PARK SLOPE — A derelict Third Street property that neighbors have complained about for decades will soon be transformed into something Park Slope "needs" — luxury condos, a representative for the developer said.
"We're excited and we want the community to be excited too," said Tinnie Chan Sassano, a broker with Compass, who will handle the building's sales and marketing.
The dilapidated building, at 497 Third St., near Seventh Avenue, has long been a source of speculation and frustration for locals, who've complained to the city repeatedly about its rundown condition.
Considered by some to be a "mystery" house, neighbors have wondered for decades why the property, which is on an extra-wide, desirable street, has remained untouched.
Chan Sassano said owner Carlos Hernandez and his family have long wanted to spruce up the building, but they've been hindered by several factors "out of their control," including health problems and identity theft. Though local lore pins the delay on a dispute between family members, Chan Sassano said there was no family spat over the property.
Hernandez's son, Bryan Hernandez will lead the renovation under his company, Kaito Management.
"Bryan has listened to the community,” Chan Sassano said. “[He wants] to make it beautiful again."
Hernandez filed plans last week to transform the building into four "beautifully designed" condos and a ground-floor commercial space that will "serve the community," Chan Sassano said. Three of the condominiums will be full-floor two-bedrooms, and the fourth will be three-bedroom duplex on the fifth and sixth floors.
The ground-floor commercial space will be designed to attract tenants that will be a good fit for the neighborhood, Chan Sassano said.
"The building is going to be ultra luxurious," Chan Sassano said. "They’re paying a lot of attention to the amenities. The design will pay homage to the past but embrace the changing tastes of today’s buyers."
She added that the project will meet pent-up demand for luxury condos in Park Slope.
"There’s a need for it," Chan Sassano said.
Some neighbors aren't so sure about that.
John Casson, a vocal advocate for expanding Park Slope's historic district, said he and other preservationists are nervous about the renovation. The property isn't landmarked, which means the renovation won't require approval by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. That could leave the door open to a renovation that doesn't mesh well with its graceful surroundings, Casson said.
There's a glaring example of a poorly handled renovation nearby, Casson said, where a dentist's office on the other side of Third Street and Seventh Avenue recently installed a glass door and a picture window in the ground floor of a brownstone.
"It's just an ugly box," Casson said, and he worries the same could happen at 497 Third St.
The renovation could even have consequences for the entire block, Casson said. Preservationists hope to add the block to Park Slope's historic district, but the LPC could decide to exclude the block if the renovated 497 Third St. is too jarring.
"The LPC turned down some really nice blocks in the north Slope because of poor renovations," Casson said. "There's that risk and it makes people very nervous."
