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March 29, 2007
Sunset Park One Step Closer to Rezoning
At a community forum hosted by Mayor Bloomberg and attended by seven community boards on Tuesday night, Amanda Burden announced that the City Planning Commission was committed to completing a zoning study for Sunset Park by the end of the year. This news follows closely on the heels of the news that the tower planned for 420 42nd Street would be trimmed from 12 stories to six after much protest from the neighborhood and intervention by councilwoman Gonzalez. As we learned from an email from CB 7's Randy Peers, the campaign to attract City Planning's attention to the area dates back to 2005. The straw that broke the camel's back may have been the long list of out-of-scale developments that rezoning proponents submitted to Burden's office.
420 42nd Street Building Gets Cut in Half [Brownstoner]
Sunset Park To Enter Downzoning Olympics [Curbed]
Photo by isabelespinal
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Comments
great news for the nabe. remember when i said that greene bet. franklin/classon not organized? the building in sp loses some floors, but on greene?
Posted by: jake at March 29, 2007 9:55 AM
"... committed to completing ..." may well translate to "don't bet on it".
time will tell. i'll wager that the economic slowdown (already in progress, ladies and gentlemen, and as near as your door) will be the reason that anything that is "committed to completing" will remain incomplete until the headwinds have died down.
in english, they're not going to do a damn thing until they're good and ready. the economy slows, the developers take a rain check, and city plananing counts on the idea that everybody will forget about it so they can swoop in and get started building as soon as this all blows over.
last man standing, folks.
Posted by: suzy at March 29, 2007 10:11 AM
You do love U2, 'Stoner! Can we get Bono out here for some coexisting?
Posted by: elevated at March 29, 2007 10:25 AM
For all of those poor people out there, always remember zoning is the #1 cause of the lack of affordable housing.
http://post.economics.harvard.edu/hier/2002papers/HIER1948.pdf
These people are fringe lunatics. This entire hoopla was over the construction of a 12-story building. Such buildings were built ALL OVER NYC before anyone even thought of restricting property rights. It the construction of the Equitable Building to make anyone THINK of taking away peoples property rights.
And then of course, these same people screaming that a 6-story or 12-story building is too high are the same ones who hate the Atlantic Yards development because they are using emininent domain against a handful of obsolete 100-year old tenaments.
Sunset Park is a dump. It's always been a dump. That's why there are no tall buildings there. In the early 20th century people wanted to move to Bay Ridge and Park Slope - thus the tall buildings in those neighborhoods.
There is nothing worth preserving in Sunset Park. The neighborhood has great subway access and should be developed to the maximum density desired by the PEOPLE, not some fringe lunatics who don't have to work and can harass politicans at community board meetings.
If people buy or rent the apartments, democracy has spoken. The tyranny of these lunatics must end - otherwise the rest of us will continue to live in misery until these elderly fools finally die.
Posted by: Eryximachus at March 29, 2007 10:54 AM
thank you lord of the trolls
Posted by: Anonymous at March 29, 2007 11:07 AM
Erixy -- why so much hate? Honestly, you seem unhinged.
Posted by: SPer at March 29, 2007 11:27 AM
Sorry folks to glomm my post from curbed yesterday, but since erixy boy-o basically spewed the same shit, I might as well do a repeat performance. Perhaps I'll add more later to the frey...and away we go:
Eryximachus, thank you for being as eloquent as always. I love the way you are able to spew total BS and make it sound credible.
"quality of the housing there is inferior"
Are you refering to the brownstones, limestones or brick structures? Perhaps the Finnish Coops? Or the historic coordoor along the park? SSP has as unique a building style(s) as major parts of "brownstone" Brooklyn like the North/Central Slope and Brooklyn Heights.
Sure, there is some sub-par frame stock, but nothing a bit of TLC can help (I speak from experience, but you and I have sparred on this before). Re-use is key here.
As far as higher density, that is why it is called a "REZONING." CPC is always looking for areas to allow higher density, while preserving areas of lower density housing. And heck, there's going to be a percentage of the SSP population who wants/needs higher density.
