RUMORSVILLE: Trader Joe's Coming to Washington Ave?

A Trader Joe's might be moving in to the majestic-looking bank building on Washington Avenue, between Lincoln Place and Eastern Parkway in Prospect Heights.

But, don't feel bad for the Key Food guys, because they also told our anonymous source that they have already made a deal to turn it into a Duane Reade. Do feel a little worried for Ludwig's Drug Store, the small mom and pop shop a few doors down from the Key Food (and possible future Duane Reade).

So, is it true? As we know from the Cobble Hill location, TJ's loves a former bank building, and the Capital One is definitely history. Some of us over here in Prospect Heighs remember when the rumors swirled about retail space on the ground floor of the Richard Meier building, so we should all take it with a grain of salt. Really cheap salt.

New Look: BAM South

New York YIMBY uncovered new renderings for Two Trees’ planned skyscraper at 286 Ashland Place, also known as the BAM South site, by landscape architects Grain Collective. The renderings of the landscaping show a new view of the 32-story tower as well as details of the outdoor and cultural space. The public courtyard features a stepped sitting area and raised platform.

As reported, the development will have 384 apartments, 20 percent of which will be affordable. The building will also have 21,928 square feet of retail, 45,148 square feet of cultural space (including a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library), and a large outdoor courtyard.

The architect of record is Ismael Levya, and Ten Arquitectos is designing the development.

Signage Up at Flatbush Ave Shake Shack

Construction has been progressing on the second Brooklyn location of Shake Shack, coming to Flatbush Avenue between Dean and Pacific Streets, since soon after the rumors were confirmed back in February, and it appears that they're getting ready to open.

The sidewalk shed has come down (revealing an attractive restoration of the facade, which had been covered with metal sheeting for decades) and signage has gone up.

The understated sign is standard for the chain, with a Neutraface font that will light up in neon. There's also a smaller burger-shaped vertical sign jutting from the brick at far left.

Meanwhile, the interior appears to be nearing completion. It looks like the majority of fixtures (including at least two televisions) have been installed, with just the finishing touches remaining.

Crown Heights Gets a Mural

Artist Mike Perry has painted a new mural on Bergen Street between Franklin and Classon. It says “Crown Heights” and depicts people and buildings among trees and flowers. He lives in Crown Heights, and his studio is located on the block, in the Monti building at 925 Bergen. The colorful wall is the first in an ongoing mural project Perry is curating with Sue Boyle and Benton Brown, the owners of the lot.

Lots of Bike Corrals Planned for Prospect Heights

Community Board 8′s Transportation Committee voted last night to install four new bike corrals in front of bars and restaurants on Vanderbilt and Washington avenues in Prospect Heights. The corrals will bring bike parking to three bars on Vanderbilt: Bar Chuko on the corner of Pacific Street, Milk Bar at Prospect Place (pictured) and Branded at Bergen Street.

Bar Corvo is also slated for a bike corral on the corner of Washington Avenue and Lincoln Place. The whole board still has to vote before it’s a done deal, but approval is likely.

Doughnut Plant Coming to Flatbush Avenue

This is either really good news or really bad news, depending on your diet: An outpost of The Doughnut Plant, widely regarded as one of the finest and most creative doughnut shops in the city, will be opening up on the northern end of Park Slope, in the triangular building on Flatbush and Sixth Avenues last occupied by Yummy Taco.

Owner Mark Isreal began selling doughnuts on the Lower East Side in 1994, based on recipes that had been in his family for generations. He opened the first Doughnut Plant near the Manhattan Bridge in 2000, and thanks to creations like the jelly-filled square doughnut and the tres leches, creme brulee, and chocolate pudding-filled blackout doughnut, it's become quite successful: a location opened in Tokyo in 2004 and a 23rd Street location opened in 2011.

Yummy Taco, a middle-of-the-road Tex-Mex spot, closed back in December. Isreal seems quite excited about taking over the triangular building, which he's been calling the "Flatbush Flatiron," according to DNAinfo. He's also referring to the buildout as a "restoration project," certainly a good sign.

Along with an outpost of Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone's renowned sandwich shop Parm opening on Flatbush between Bergen and Dean and a Shake Shack opening a block away, I think we can safely say that the arrival of the Barclays Center has been a positive culinary influence on the surrounding stretch of Flatbush.

Artist Mark Ravitz's "Drips" Return to 200 7th Avenue

It's been about a year and a half since a fire ravaged the building on 7th Avenue between Second and Third Streets owned by artist Mark Ravitz, the home to at least seven of his signature "drips" over the past 34 years. It's nice to see that the building has been repaired, and a new set of drips has gone up on the facade.

This incarnation keeps the familiar motif of organic-looking melting globs (the piece on the lower left is a holdover from the previous installation), but this time pigeons make an appearance, in metallic shades of red, blue, purple, gold, and teal. The storefront remains vacant, well over two years since the MetLife Home Loans office closed its doors.

A remnant of the public art movement that took hold of the city in the late 1970s and early 1980s, these drips have been one of the most whimsical little quirks of the neighborhood for decades, and it's nice to have them back.