Based on DOB records, it appears that the new owner of 185 Ocean had his plan to build an eight story building on the lot rejected. As we don't speak building code, it's completely unclear to us why the plans were rejected.
We're sure he'll build something... our best guess is that it's quite possible that he could submit refreshed plans for an eight story edifice and push them through.
A couple weeks ago, we reported that a real estate office opened on Washington Ave. between Lincoln Rd. and Lefferts Ave. We've glanced in his windows and noticed that most of his listings aren't really in the PLG area - they're often in East Flatbush and such.
Not that we don't appreciate the new guy's tiny office, but we want to see the big guns open up in PLG. Almost every time there's a big listing (sometimes a small listing) in PLG, it's offered by a larger, highly recognizable firm. In addition, we hypothesize that sooner or later, the big guys will want to expand into Crown Heights South and Wingate. Wouldn't PLG make a stellar location to grow from?
To enhance our case, Barbara Corcoran once said:
The best property leads I’ve ever chased have come from gay waiters or would-be actors serving my meal at a fancy restaurant. I’ve made a habit of asking, “So, where do you live?”
Come take a fresh look at PLG, Babs.
We would also like to see one of the big firms locate in PLG because we think it would contribute remarkably to our commercial landscape and accelarate the addition of amenities - nothing fancy, we're talking ATMs and some better stocked shops on Flatbush.
This post will probably touch a nerve for some - go forth and comment.
It's rare that we see an apartment for sale on Ocean Ave. as most of the buildings on Ocean are rentals. However, 125 Ocean Ave. is a full fledged coop, and apparently this two bedroom unit is for sale.
It's for sale by owner, asking price is $475,000.
For a two bedroom in Brooklyn, $475K is not a bad price. For a two bedroom on Prospect Park, $475K seems like a deal.
Agree or disagree?
These two PLG properties appeared on Craigslist recently.
The image on the left represents 133 Maple, listed for $1.095M. It looks fantastic from the outside, but we're suspicious of listings that show nothing of the interior. This also isn't the largest house in the hood, as it's four bedrooms - in these houses, that fourth bedroom is typically best used as a closet.
The house on the right looks like it is somewhere on either Midwood St. or Rutland Rd. It's significantly larger than the Maple St. house - it's also significantly more expensive at $1.5M.
Interestingly enough, there are two postings for the house on the right. The price quoted in the other ad is $1.495M. That's not the sort of sloppiness we would look for if we were trying to unload a property worth that kind of dough. But then again, we also wouldn't post photos that show piles of dirty dishes and lawn furniture packed into the corners of home...
On our way to the train today we noticed activity going on inside what was once Access Point, a store offering a wide range of phone cards and some form of internet access. Strangely enough, Access Point went out of business.
There's been a "space available" sign up since January - it's now down, leading us to believe that it's been rented. Because we like food, we're hoping that it's been rented to a purveyor of falafel (we realize that there's a snowball's chance in hell of that being the case). And as we said back in January, Thai would also be nice.
Anyone got the scoop?
We heard through the grapevine that everyone's favorite PLG eyesore is up for some rehabilitation. Rumor has it that the owner finally plans to renovate.
However, said rumor also posits that the owner plans to renovate the house into a three family dwelling. Is that possible? Isn't this house within the boundaries of Lefferts Manor and hence restricted by the single family deed covenant?
It's true, folks: 258 Lincoln Rd. is for sale.
The owners wrestled for some time with what to do with the home when a career related relocation became imminent.
The shots of the inside of the house look absolutely beautiful. Though the $1.15M price tag isn't what we would call cheap, someone will be psyched to get their hands on this one.
A friend of ATP sent us some photos of 27 Lincoln's internal organs. As you can see, those insides are in pretty bad shape. Years of neglect have brought ruin.
Rumors are circulating all over the place as to what is going on in this building. A reliable sources tells us it's going to be condos.
What this means is that we all have to hunker down and pray that the new structure is attractive.
Just say no to Fedders!
Thanks Jon!
In the background of this photo from ArtMart 11225 you can see one of the storefronts that is part of a very large abandoned building located adjacent to the Prospect Park subway station.
On our way to the subway this morning, we noticed that the door to the storefront pictured was open, and there were workmen moving in and about the space. They had some heavy duty looking tools on them, too.
The answer to our prayers? Could this be the beginning of the property's renewal?
To see just how giant this property actually is, take a look at Google Maps. It's the large trapazoidal one.
The City Council passed the Safe Housing Act yesterday, which ups the ante against landlords who neglect their properties. The new law requires that the Department of Housing Preservation identify 200 deliquent property owners per year and force them to repair their buildings. Should property owners choose not to make repairs, the city will step in to fix the problem and then bill the owner.
The NYTimes says:
The bill goes further than current regulations in requiring not just repairs of the immediate problems, like a leaky pipe, but also overhauls of the entire system causing the problems, like bad plumbing and boilers or faulty electrical wiring.
So, we're talking potentially major repairs. This is good news for tenants in some of the more run down buildings in PLG, such as those on Ocean Ave. (99 Ocean Ave. pictured above). Get the word out about the new law - if HPD is up to the task, the law should lead to substantial quality of life improvements for renters.
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