How much is 109-square-feet worth in Downtown Brooklyn? Back in 2007 Rishi and Heather Bhandari were about to close on a two-bedroom condo at the former Board of Ed headquarters at 110 Livingston Street when they noticed something odd. The living space (bedrooms, kitchen, living room) in the $795,000 apartment felt a bit smaller than the 743 square feet that had been advertised, and a tape measure confirmed it had only 634 square feet. Now, four years later, the Times reports the couple has settled with the building's owner, Two Trees, for $150,000. more ›

The Observer reports that the City Council has approved the controversial Dock Street development 40 votes to 9. The project raised concerns among residents near the planned site at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, plus a renowned historian and some celebrities, who argued views of the Bridge would marred. Others countered that a middle school and affordable would be included—and said the views were only an issue to the immediate area. The Observer notes, "In the end, it showed the savvy of developers David and Jed Walentas, who, with lobbyists Yoswein New York and attorney and former Councilman Ken Fisher, were able to convince the Council to buck its custom of deferring to the local member. (The Walentases pulled their application in a previous attempt in 2005 when it was clear that [Councilman David] Yassky, and the Council, would not approve the building)." Besides Yassky, the no votes were Charles Barron, Tony Avella, Bill de Blasio, Vincent Gentile, Alan Gerson, Eric Gioia, John Liu, and Peter Vallone Jr. more ›

The Dock Street drama continues, and this time it's not about the view. Last night at a 5-hour City Council hearing "politicians focused on charges that the School Construction Authority improperly colluded with the project’s developer," the Brooklyn Paper reports. Apparently there were some questionable internal emails leading some to believe the city's school building agency didn't consider other sites. The paper says the SCA Vice President Ross Holden sent out an email that indicated he was only humoring Dock Street opponent David Yassky, leading the Councilman to believe he was would look at other potential sites for the middle school. The email read, “Now I know that if we don’t do the Walentas project that we don’t really want to do anything else over there, but I think we have to follow up on this just so we can say that the Walentas project is such a good deal." Meanwhile, the agency was unable to answer questions about how much money they would actually save by moving in to the Dock Street development. Despite having many local and celebrity opponents, like Helen Hunt, Gary Sinise, and Ken Burns, Jed Walentas told the paper he still believes his project will pass a full Council vote. To be continued... more ›

Much chatter followed Two Trees (David and Jed Walentas's) proposal for an 18-story residential building near the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO. The building would include a public middle school and "dozens of units of below-market-rate housing," but the Brooklyn Paper reports that neighborhood folk don't want to "block some views of the historic span." more ›

In 2004, Mayor Bloomberg agreed to set aside property in Fort Greene for the construction of a $48.5 million, 299-seat classical theater (above) designed by Frank Gehry and Hugh Hardy for Theater for a New Audience. The itinerant company has not had a permanent home since it started in 1979; the glassy new building would be built on city-owned land in Fort Greene opposite the Brooklyn Academy of Music, in a planned BAM “Cultural District.” more ›