The owners of the two-story building at Clinton and Remsen streets denied a published report that they are about to sell the building — a story that created a panic across Brooklyn Heights that the building would be torn down for a 14-story tower.
It may someday become just such a building — a tower is legal under the current zoning, after all — but a representative of the owner told The Stoop this week that the building was not on the market.
Yet.
“The owners just wanted to know [the value of] what they own, so they retained us to evaluate the possibilities,” said Barry Kimchy of the Marcus and Millichap real-estate firm.
The building, located at the corner of Remsen Street, is inside the historically protected section of Brooklyn Heights, but outside a zoning area that bars buildings rising above 50 feet.
As such, a buyer could construct something that would tower over the rowhouses of Remsen Street and obscure views all over the area.
The panic began after a newspaper reported that the owners had put the building up for sale for $22 million.
But Kimchy said the $22 million figure is merely an estimate of the building’s maximum value, and not an asking price.
Still, some members of the Heights establishment said they remained cautious.
“This is a very sensitive site,” said Judy Stanton, the executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association.
“If they build something that’s too tall … it would change the character of the neighborhood.
“Building heights are a big factor when it comes to what is and is not historically accurate,” Stanton added.
Stay tuned.
