DOB Denies Application For Six-Story Condo Building On Sheepshead Bay Road

The vacant lot at 1780 Sheepshead Bay Road.
The vacant lot at 1780 Sheepshead Bay Road. (Photo: Google Maps)

The Department of Buildings (DOB) this month denied a property owner’s application to raise a six-story, 70-foot-tall residential building on Sheepshead Bay Road.

Property records show that owner Ralph Marchetta submitted plans at the beginning of November for a new building on the vacant lot located at 1780 Sheepshead Bay Road, on corner of Shore Parkway. The building would have 19 units and more than 6,900 square feet of commercial space. Marchetta has owned the lot since the 1970s, according to city records. He also owns two other properties on that block.

A spokesperson for the DOB said Marchetta’s application was denied because the plans were incomplete.

In a brief and terse phone conversation, Marchetta said he had not decided whether to proceed with his construction plans.

“I haven’t decided yet,” he said. “If I do something, you’ll see when it’s going to go up.”

The pro-development website YIMBY reports that the building plans included several amenities: A shared roof deck with a pool, a shared terrace on the second floor, and a 12-car garage on the ground floor. There would also be be 5,400 square feet of medical offices on the first two stories. The average size for an apartment would be 1,441 square feet, according to YIMBY.

Marchetta’s decision to build on the vacant property takes place amid a construction boom in the area, which has accelerated in the last year. In May, the iconic El Greco diner was demolished to make way for an eight-story condominium building, currently under construction. Work also began this year on the monstrous 28-story residential tower on Voorhies Avenue — beside the Sheepshead Bay subway station.