33 Lincoln Road update

The last anyone heard of 27-33 Lincoln—the colossal wreckage positioned next to the Prospect Park subway station—it was undergoing asbestos abatement.

Well, the asbestos cleanup didn't go so well. DOB records show a complaint in July 2007 stating that workers in the contaminated area (not just asbestos, but severe mold damage) were unprotected. When the DOB tried to serve contact the building's owner, though, no one answered.

Fast forward to the present and word comes that the building's owner, Henry Herbst, is filing plans to erect a 20-story apartment building with retail on the first floor and a parking deck below. I talked to architect Tom Gilman, who promises the building will not be an eyesore but can't say much more about its future than that. (Gilman did say that the DOB recently approved its plans to start demo work, but the DOB site isn't showing anything.)

If the 20-story plan is approved, I believe that would make it the tallest building in all of Prospect Lefferts. (The current behemoth, Patio Gardens is, by my count, 16 stories.) At any rate, it's taller than anything else on the block; buildings on that stretch of Lincoln top out at around 6 stories.

For the record, I tried to needle Gilman on what type of business he thought would go in there but he wouldn't budge. When I suggested a Trader Joe's, he laughed. "I want a Trader Joe's in my neighborhood!"

Comments

[LM]

Wow! Great job in getting this info.

I look forward to the redevelopment of that spot, but as is often the case, the size of the proposed building is daunting and out of scale with the area. Patio Gardens is a major shadow caster, this one will shadow the park as well.

I don't know who can answer these questions but anyway...

Does the zoning support that height? I tried to look it up but was stymied.

Will the community board be involved in approving this?

[carrie]

That building is zoned for R7, which, from what I read, doesn't explicitly restrict height (I think it has more to do with FAR and other factors).

While I can totally understand concerns about building height, the trend in NYC (and other cities concerned about global warming) is to encourage density... Commercial strips, for example, are being rezoned in many places to allow for taller buildings. Personally, I'd rather have tall buildings on commercial streets (like this one) than in residential areas... the density allows for a broader base of shoppers to support local businesses, and more diverse and affordable housing.

[Brooklyn Junction]

Great story. 20 stories in PLG sounds kind of outrageous to me. I was surprised to even learn that there is sixteen story building there.

Thus it begins?

[aj]

bk junction, those 16 story buildings have been there at least 30 years.

[Mr. Renovation]

Do you know what's going to be built on the site of the old Empire Skating Rink? The developers name is Kenneth Hennick, 718-494-0717

[dt]

Do you know if the residential building is planned to be a rental or condo?

[Charles]

dt - While they might know, we don't. The architect didn't get that specific.

[Okay by me]

Please spare us of the tired "shadow" complaint. A) Shadows move with the Sun movement. B) Glass reflects light.

[Valita]

I think a 20 story build ing going on that site would be horrible. I have lived in the area for 15 years and at this point in time getting a standing space in the Q or B trains that service that station- during rush is nearly impossible. I have to stand sandwiched with no place to turn around. I trust that the folks who eventually live in the building won't have to take the train in the morning. All these new large buildings going up in this Brooklyn area while there is no improvement in Bus and subway services that serve this area is simply a diaster in the making. There will also be new buildings at the DEKalb station soon. God help us during rush hour.