Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY – Activists are up in arms over new renderings of the planned condos at the fabled Domino Sugar factory overlooking Manhattan because of what's missing: the iconic yellow Domino sign.
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"It just looks empty, like there is a void," said Community Board 1 member Dewey Thompson, who first saw the glitzy plans at a landmarks subcommittee meeting.
The controversy comes as the developer behind the site, CPC Resources, is looking to get approval from the Landmarks Commission to add an all-glass, five-story extension to the 124-year-old red-brick refinery, which closed in 2003.
The proposal, which also features six condo towers, is slated to go before the commission this week. Of the 2,200 apartments, 30% are slated to be affordable.
The building was landmarked this fall. At the time, officials said regulations stopped them from including the sign.
"I've lived in this neighborhood all my life, and the sign has always meant so much," said Luis Santiago, owner of a bar and restaurant several blocks from the factory. "When we saw the sign, we knew we were home. They should leave it. It's a major historical landmark, and to me, it'll always be important." [nydailynews]