Sitting south of Greenpoint, Brooklyn along the East River is Williamsburg, a popular neighborhood that has a rich industrial history and boasts a cultural mix of the old and new New York. Below are a few new construction developments that are going to bring a combination of office and apartments in Brooklyn, mostly along its waterfront and around the route of the L train that runs directly beneath the neighborhood.
1) 346 Kent Avenue
Located directly to the north of the Williamsburg Bridge is 346 Kent Avenue, a future pair of residential towers designed by Ismael Leyva Architects and developed by Two Trees. The waterfront project is known as Site D in the Domino Sugar master plan from SHoP Architects and James Corner Field Operations and will consist of 36- and 31-story towers that would rise from an eight-story podium. 346 Kent Avenue is being constructed on a trapezoidal plot of land that is bound by Kent Avenue to the east and River Street and Domino Park to the west. Meanwhile, the project is also going to come with adjacent landscaped public plaza, which will be built to the north between 346 Kent Avenue and the former Domino Sugar Refinery at 292 Kent Avenue. A total number of homes has yet t be heard of.
Construction is underway and will likely be finished in the latter half of 2024.
2) The Refinery
Anyone who has lived in New York in the past few decades would easily recognize the 140-year-old Domino Sugar Refinery at 292 Kent Avenue. The brick building had sat in a largely derelict state until the past few years, where crews are bringing it back to life as a new commercial property called The Refinery. Designed by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) and developed by Two Trees, the $250 million project is going to convert the former manufacturing plant into a modern office complex while preserving the structure’s historic façade, arched windows, and chimney. The new height of The Refinery will be 235 feet tall and be topped with a massive new 27,000-square-foot barrel-vaulted glass dome to house a penthouse office space. The fully rebuilt interiors are going to be designed by Dencityworks and Bonetti/Kozerski, while new landscaping and outdoor seating will surround the ground floor. The iconic Domino Sugar signage is going to come back and sit above the old roofline. The Refinery is the centerpiece of the Domino Sugar master plan by SHoP Architects and James Corner Field Operations and is located to the west of Kent Avenue between South 2nd and South 3rd Streets.
On-site amenities will include ground-floor retail, 12 levels of office space, a 14th-floor event space with double-height ceilings, a catering kitchen, and back-of-house areas. The rest of the Domino Sugar master plan calls for a mix of offices, market-rate and affordable housing, retail, and communal facilities.
The Refinery will likely be done in 2024.
3) 470-490 Kent Avenue
Another waterfront project is 470-490 Kent Avenue, which is being developed by Naftali Group and Access Industries who recently closed on a $385 million construction loan to complete the planned three-tower development in South Williamsburg. Designed by Hill West Architects, the three towers will rise 16, 21, and 22 stories respectively and sit on a six-story podium topped with rooftop amenity spaces. The rendering shows a tan and copper-hued cladding and a grid of floor-to-ceiling windows 470-490 Kent Avenue is expected to yield around 645,000 square feet of new space and have a total of 561 rental apartments in WIlliamsburg and 19,000 square feet of commercial space.
The site was acquired by Naftali Group back in 2020 with the $385 million financing package consisting of a $310 million senior mortgage loan provided by Bank OZK and $75 million mezzanine financing provided by Barings.
Work is currently underway and is expected to debut sometime in 2025.
4) 510 Driggs Avenue
510 Driggs Avenue is a new six-story residential building designed by Woods Bagot and developed by Northlink Capital. The structure yields 79,500 square feet with 44 apartments in Brooklyn ranging from studios to four-bedroom layouts, and sales led by The Serhant Team of Nest Seekers Development Marketing. The development will also yield 12,820 square feet of commercial space. 510 Driggs Avenue is located at the intersection of Driggs Avenue and North 8th Street.
Homes are finished with European white oak floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, open-concept layouts, in-unit washers and dryers from LG or Miele, and private balconies or terraces. Kitchens are finished with honed Grigio Pearl marble countertops, custom cabinets, eat-in peninsulas or islands, and Miele appliances. Bathrooms have custom vanities, marble flooring, and Toto toilets.
Amenities include an outdoor rooftop terrace that is equipped with grilling stations and private cabanas, a fitness center and a multi-purpose lounge with a kitchen and coffee bar, all of which connect to an adjacent landscaped courtyard. The L train is conveniently located to the south of the property.
5) 286 Wythe Avenue
Rounding up our list is 286 Wythe Avenue, a six-story residential building designed by Fischer & Makooi Architects and developed by Wythe Holding LLC. Construction on the topped out 70-foot-tall building is nearly done and will yield 82,458 square feet with 45 rental apartments in Brooklyn, 13,302 square feet of retail space, a cellar level, and 23 enclosed parking spaces. The property is bound by North 1st Street to the north, Grand Street to the south, and Wythe Avenue to the east.
Residential amenities include a fitness center, a lounge, a bike room, and an outdoor rooftop deck. The closest subway is the L train at the Bedford Avenue station.
286 Wythe Avenue is slated for completion in January.
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