WILLIAMSBURG — The rent may be affordable, but the babka is out of reach.
The Clinton Hill-based artisanal eatery Mekelburg's, which features pricey meat, cheese, beer $13 babka and $15 sandwiches, will open an outpost in a new residential and commercial building that includes a portion of affordable units for subsidized tenants earning as little as $21,772 a year.
Owner Alicia Mekelburg will be the anchor tenant in the still-under-construction building with a new bar, restaurant and shop at 325 Kent Ave., the first of five buildings being constructed and redeveloped by Two Trees Management at the old Domino Sugar Factory. The new complex is slated to open by early 2018, the developers said.
Beyond ground-floor retail, 325 Kent Ave. also houses 522 apartments, 104 of which are being raffled off to low and middle income families who earn between $21,772 and $54,360, through the city's housing lottery. Around 87,000 people applied.
“The Domino Sugar Factory site will soon be a top 24/7 destination in Brooklyn and we can’t wait to bring our favorite beers and bites to Domino and the surrounding Williamsburg community,” Mekelburg said.
Sandwiches cost around $15, cheese and meat platters range from $15 to $30. The owner points out that babka bought in the store costs $13, but $27 shipped free to your door.
Once it's completed, Two Trees' Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment project will include an 11-acre waterfront park designed by High Line architects, retail space, 600,000 square feet of office space, much of which will be located inside the landmark former sugar refinery, 2,100 market rate apartments and 700 subsidized ones.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story stated Merkelburg's babka costs $27. The store charges $27 to send babka to your house and that includes the price of shipping. The cost of babka at the store is $12.95.
