A rendering of 12 Franklin St. (City Planning)
Aug. 21, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
A developer is planning on bringing a large, seven-story office building to Franklin Street in Greenpoint.
The project is pegged at 12 Franklin St., within part of a triangular shaped block intersecting Franklin Street and Meserole Avenue, and across the street from the still-to-be-developed Bushwick Inlet Park. The site currently sees a two-story warehouse, and is also home to Greenpoint Beer and Ale, and Northern Territory.
The owner, Simon Baron Development, envisions a 110-foot tall office, retail, and industrial building spanning more than 134,000 square feet. Other features include outdoor terrace space on every floor, storage space for 85 bikes, and parking for 36 cars.
The project, however, requires a zoning change and some special permits to proceed as planned.
A map showing the building site and general project location. (City Planning)
The building, according to City Planning documents, is designed specifically for small manufacturing or light industrial firms. It can host a tech firm that needs both manufacturing and office space, for example, or a manufacturing tenant with need for retail space.
City documents additionally note that the building evokes the manufacturing character of the neighborhood “with a modern twist”.
Simon Baron Development is seeking a zoning change in order to build a slightly larger structure than what current zoning permits. In addition, the developer wants to provide fewer parking spots than what’s required and is seeking a special permit in order to reduce the number.
Documents note that a community facility building of similar floor area and height can be built as-of-right, and that the majority of tenants and employees are expected to use public transportation to arrive to the building.
The developer’s project is now being reviewed by the Department of City Planning. When the plan is certified by the department, the months-long public review process begins. The plan will go to Community Board 1 for approval before finally reaching the City Council for a vote.
Simon Baron Development purchased the property for $24 million in 2016. In a press release, the developer said the building is expected to open in 2021.
The 12 Franklin St. development site today. (City Planning)
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One Comment
Good luck for any workers working there. If they don’t live in Greenpoint, the G train is already at near gridlock. The busses are even slower and less on time then the subways. They will have to bike, scooter, swim or marathon walk to work.
When is the city gonna realize we are at maximum capacity for industry and residential new bldgs.?