A Frank Lloyd Crap special in Bushwick

This is the 400 block of Stockholm Street, just over the Ridgewood border in Bushwick. You've got some lowrise semi-attached homes, built to be uniform. Well, we can't have that, now, can we?

Thanks, Frank!

As expected, this project is rife with complaints, violations, stop work orders, etc., and for some reason has multiple BINs.

The proposed vertical enlargement will make an 8-family out of a 3-family. But should we really call them "family" units? It'll probably be home to DSA transplants living wall-to-wall.

"Vertical enlargement" = 5 more stories

From Forest Hills Post:

Plans have been filed for a “vertical and horizontal extension” of a two-family home located at 99-49 66th Ave. The plans call for the house to be converted into a 7-story, 18-unit building. They also include space for professional offices, which are classified as community facilities.

Cathy Nolan calls for moratorium on building throughout her district

From LIC Post:

Assemblymember Catherine Nolan is demanding that the city put a stop on new building construction in Long Island City following recent news of a developer securing a half-billion-dollar loan to build what will stand as Queens’ largest tower to date.

The proposed 67-story condo-project at 23-14 44th Dr., in the works since 2016 and with construction beginning last year, came into the spotlight yet again just last week, when the Wall Street Journal reported that the developer had secured a $502 million construction loan for the massive $700 million project.

With the loan, Chris Jiashu Xu, the developer, will be able to build out the 780 foot, 802-unit “Court Square City View Tower” by 2022, the WSJ reported, with LIC’s Modern Spaces in charge of marketing.

But Nolan, who released a statement on the project this afternoon, said the tower is “another illustration of the inadequacy of the current zoning in Long Island City.”

“I have written numerous letters opposing such large towers and asked for changes in zoning,” Nolan said.

She claims that City Planning’s LIC Core Study, a neighborhood study that could lead to a rezoning, has been “put on hold,” while as of right towers continue to spring up in the community.

The Department of City Planning, however, said the city is working on the core study.

From QNS:

Two elected officials representing Queens have joined Community Board 5 and concerned local residents in the fight against a controversial new housing development in Ridgewood.

Assembly Members Catherine Nolan and Mike Miller took their complaints straight to the top on July 13 when they sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio to draw his attention to 1664 Woodbine St., where construction is about to begin. Listed among the nearly 3,000 Ridgewood structures on the National and State Registers of Historic Places, the building is set for a vertical expansion that could “speed up the potential for additional high-rise developments” in the neighborhood, the letter stated.

More importantly to the lawmakers’ constituents, however, is the feeling that such developments are “destroying the integrity and character of the block,” according to the letter.

Crappifying Ridgewood by hook or by crook

From QNS:

Two Ridgewood residences in historic territory are slated for redevelopment to make room for more apartments, according to Department of Buildings (DOB) records.

In March, a three-story, three-family building at 1663 Madison St. received a permit to add a fourth story to its existing structure, records show. Two months later, a three-story, six-unit building at 1664 Woodbine St. — directly behind the first building on the same block — received a permit in May to add a fourth story and a penthouse to its existing structure.

With both properties located on National and State Registers of Historic Places, the new developments set an “unfortunate” precedent for the blocks of attached brick homes and make local residents fear gentrification, said Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association President Paul Kerzner.

“In theory, you can take any building in Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village that is not part of the city landmarks and that can happen to any property,” Kerzner said. “I’m also concerned about gentrification, because to me it’s the artificial transfer of property value because of speculation.”

A lifelong resident of Ridgewood, Kerzner explained that national and state historic status does not protect a building from redevelopment. Only city landmark status has that power, and the areas in question haven’t been designated as landmarks yet despite Kerzner’s efforts.

Paris Hotel expanding

As seen from the Long Island Expressway. An expansion of the Paris Hotel. It doesn't seem like they're gaining all that much rentable space. Kind of surprised this place is still in business but there you go. Draw your own conclusions.

Bushwick Avenue bushwhacked by FLC!

QC normally focuses on crap in Queens, but we were alerted to the presence of a very special dung pile at 908 Bushwick Avenue. The lobby is in the cellar? Top floors overhang community drive? The design elements seem familiar. A little TOO familiar.

Mama mia! Who could be responsible for this architectural abortion? (Also notice how the rendering differs from the reality.)

