Clarett Came, Dug...And Blighted?

Back in April 2008, when the Clarett Group presented their plans for 340 Court Street to a less than enthusiastic crowd here in Carroll Gardens, the developer estimated that construction on their Collection On Court project would take about 18 months to complete. That was, of course, before the downturn in the economy.

After a few months of steady construction, work came to a standstill in November. It is anyone's guess as to when work will resume. So, for now, Carroll Gardeners have to deal with a big hole and a plywood construction fence that stretches along most of one block on Court Street and wraps around both Union and Sackett Streets.

Through our elected officials, neighboring residents immediately reached out to Clarett to find out who was responsible for site security and how frequently the site would be inspected. Representatives of Clarett were asked to meet to discuss what the delay would mean to the project and to its neighbors. That meeting was never granted. Clarett did respond to a request to clear the street of barricades to restore parking . They have also posted a security guard at the site for a few hours a day.

However, other concerns have never been addressed. Neighbors of the site have repeatedly complained of large pools of water, accumulating trash and an infestation of rats. Though Daniel Hollander, Senior Managing Director of the Clarett Group, promised to " look into the pooling water, debris and specific extermination issues" in a letter dated December 15th, 08, the problems persist. Other concerns expressed by residents include: - a lack of lighting which makes the area dark and desolate at night. - the width of the sidewalk which makes it difficult to walk along the fence - the space between the gates might allow someone access to the site. - dangling Time Warner cable on Union Street which represent tripping hazard.

Carroll Gardeners will have to live with Claretts' construction 'pit' for the foreseeable future. It does not seem too much to ask of the developer to keep the site safe and secure for everyone's benefit.


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Some Work Resumes At Clarett Site On Court Street, Despite Recent Stop Work Order

Proposed 340 Union Street development

proposed town houses on Sackett Street

Neighbors of the Clarett Goup's 340 Court Street site informed me this week that work had resumed behind the blue construction fence. When workers were asked what was happening, the neighboring residents were told that Clarett was proceeding with the planned townhouses on Union and Sackett Streets.

As the photos I was sent clearly show, a bulldozer was moving dirt on Union Street. And just recently, the construction crew shored up the diagonal iron beams that hold the foundation on both the Union and Sackett sides, especially the side next to the Apple Back building.

Designed by architect Rob Rogers, of the firm Rogers Marvel, the Clarett Group development includes 4 townhouses on both Sackett and Union Streets, 3 Maisonettes towards Court and a 70 foot building on Court.
Back in April 2008, when Clarett presented their plans for 340 Court Street to a less than enthusiastic crowd here in Carroll Gardens, the developer estimated that construction on their Collection On Court project would take about 18 months to complete. That was, of course, before the downturn in the economy. Construction came to a sudden halt in November 2008.

Since then, the site has been dormant. But just in the last few weeks, there has been a flurry of activity. At the end of October, however, the NYC Buildings Department has issued a Complete Stop Work Order.
The paperwork states:

INSPECTION FOR VESTING REGARDING CARROLL GARDENS ZONING CHANGE EFFECTIVE 10/28/09. Job considered not vested.

This has to do with the neighborhood zoning change that was just passed by the City Council. The DoB needs to inspect the site to see if the development's foundation has been substantially completed, in order to proceed with the proposed plans. The Stop Work Order was serve on Tuesday, November 3rd.

However, the work has not stopped completely. As one of the site's neighbor writes:

"The stop work order says they can go in there to make things safer. I'm sure if an inspector came by they could figure out something that they're doing to call it such. So awful! (No hard hats on any of the workers.)"

That doesn't come as a surprise. What is more astonishing is that the work is moving ahead at all, especially in these economic times.

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