Park Slope residents rallied this week against a luxury housing development whose modern aesthetic they say is anathema to a block that stands aghast at its prospective arrival.
Park Avenue−based Black House Development is seeking a variance to build three additional luxury apartments in a four−story addition to 580 Carroll Street, where construction of a 17−unit, five−story building designed by acclaimed Mexican architect Enrique Norten is proceeding. The developer claims the discovery of buried concrete during the project’s excavation phase has precipitated the need to build denser, to recoup profit lost.
Johnny Werbe, a carpenter who lives next door to the site, said the project — both the original and the latest, larger incarnation — have no place in Park Slope, which has already been victimized by overdevelopment.
“These are mainly small, single−family homes, all three−story,” he said of his block. “It’s all very friendly, people know each other.”
But the arrival of Garfield Sparta, as the project, which extends to Garfield Place and is owned by an entity called 25 Garfield Sparta LLC, is called, will change all that, he said. “There will be an increase in people and a diminishing of yard space,” he said, a possibility that can only detract from the area’s appeal.
And his neighbors agree. So far, Werbe has gathered 130 signatures from a small, two−block radius, all opposed to the project.
Community Board 6 and local elected officials are also opposing to the variance request. Assemblymember Joan Millman said basic research should have alerted the developer that there was once an electric substation on the property, and that there is extensive underground concrete.
“Much of Park Slope was rezoned a few years ago to help preserve the existing architecture and maintain the quality of life for neighborhood residents,” she said in a statement. “When the developer purchased the lot, the new zoning laws were clear. It is unacceptable that a developer should be allowed to evade these carefully crafted requirements, especially when information pertaining to the site was easily accessible.”
Black House partner Ashwin Verma told those at the July 27 rally that he had “no idea” that there was a substation at the site, drawing incredulous groans, according to the Brownstoner blog. The developers are hoping to work with local residents, potentially adding green space to make up for the large front yard that will be filled in by townhouses if the variance is granted. “We’re all in the boat together,” Black House partner Sean Ludwick said.
In order to move forward, Black House is asking the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) to grant a variance to allow the new building to rise legally, even though its addition is contrary to the current zoning. The BSA held a hearing July 28 and gave the developer more time to amend or clarify the plans. The panel will again weigh the matter on Sept. 15.
