Can anyone say this new Zeldin /BK Development is not an improvement over the vacant lot left in the middle of Jackson Place? Anyone... Anyone? Come on this is your chance.
It surely is an improvement over the long forsaken and ignored, carelessly abandoned and neglected, rotting, grievously half demolished, imminently perilous to life, eye sore of a building that, just recently last August, collapsed to the ground, causing the next door neighbors to be suddenly vacated from their homes, and the street closed while tax payers paid for the removal of the debris. www.Brownstoner.com had this to say, and this, back then.
From the BK Development web Page...
"About Us
When making an important investment decision such as buying a home or a commercial space, it is crucial to go with a company you trust. BK Developers Inc has been building projects in the New York and New Jersey Area for over 10 years. Our contractors have the best reputations in the field because of the quality of work that they do and the attention and care they put into every project. We use the best materials and appliances and try to stay on top of the latest developments and innovations in the industry to bring you the best possible end product.
We have only one thing in mind when we build – You! Our goal is for you to not only be satisfied with your purchase, but fall in love with it. We don’t just build to meet demand in any particular area, we choose every project very carefully to make sure we build a one of a kind, uniquely designed and perfectly situated home or office.
Please be confident that you are paying your hard earned money for an outstanding property that will be a joy to you and your family for years to come as well as great investment in your future."
© BK Developers Inc
When asked why he allowed the property at 18 Jackson Place to fall into disrepair,and finally colapse, his answer was that "we couldn't do what we wanted to do and I have investors to protect". So, his idea of quality building is to circumvent upkeep, let it fall down, and let his architects lie until they get what they want. The children of Jackson Place are thankful that they were not left under the debree that he left strewn all over the street. If the writer of the blog wants to debate this, he is invited to the next "land use and construction committee" meeting at Community Board 7. I would love to meet him in person.
ReplyDeleteJR
Hello, I am one of the residents of Jackson Place. In response to this post I'd like to point out that to pose the question of whether or not this architect’s rendering of a proposed building is “an improvement over the vacant lot” that is currently in the center of our block is, at best, an oversimplification of the situation, and at worst a piece of blatant propaganda.
ReplyDeleteThe writer neglects to mention that the former property on the site, correctly described as a “long forsaken and ignored, carelessly abandoned and neglected, rotting, grievously half demolished, imminently perilous to life, eye sore of a building,” was allowed to devolve to that state by precisely the same owner who is now proposing to build.
The property formerly at 20 Jackson was “ignored, carelessly abandoned and neglected” by Zeldin/BK Development. The building was “half demolished” by Zeldin/BK Development. The building deemed “imminently perilous to life”--which indeed partially collapsed onto the sidewalk in a shower of bricks and masonry in the middle of a sunny day, when any of the numerous children on this block could’ve been passing by--this same building, was Zeldin/BK Development’s responsibility.
To flippantly ask whether or not the placid illustration of Zeldin/BK Development’s proposed structure shown here is an improvement on the vacant lot left by the HPD’s emergency demolition crew, who cleaned up Zeldin/BK Development’s mess, strikes this reader as short-sighted.
Zeldin/BK Development has consistently ignored the concerns of this block, perhaps seeing us as faceless as the adjoining houses portrayed in this architect’s rendering. The proposed structure will loom over those houses, apparently taking up every cubic inch of the allowable airspace, with what looks like a three-car garage (there goes another couple parking spaces) somehow being squeezed behind a meager tree.
Our concerns, if I may presume to speak for the other residents of this still quiet street, are not whether the inevitable building at 18-20 Jackson Place is “an improvement over the vacant lot,” but whether we can allow the heart of our block to be occupied by a neighbor who has proved themselves, thus far, to be most un-neighborly.
We hope that any construction is done with the utmost respect and consideration to neighbors and their properties, in context with the other (mostly two-story, single-family) homes on the block and without circumventing zoning restrictions. Zeldin/BK Development’s track record makes us wary that this will happen.