New York Admirals Row, the historic six-acre site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, moved a step closer to redevelopment with the New York City Council's approval last month of the site's transfer to the city from the federal government. The city, which owns the 300-acre Navy Yard, says it expects the property transfer to occur soon and that the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. (BNYDC) may be able to issue a request for proposals by year-end.The redevelopment project will include construction of a 74,000-sq-ft supermarket, 79,000 sq ft of retail space and 127,000 sq ft of industrial space. The project
When it comes to the many New York State bridges and roadways in bad need of attention, the industry might learn a lesson or two from the Occupy Wall Street movement, David Tweedy, chief of capital planning at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told attendees at ENR New York's transportation funding conference today. "How many of you don't know what the 99 percent means," he asked and, when no hand was raised, he laughed. "The kids at Zuccotti Park created a dialog about the 99 percent," something that industry has failed to do about the state
The number of stalled construction projects citywide fell by 8% from October 2010 to October 2011, according to a New York Building Congress study of Dept. of Buildings (DOB) inspection records and Dept. of Finance (DOF) records. However, the amount of stalled projects—roughly 638 this year—is still 40% above the number in the DOB's database for 2009. DOF estimates the aggregate market value of the current stalled projects in the database is $1.3 billion. "It is encouraging to see that we have stemmed the flow of stalled sites and that at least a portion of these projects are moving once
Next September, students at P.S. 59 and the High School of Art and Design on Manhattan's East Side will start classes on their old block but in new digs: a 12-story building that they will share with each other and a Whole Foods market on a mixed-use site.
ChoiHi Sun Choi, senior principal of Thornton Tomasetti's New York office, and Leonard Joseph, principal of the firm's Irvine, California office, have been named co-chairs of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's Outrigger Design Working Group. The first-ever outrigger system design guide is currently being developed by the council. The guide is aimed at providing an overview of the history, design considerations and recommendations for outrigger systems. It is expected to be published in 2012. Built Ecology, a high-performance building, specialty design practice within international engineering firm WSP Flack + Kurtz, New York, has expanded its services
St. Joseph’s College has awarded Racanelli Construction, Melville, N.Y., a $12.5-million contract for construction of a 30,000-sq-ft athletic facility at its Brooklyn campus. Racanelli will serve as the general contractor on the project, which is scheduled to begin this week with completion slated for June 2013. Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners, A.I.A., Locust Valley, N.Y., is the architect on the project. The three-floor facility will be built in an historic section of Brooklyn where there are space constraints, and will require shoring and bracing of existing areas, Racanelli says. The facility will include a state-of-the-art basketball arena, gym floor and
The New York City Council gave final approval today for the long-awaited transfer of the six-acre Admirals Row site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard from the National Guard to the City of New York, which owns the 300-acre navy yard. The approval comes after a five-month-review process by city officials and the conclusion of talks between the guard and the non-profit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. (BNYDC), and it allows for the redevelopment of the historic site. Redevelopment of the site, expected to begin next year following the site's transfer to the city, will include construction of a 74,000-sq-ft supermarket,
The Dept. of Transportation has denied the American Automobile Association’s request to oppose the recently enacted Hudson River toll hikes. AAA, which is still pursuing legal action related to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s toll and fare increases, maintains that revenues from the increases should not be used for projects outside of the PANYNJ transportation network, including the World Trade Center. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood says that since congress passed the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act in 1987, the agency no longer has “oversight of tolls on interstate bridges over navigable waters,” but that
Only a few weeks remain before a federal renewable energy incentive program expires. The 1603 Treasury Dept. grant program, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, pays investors a cash grant equal to 30% of the total cost of eligible projects that began from 2009 through December 31, 2011. Under the program, payment is due within 60 days of the renewable energy system’s activation. After the expiration date, projects may be eligible for the 30% federal investment tax credit program that allows participants to reduce their tax liability."The grant program is a big incentive for developers to
The New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced on Nov. 7 that all construction managers working on its $14-billion capital construction program are required to be certified. The announcement was made at the Construction Management Association of America’s national conference in Washington, DC. “We are raising the bar,” says Kevin Donnelly, deputy DEP commissioner. “In order for us to be successful, we recognize that we need to change our organization, both internally and externally.”The DEP will expect more leadership from its construction managers in areas such as safety, quality management, risk management, and the timely resolution of issues.“Our
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