Billionaire Grocer, Catsimatidis Launches "The Eagle" and Completes 1,000-Unit Project in Downtown Brooklyn

By Ondel Hylton | From Brooklyn Thursday, January 4, 2018

Renderings of The Eagle via CIti Habitats

Brooklyn’s Myrtle Avenue is one the city’s outstanding turnaround stories. Previously nicknamed “Murder Avenue”, the east-west artery once rumbled with trains overhead and urban decay down below. Thanks to a consortium of community organizations under the umbrella of the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project LDC (MARP), the avenue is now abuzz with local shops and restaurants, with restored buildings and new developments standing above.

Near the avenue’s western terminus at MetroTech Center, John Catsimatidis with his company Red Apple Group has completed a four-building project known as The Myrtle Avenue Development Master Plan. The plan’s final number at 86 Fleet Place has been knighted The Eagle and has just commenced leasing. Rising 32 floors tall with 440 rentals inside, the Eagle offers an array of no fee apartments. with studios priced from $2,044/month, one-bedrooms from $2,743/month, and two-bedrooms from $4,050/month. Each residence will have floor-to-ceiling windows, walnut floors, large closets and an in-unit washer/dryer. Kitchens will have stainless steel appliances, custom oak cabinets, and Brazilian stone countertops; while baths have soaking tubs and oak vanities with quartzite countertops.

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Studio

One-bedroom

Two-bedroom

Residents of the Eagle will be able to enjoy more than 34,000 square feet of amenities that include a fitness center, a sundeck with cabanas, a private dog run, and a rooftop garden with sweeping views of the city. Other perks include a fully attended lobby and concierge, a business center, tenant lounge, party room, bike room and on-site parking.

Sited at the junction of Downtown Brooklyn and historic Fort Greene, Catsimatidis’ plan runs along the south side of Myrtle Avenue from Ashland Place to Flatbush Avenue Ext. The billionaire supermarket magnate and two-time mayoral hopeful acquired the 3-block site from Long Island University for $500,000 in July 1982. “I bought the properties when you had to come here with two guns,” Catsimatidis said during a 2014 press conference. “Just in case one of the guns runs out of bullets.”

The site back in 2006 (CityRealty)

The property once held a string of stores that included a Duane Reade, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Clean Spin Laundromat and Associated Supermarket. The site was rezoned in 2005 as part of the Bloomberg administration’s Downtown Brooklyn Plan and the first building began construction in 2008. Dattner Architects handled the design of all four rental buildings which step down in scale from 32 stories to 8 stories as they approach the low-rise confines of Fort Greene Park. Altogether there are roughly 1000 apartments with 50% designated market rate, 30% for middle-income earners, and 20% for low-income households. To foster pedestrian activity, the plan also includes 290,000 square feet of commercial space and sub-grade parking.

Drawing via Dattner Architects

Aside from The Eagle, the plan’s other rentals are the Andrea, the Margo, and the Giovanni— all of which opened in the last seven years. First came the Andrea at 218 Myrtle Avenue. Named for Castimatidis’ daughter, the 9-floor rental opened in 2010 with 95 units and a Catsimatidis-owned Red Apple Supermarket on the ground floor. Next came the Giovanni at 81 Fleet Place, an ode to John Catsimatidis, Jr. The 2016 building stands 15 stories with 205 apartments inside. Also opened in 2016 is the 15-floor Margo at 180 Myrtle It has 229 rentals and is named after Castimatidis’wife.

Partially thanks to Catsimitedes’ vision, this corner of Brooklyn has seen a dramatic transformation and is packed with an armada of new high-rises. We only wish the architecture was more memorable. Still yet to come is a Marvel Architects-designed affordable rental tower to rise on the grounds of the Ingersoll Houses nearby. In 2014, Catsimitedes told the Brooklyn Paper that once he’s done the Myrtle Avenue plan, he’ll focus his efforts on Coney Island. Staying true to his word, the developer has just begun construction on his 3-building Ocean Dreams project at the western end of historic beachfront.