By Dennis Holt
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
DUMBO — Although no one wants to speak on the record quite yet, several sources report unhappiness inside and outside of DUMBO over the new plan by Two Trees (David Walentas) to build an apartment building, middle school, retail and parking complex on Water, Dock, and Front streets in DUMBO.
This plan, first announced by this newspaper last week, is a revised and expanded version of a plan introduced by Two Trees in 2004. The plan calls for 400 rental apartments, 80 of them affordable, a 40,000-square-foot middle school for 300 students, and 10,000 square feet of retail and parking, mostly below grade. It will be DUMBO’s first “green” building.
The proposed design blends in architecturally with the other buildings in DUMBO owned by Walentas, and the scale is in keeping with the physical environment on the community.
However, it has been reported that people who bought condos on the west side of the large Washington Street building are not happy because their views will be sharply compromised. Others have expressed concern of the future of St. Ann’s Warehouse, which will have to relocate.
A key argument used against Walentas’ first plan was that the structure was too close to the Brooklyn Bridge and interfered with bridge views. Although the new plan has reconfigured the design of the building element closest to the bridge, it is expected that the argument will be used again, mainly by residents of Brooklyn Heights.
The DUMBO Neighborhood Association is reserving judgment on the plan until it sees a presentation by Two Trees scheduled for the evening of July 12. The plan is subject to the city review process because part of the site needs to be rezoned from manufacturing to residential.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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