Two New Handel-Designed Towers to Sail Onto the Greenpoint Landing Waterfront

Yesterday it was announced that Brookfield Property Partners is making their first Brooklyn venture by purchasing a majority stake in two Greenpoint Landing development sites for $59.7 million. While better known for their commercial ventures, Brookfield will begin construction early next year on 775 market-rate apartments on two waterfront parcels. The towers should be finished sometime in 2019 at the total cost of $600 million as part of the first phases of the of the 22-acre master plan which is being designed by Handel Architects.

Plans filed with the Department of Buildings for Brookfield’s sites call for a 30-story, 372-unit rental building at 37 Blue Slip and a larger 39-story, 401-unit tower at 41 Blue Slip. A cul-de-sac will separate the slab-shaped towers, which will open onto a waterfront esplanade designed by James Corner Field Operations.

New updated site plan courtesy of Handel Architects LLP. Brookfield Property’s newly acquired lots are shaded in red

Renderings Courtesy of Handel Architects LLP

Brookfield Property’s CEO Ric Clark says, “It is compelling to be part of a large development in a vibrant community that will provide housing choices for many New Yorkers.” The overall plan calls for a mix of ten residential towers and low-rise buildings, a new public school, and four acres of parkland. Three affordable housing buildings have already begun construction, and in all, 1,400 of the plan’s 5,500 units will be designated affordable. This past summer, CityRealty published a report revealing that 22,000 units are planned for the northern end of Brooklyn, more than 3,000 of which coming are coming to Greenpoint.

Greenpoint Landing landscape design images courtesy of James Corner Field Operations

As 6sqft previously reported, “James Corner Field Operations is also responsible for the landscape architecture of the High Line, and their experience in the field is apparent. The new park will feature sloping, split-level terraces and salt-tolerant greenery that will absorb water. The split-level terracing will also elevate the ridge well above FEMA regulations, and at the same time make it easy for visitors to access the river via kayak.”

New site plan showing subway lines near the site and envisioned ferry routes

A sticking point of the project is that public transportation in Greenpoint is scarce, with only one subway line servicing the hood. Renderings and a site plan prepared by Handel Architects show a new ferry landing near Brookfield’s lots. Also, earlier renderings of the plan showed a cable-stayed bridge connecting the Greenpoint to Long Island City.

Follow the devleopment of Greenpoint Landing’s 37 Blue Slip and 41 Blue Slip at CityRealty.

RELATED:

• REVEALED: Renderings of Greenpoint Landing’s Waterfront Park Designed by James Corner
• 22,000 New Apartments Coming to Northern Brooklyn by 2019
• Revealed: AB Architekten’s 29 Clay Street to Bring Manhattan Modernism to Greenpoint