A new luxury condo building in Brooklyn has all the amenities — game room, roof deck, private gym, even a pool — that anyone could hope for. But it's not jealousy that has neighbors peeved about the new 15-story building, it's the bizarre sound coming from the building that has kept them up at night.
Dealing with noise is just a fact of life for anyone living in New York City, but the persistent, shrill whistling coming from the building on the corner of Henry Street and Pacific Street in Cobble Hill has led to numerous complaints from neighbors.
The city's 311 line has been inundated with complaints about the sound that happens all hours of the day and night.
"It almost sounds like the subway screeching," Chris Valentini said of the sounds, which are similar to the noise of a subway train going around a turn. "But it's constant, and it usually happens late at night."
Neighbors have recorded the the spooky whistling sound, which has invaded their dreams for months. The noise is so disturbing for some that it stops them right in their tracks.
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"If you live close by and it's a windy night, and you are trying to sleep, that would be horrible," said Michael Swikehardt.
A representative for Fortis, the developer of the project told neighbors that the dreadful screeching is the wind whipping around newly installed metal balconies — stand-out features on the still-under-construction building.
Nearby residents say that the hollowing seems to grow louder at night, when the wind picks up. One said it "changes pitch and frequency all the time," while another called the sound "troubling."
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Residents now want NYC’s Department of Environmental Protection to put a stop to it as soon as possible.
Valentine said the noise makes it hard to sleep, and hopes the department and building ownership are looking into the matter. A company spokesperson told NBC New York that "this is not uncommon in new buildings. We are currently investigating to find out why this is happening, and we will resolve it."
Neighbors said a Fortis representative reassured them engineers are working on a fix.
Nevertheless, people in the are are longing for the days when it’s just the song birds interrupting their thoughts. Until then, they are at the mercy of the wind — even if some in the neighborhood has some secret hopes about what could be causing it: aliens.
“If it is aliens. I was like this is my time. Let’s go,” said Winston Chang.
