In response to the question we asked last April, this is what’s happening at Williamsburg’s 287 Broadway lot: The site, located right near the Marcy Avenue J/M/Z stop, is now going by its other address, 282 South 5th Street, and will indeed soon be home to a 13-story, 82-unit rental apartment building with 26,000 square feet of landscaped outdoor space. And, while Goldstein, Hill & West are the architects of record, the design for the building actually comes from the mind of the much more exciting Morris Adjmi Architects. As you can see from the rendering, the residential section appears to be sheathed in some kind of glassy exoskeleton, offering residents panoramic views of Brooklyn, the East River, and the Manhattan skyline. The base is reserved for 29,964 square feet of retail and 6,895 square feet of community facility space. There will also be underground parking for 166 vehicles. The project is being developed by Midwood Investment & Development.
The breakdown of the apartments is as follows: 24 studios, 40 one-bedrooms, and 18 two-bedrooms. Pricing has not yet been revealed, but considering the architect, the design, and the bountiful amenities — private garden plots, a dog run, fire pit, barbecues, an outdoor cinema screen, and, inside the building, a club room for games and parties, fitness and yoga rooms, and children’s playroom — smart money says they’re going to be very expensive.
With large amounts of land rezoned for high- and medium-density residential development on the waterfront and around the BQE, Northside Williamsburg is where most of the action is. But the neighborhood’s Southside also has a beautiful existing building stock that’s actually far more attractive than the vinyl-strewn Northside, and with a number of underbuilt lots, the area is finally getting its due.
One of the more exciting projects coming to Southside Williamsburg is 282 South 5th Street, wedged between the BQE and the ramp from the Williamsburg Bridge to the elevated highway. Just a block from the Marcy Avenue J/M/Z stop, the site has a lot of potential, and Midwood Investment & Development is in the midst of fulfilling it.
282 South 5th Street, rendering by Morris Adjmi
The firm (founded in 1925 in – surprise! – Midwood, in Brooklyn) hired hometown favorite Morris Adjmi, who designed a handsome gridded tower atop a retail podium for the site (though Goldstein, Hill & West is the architect of record).
282 South 5th Street will feature 67,561 square feet of residential space spread over 82 apartments, plus 31,458 square feet of commercial space and a 6,887-square foot community facility. It’ll also contain a whopping 153 parking spots – a bizarrely high number in any case, but especially given that 282 South 5th will apparently be a rental.
282 South 5th Street
YIMBY stopped by the site recently to check out the foundation work. A digger was hard at work hauling dirt, with construction materials piled up on the other side. Once the project goes vertical, it will continue until it hits 13 stories, or 149 feet.
