Hurdles falling as Domino Sugar project gets OK for towers

Land Use panel approves building heights at Williamsburg site

From left: Stephen Levin, Jed Walentas of Two Trees and the Domino Sugar site rendering
From left: Stephen Levin, Jed Walentas of Two Trees and the Domino Sugar site rendering

City Council has reached an agreement with developer Two Trees Management to allow for buildings as tall as 55 stories at the former Domino Sugar Factory site in Williamsburg.

As part of the deal, Two Trees agreed to make the below-market rate section affordable for families of four earning an annual income of $60,000, the Wall Street Journal reported. The 2,300-unit site will hold 700 affordable units, up from the 660 units originally proposed.

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The Committee on Land Use signed off on the mixed-use project yesterday. The next step is the final Council vote Tuesday. Council member Stephen Levin, who represents Brooklyn’s 33rd District, was among those to vote in favor of the plan. The vote marked the first major land-use approval under the Mayor Bill de Blasio administration.

“A lot of people in the real estate community saw this as a guinea pig,” David Lombino, Two Trees’ special projects director, told the Wall Street Journal. “The answer is clear. If the project provides significant affordable housing and other community benefits then this administration and the City Council are open for business.” [WSJ]Mark Maurer