Real Estate
'Hail Mary' To Save Grand Prospect Hall Still On Table: Neighbors
Even as developers move to build condos on the site, neighbors trying to save the venue are still hoping to make a deal with owners.
PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A group of neighbors trying to save Grand Prospect Hall are still hoping a "Hail Mary" business deal with developers can preserve at least part of the iconic venue, even as construction crews prepare to turn the site into condos.
There's only one problem — new owners won't answer their calls.
"We’re in this weird situation where despite the fact that we really could help the [new owners], they’re just not responding to us yet," Jim Glaser, who has been spearheading the effort, recently told Community Board 7. "But, they still haven’t torn the place down."
Find out what's happening in Park Slopefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Glaser is among a coalition of neighbors who have been trying for months to save the historic Grand Prospect Hall, where permits were filed this week to build 147 condos.
After a failed plea to designate the property a landmark, and as they wait for a slow-moving legal case against developers, the group has now set their sights on appealing to the new owners' business interests.
Find out what's happening in Park Slopefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The coalition has come up with at least two proposals they say could incentivize owners to include a venue on the first floor and basement of the new building, or at the very least keep the iconic facade of Grand Prospect Hall intact.
"I’ve always thought from the beginning we had to put together some kind of business deal or coalition that would get the new owner at least interested in talking," Glaser told Community Board 7's Land Use Committee, who has signed on to supporting the idea.
Among the ideas is to have the owners apply for a zoning variance to build a slightly taller building than what is allowed at the site in exchange for the first-floor venue. On top of the community board, Glaser has been working with elected officials needed to approve such a variance.
He hopes the venue will be a small price to pay for developers, who bought Grand Prospect Hall and 11 other properties in a $30 million deal.
"This is a 12-property assemblage they bought, so it's a huge amount of space," Glaser told the committee. "Going up just one more floor would create more than enough space for something we could call Prospect Hall — it may not be grand — [but] that would continue the legacy."
Developers, and neighbors, might also be interested in an idea floated in earlier years to turn the Prospect Expressway across the street from Grand Prospect Hall into a green space or affordable housing as part of the venue deal, Glaser said.
The boost to property values from the green space could entice developers, while the amenity and affordable housing might get neighbors worried about building heights on board, he said.
Still, all of the coalition's proposals will be a race against the clock — and require owners to come to the table.
The neighbors have reached out repeatedly to the Rigas family through their attorney and their advocacy firm with no luck, according to Glaser. Angelo Rigas did not return Patch's request for comment on Friday.
Developers were approved for a full demolition permit in November and Glaser, who can see the property from his roof, has watched as the tear down has ramped up in recent weeks.
The crews, who already gutted the interior over the summer, have started taking off the back of the building and, given the permit, could start the full tear down at any moment, Glaser said.
Read More:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
