Part Of Second Place Becomes "Frank Verderame Way"

Rita Miller speaking about Frank Verderame from Katia Kelly on Vimeo.

From now on, 2nd Place between Court and Smith Streets, will also be known as "Frank J. Verderame Way." Frank was an attorney-at-law, a former New York State Assemblyman and a former aide to Mayor Beame. But Carroll Gardeners knew him better as a tireless neighborhood activist. He passed away unexpectedly in December, leaving a huge void in our community.

To honor Frank's memory, his brother John reached out to city officials. With their help, the block on 2nd Place on which he lived will now bear his name. It is a fitting tribute to this true gentleman.

At the unveiling ceremony on Saturday morning, the Verderame family was also presented with a proclamation from Borough President Marty Markowitz.

Afterwards, family, friends and neighbors gathered at the Transit Garden to toast and to speak about the man who meant so much to so many.

Reminding everyone about Frank's tireless fight to keep Public Place as a recreational space for Carroll Gardeners, local resident Linda Mariano stated:

"Naming 2nd Place "Frank Verderame Way" is an honor to Frank's family. It is also an honor and a priviledge for this community...

Frank worked hard to have the Public Place site zoned for recreational use...

We will see that Frank's mission is honored and upheld. We must see that the Public Place site is for all, and all for the right reasons.

FROGG (Friends and Residents Of Greater Gowanus) and CORD (The Coalition For Respectful Development) and other neighborhood organizations will keep up the good fight-and fight it will be- to pursue the best possible solutions for the benefit of all in the community."

Related Reading: Public Fight On Public Place ( The Brooklyn Paper)

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Boom, Boom...Construction Resumes At 360 Smith Street

Construction at the 360 Smith Street/ 131 2nd Place site came to an abrupt halt in July 2008, when developer Bill Stein's development was slapped with a Stop Work Order immediately after the City Council passed the Carroll Gardens Wide Street Zoning Text Amendment, which limits permitted building height and density in Carroll Gardens.
Developer Stein promptly took his case in front of the Board of Standards and Appeals, that oh-so-contentious board that grants developers exemptions in cases such as this.

In order to be able to continue, Mr. Stein had to prove that a significant portion of the project's foundation had been completed before the Stop Work Order went into effect. Though inspectors from the NYC Department of Buildings determined that only 20% of the foundation had been completed, the BSA gave Stein what he wanted at a hearing in November 2008. The Stop Work Order was lifted. He was now free to proceed.
But of course, that's when the real estate market went sour...

The construction site in November 2008

Nothing was happening at 360 Smith Street site for months. Until now, that is. According to the document below, Stein transferred the property from 360 Smith Street, LLC, to Boom LLC in August 2009. I have not yet been able to determine if Mr. Stein is still involved with Boom, LLC.

( click to enlarge)

Also unclear is if Boom is going ahead with Stein's "Oliver House" design, or if there will be any changes to the luxury condo building.

One thing is for sure: construction has resumed in a big way. Triton Construction crews have been working all week long. Since the construction is taking place right over Carroll Gardens' main F/G subway station, Community Board 6 recently sent a message that : "New York City Transit has announced its plans to close the Carroll Street (F, G) station's entrance/exit staircase at 2nd Place and Smith Street for 10-12 months beginning on September 15, 2009."

Stay tuned. This should be an interesting few months here in Carroll Gardens.





For More info, read:

Revisiting Mr. Stein's 360 Smith Street / 131 Second Place Oliver House Site

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B.S.A. Grants Bill Stein His Wish!

The 360 Smith Street/ 131 2nd Place Site

BSA Vote On 360 Smith Street from Katia Kelly on Vimeo.

After watching first hand the deliberations and favoritism at the Board Of Standards And Appeals, this city might as well save money by replacing them with a big rubber stamp.

The Board Of Standards and Appeals voted today to grant Bill Stein, developer of Oliver House at 360 Smith/ 131 2nd Place, an exemption to the Carroll Gardens Zoning Text Amendment.

Mr. Stein's construction site was served with a Stop Work Order immediately following the passing of the Zoning Text Amendment by the City Council back in July. In order to be allowed to continue with construction, Stein had to convince the B.S.A. that his foundation was substantially completed before the Stop Work Order went into effect.
Inspectors of the Department of Buildings determined that only 20%
of the foundation had been completed.

Both members of C.O.R.D. and the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association had testified against the project in front to the B.S.A.

Proving that for the B.S.A., 'substantial completion' is a subjective term, they voted unanimously to allow Stein to continue with his "Oliver House."

It remains to be seen if the developer will go ahead with the construction. After all, there is a glut of housing right now and not enough cash to go around.

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B.S.A. To Vote On Oliver House In One Month

The 360 Smith Street/ 131 2nd Place Site

Mr. Stein's Legal Council in front of the B.S.A.


