Two Trees Management’s application to redevelop the Domino Sugar refinery in Williamsburg kicks off the seven-month Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, known as ULURP, this afternoon.
Clearing the city’s public review process would pave the way for construction to begin on the 11-acre mixed-use project in late 2014, if all goes to current plan.
Jed Walentas’ ultimate vision consists of four buildings with over 500,000 square feet of office space, 70,000 square feet of retail along the East River and a whopping 2.3 million square feet of residential space.
The plan also calls for the inclusion of affordable housing, which has triggered controversy over plans to place nearly a third of the below-market-rate units in a site across the street from the rest of the Williamsburg development.
SHoP Architects is on board for designing the buildings, calling for tall, slim shapes with cutouts that aim to increase light, space and the availability of Manhattan views.
“They are designed to break the monotony of these 35-story, non-descript towers that are marching down the waterfront from Long Island City,” David Lombino, director of special projects for Two Trees, told Crain’s. [Crain’s] — Julie Strickland