New Development Will Add a Full-Service Restaurant and Other Tenants to Already Vibrant Retail Corridor in Booming Neighborhood
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz today announced that United American Land will develop 49,000 square feet of retail space in the City-owned Brooklyn Municipal Building at 210 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
United American Land will transform the western portion of the first, second, and below-grade floors of the space; creating a lively, pedestrian-friendly, and unique retail space that will serve as an anchor for the Court Street retail corridor in the City’s third largest Central Business District.
While tenants have not yet been selected, there will be multiple retail tenants in the space and one of them will be a full-service restaurant. Construction is expected to begin in 2012, and the project will create 64 full-time construction jobs and 114 permanent jobs.
The space is currently being occupied by the Department of Finance, which will relocate and consolidate within the building and to other City-owned space. This development will build upon the City’s efforts to revitalize Downtown Brooklyn and is a product of a City initiative, announced in the 2010 State of the City Speech, to use space it owns and leases more efficiently.
The Brooklyn Municipal Building is a 13-story, 383,000 square foot structure erected in 1925 and designed by architects Mckenzie, Voorhees & Gmelin. Adjacent to the iconic Brooklyn Borough Hall, the site has excellent transit access and is served by 14 subway lines, 16 buses, and yields over 1,800 pedestrians per midday hour. The area around the building is a vibrant mix of cultural and community organizations, civic and academic institutions, commercial and residential buildings, all interspersed with open space.
Since its rezoning in 2004, Downtown Brooklyn has been undergoing a dynamic transformation as a result of billions of dollars in public and private investments, and has become a shopping and dining destination attracting more than 150,000 shoppers daily.
Already one of the city’s most active central business districts, Downtown Brooklyn is home to one of the busiest retail corridors in the nation and more than 100,000 office workers, over 40 arts and cultural organizations, as well as eight universities and colleges educating some 57,000 students.
Since 2006, Downtown Brooklyn has experienced some 7.8 million square feet of development including over 590,000 square feet of retail space and 236,000 square feet of office space. This space will complement and add to the growing retail landscape in Downtown Brooklyn.
Major retailers have opened nearby and many more projects are underway. The first phase of the nearby CityPoint development includes 50,000 square feet of retail and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012. DeKalb Market, an open-air market occupies the space where future phases of the CityPoint development will occur.
