Williamsburg is Dead!

WILLIAMSBURG — City Planning late Monday approved the new Domino Sugar Refinery Plan. It will now begin its way through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), seeking approval by Community Board 1, Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Planning Commission and City Council.

Known as “The New Domino,” the plan calls for for an 11.2-acre, 2,200-unit mixed-income community with 660 units (30 percent) of affordable housing, generous open space, access to the waterfront and riverside promenade, according to Michael Lappin, president and CEO of Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), the developer, with CPC Resources Inc. (CPCR) as managing partner.

Architect Rafael Viñoly has created a stunning modular design, Lappin said, that incorporates the landmarked refinery and the famed 40-foot-high Domino Sugar sign. Beyer Blinder Belle has designed the striking three- and four-story glass addition to the refinery itself.

Read more: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=5&id=32769

Tags: Renovations, Waterfront

A waterfront park in Williamsburg has been shuttered – and is being kept that way – by red tape, say frustrated residents and local advocates.

A month and a half after state officials and community advocates agreed in principle to a deal to reopen East River State Park – at no expense to taxpayers – the park’s Kent Ave. gate remains locked.

The sticking point has been a community group’s inability to meet a state requirement that it provide liability insurance for all park volunteers.

Tags: Waterfront