New high-rise for Downtown Brooklyn would be borough’s tallest

Another high-rise has been planned for Downtown Brooklyn. If construction is completed on a new, 57-story high-rise building called the Avalon Willoughby West, it would overtake the 51-story Brooklyner, currently Brooklyn’s tallest building, by 82 feet. To make room for the development, which includes 861 rental apartments, developer Fred Harris has acquired many low-rise storefronts on Willoughby Street between Bridge and Duffield streets. These empty storefronts are now the home of a temporary art show. With the amount of high-rises being built in Downtown Brooklyn, skyscraper experts are saying Brooklyn is in the midst of a battle for the tallest building, comparable to the Manhattan race 80 years ago.