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Red Hook Shopping Mall: A Premature Revelation
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 11, 2009
Modified Feb 11, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 11, 2009
Modified Feb 11, 2009
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Check it out, check it out! Red Hook may have lost its iconic Revere Sugar Refinery Dome, but look what the neighborhood is gaining on that mostly-cleared parcel of land adjacent to IKEA: A 376,000 square foot shopping mall with a massive BJ's, the discount big box wholesaler you can find all over the United States of Generica! These renderings leaked to Curbed/Racked reveal the vast breadth of the project (first hinted at last September), which would be the largest retail development in over two decades. If you build it, they will shop?
A spokesman for the developer, Thor Equities, cautions that these images you are about to see are very preliminary and in some cases "not accurate." But according to these designs, the project, called The Hook, would incorporate the brick facade from the last building left on the site, turning the interior into a food court. Of course, in light of our current economic, uh, asphyxiation, who knows how this will end up.
Also, the mastermind behind this proposed retail mecca is none other than Joe "Snidely Whiplash" Sitt, the same developer currently tying Coney Island to the proverbial train tracks. He'll need the city's cooperation in rezoning the site and approving the plans, and right now relations are a tad strained because of the Coney Island mess. Sitt told the Observer yesterday he's still "excited" about Coney Island, and is planning "a flea market" somewhere by the boardwalk this summer. He also insists he's "got the capital for both these projects," referring to The Hook and another development in Bay Ridge.
And in other Red Hook news, the Times has it that Phoenix Beverages, one of the city’s largest beer distributors, has reached a "tentative agreement" to move to two piers on the waterfront in, as previously discussed. An estimated 10 million to 12 million cases of beer would be unloaded annually at Pier 11 and stored in the warehouses, bringing some jobs and keeping Phoenix from moving to Jersey. But many local residents, who previously lost their battle to block the IKEA, are none too pleased about the agreement, contending "truck traffic would be unbearable." Just wait til they feast their eyes on The Hook!
Tagged
bj's
brooklyn
joe sitt
mall
red hook
renderings
retail
the hook
thor equities
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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