B.S.A. Members Susan Hinkson and Meenakhi Srinivasan

Developer Stein after the hearing

In torrential rain, a group of incredibly dedicated Carroll Gardeners representing C.O.R.D., the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association as well as the South Brooklyn Neighborhood Association, made their way to the Board Of Standards and Appeals in downtown Manhattan yesterday.
On B.S.A.'s agenda was the second hearing on Bill Stein's Oliver House at 360 Smith Street/131 2nd Place.
Mr. Stein's construction site was served with a Stop Work Order immediately following the passing of the Zoning Text Amendment by the City Council back in July. In order to be allowed to continue with construction, Stein has to convince the B.S.A. that his foundation was sufficiently completed before the Stop Work Order went into effect. In addition, he is pleading financial hardship because of the money already spent on the project. Though 91 pile caps had been driven into the ground at the time of the Stop Work Order, there were no visible signs of a poured foundation (photo above)

However, at a first hearing in September, Mr. Stein's engineer argued that the foundation was essentially completed because the 60 year old subway tunnel that runs under the construction site along Smith Street will serve as a super foundation for Stein's Oliver House. All that is needed, according to Stein's expert, is a "transfer slab" over the subway structure.

At yesterday's second hearing, the community had asked Evan Akselrad, an engineer and architect as well as a professor at Pratt, who testified on their behalf that Oliver House's foundation was far from being 80% completed and that the concrete reinforcement of the subway tunnel is NOT a foundation.
Mr. Akselrad's statement seems to be substantiated by the Brooklyn Building's Department which inspected the site shortly after the Stop Work Order and stated that only 20% of the foundation had been completed.

Additional testimony was given by John Hatheway, architect, who told the B.S.A. Board that he does not accept Mr. Stein and his advisers' "dubious argument" that the foundation is substantially complete. He further asked the B.S.A.:

Are you stating that if a site has a subway structure or other man-made obstacle beneath the entire lot area, that the owner of that lot is automatically vested by claiming that the man-made obstacle constitutes a foundation if it were intended to bear some additional load besides the soil above it? Automatically vested before ever laying a shovel to the ground? That seems to go against the very intention and nature of vesting based on some measurable effort. And is it equitable to give certain property owners such a substantial benefit over the majority of other property owners?

It remains to be seen if the B.S.A. will accept the claims of a developer over the finding of the Department of Buildings. The Board seems to defer frequently to D.o.B. Since the agency stands by its claim that only 20% of the foundation is completed, it would only stand to reason that the BSA should deny Mr. Stein's exemption . But then again, the Board has voted against reason before...

There also appeared to be some type of discrepancy and a question as to whether or not it could possibly affect the validity of the building permit.
In the end, the B.S.A. vote was scheduled for November 25th.

Related reading:

According To Developer Stein, His Foundation Is Completed!

Revisiting Mr. Stein's 360 Smith Street / 131 Second Place Oliver House Site




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Tight Squeeze On Second Place

Hmm, what do you do when your path is blocked by a double-parked truck?
Well, if you are a yellow cab, you squeeze by, even if it means you have to drive over the sidewalk curb.


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Revisiting Mr. Stein's 360 Smith Street / 131 Second Place Oliver House Site

Rendering of Oliver House

September 18, 2008

July 14, 2008

June 20th, 2008

June 3, 2008

May 5th 2008

April 18, 2008

It has been a while since I posted a photo of Mr. Stein's Oliver House site at 360 Smith Street/ 131 Second Place. For the last few months, I have regularly added a bird's eye view of the construction site. And then, in July, the City Council unanimously passed the Wide Street Text Amendment, which limits the permitted height and density of new construction on some blocks in Carroll Gardens. The next day, stop work orders were issued to all construction sites within the area covered by the text amendment.

Mr. Stein had hoped that his project would be exempt from the amendment, but work had to stop immediately on his site as well. Stein will now argue his case in front of the Board of Standards And Appeals. Two applications have been calendared for Oliver House on September 24th, 2008 at 10 AM.
He will have to prove that the foundation of Oliver House is far enough along and that he has suffered financial hardship due to the zoning change.
The hearing at the BSA is a public one, so Carroll Gardeners will have a chance to speak and to present their own evidence.
For more information, go to C.O.R.D.'s web site.

In the meantime, Stein posted a construction site report on Oliver House's internet page which reads:

As a result of the recent change in the zoning laws affecting Carroll Gardens, work at Oliver House has been temporarily suspended. This delay will, unfortunately, extend the time in which the subway plaza will be closed, and the overall time in which the project will be under construction.

We apologize for any inconvenience this causes to the community of Carroll Gardens and the numerous residents who have been so supportive; but, unfortunately, the delay is the result of the manner in which the zoning change was effectuated and was out of our control. As soon as we are able to resume construction and bring this exciting new subway plaza and building to completion, we will do so. Thank you for your understanding.

Related Posts:

City Council Unanimously Says "Yes" To Carroll Gardens

[where: Oliver House, 131 Second Place, 360 Smith, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn]


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