BP Adams Urges Developer To Help Preserve Kensington Stables

WINDSOR TERRACE – As the site adjacent to the beloved Kensington Stables undergoes the ULURP process, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams released his recommendations for the project Thursday, approving with conditions the rezoning of a portion of the block where the two properties are located.

In its land use application, 57 Caton Partners, LLC requested to rezone parts of the block  bounded by Caton Place, East 8th Street, and Ocean Parkway to allow them to develop a nine-story mixed-use building consisting of two apartment buildings with a total of 107 apartments, 27 of which would be permanently affordable.

Located at 55 Caton Place, Kensington Stables is next door to the proposed new development. Built in the 1930s, the facility is one of the few remaining stables left in New York City and is the only one that serves Prospect Park.

In December 2017 the stables were sold to John Quadrozzi Jr., the President of GBX-Gowanus Bay Terminal. Quadrozzi, a longtime customer of the stables, promised to pay off the business’s debts, renovate the property, and maintain the building and its operations for at least five years.

Quadrozzi plans to revive the stables and transform them into a state-of-the-art facility, with boarding, equestrian apparel and tack outfitting, equine education, and a café, according to a recent article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. He also intends to request a rezoning so that he can build “seven or eight stories atop the stables, for residential or possibly a self-storage facility.”

Borough President Adams is requesting that 57 Caton Partners “actively engage with the new owner of Kensington Stables in discussions for a permanent solution that envisions a newly-constructed horse stables facility on a portion of the Ocean Parkway frontage across from Prospect Park, providing a convenience for horseback riders seeking to use the park for equestrian activities.”

In his recommendations, Adams says, “If Kensington Stables were to be developed within the 57 Caton through-lot, it would be possible to construct the replacement stables on the development site while maintaining the existing stables until the replacement facility is able to accommodate such operations. This would allow the stables to maintain programming without a multi-year break in service.” He adds the relocation would provide easier access from the stables to Prospect Park and create safer traffic conditions for horseback riders and motorists.

“I believe that the Kensington Stables are such a unique asset to Brooklyn, especially because of their close proximity to Prospect Park as well as the area’s excellent transit connections,” Borough President Adams said in a statement. “These ULURP recommendations were crafted in pursuit of broader community considerations, in particular the preservation of an invaluable resource that is one of our borough’s most treasured amenities.”

Other recommendations provided by Adams include an updated evaluation of traffic safety improvements for cyclists, equestrian riders, and pedestrians at Machate Circle; a camera investigation of sewer capacity and storm sewer conditions in and around the site to be conducted by the developer and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); and the creation of a service workforce that recruits locals.

The Brooklyn Borough President’s recommendations will be reviewed by the City Planning Commission (CPC) at a public hearing on Wednesday, July 11.