The City Council today approved the much-debated
$1.5 billion plan to turn the crumbling Domino Sugar refinery into a
residential development on the Williamsburg waterfront, the New York
Times reported. The towers are substantially smaller than originally
proposed, but the developer of the New Domino — CPC Resources, a
for-profit subsidiary of the nonprofit Community Preservation
Corporation –  will still set aside 660 apartments out of 2,200
for low- and moderate-income tenants and retain the historic 40-foot
tall Domino sugar sign atop the central refinery building. The council
voted unanimously to approve changes in the local zoning law that would
allow the project to move forward after nearly six years of planning,
hearings and delays. Designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, the two
tallest towers on the 11-acre site — bound by Kent Avenue and the East
River, and South 3rd Street and South 4th Street — will be 34 stories,
down from 40. The other two towers at New Domino will be 30 stories
tall. The project also includes community space, office space and a
small park. Plans for the defunct refinery had drawn criticism from local politicians because of the proposed height of the towers, and concern over the amount of affordable housing units, but those issues were resolved in the current plan. [NYT]

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From the July issue: Kasirer Consulting’s client list reads like a who’s who of local real
estate luminaries. The Manhattan-based lobbying firm’s clients include
SL Green Realty, Manhattan’s largest commercial landlord; the
developers of the New Domino, the biggest mixed-use project planned in
Williamsburg; Elad Properties, the Israeli company that converted the
Plaza Hotel into one of the most expensive condominiums ever, and a
host of others. Public records show that Kasirer Consulting took in
more than $3 million in fees in 2006, making it the highest-earning
lobbying firm in New York for that year, the last year for which the
city has released rankings. [more]