Final rendering of the Wyckoff Exchange, by architect Andre Kikoski
The long, long anticipated retail project on Wyckoff begins today, nearly a year after the whole process began. Whata city. No worries, we’re about to get a piece of sweet new architecture care of the talented Andre Kikoski, who has designed projects as diverse as the Yahoo! store at Rockefeller Center and the Z Hotel in Long Island City, not to mention loft interiors and furniture.
Living green walls and lots of glass will grace the gap between Wyckoff-Starr coffee shop and Northeast Kingdom, and the facade will incorporate a “super cool lighting scheme” visible at night. Two of the storefronts will be taken up by a grocery from Williamsburg (that I am told by everyone has fantastic prepared sandwiches) and a wine shop. The other two, including a double-height hangar-like space, are still available.
Construction is expected to be finished in “early 2009.”
Diego October 29th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Wow – green stuff! I hope those plants survive.
CB October 29th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Finally! Kudos to the developers…..And kudos to our hood. Everybody wins!
Ingo Hart October 29th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Thank God, I can stop shopping at that awful Associated.
electricgreek October 29th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
What? no bodega?
electricgreek October 29th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Wonder what Bushwick girl thinks about this place
ricmac01 October 29th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
If this keeps up I bet Bushwick girl moves!
mopar October 29th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
OMG.
Tony October 30th, 2008 at 3:22 am
I’ll believe it when I see it.
Years back, the place used to be a warehouse for a company that sold snacks to city schools. Me and my delinquent buddies used to take turns stealing boxes of cookies left by the entrance until we we bit into a cheese snack filled with maggots. That ended our little crime spree.
Armstrong October 30th, 2008 at 9:41 am
question.. do places start construction before, or after, their financing is in order? I ask this because I am wondering what is going to happen to so many projects around the city?
mopar October 30th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Mmmm, maggots! Tony, that’s hilarious.
Joseph October 30th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Sounds great.
I bet if they already have two leases with solid tenants they won’t have a problem getting financing. Let’s get the word out about the remaining space. I am sure we can come up with someone who would like to open a store there.
Not that I have a need, but I bet a salon would do well or maybe a decent dry cleaner. Not very interesting buy these types of service providers tend to do OK even in a recession. A bakery or a green grocer might work well with grocery and wine store.
ricmac01 October 30th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Sometimes Bushwick construction reminds me of Baja California (Puerto Nuevo, Rosarito Beach, Ensenada) condo projects – I was always perplexed at how slow the wheels of progress turned “down there”. So many buildings were started and then abandoned, supposedly because the Mexican government would come in and get “too involved” in the developments. Maybe there were other reasons but it kind of saddened me to see beautiful beach front properties just abandoned, leaving the rubbish of half-built construction behind.
On Broadway by Gates two different buildings have been in varying stages of development for two years – every once in a while someone seems to remember the sites and add a brick or two and then disappear again. In the Myrtle/Wyckoff area it seems there are a few small new housing developments that are just allowing the rain to soak their frames as they wait for who knows what to continue with their construction.
Meanwhile, six months ago, across the street from the Gates sites, Walgreens cleared out an empty field, dug their foundation, raised a building and opened a new store. I wonder what dictates bringing these projects to fruition – I guess it’s all about money but I share the question posed by Armstrong above.
mopar October 30th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
So far, the drycleaner and alternations at Stanhope and St. Nicholas has been excellent. We have used them to hem pants, jacket sleeves, and change buttons, and their work has been meticulous. They cleaned a women’s silk blouse without shrinking it and their solvent was clean. These are all small miracles when it come to local cleaners.
Joseph November 3rd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
FYI
There putting up the construction fence today. I guess it really is a go for this project.
Dresden November 3rd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I hear a lot of opinions about the economy, but projects are going forward.
It’s the stages of financing that kill construction halfway through. If the deal was set, then things go forward. Bridge loans are harder to get.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s going ahead -at this point.
Whippets Darwin November 4th, 2008 at 8:14 am
I’m worried this will hurt K-Pax Deli’s business…they are the best in the area!!
Armstrong November 7th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I can’t imagine a deli going in at this location. I think K-pax will be fine in regards to this.
Noah December 25th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Hey Darwin, if they’re really the best they’ll survive amidst competition. Survival of the fittest, remember?
mopar May 9th, 2009 at 11:16 am
It doesn’t look like a thing has been done on that site for about a year.