Development Sweeps Through Broome St.

Last night, Community Board 2 gave a reluctant nod to a new development at the site of the current Tunnel Garage, at 520 Broome Street at the corner of Thompson Street. The board also passed a resolution calling on the Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider landmarking the current building, which was built in 1922 and designed by H.O. Hamilton, but as David Reck, the chair of the board's zoning committee said, "As far as getting it landmarked before construction proceeds, it's not going to happen." The new building will be eight stories tall with 48 residential units in floors two through eight, and will have 7,340 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and 117 parking spaces underground. The board made several stipulations in its resolution: The developer must engage in discussions with the community and adjust its designed to address community concerns; the massing should be redesigned to accommodate as many lot line windows as possible; and as much of the historic facade should be preserved as possible. The project must go through the Board of Standards and Appeals still, as a zoning variance is needed before it begins. It has not yet been calendared at the B.S.A. -Matthew Grace