Approves Two Trees Management’s Other
Zoning Waiver Requests for Cobble Hill Property
By Linda Collins
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
COBBLE HILL — Borough President Marty Markowitz on Wednesday said “no” to a request to exceed the 50-foot height limit for a new building in Cobble Hill.
Two Trees Management Co., the new owner of the property at 130 Court St./182 Atlantic Ave., which includes the historic landmarked former Independence Community Bank building, had applied for that and other waivers hoping to construct a new six-story, 60-foot tall mixed-use building adjacent to the bank building (soon to be home to a Trader Joe’s) but with space between the two.
In his report to City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden, and others, as part of the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP), Markowitz gave his approval to other zoning code waivers for the new building.
In addition to the building height, Two Trees is asking for a special zoning permit to allow waivers from courtyard and lot line setbacks (“to provide sufficient separat ion between the west façade of the landmark bank structure and the new structure”) and parking restrictions, among others.
Following a public hearing with input from the community — including elected officials, members of the Cobble Hill Association and residents of neighboring Pacific Street — and the receipt of written testimony from local preservationist Otis Pearsall, Markowitz made his determinations, as part of the ULURP process.
The next steps in that process are review by the City Planning Commission and then the City Council, with the ultimate decision to be made by the mayor.
• Height Limit — “The borough president does not support the request that will allow the applicant to build out of context with respect to the Cobble Hill LH-1 (limited height) district,” the report stated. Further, “it is essential that this uniform height be maintained if the character of the district is to be maintained.”
Citing the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s requirement of a setback at the sixth floor, Markowitz said that would be visible to pedestrians along the north side of Atlantic Avenue and from buildings on Pacific Street.
Markowitz also said that if the height limit waiver was approved it would set a precedent for future new buildings in the district.
On this point, a representative of Council Member Bill deBlasio, who spoke in favor of the project at the public hearing, noted that all applications for special permits for development in historic districts require a case-by-case review and would therefore not set a precedent.
• Parking. — “The borough president believes the request to waive the residential parking requirement [43 spaces] is warranted as ... the area has sufficient off-street parking.”
• Rear Yard and Window Distance Requirements — The borough president determined that although the zoning requires a distance of 30 feet to the rear lot line for the upper stories, the applicant’s plan for only 20 feet was reasonable primarily because more than half of the buildings located behind the proposed new building are built to their rear lot lines.
Reached yesterday, Jed Walentas of Two Trees said, “We’re very pleased the borough president is supportive of the plan.
“We’re also aware that the 50-foot height limit is of concern to the community, but the LPC [Landmarks] approved the 60-foot height with the setback.
“We anticipate that all will go well at the Planning Commission hearing next week,” he added.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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