25 July 2008

360 Pulls a 180


Curbed reports that developer Billy Stein's controversial 360 Smith Street building—the one that nobody in the neighborhood but Stein wanted, that was horribly out of proportion for the area, that is going to fuck up the Carroll Street subway station for years, that was initially to have been built by a maybe-felon—has run into a little snag.

On Wednesday, the City Council unanimously passed the "Narrow Streets" Zoning Text Amendment for some streets in Carroll Gardens. This is significant because the building would be 70 feet versus the 55 feet allowed by new zoning. By Wednesday night, emails were circulating telling people to call the Department of Buildings. DOB logged a complaint at 11:49 yesterday morning about the building being out of compliance with the new zoning. By 2:58PM, a Buildings Inspector was on site, noting that only 20 percent of the foundation was done and ordering a halt to work. Later, the developer of Oliver House told the MTA to cancel a planning closing to an entrance of the Carroll Street subway station due to construction. It's likely there will be an appeal to the Board of Standards and Appeals to "vest" the building under the old rules, which means there will be more bizarre arguments in front of one of the city's most obscure, yet contentious bodies coming in the fall.


Hm. What's the proper response to this piece of bad news for a developer who always made it clear that his wishes and his bank account, and not the concerns of hundreds of local citizens, were always the only thing that mattered?

Oh, yes: Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha Ha ha!!!!!!!!

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