Renderings released for new Domino Sugar Factory development
Two Trees Management Company, the developers for the controversial site of the old Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg, released a new plan for the waterfront site today, designed by SHoP Architects.
Two Trees is best known for their development work in DUMBO, and the Domino Sugar Factory site is best known for the degree to which neighborhood residents fought its development. While there are already previously approved plans in place, those plans were, Curbed noted, met with such ire that the new SHoP plans were sought in an effort to ameliorate public sentiment on the project.
The new SHoP plan has less residential space and fewer residential units, more office space, less retail space, fewer parking spaces, vastly more public open space, taller buildings, and an overall 230,256 more gross square feet — and that’s just by the numbers.
The proposal outlines a mixed-use complex that would be active 24/7, and include integrated affordable housing and new tree-lined pedestrian walkways connecting the waterfront to the street, rather than circuits of closed internal walkways.
Two Trees is planning for 500,000 square feet of new office space, hoping to host 3000 to 4000 more permanent jobs. The figure has a historical connection: it would return the site to its peak level of jobs once hosted at the factory: more than 4,000 in the early 20th century, reportedly. The figure declined to 1,500 after World War II and less than 300 in 2001.
It will also include a school, a recreation center, and opportunities for “small, independent retailers.”
Outdoor enthusiasts can look forward to over five acres of park space, including sports fields, lawns, gardens and seating areas, and an “activated” waterfront esplanade with a kayak launch and a floating pool.
And for those who still fret about the loss of neighborhood history, the plan details the preservation of historic factory artifacts, including cranes and syrup tanks, to be incorporated into an elevated “artifact walk” that apparently aims to be the High Line of Williamsburg.
And true to the Williamsburg spirit, the architects boast that their plan will mean fewer cars, more bikes: something all the fixed-gear riders can cheer about.
Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat
