North Brooklyn is getting yet another Gene Kaufman building — this one at 774 Grand Street, near Humboldt Street, an area of Williamsburg not exactly known for gleaming luxury buildings.
Dean Marchi, president of Grand Street Development, said the eight-story building, containing 62 rental units, will open in early 2016 and will boast amenities such as a fitness center, three common roof spaces, and onsite parking. Twenty percent of the units will be affordably priced. “We support the idea that the city is best served by a diverse group of people,” said Marchi, who couldn’t provide a price range for the market-rate units.
(Photo: Jia Guo)
The site is currently home to a Liberty department store — nearly empty, thanks to a clearance sale — that will likely be demolished.
Marchi said more and more new buildings are going up in the area, to meet the needs of a growing population. “There is a migration to the eastern part of Williamsburg,” he said. “I like the idea of being where the growing is coming and expanding. A lot of people are living in the area.”
Kaufman, the project’s architect, had a good relationship with one of the team members, according to Marchi, who described him as an experienced, “talented architect” who would “provide good guidelines.”
Grand Street Development’s partners in the project are Kamson Corporation and Hanini Group, a Newark developer that is restoring that city’s historic Hahne’s building to include a Whole Foods.
(Photo: Jia Guo)
Update, 11:15 a.m.: Marchi and his partners are also seeking approval to build a 4-story building on the other side of the block, at 213 Maujer Street. The building, which may contain six one-bedrooms and a studio, will connect to the eight-story building on Grand and share its amenities, and will also be designed by Kaufman. Construction of the two buildings will begin at the same time. [The headline of this story was revised to reflect the update.]