That's where SPAN and other community groups come in and assist City Council, CB7 and CPC in making sure EVERYONE'S needs are addressed.
Seems pretty reasonable to me and about time!
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at March 29, 2007 12:01 PM
Sorry folks to glomm my post from curbed yesterday, but since erixy boy-o basically spewed the same shit, I might as well do a repeat performance. Perhaps I'll add more later to the frey...and away we go:
Eryximachus, thank you for being as eloquent as always. I love the way you are able to spew total BS and make it sound credible.
"quality of the housing there is inferior"
Are you referring to the brownstones, limestones or brick structures? Perhaps the Finnish Coops? Or the historic coordoor along the park? SSP has as unique a building style(s) as major parts of "brownstone" Brooklyn like the North/Central Slope and Brooklyn Heights.
Sure, there is some sub-par frame stock, but nothing a bit of TLC can help (I speak from experience, but you and I have sparred on this before). Re-use is key here.
As far as higher density, that is why it is called a "REZONING." CPC is always looking for areas to allow higher density, while preserving areas of lower density housing. And heck, there's going to be a percentage of the SSP population who wants/needs higher density.
That's where SPAN and other community groups come in and assist City Council, CB7 and CPC in making sure EVERYONE'S needs are addressed.
Seems pretty reasonable to me and about time!
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at March 29, 2007 12:01 PM
Oh, Eryxi, my buddy...I did not know folks in their mid-thirties are considered "elderly."
Perhaps "foolish," sometimes...but never about protecting and representing their communities.
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at March 29, 2007 12:10 PM
i agree with Eryxi. where are people gonna build and live? in the suburbs and tear down more forest and farm land?
you gotta put density some where, might as well be in a city. thats what cities are for density.
Posted by: armchair_warrior at March 29, 2007 1:31 PM
i bet there is not one Latino/Puerto Rican/Mexican person commenting about this...the majority or people that live and work and enjoy Sunset Park. but i guess that doesn't matter since everyone wants them out to building "affordable white housing".
Posted by: Anonymous at March 29, 2007 2:22 PM
If you read the article I posted, it is minorities who are disproportionately hurt by restrictive zoning.
Density restrictions are the #1 way communities restrict the influx of minorities. What if we decided to mandate minimum 1/4 acre lots in Sunset Park? You'd see very few minorities ever be able to move to the neighborhood.
These kinds of zoning laws only HELP the rich white owners of brownstones and apartments because it keeps prices high. They don't want anyone to compete with them.
If we leveled all of sunset park and constructed 20-story apartment buildings, every minority in Brooklyn could afford a decent apartment, cheap.
It really is that simple folks.
Oh, and lostinbrooklyn - the only people i've seen in community board meetings in their 30s look like they should be in an asylum.
Posted by: Eryximachus at March 29, 2007 4:55 PM
Eryximachus, well, then I guess that would be 1/2 the Board then. Got a whole new brunch of youngin's in now. Please do come up to the Executive Committee and introduce yourself next time you are there. They can point me out.
I'm the "crazy looking one."
(And I actually don't believe you have EVER attended a meeting, if I am wrong, name one topic other than zoning that has been discussed in the past 3 months...there's been a ton, if you need a hint, let me know)
Funny thing is, 1/3 (if not more) of the Board is of Latino, Chinese or African American decent...not just a bunch of white folks, so your diversity comments are again worthless.
But what's new?
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at March 29, 2007 5:17 PM
Ha, looked up the troll's name on Answers.com
"Eryximachus - A doctor and a guest at Plato's symposium. He is presented throughout as rather pompous, confident in his medical skills, and insistent on ..."
Why go on?
Posted by: Anonymous at March 29, 2007 5:22 PM
Lostinbrooklyn, can you read? I could care less about the diversity of the community board - this doesn't change the fact that density restrictions disproportionately affect minorities negatively. It also doesn't change the fact that many, if not most, municipalities that have density restrictions do so out of racist or classist motivations.
