New Building On Sheepshead Bay Road Will Look Like A ‘Lightning Bolt,’ Developer Says
The developer tearing down three properties along Sheepshead Bay Road says they will be replaced by a mixed-use, eight-story building that looks like a “lighting bolt” when viewed from the air.
The unique, zig-zag design is intended to give most of the building’s apartments a view of the bay, said Viacheslav Levko, the property’s new owner.
“We’re bringing an interesting architectural element to the area. We don’t want to just have a boring, square building,” he said. “And there’s going to be plenty of windows to let in as much natural light as possible.”
Demolition is currently underway at Levko’s three properties, which his company Starealty Estate bought in February for $3.66 million. Workers have already removed the squat hut in the back of the vacant lot at the corner of Sheepshead Bay Road and Shore Parkway. And construction crews are slowly clawing away at the two adjacent properties.
Levko estimates the demolition will be complete within a month and hopes to begin construction sometime this summer. However, he explained that his architect and the Department of Buildings (DOB) are squabbling over “minor” details about the design. He said he’ll be ready to release renderings of the building when the plan is approved.
The properties’ previous owner, Ralph Marchetta, also had problems getting DOB approval. He submitted a plan to construct a six-story residential building at the site, which the city turned down last year. The rejection was the latest in a string of setbacks and headaches, Marchetta told us in March. He finally decided to part ways with the properties, which had been in his family since the 1970s.
The new project being proposed by Starealty Estate will have commercial space on the first two floors, with a community facility above them. The remaining four floors will have apartments for rent, according to Levkov. There will also be a parking garage with 30 spaces. Lifts will be used to squeeze all cars onto the property.
Levko said he scooped up the properties because he saw an opportunity to get in on the construction boom taking place in southern Brooklyn.
“In the next four or five years, this area is going to change dramatically,” he explained. “Everyone wants to be here.”
He said the neighborhood is attracting a younger crowd who are being priced out of Manhattan and some of the gentrifying neighborhood in northern Brooklyn. The neighborhood, with its waterfront restaurants, clubs and bars also has a lot to offer newcomers, he said.
“It’s more family friendly, there’s less crime, and the streets are cleaner than neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy or Bushwick,” he said. “We have everything. Anything you want to put your finger on, it’s better here.”
