a hotel likely would be included.

Gilmartin also said last year, intriguingly, "In the world of vertical living and livable cities, it is now an acceptable proposition to look at an office building that has a core that performs both as an office building and a condominium tower at top. I think these kinds of creative solutions are going to have to be brought into the equation for the math to work.”

Is the time right "for the borough to have an iconic office building for the new Brooklyn economy and the thousands of jobs it will bring to the doorstep of one of the city's largest transit hubs," as the developer says?

Well, maybe. As it happens, Downtown Brooklyn was rezoned for new office space, but it became more lucrative to build residential. The only pending, ground-up office tower, 420 Albee Square, was leveraged by New York City's decision to transfer development rights on the condition that the tower be built commercial.

Office towers don't usually get built without anchor tenants. Especially one this big. So I'd bet that the city and/or state would help attract one. Or more. With subsidies.

How many jobs would a 1.5 square foot office building contain?

Well, at 200 square feet per person, 7,500. At 250 sf/person, 6,000. That seems like an astounding number to fill in one swoop--unless, again, there's a concerted push by public agencies. Even if half the building is office space, with the rest retail and/or condos/hotel, that's 3,000 to 3,750 jobs.

But it would make up for some of the criticism regarding the once-promised 10,000 office jobs.