Last Night’s SPURA Discussion on Design
With the passing of the SPURA development guidelines by the CB3 Land Use, Zoning, Public and Private Housing Committee in January, a followup meeting was held last night at the University Settlement’s Speyer Hall to provide community members an enhanced timeline for the project as a whole.
This image has been archived or removed.
Officials from the NYC Economic Development Corporation and design firm Beyer Blinder Belle (BBB) were on hand to give presentations and field resident concerns during the preliminary phase of this historic project. Harvard-educated urban designer Neil Kittredge presented ideas that could be suitable for this gargantuan parcel at the mouth of the Williamsburg Bridge. BBB boasts quite a resume, having worked on such projects as the Coney Island Strategic Plan, the Princeton Campus Plan at Princeton University, and Stony Brook University on Long Island.
This image has been archived or removed.
“We think this firm is a very good match,” quipped David Quart, NYCEDC vice president of development.” All the experience they [BBB] have in New York and outside New York is a really great fit for this process.” Kittredge said his firm is honored to be a part of the development, and that the design “should be innovative and relate to the traditions of the neighborhood.” One of his proposals was creating buildings of different shapes and heights. He showed examples of similar developments in Portland, Vancouver, and Hamburg, since each of these areas underwent similar transformations to SPURA. For starters, though, Kittredge feels that Delancey Street can handle larger buildings since it is a wider thoroughfare. And that parking should be pushed underground in order to maximize ground-floor activity.
This image has been archived or removed.
Last night’s meeting was the first of three to gather ideas. “At the third meeting we can lock things down and tweak them a bit,” said Mr. Kittredge. With many details still unknown and years of work in the pipeline, one thing is for sure – the DOT Municipal Garage on Essex Street will not be included in this project as was originally planned.
The city hopes to have a final development program by the end of 2012.
Written by Andrew Cohen
Recent Stories
East Village Artist M. Henry Jones, Contemporary of Keith Haring, Dies
M. Henry Jones, a member of the East Village arts scene for over forty years, died last week (either June 16 or 17) at the age of 65. We’re told, though unconfirmed, the cause of death was a form of cancer. Jones was a neighborhood fixture for decades, in part, because of his storefront studio […]
Under the Floorboards at Long-Vacant East Houston Lot
Bereft of substantial activity in nearly two decades, the long-vacant parcel at 49 East Houston Street is in deterioration overdrive. An eagle-eyed tipster notes that the floorboards atop the existing foundation are now busted. Creating a pseudo entryway into the cellar level. Before its demise fourteen years ago, 49 East Houston had been a one-story […]
Developer Begins Demolition of Rutgers Street Playground for Temporary Parking Lot
Demolition work began this week on a Lower East Side park that is a focal point in the tension between the community and developers on the waterfront. The backhoes are out and job now underway at Rutgers Park, the small public space beside the Lands End II residential development. Removal of the playground began yesterday, including […]
The 3 Lower East Side Walk-ups that Sold for $35M
Earlier this month, we reported that SMA Equities, the Long Island real estate firm with controversial history on the Lower East Side, sold a portfolio of its area properties. SMA unloaded three tenement walk-ups to Daniel Fishman of GAIA Real Estate – 102 Norfolk Street, 177 Ludlow Street, and 99 Allen Street – for an […]
H&M Debuts Pop-up Hotel on the Bowery this Weekend
Fashion retailer, H&M, is headed to the Lower East Side this week with a pop-up hotel concept. Starting tomorrow, prospective guests can access the so-called Hotel Hennes via the eponymous 3 Freeman Alley. The three-day publicity stunt will be open through Saturday, from 2 to 9pm. Guests will be able to check in for an […]
