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DOWNTOWNBROOKLYN REAL ESTA TEmm__ %u2666% *j l L- ** %u2022* i ^\\ \\J *%u25a0*%u25a0 t - %u00ab & ,%u00bb*%u2022Orlofsky inspects the work on buildings that are being gutted and rebuilt inside. (Phoenix/Koch Photos)Continued from Preceeding Pagemove somewhere else,%u201d he explains. %u201cFinally we decided to stay committed.Moving into his new location, Orlofsky planned to buy the building to prevent future dislocations, but before he had finished renovating the property, the building landed in another owner%u2019s hands. %u201cWe had a 20 year lease, but the man who bought it was a speculator and when the City condemned the property as part of the Atlantic Terminal urban renewal plan, our lease was not worth anything.BECAME A PARTICIPANTIt was shortly after that time, that he first began to think of himself as a possible active participant in the plan, rather than a dislocated florist. %u201cI always dreamed that at some point this area would be great. I was convinced that this area would have a comeback, but it was a question of timing.It could have happened when I was dead,%u201d he says with a shrug.His own visions for improvement included a vision for his own store. %u201cYou know,%u201d he says with a smile, %u201cevery retailer has a dream of having the nicest and the best. We want to be that.%u201dOne big expansion came with the greenhouse and nursery on the block across Flatbush Avenue from his main store, a move that came about also through City involvement.%u201cThe City wanted us to go over there and they were trying to spruce up the area soThere is no point in keepingany of these buildings empty.This is where we live andwhere our customers andneighbors are. We have acommitment to this area.We've been here 40years.When Martin Orlofsky is finished with his project several years down the road, he will have the renovation of 11 buildings under his belt and the construction of 11 new buildings on what is now vacant land.Orlofsky says the plans for the new construction are still in formative stages, but that the Phase I renovation will create 39 rental units which he says will be renting at the market price, in the three buildings currently standing on State Street, the four on Flatbush Avenue and the four on Atlantic Avenue. He plans that the first floor units of the State Street residences will be for disabled people.In the 11 new buildings to be constructed,that when people came and parked their cars for the Brooklyn Academy of Music, it wouldn%u2019t look so dilapidated,%u201d he recalls. %u201cBAM had a grant to build a parking lot but they ran out of money and couldn%u2019t open it. It ended up that we gave them money for lights and that was our rent for a few years,%u201d he says.BUSINESS CONTINUED ON BLOCKAccording to Orlofsky, despite the condemnation of the building on Flatbush and Fourth Avenues, commercial tenants continued to carry on their business on the block, including himself. %u201cThe City becameOrlofsky says the architecture will be tied to the existing buildings, retaining the same height of four stories and will contain approximately the same number of rental units as the renovated buildings.The renovated property calls for a number of commercial spaces. There will be four storefronts along Atlantic Avenue, four storefronts on Flatbush and two on State Street. The new construction will add commercial space onto Atlantic Avenue, but not State Street.For the Phase I half of the project, the 39 rental units will be divided into 37 twobedroom apartment, one 1-bedroom apartment and one efficiency. %u2014 L.K.the owner but they didn%u2019t know what they would do; so as long as the building was here, we were here. All the commercial space was occupied,%u201d he explains.Finally, he decided to move on his idea for urban renewal. %u201cThis building is one of the most important and visible buildings in the Hub here,%u201d he says. %u201cThe was no point in keeping any of these buildings empty. I was very confident that we had a successful place and this is basically our home. This is where we live and where our customers and neighbors are. We have a commitment to this area and to them. We%u2019ve been here 40 years,%u201d he says.Up against six other proposals for the property, Orlofsky was originally named the developer of the site five years ago and finally closed the deal with the City last November.Now the work with the contractors is underway and Orlofsky points out that he has learned something in his 40 years of changing climate. %u201cIf there is a turn in the economy and the neighborhood has problems, we%u2019ll have apartments that are big beautiful spaces, and people will always want those,%u201d he says.But most important of all, he stresses, is his new store. %u201cIf I end up with a beautiful new shop and no profit, I wouldn%u2019t be unhappy,%u201d he says. %u201cMy biggest desire is to have my beautiful shop and a beautiful building.%u201dWhat the Work Will Create:M M %u2014 %u2014lullCHOICE COMMERCIAL ANDRESIDENTIAL PROPERTIESWIIH A MG RO W THAREASI NC EN T R A LBROOKLYN-Storefronts-C om m ercial Buildings-A partm ent Buildings-O n e , Two and ThreeFamily Buildings-W arehouse Space-Lots For Developm entB JCOfl[AYdPANY iREALES%u00bbTATE SINCE 1866H rooklyn Heights M um Office162 Montague St. !j.r)!> Madison Avo.n ,n /.lk m w i o m \\ , .u V,,lL MVPRICES FROM $ 4 0 ,0 0 0Buyer secures financing: Brokers invitedFor Sale by Owner,718 875 1289 2I2-688-K71H) The Sheffield Rehabilitationjie i'itie iiii Village Weslcliesler86 Christopher Si. 121 Main St.Ncu York. M 10(111 living!..... Hudson.212-001-1100 NY III\0IT591-H0S1 %u25a0%u25a0CorporationCall (718)636-6913Page 20, THE PH O EN IX, May 29,1986The Real EstateSpecialistsServing Brooklyn's Brownstone Neighborhoods Since 1967Stop by our offices to meet our staff,all of whom live and work inthe area we serve.W e H an d leResidential %u2022 Com m ercialSales and RentalsLofts %u00ae Co-ops %u2022 Condos%u25a0 %u25a0 %u25a0 M MilllkMARILYN A. DONAHUELicensed Real Estate Broker