First Look At Renderings For The Massive New Domino Development In Williamsburg

(Courtesy SHoP Architects)

Two Trees Management, the real estate company that largely transformed DUMBO in the '80s and '90s, has finally unveiled its ambitious plans for the 11 acre Domino Sugar Refinery property on the East River in Williamsburg. These renderings come from hotshot firm SHoP Architects, which designed the Barclays Center and the East River Esplanade, among other things. Here's the first look at SHoP's vision for the new Domino, which would feature 2,284 residential units, almost 80,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, and over 630,000 square feet of office space.
The massive refinery, built in 1884, was once the largest in the world, producing at its peak 3 million pounds of sugar a day and employing some 5,000 workers. It closed in 2004, and was later bought by a developer who tried (and failed) to turn it into a luxury condominium complex. Two Trees snatched up the property last October for $185 million, and if its plans are approved by the city, the company will spend approximately $1.5 billion to develop it.
At a meeting to unveil the project on Friday, Jed Walentas, who is taking over the reigns at Two Trees from his father, David Walentas, criticized the previous plans for the development, which would have created significantly less office space (about 98,000 square feet, compared to Two Trees' 631,000). Walentas's plan is to create a "vibrant community" on the waterfront, where the local community can take advantage of new park space and new offices can draw an influx of workers who may also decide to move in upstairs. And there will be a lot of stairs—while the buildings in the current proposal have smaller footprints, they are significantly taller: the highest one would soar 60 stories.
The public space proposed by the previous developer was "more like a privatized front lawn for the people who move in there than a park for this neighborhood," Walentas argued. His plan will add an additional two acres of green space, and create a new street separating the buildings from the waterfront park, which would have "a broad array of uses." Grand Ferry Park at the base of Grand Street would remain unchanged.
It's unclear whether the public space would fall under the aegis of the NYC Parks department (Walentas said he was willing to turn it over to the city to manage), but Two Trees is dangling many possibilities for the quarter mile long space, including a beer garden, kayak launch, volleyball, bocce, a farmers' market, ice rink, a community garden, and a one acre inland green space off the water called "Domino Square," which could be used for film screenings and music performances. An empty lot across Kent Avenue would be occupied by another building with more residential space and a YMCA; Two Trees is also proposing a public school.
"We really believe Brooklyn deserves better," said SHoP's Vishaan Chakrabarti. "We've seen rezoning pass, and there's an extraordinary monotony that's developing along the waterfront. Given the great, diverse place Brooklyn is, this should not be the outcome." To make way for SHoP's design, all buildings at the site would be razed, except for the main refinery building, which would house the majority of the office space. (The current proposal would salvage some of the old machinery to display in the park space.) As for the retail tenants, Walentas said he's ruled out big box chain stores like Duane Reade, and will only rent to small, independent businesses.
When Two Trees bought the property, one of the big questions was whether the developer would deliver on the 660 units of affordable housing that was promised (but never legally binding). Walentas insisted he's "very optimistic" about hitting that target, but argued that the 660 units were always contingent on subsidies from the city. "We are working with our partners in government to deliver those 660 units," Walentas told reporters Friday. "The community certainly feels like that was promised. The reality, from any sort of legal or practical real financial plan put in place by government or the previous owner—that was not the case."

The failed proposal for the site encountered some community opposition, partly because of fears the huge development would overwhelm the already strained Bedford L stop. Two Trees has been actively courting various community groups to make sure they're on board. (A representative of Neighbors Allied for Good Growth, which advocates for "healthy mixed-use communities," did not respond to requests for comment.) More public meetings are planned for the coming weeks, and Two Trees will start the city's land use review process later this spring. If approved, the developer would break ground in 2014, embarking on what would be a 10-15 year build-out for the entire project.