Community Board Continues to Fight Proposed Development of landmark building
06/25/2007
Historic district shielded
By Gary Buiso
Without discussion, Community Board 6 last week unanimously turned its nose up at a luxury condo development that would rupture the height limitations imposed by a historic district.
The board agreed with its Land Use Committee, who previously voted to reject Two Trees Management’s proposal for 130 Court Street, arguing that the project would be an inappropriate addition to the Cobble Hill Historic District.
Plans call for a 37-unit, six-story mixed-use structure, along with ground-floor retail. The project seeks to build adjacent to the bank, built in 1922, and over its annex.
As part of the plan, which has previously received the approval of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the historic bank building will be renovated and maintained in the future—if the overall project succeeds. The developer, whose land use attorney did not return a call for comment at press time, is seeking to waive any parking requirements.
The community board’s vote is simply advisory. Two Trees will need the Department of City Planning to grant a special permit if the project is to proceed, as the new building’s height, depth, and width are contrary to the current zoning law.
Residents living near the site have said the project could cause a frightening domino effect, turning the 50-foot height limit imposed by the historic district into a paper tiger.
Stuart Klein, an attorney who lives a block from site, said he was heartened by the board’s vote, but was still waiting for the city to provide more information about the project, namely, why Landmarks approved the project in the first place. After reviewing parts of the plan, Klein said the renovations Two Trees agreed to perform on the bank building—in return for approval—don’t seem to go beyond what the developer would ordinarily have to do “as a matter of law.”
“The biggest thing we are afraid of is that once the 50 foot standard is violated, god knows what is going to come down,” Klein said. “This doesn’t conform to the architectural aesthetic of the rest of the neighborhood. It’s a grotesque eyesore.”
At the board’s Land Use Committee meeting in May, only Councilmember Bill de Blasio spoke in support of the project, saying the additional 10 feet is only “a minor adjustment” to the height limitation. “There are some appropriate exceptions, and I feel this is one,” he said.
“It gives us the historic preservation of a very important building,” the city lawmaker said at the time.
©Courier-Life Publications 2007