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New York

A shrill in Cobble Hill: Eerie noise from condo tower haunts locals

Brooklyn residents complain of irksome sound from Fortis development

Cobble Hill residents are complaining about a sharp whistling noise coming from a luxury condo at 347 Henry Street. (Douglas Elliman, Getty)
Cobble Hill residents are complaining about a sharp whistling noise coming from a luxury condo at 347 Henry Street. (Douglas Elliman, Getty)

In the otherwise quiet neighborhood of Cobble Hill, residents often hear a piercing howl that’s enough to make their teeth hurt. The shrill sound, which they liken to amplified fingernails on a blackboard, is emanating from Fortis Property Group’s luxury tower known as 5 River Park.

The condo project at 347 Henry Street has been shrieking for months, disrupting the lives of residents who live within blocks of the building, Brooklyn Paper reported. The sound rings in their ears from Joralemon Street south to Warren Street.

Local politicians asked state Attorney General Letitia James and the Department of Buildings on Tuesday asking not to sign off on a condo offering plan or certificate of occupancy, respectively, until the noise ends, the publication reported. Their fear is that once Fortis sells the units, it will have no incentive to fix the noise issue.

An engineer hired by the developer concluded that the sound comes from wind against the 15-story building’s balcony railings, the local news site reported.

The problem has persisted since December, waking up the Cobble Hill Association’s president, Ezana Bocresion, who lives half a block away. Bocresion and other members of the civic group have expressed concerns at its construction task force’s monthly meetings.

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Fortis tried zip-tying boards to the railings, but powerful winds blew them off within a couple of days. The Cobble Hill Association is calling for the developer to find a long-term fix.

A spokesperson for Fortis told the paper that noises like this are common in new buildings and that it is searching for ways to resolve the issue.

The controversial development, which was built as-of-right after Fortis and Brooklyn City Council member Brad Lander could not agree on a rezoning, is at the site of the former Long Island College Hospital campus. A one-bedroom apartment starts at $1.3 million, the publication reported.

[Brooklyn Paper] — Cordilia James

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Cobble HillLuxury Real Estate