Kensington Warehouse Could Turn Into Apartment Towers, Developer Says

KENSINGTON, BROOKLYN — An old warehouse that sits next to Kensington Stables in Brooklyn could become two mixed-use apartment towers if developers get their way.

Preliminary designs presented to a community meeting Wednesday night showed the two nine-story towers, one facing Caton Place and the other facing Ocean Parkway. The renderings also showed a green space in between the two 95-feet-tall buildings.

Current plans call for about 107 residential units in the development, 25 percent of which would be designated "permanently affordable," though no exact income levels were given. About 25 percent of the units would be studios and three-bedrooms and the rest would be split between one- and two-bedroom homes.

And developers are hoping to put a market on the bottom floor. (For the latest updates on this development, and other news about Kensington, subscribe to Patch to receive a daily newsletter and free, real-time news alerts.)

The plans were presented at an informal community meeting hosted by City Councilman Brad Lander at P.S. 130 Wednesday night to highlight several ongoing developments in the Kensington area. The developers of the property, at 57 Caton Place, want to change the zoning requirements on the lot to allow for a residential building to go up.

Once developers submit a formal plan for the property, the potential zoning change would have to go through the city's lengthy land-use review process, which involves a recommendation by the local community board and borough president's office. Then, the city council would have final say on approving the change.

Lander didn't indicate his support or opposition to this particular development, since it's still in informal planning stages. But he thanked the developers for being proactive and taking community feedback when it wasn't required.

Residents shared their concerns about having tall apartment buildings going up in an area where most are one or two stories high.

One resident asked if the building would smell bad because of the stable next door and whether the developers want to see the stables remain there at all.

"We're designing the building to deal with the odor," Marcie Kesner, a planner with the firm Kramer Levin, who made the presentation, said. "The pony rides and the parties are really a part of what makes the neighborhood special."

Kesner declined to send the presentation to Patch by email, but you can see a photo we took of the slide showing the renderings above.

Image via Marc Torrence, Patch Staff