http://www.planNYC.org/ PlanNYC | New York City Planning Information Portal en-us ja3n@earthlink.net http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=116#3381 Demolition of the parking garage has begun on the former site of the Albee Square Mall. A new mixed-use high rise tower is slated for the site. Development rights were obtained by Acadia Realty Trust, P/A Associates and MacFarlane Partners from Thor Equities at the beginning of the year. 2007-11-25 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=116#3283 The newest Target in Brooklyn is scheduled to be built by 2011 in City Point, the tower in Downtown Brooklyn that will be built on the site of the former Albee Square Mall. City Point is expected to house residential, commercial and office space. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz says he is "working tirelessly to create a 2-4/7 downtown Brooklyn" and new retail is a good indicator of the progress that is being made. 2007-11-05 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=116#2924 The Economic Development Corporation has begun accepting proposals for a developer to build a new park in downtown Brooklyn with underground parking. The space is to be modeled after Bryant Park, with no playing fields but plenty of public seating. The park will border the former Albee Square Mall. 2007-08-15 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=116#2458 Thanks to the recent rezoning, over 7,000 residential units are the in planning stages or under construction in downtown Brooklyn, not including the nearby Atlantic Yards proposal — which calls for eight million square feet of high-rise housing, office space and a basketball arena on 22 acres. With nearly a dozen subway connections, close proximity to local attractions and relatively low housing prices, this once marginal community is on the verge of becoming a truly “24 hour neighborhood.” 2007-04-15 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=116#2325 Speaking to joint community councils in southwestern Brooklyn, Borough President Marty Markowitz intimated that the major chain grocer Trader Joe's would come to Brooklyn in the near future. He also commented upon Brooklyn's increasing attraction to tourists because of the development plans occurring throughout the borough. In particular, Markowitz praised the new plans for Coney Island saying, "We want to preserve it for this and future generations." The president believes that adding a mix of retail, residential housing, commercial, and time-share space will achieve that objective. Markowitz also touted the entrance of an Ikea store in Red Hook, a Whole Foods Market in Gowanus, the redevelopment of the Albee Square Mall, and the Atlantic Yards Plan. 2007-03-30 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=116#2052 After purchasing Albee Square Mall last week, it appears that new owners have a plan to tear down the three-story structure to build rental units. The apartment tower will be built on top of several stories of both retail and office space, making it one of the tallest buildings in Brooklyn. The scale of the new building is possible after the upzoning of downtown Brooklyn in 2004. The new owners will also receive about $1.8 million in city tax subsidies through both sales tax exemptions and a mortgage tax waiver. The EDC supports the new development in the hopes that it will bring many new jobs, offices, and living space to the area. Critics do not feel that the developer should be receiving all of the subsidies, as they are already benefiting from the rezoning. Others are just happy that this means WalMart will no longer be able to move onto the premises. 2007-02-15 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=116#2016 Developer Thor Equities sold the Albee Square Mall in Downtown Brooklyn this week for nearly $125 million. The property consists of two parts, a retail area of the Fulton Street Mall where Dekalb Avenue and Fulton Street intersect and a parking lot along Willoughby Street. Three years after a rezoning in Downtown Brooklyn that allows for more commercial space, the City hopes that the property will attract a mix of commercial, residential, and retail uses to the area. 2007-02-09 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=116#1830 Wal-Mart may be considering the possibility of opening up a location in the proposed Albee Square tower. Plans have proposed tearing down the current Gallery and building a large mixed-use tower with office space, 800 apartments, and ground-floor retail space that could be a potential Wal-Mart site. So far Wal-Mart has met strong opposition from environmental and labor groups in its attempts to open up a New York City location. 2006-12-21 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=116#1782 Developer Gregg Wolpert has purchased three properties on Lawrence Street between Fulton and Willoughby streets for $10.75 million. The developer’s hope is to expand the site. Some fear that Wolpert’s intention is to build residential condominiums, a possibility enabled by the 2004 rezoning of Downtown Brooklyn to accommodate more office space. The transaction leads some to believe that the expansion will rival the development of Atlantic Yards. 2006-12-07 00:00:00