The murder trial of an ex-convict who is accused of stabbing his building handyman to death began yesterday in Brooklyn Supreme Court. Errol Irving allegedly stabbed Shayne Sinclair, the handyman, in February because he felt angry that his apartment on East 51st Street in Flatbush did not have heat or hot water, the New York Post reported. [more]

Project rendering (credit: Curbed)

Prospect Lefferts Garden could soon be getting a nine-story, 133-unit building. Situated near Prospect Park, at 33 Lincoln Road, the building would have 20 percent of its units be affordable to low-income tenants and the rest of the units would be 10 percent below the market rate. The ground floor would include two retail spaces and a community space. Other building amenities include underground parking and storage for rent, a gym, a café and a roof deck.

Tom Anderson of Anderson Associates last night presented the plan for the property, which would sit atop a 26,000-square-foot lot, to the ULURP Committee of Brooklyn Community Board 9. [more]

From left: Lightstone’s Chairman and CEO David Lichtenstein and a project rendering (credit: Curbed)

The Land Use committee of Brooklyn Community Board 6 last night voted against the Lightstone Group’s proposed rental property located at 363-365 Bond Street on the Gowanus, DNAinfo reported. Despite the committee’s vote, the plan faces a vote from the full community board in October and can still win approval from the Department of Planning. [more]

The interior of the Barclays Center

Forest City Ratner chief Bruce Ratner, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov were among those marking the official opening of the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn today.

The trio cut the ribbon on the new venue, which will officially open for business September 28 with the first of eight sold-out concerts by Jay-Z. The 675,000-square-foot area, designed by SHoP Architects and AECOM — formerly Ellerbe Becket — and the new home of the Nets, was hailed by Ratner and others as “an iconic structure.” The area has 18,000 seats for basketball and up to 19,000 for concerts. [more]

A rendering of the Gateway II mall with a Walmart

If Walmart still has its eye on New York City, it’s going to have to focus on another location. Related Companies’ Gateway II mall, the long-rumored East New York site of a city location for the retail giant, has signed a deal with Shop-Rite supermarkets to anchor the development, Crain’s reported.

Opposition to Walmart was fierce following the rumors, as many labor activists feared the retailer would undermine local shops and disapproved of its nonunion hiring practices. [more]

Rendering of Karl Fischer’s housing plan and Maple Lanes

A plan to turn one of the city’s last remaining cheap bowling alleys into Karl Fischer-designed housing is moving forward and will begin the public review process tonight. The owners of Maple Lanes in Borough Park, Brooklyn, will hold a hearing tonight for their zoning variance application to demolish the bowling alley and replace it with a synagogue and 182 apartments, the New York Post reported. [more]

Drake, OPM club and Rick Ross

Has New York City found its answer to South Beach in the Sheapshead Bay section of south Brooklyn? Yes, some observers say. The three-year-old waterfront club OPM, on Emmons Avenue and Bragg Street, packs 500 people on a typical weekend night, and celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross and Drake have reportedly made multiple appearances, according to an article in Crain’s

But the scene isn’t only hip-hop. The club plays Russian house music in a nod to the recent settlers of southern Brooklyn, wealthy businessmen who trace their roots to the country. Other hot spots include Tzar, a Russian steakhouse, and Baku Palace, which offers more than 100 different vodkas. [more]

Corcoran’s Claire Saliba, Owl’s Head wine bar and Ho’Brah taco joint

Unlike many of its Brooklyn neighborhoods, Bay Ridge has experienced a more gradual gentrification. While the pace is quickening, the waterfront neighborhood deeper in Brooklyn still retains some of its old charm, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Though the area is primarily home to Irish, Italian and Scandinavian families that have lived there for generations, younger buyers priced out of their first-choice Brooklyn neighborhoods have begun to descend upon Bay Ridge. [more]

1223 Surf Avenue (credit: PropertyShark)

One Brooklyn neighborhood’s trash is another’s treasure. The New York Daily News reported that a Coney Island landlord has actually reached out to restaurant chain Hooters in hopes of bringing it to the boardwalk just three months after a Park Slope landlord rejected the wing joint’s expression of interest in renting his property. What’s more: Whereas rumors of the chain’s interest sparked outrage in Park Slope, Coney Island officials are also working to lure the restaurant. [more]

From left: 4302 Fourth Avenue (credit: PropertyShark) and LPC Chairman Robert Tierney

A long-vacant, landmarked Sunset Park property is now the subject of a feud between a non-profit organization and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The Brooklyn Chinese-American Association says it aims to make repairs to the former 68th Police Precinct Station House and Stable at 4302 and 4310 Fourth Avenue, but can’t raise the money. At the same time, the LPC says it is ready to pursue legal action unless the non-profit starts making repairs — and fast. [more]