GRAND STREET

The City Council approved the Grand Street downzoning yesterday, despite a last-minute opposition campaign mounted by a group of small-scale Williamsburg landowners.

The proposal to limit building heights to 4-6 stories was pushed through in less than a year to stop construction of two high-rise residential buildings designed by the neighborhood’s most ubiquitous architect, Karl Fischer.

While the downzoning will affect 250 properties in the neighborhood and cost $400 million, according to the new group calling themselves the Grand Home and Business Owners' Organization, not all Williamsburg developers are against the move.  read more »

The new landlord of an old Chinatown shop that was repeatedly raided by counterfeit-merch cops this past summer has counter-sued the city for $8.5 million in damages.The offending retailer, known as G.T. Trading, has since been booted from the premises, located at 196 Grand Street, and the landlord claims to have even removed the former tenant's secret stash room.

Yet, an ongoing court injunction prevents the owner from leasing out the now-vacant 400-square-foot space and may further cause the owner to default on his mortgage, according to court papers.  read more »