Charter School Signs 81K SF Lease For Techy Space In Dumbo Heights

77 Sands St. In Brooklyn's Dumbo Heights Neighborhood As Of September 2017

The former Jehovah's Witnesses complex in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood will now include a charter school.

Brooklyn Lab has signed a lease for the second through fifth floors, plus the 12th floor, of 77 Sands St. from owners Kushner Cos., LIVWRK and RFR Realty, the New York Post reports. The group purchased the buildings that make up the Dumbo Heights development from Jehovah's Witnesses in 2013 for $375M.

Brooklyn Lab, which also has locations in Downtown Brooklyn, will build out an 81K SF school with its own canopied entrance with input from students and parents and the help of architecture firm AKA Studio. The second through fifth floors will include classrooms, performance and assembly spaces and multipurpose rooms, while the 12th floor will be dedicated to student conference and presentation rooms for advanced placement projects, according to the Post.

Representatives from Brooklyn Lab noted Dumbo Heights' modern, tech-oriented tenants like WeWork and Etsy as driving factors in choosing 77 Sands St. Education technology firm 2U also leases space in the complex. Two different Newmark Knight Frank teams represented Brooklyn Lab and the owners in the lease, which was reportedly in the mid-$50s/SF range.

After joining in on the 1.2M SF Dumbo Heights purchase and redevelopment, RFR was rumored to partner with Kushner Cos. and LIVWRK for the acquisition of the Watchtower complex, but CIM Group became the third partner instead.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's New York Newsletters
Related Stories

How Long Island Projects Can Cut Through Red Tape And Community Opposition To Cross The Finish Line

Empire State Building Observation Deck Hemorrhaging Visitors, Value

Slate, Hudson Cos. Picked To Develop Massive Queens Housing Project

BXP's 343 Madison Lands $1.2B Loan, Nears Deal With Equity Partner

Mamdani Adds Millions To Program Helping Retailers Negotiate With Landlords

Canadian REIT Buys Brooklyn Medical Office For $90M: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

NYC Stops Construction On Another Office-To-Residential Conversion As Inspectors Descend On Job Sites

SL Green Cashing In On Surging Manhattan Office Market

Developers Build More Bedrooms As 99-Unit Projects Dominate

Mamdani Names Anthony Shorris CEO, Lina Khan Chair Of EDC

Landlords Sue Rental Board, Claiming 'Sham Process' Led To Rent Freeze

GO Residential Buys Brooklyn Building For $109M: The N.Y. Deal Sheet