The Tower of Bushwick

I don’t think this building has a name yet. But it sure has a reputation. Curbed calls it "the tower of Bushwick".

Although there are other new buildings in the area around Wykoff Ave in Bushwick, there is nothing as tall and audacious as this. Turkmanian, the owner, did this by buying air rights from neighbors and by exploiting the floor to area ratio of the structure---less floor space = more height--in this case, 14 stories worth.

According to a source in DCP, he planned to use the other space to provide parking for every tenant, since “anyone that lived there would of course have money for a car”.

Turkmanian, the owner, has not pleased officials on the Community Board or City Planning Commission, who cannot do a thing to stop the tower and its blatant disregard for spatial or economic scale. However, a subsequent development proposal--for the Verizon lot of Central and Melrose--has been quashed for its lack of affordable housing.
There will be more new buildings for the moneyed built on Bushwick’s diminishing open spaces, but they won’t come from be coming from this guy.

I don’t know much more about the “tower of Bushwick”, but I have been looking upon it, for many weeks now as I have been interviewing, filming, and mapping around the area. And I just can’t stop looking, as these photos demonstrate. I took most of these whilst waiting for an appointment yesterday, catching the phases of the sun passed as it passed through symbols and suggestions….

upfromflames: 3rd Mar 2007 - 13:50 GMT

the other side of the tracks

upfromflames: 7th Mar 2007 - 20:48 GMT

Well, I took them last Friday waiting to speak to Assemblyman Lopez.
Hope you like them. But do you mean that in an eery sort of way, in a neighborhood sort of way, or in a copyright sort of way?

anon (cpe-24-90-34-180.nyc.res.rr.com): 9th May 2007 - 20:31 GMT

Does the zoning on the Verizon lot allow residential development?
If it does then how could the city stop him from building according to his rights?

upfromflames: 9th May 2007 - 23:03 GMT

good question. glad you asked that, as I just pulled out my CB4 (Bushwick) zoning map out last night after too long. And now I get to use it!

Y'see, its pretty easy for the city to allow only what it wants built there, as there would have to be a zoning change. Half the site is R6 zoning---that code that allows Builders to build as big as they can, within a certain floor to area ratio. But the other half of the Verizon lot is M-1, or light manufacturing. That means that to take the whole site, they would have to get a zoning shift, and that is no simple matter. After the planning commission saw what Turkmanian did with The Tower--now called 358 Grove, they would not have any part in his vision for "affordable housing".

I try to avoid personal political plugs, but I have to say that with the voice of Angela Battaglia--director of housing for Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Care Council--on the city planning commission, you know there is someone watching out for affordable housing in Bushwick.

Angela oversaw a big part of the building of over 3,000 units of affordable housing Bushwick. But at the same time she is very conscious of the dangers of the brand overdevelopment that has afflicted Williamsburg with R-6 zoning. What is built should be within scale, both spatially, and economically.

John Derezewski, a historian who occasionally shows up on this site(hint, hint)feels that Bushwick could use some downzoning to keep more buildings like the Tower from dominating the area. I agree with him on this.

But as long most of Bushwick is r-6 zoning, the only direction to go is up!


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But it sure has a reputation. Curbed calls it "the tower of Bushwick". Although there are other new buildings in the area around Wykoff Ave in Bushwick, there is nothing as tall and audacious as this. Turkmanian, the owner, did this by buying air rights from neighbors and by exploiting the floor to area ratio of the structure---less floor space = more height--in this case, 14 stories worth. According to a source in DCP, he planned to use the other space to provide parking for every tenant, since “anyone that lived there would of course have money for a car”. Turkmanian, the owner, has not pleased officials on the Community Board or City Planning Commission, who cannot do a thing to stop the tower and its blatant disregard for spatial or economic scale. However, a subsequent development proposal--for the Verizon lot of Central and Melrose--has been quashed for its lack of affordable housing. There will be more new buildings for the moneyed built on Bushwick’s diminishing open spaces, but they won’t come from be coming from this guy. I don’t know much more about the “tower of Bushwick”, but I have been looking upon it, for many weeks now as I have been interviewing, filming, and mapping around the area. And I just can’t stop looking, as these photos demonstrate. I took most of these whilst waiting for an appointment yesterday, catching the phases of the sun passed as it passed through symbols and suggestions…. This article has been viewed 2815 times in the last 49 months upfromflames: 3rd Mar 2007 - 13:50 GMT the other side of the tracks Jennifer: these pictures are very familiar to me upfromflames: 7th Mar 2007 - 20:48 GMT Well, I took them last Friday waiting to speak to Assemblyman Lopez. Hope you like them. But do you mean that in an eery sort of way, in a neighborhood sort of way, or in a copyright sort of way? anon (cpe-24-90-34-180.nyc.res.rr.com): 9th May 2007 - 20:31 GMT Does the zoning on the Verizon lot allow residential development? If it does then how could the city stop him from building according to his rights? upfromflames: 9th May 2007 - 23:03 GMT good question. glad you asked that, as I just pulled out my CB4 (Bushwick) zoning map out last night after too long. And now I get to use it! Y'see, its pretty easy for the city to allow only what it wants built there, as there would have to be a zoning change. Half the site is R6 zoning---that code that allows Builders to build as big as they can, within a certain floor to area ratio. But the other half of the Verizon lot is M-1, or light manufacturing. That means that to take the whole site, they would have to get a zoning shift, and that is no simple matter. After the planning commission saw what Turkmanian did with The Tower--now called 358 Grove, they would not have any part in his vision for "affordable housing". I try to avoid personal political plugs, but I have to say that with the voice of Angela Battaglia--director of housing for Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Care Council--on the city planning commission, you know there is someone watching out for affordable housing in Bushwick. Angela oversaw a big part of the building of over 3,000 units of affordable housing Bushwick. But at the same time she is very conscious of the dangers of the brand overdevelopment that has afflicted Williamsburg with R-6 zoning. What is built should be within scale, both spatially, and economically. John Derezewski, a historian who occasionally shows up on this site(hint, hint)feels that Bushwick could use some downzoning to keep more buildings like the Tower from dominating the area. I agree with him on this. But as long most of Bushwick is r-6 zoning, the only direction to go is up! christina: i live one block away. Comment on this article.. Name: Type your comment here: Upload photos (opens in popup window) Browsing articles by Upfromflames - [previous] :: [next]	search citynoise.org automobile, sex toronto, ormeau, crip sings, lajunta, recent discussions Winter in Brooklyn Reminds Me of Spring in Moscow from: shoshannah America's Most Boring Towns: 1 from: Scott Sargent Helicopter Crash in Brooklyn from: Peter More Spanish Graffiti from: Hapless Legal Graffiti from: groovehouse Public Urinals: Amsterdam from: Peter Best Costco Moment of 2008 from: EvilGentleman My House in Bushwick from: matthew Seal of Approval? from: CartLegger Banksy Does Soho from: Peter from the archives What Did I Forget? On the subway this morning. 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upfromflames: 3rd Mar 2007 - 13:50 GMT

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