Sure enough, look who was spotted in the vicinity. It's none other than Frank Lloyd Crap!

Fugazy on Forest Avenue

Forest Avenue in Ridgewood has seen some dramatic changes recently, but there still are a lot of smaller homes along the way. This stretch is pretty modest.

Unfortunately, there is crap underway.

3 STORY DWELLING FOR TWO FAMILY WITH ONE OPEN OFF-STREET PARKING SPACE, BATHROOM IN CELLAR SHALL BE USED SOLELY IN CONNECTION WITH THE DWELLING UNIT ABOVE.

Why would you convert a 2-story, 2-family building into a 3-story, 2-family building? And how is that thing jutting up from the top not a 4th story?

Red brick rowhouse horror in Elmhurst

At one time, Judge Street had a cute row of red brick homes along it. But what real estate mavens and politicians call "progress" happened to it. The hedges have been torn out and replaced with cars. One home, at 43-22, experienced a fire in 2014 that it still hasn't recovered from. In recent months, the owner has taken advantage of the lax zoning and has applied for a "vertical enlargement" which means further crappification of a once lovely streetscape. This month, a stop work order was put into effect.

Ridgewood's "crap above" has progressed

The crap above featured in our August 2017 post appears to be just about done. Talk about out of character!

A crap above, Ridgewood edition

Here we are at 1874 Hart Street, which is on a nice, quiet, rowhouse-lined block in Ridgewood.

What we have here is a horrendous vertical enlargement.

The 4-apartment building will soon be an 8-apartment building.

Some of the complaints are quite interesting.

One resulted in a stop work order.

Looks like they're also moving the entrance over to the left and installing a ramp which no other building on this street has. Sigh.

A crap above: Brooklyn edition

There's nothing to say here. Let's just allow the photo to speak for itself. This colossal Brooklyn crap comes to us from IMBY.

Just think, someone went to architecture school to learn how to do this.

This doesn't look out of place at all

QNS/photo by Anthony Giudice

From QNS.com:

A huge two-story expansion has been added on top of a home on Cornelia Street near the Bushwick/Ridgewood border, and some residents are concerned that more of the same could be coming across to the Queens side.

According to documents filed with the Department of Buildings (DOB), the owners of 396 Cornelia St. filed for — and were approved for — expanding the existing two-story, two-family building into a four-story, six-family edifice. The application was approved in June 2015, and a permit was issued for the entire job on May 11, 2016.

This expansion will add a new second floor mezzanine level, a new third floor, a new fourth floor and a bulkhead on top of the building, effectively doubling the square footage of the building, from 2,254 square feet to 4,340 square feet.

The documents show that the building’s new additions are all in compliance with the area’s R6 zoning regulations, including the total height of the building, the required length and width, floor area ratio (FAR) and yard sizes. The plans even propose adding a tree to the site.

With the passing of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s zoning text amendments earlier this year, many residents feel developments like this could make their way into Ridgewood and neighboring areas.

F'ed up on Fitchett

They want to build a McMansion here but the plans were rejected.



And then there's what's directly across the street...

The plans were revoked and it's been sitting in this condition for 2 years.

The neighbors must love it.

Bed-Stuy building gets crappified

From Brownstoner:

Take, for example, this two-story Neo-Grec with a bay window at 580 MacDonough Street, close to Ralph Avenue. If you click through to see the rendering on the construction fence, you will see that the owners are planning to add one more story and completely redo the facade so it looks like a modern “Fedders”-type building.

It’s unfortunate for the block and, we think, a wasted opportunity. The developer could have kept the original facade and maximized FAR with a setback. And not only that, if he had, the house would be more valuable and he would reap a bigger profit, we bet.

A crap above: Bushwick rowhouse edition

From Wyckoff Heights:

396 Cornelia Street (between Wyckoff and Irving Aves) sold in June for $450,000, and was flipped three months later for $725,000. The new owner has filed with the Department of Buildings to add a mezzanine and two additional floors, doubling the square footage and converting from two-family to six-family occupancy.

A crap above in Williamsburg

This photo comes courtesy of New York Shitty.

Quite an interesting layout on this one, too. Part of the first floor dwelling unit is on the 3rd floor.

Wow.