Neighbors Concerned About Gowanus Development
Tonight the Lightstone Development Group will present to Community Board Six’s Land Use Committee with an application to renew a special permit (previously acquired by the Toll Brothers) to build along the Gowanus Canal. They are seeking to increase the residential units from 447 condo units, under the Toll project, to 700 rental units. In…
Tonight the Lightstone Development Group will present to Community Board Six’s Land Use Committee with an application to renew a special permit (previously acquired by the Toll Brothers) to build along the Gowanus Canal. They are seeking to increase the residential units from 447 condo units, under the Toll project, to 700 rental units. In response to the development plans, residents formed a new community initiative called Save Gowanus. They are asking the City Planning Department for a new Environmental Impact Study to determine whether construction is appropriate beside the Gowanus Canal, a federal Superfund site. They are also concerned the high-density development will threaten the character of Carroll Gardens and Gowanus. (Read the full list of concerns here.) Save Gowanus members have distributed flyers about their initiative and the details of the project and are aiming for a sizable turnout at tonight’s Community Board Six meeting. If you are interested in attending, it’ll be at the PS 32 auditorium, 317 Hoyt Street, at 6:45 pm.
All the Details on Lightstone’s Gowanus Development [Brownstoner]
New Developer Eyes Toll Brothers’ Old Gowanus Site [Brownstoner]
Oops, bklynarch!! Your dirty little truth just slipped out! How on earth does someone which such disdain for the community he/she is serving ever get appointed to something called a “Community Board.” How can you state that “This meeting was a dog and pony show to give the community a sense that they are being heard, but it will not change the project or stop it from being built.” A SENSE that we are being heard? Just what community are you representing, anyway? The community of real estate developers? The community of people who don’t live in the community at all? How can you live with yourself, bklynarch? Love the dredgers but they made a deal with the devil here. And if the community had to shout to be heard, it’s only because we were treated like little children by some members of the committee (you, perhaps?). Granted, there may have been one disruptive nutjob in the audience, but don’t blame that on us.
The members of the community who were “pro” this project as it stands were FAR outnumbered by those who were against. How is that, bklynarch? Just keep calling the people who disagree with you crazy. Maybe that’s how you can manage to live with yourself, and convince yourself that you’re anything more than a developer’s patsy.
And continue condescend to us. And then what next? Tell us that we can eat cake?
http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2008/06/markowitz-purges-more-of-brooklyn.html
http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2008/06/markowitz-purges-more-of-brooklyn.html
Wow bklynarch, if you really are a community board member you need to resign immediately or ask your fellow community board members to stand behind your comments. And people wonder why the community board has very little credibility.
That’s right, brklynarch. Because I feel passionately about my neighborhood and the people in it, and can am able to point out all the corruption in this process, I’m an idiot. Because you are a passionless, condescending, self-satisfied bureaucrat, happy to cowtow to whoever shows up with money in their pocket, and with nothing but disdain for the people you are meant to serve (you admit this yourself), you are a genius. You should be ashamed of yourself.
See you on the esplanade? Not if I see you first, bklynarch. Not if I see you first…
Also, I’m pleased to report that CB6 did the right thing last night and voted to pass along a variety of recommendations, based on community concerns (including members of CB6), to the Department of City Planning, regarding the proposed Lightstone Project. Although I’ve heard that it is not likely to have much effect, I am very, very proud and grateful to CB6 to voting their conscience. It’s a beginning, anyway. In other words, the fat lady was silenced last nite, and no signing was heard.
Also, I’m pleased to report that CB6 did the right thing last night and voted to pass along a variety of recommendations, based on community concerns (including members of CB6), to the Department of City Planning, regarding the proposed Lightstone Project. Although I’ve heard that it is not likely to have much effect, I am very, very proud and grateful to CB6 to voting their conscience. It’s a beginning, anyway. In other words, the fat lady was silenced last nite, and no signing was heard.
Oldbrickbuilding (brklynarch, is that you?): don’t you worry: I *am* involved in the community. And don’t throw that “affordable units” business my way. It stinks — like a red herring. Because that’s all it is, and you know it as much as I do. In fact, the owner of this land pretty much received all of his money with the Toll Brothers purchase. Therefore, it should be available to be purchased a bit more affordably now. I grew up in public-funded “affordable housing” and I’d welcome a 100% affordable housing complex right on those blocks. Just build them to scale with the rest of the neighborhood, make sure there is an infrastructure to support the new residents and be certain you aren’t putting anyone in harm’s way. Because the way I see it, Toll Brothers walked away from the complex because they knew that if any of their buyers experienced health issues as a result of living right beside a canal (if it proved to be a cancer hotspot, for instance) they would get their asses sued off. But Lightstone isn’t worried about that, for two reasons: 1) people who rent are unlikely to have the means to bring a lawsuit and 2) renters move around too much for them to make a legal claim that where they once lived impacted their health. I know you are on the Community Board, and since this discussion has degenerated to the level of banal insults, I’ll add my own: maybe you should start paying a little more attention to what the community has to say and take your head out of the developer’s (gow)anus.
bklynarch,
Even if they wanted to, Community Board 6 could not stop it. City Planning was required to give them notice and the community board has thirty days to respond with comments that City Planning will most likely disregard. It is kabuki theatre but let’s hope some of our concerns will make it into any recommendation. Constituents should contact Brad Lander.