I may just start coming to your meetings to stir up trouble - but you won't know for sure it's me. I love making the crazies, you know, a bit crazy!!!
In the meantime, I'll continue to fight for a rational approach to land usage in this city - such that the whims of the landed gentry are put far below the needs of the rest of the people who are not as fortunate as you. I'm also pushing for single family homes to be assessed at the full market value, and the tax rate to be doubled.
If you want to maintain the housing shortage and requisite high prices, I want people like you to pay!
Posted by: Eryximachus at March 30, 2007 1:24 PM
I'm not sure what re-zoning does for any community. All I know is that I've lived in SSP for 6 years now, and the biggest builders are the Chinese and they tend to build big ugly poorly contructed apartments that are immediately rented by all. Mostly to the "minorities" (in this nabe, this is the majority.) These apartments are so cheap, I live in one-- although if I made more money I'd move to a nicer apartment in SSP in a second.
At the end of the day rezoning-reschmoozing. The group with the most money wins.
But hey, maybe I'll stop being such a cynic and attend one of these community board meetings!
Posted by: yikes at March 30, 2007 2:58 PM
Eryximachus, you're an idiot. What do you think community boards are for if not for residents of that community to express how they want their community run? It's called democracy, you fool, and I hope there's no room for bone-heads like yourself ever in Sunset Park. Stay in Manhattan. I've been in this neighborhood for 50 years, and we don't need 12 storey buildings just so you and your yuppie friends can crowd a neighborhood where you're not wanted.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 2, 2007 12:07 PM
so is sunset park being gentrified? if so, how quickly?
Posted by: Aaron at May 5, 2007 6:02 AM
As a 3-year resident and property owner in Sunset Park, I'm wondering something:
Erixy suggests "If we leveled all of sunset park and constructed 20-story apartment buildings, every minority in Brooklyn could afford a decent apartment, cheap."
Aside from the sociological and economic pitfalls of this approach (let's pack every minority in Brooklyn into cheap apartments), tell me, WHERE WOULD EVERYONE PARK?
Or do people of color not drive in your world?
Posted by: MikeR at June 1, 2007 7:12 PM
Everyone should visit the Park in Sunset Park and watch a sunset there before jumping to any conclusion. Its one of the best views in all of Brooklyn, and to box it in would be a loss to everyone.
A "view-corridor" rezoning might be a good middle-ground, allowing for taller buildings down near the water where the elevations are lowest.
Posted by: guest at August 23, 2007 12:01 PM
Sunset Park needs to remain the way it is. We have all seen what happened to Park Slope, it has lost that neighborhood feeling. I own a home there and although I am glad I can rent it out to some schmuck (lol) for a lot fo money, I miss they way it was when I was growing up. I have now purchased a nice brownstone in Sunset Park and I love it here. I like that it has a lot of mom and pop shops, and no buildings so tall that you can hardly see the sky, I love the view of the water which would also be eventually lost with the construction of high rises. I say we need to start charging a fee for city people to come into Brooklyn, kind of like what Bloomerg is planning for NYC :-) Sunset Park has a genuine small town feel to it. All of those people who feel the need to live in big buidling should just stick to Manhattan and if they can't afford it, they should move back to whatever hole in the wall they came from!!
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 7:02 PM
Sunset Park needs to remain the way it is. We have all seen what happened to Park Slope, it has lost that neighborhood feeling. I own a home there and although I am glad I can rent it out to some schmuck (lol) for a lot fo money, I miss they way it was when I was growing up. I have now purchased a nice brownstone in Sunset Park and I love it here. I like that it has a lot of mom and pop shops, and no buildings so tall that you can hardly see the sky, I love the view of the water which would also be eventually lost with the construction of high rises. I say we need to start charging a fee for city people to come into Brooklyn, kind of like what Bloomerg is planning for NYC :-) Sunset Park has a genuine small town feel to it. All of those people who feel the need to live in big buidling should just stick to Manhattan and if they can't afford it, they should move back to whatever hole in the wall they came from!!
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 7:02 PM
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