Sunday, October 21, 2007

Many Boxes Appear At Mr. Stein's 360 Smith Street Site

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The 360 Smith Street Site

New Telephone Box On Fence

Telephone Box And Rat Box Plus Wires

Rat Baiting Stations Around Perimeter

One Of The Many Black Boxes


Tree Pit Right In Front Of Site On Second Street

Action on the 360 Smith Street site! Carroll Gardens has been dreading the day construction will start on Mr. Stein's 360 Smith Street and Second Place development site. The last few weeks have seemed like the quiet before the storm. But are Mr. Stein and his embattled architect Robert Scarano ready to start construction any day now? A few people have been observed walking around on the site at the end of last week.
Now this: black rat bait boxes every ten feet along the perimeter of the lot. Baiting is always done shortly before a site is excavated. By digging, many rat tunnels will be disturbed, and the critters are going to emerge a bit all over the surrounding area. So the appearance of these boxes is a clear signal that the start of construction is just days or a few short weeks away.
What is kind of funny though is that Mr. Stein's rat abatement may have been necessary without construction. The picture above is of one of the tree pits right in front of his site on 2nd Place. Mr. Stein seems to have attracted rats to his property judging by the empty food and drink containers littered in front. (Where is sanitation to write him a ticket, I would like to know)
Most bizarre of all, right next to the little news stand, attached to the fence, a new telephone box, complete with a few extra feet of cable has been attached to the chain link fence, close to the pavement. There are even a few cut wires exposed, sticking out into the sidewalk. I wonder if that is a legal telephone box, or rather, if it is legally installed.
And to top it all of, there is a rat box right next to the beige phone box.
Lots of boxes, lots of goings-on.
The next few weeks should be very interesting and stressful for Carroll Gardens.



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonder if this corresponds with new action down at the DOB? As in say new approvals? Or maybe just more of the same "missing in action building plans" that have never been there since 6-28-2007 when the first approvals were granted by the DOB depite Scarano's supposed "bad standing" in the architectural/contractor community.
Let us not forget our very own Councilman held rallies to that end. Any one else thinks this whole project stinks on up to the highest levels?

Kelly said...

I checked the DOB web site but there did not seem to be anything new.
I am pretty concerned that we still have not seen the plans to this building. We probably will not know what this building looks like until the facade goes on. What a pity. Mr. Stein has the opportunity to do something really special that would enhance the neighborhood. Instead, he hires one of the most controversial architects in New York City history.
At least Mr. Stein has to know that all eyes are on him and Scarano.