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December 26, 2007
Curbing Illegal Curb Cuts by Targeting Self-Certification
Brooklyn’s "paving wars" may yet come to a peaceful end, but not without striking a blow to the practice of self-certification. A number of City Council Members—including Vincent Gentile, Letitia James and Domenic Recchia, Jr.—have co-signed bills aimed at limiting curb cuts (whereby front yards are turned into parking spaces). The bills (here, here, and here), which are currently being considered by several community boards (CB9, for example, voted in favor of the legislation a week and a half ago), would not only require homeowners to “correct” curb cuts constructed without a DOB permit, they’d also make it impossible to use self-certification to create curb cuts. The Brooklyn Streets, Carroll Gardens blog sees the change as a good first step for killing self-certification completely: “Intro 619 would limit [self-certification] to exclude curb cuts. I would eliminate it altogether and put an end to self-certification once and for all. Chalk it up as one more miserable failure from the hand of Rudy Giuliani.” Think the curb-cutting bills could be the beginning of the end for self-certification?
Curb Cutting Spreading in Carroll Gardens [Brownstoner]
Not in My Front Yard? [Brownstoner]
Council Tries to Clamp Down on Self-Certifiers [Brownstoner]
Ending Illegal Curb Cuts, and Self-Certification [BSCG]
Intro 619, Intro 639, Intro 620 [NYC Council]
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Comments
The process before self-certification was worse -- not enough inspectors, and delays in inspections were really expensive. The building inspectors knew this, and so bribery was rampant -- pretty disgusting all around.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 11:02 AM
People are way too excited about this issue. It's just not that important. The argument against curb cutting is that people can't park their own cars where the curb cut is. Boo hoo. Your still trying to park a car at the end of the day.
How about allowing curb cuts, but not allowing street parking anywhere?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 11:12 AM
You're trying to legislate what people use their front yards for? Not being coy, but what's the argument against curb cuts? I've just never heard it articulated. I only hear 'curb cuts' mentioned in the same tone as 'alumiminum siding' and 'fedders'. Is it an aesthetic thing? Policy? What?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 11:17 AM
Ever been on a block with lots of curb cuts? As a visitor, it's impossible to park on the street at all. I have seen curb cuts so close that they actually eliminate any off street parking. Throw in a few fire hydrants and that finishes it. The only cars on the street are the curb cut owners 2nd cars that they park in their own no-parking zones.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 11:45 AM
It's not about regulating what people do with their property, it's about the city having the say over what happens on public streets. Having a curb cut is tantamount to having a private parking space at the curb in front of one's house, since no one else has a fair shot at parking there.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:05 PM
So is it just about the fact that it eliminates street parking? I've been on blocks like this- I live down the block from Park Place and 6th Ave where there are a lot of curb cuts. I really like that there are fewer cars trying to park on the street, and I like what the owners have done with their driveway gardens.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:07 PM
Wouldn't it be really refreshing if people thought; "It's really hard to park in the city, I shouldn't have a car"
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:08 PM
From my perspective, anyone who owns a car in the city should NOT feel entitled to free street parking.
I don't really care if the property owners cut their curbs- it's their front yard. If you've got a car in the city, it would be nice if you found an off-street place for it too. I don't care if it costs you a lot of money-- you've got a FREAKING car in the city, so if you've registered it properly, you're already paying through your ass for insurance and for gas. If you're keeping your out of state plates, and paying insurance back where some relative lives, then you should be given a ticket and/or put in jail.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:18 PM
"I like what the owners have done with their driveway gardens"
Yes - of course you do!, how can anyone not like poured concrete driveways?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:24 PM
Curb cuts are really ugly and chop up the otherwise available curb space so they reduce total parking spaces. They are particulaly ugly on brownstone blocks.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:26 PM
12:24 - Go check out the block- They done some creative gardening to blend with the driveways. Much better in many cases than people's non drivewayed front yards.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:27 PM
Concrete is offensive?!? New to the city? Are your delicate sensibilities under attack by Brooklyn's brutal reality?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:30 PM
Everyone here is accepting it as some sort if a given that available street parking is a good thing. Why is that?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:31 PM
If you bought a place, and it already had a curb cut, and you owned a car, would you put the raised curb back and park on the street?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 12:33 PM
12.30 - please stay in Queens, it suits your taste.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 1:06 PM
Umm. Queens in many places is much leafier and has less concrete than Brooklyn. Are you comparing LIC to Brooklyn Heights? Do you know many neighborhoods in either borough?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 1:09 PM
Understand that if you have a car, you wanna sleep close to it and hug it like a bear. Do you blame an obese family who's dependant on wheels?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 1:23 PM
1:23's comment stands for anyone who owns a car. Street parking is the same as driveway parking.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 1:28 PM
I spoon my car every night on the street in front of your house.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 1:29 PM
Queens has less concrete than brooklyn! HA! Do you even live in the city?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 2:19 PM
I would rather allow people to marry their cars than allow gay marriage.
Having a relationship with your car preserves the sanctity of marriage.
Cheese anyone?
suck it, PArk Slope
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 2:49 PM
I was visiting someone in Jackson Heights the other day. It felt like living in a parking lot.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 2:55 PM
I have lived more than 20 years in both boros (BRooklyn and Queens) Queens has less concrete.
2:19: not everyone lives in a housing project like you did and never saw a tree in their life.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 2:55 PM
Queens has more trees, Brooklyn has more trees, whatever. I think it can be safely said that Brooklyn on a whole has more of an active pedestrian prescense albeit one of a 19th Century victorian flanuer variety. I would also argue that Queens (and I have visited nearly every part) does not have streets like Montague, 5th Ave, Washington, ect... Queens has it's very own brand of street life, more suited to the bazaar (I mean this in a good way). The chaos of queens street life and sometimes the complete lack of it suits curb cuts, concrete driveways, and astro turf stoops very well. These elements are in direct conflict with the aura of the Brownstone Belt of brooklyn.
It's common sense as to where these curb cuts shuold be allowed in brooklyn. Coney Island Ave? Sure no problem, it's a stretch suited for automobile use anyway. President Street? Absolutely not. I know that down by 4th ave and the BQE there are curb cuts and the car is typically an oversized obnoxious SUV or commercial van. I really want to key them every time just for the fact that they disrupt the aesthetic of the block.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 4:18 PM
These nabes with parking in the paved front yards (and white-painted gates, and the spiral topiary, and plastic flowers, and Astroturf, and Greek statues, and on and on) are the most depressing in the city. Viva Staten Island.
Posted by: Rehab at December 26, 2007 4:20 PM
NYC zoning regulations should prohibit storing an automobile between the building line and the curb. It is unneighborly to use your property to store your car. If a home owner doesn't understand this, the law should make it clear. If you have a garage, you can have a curb cut, otherwise forget it.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 4:32 PM
brownstones are overbearing, ovewrought and depressing
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 5:07 PM
5:07 - And you are on Brownstoner why, exactly?
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 6:00 PM
4:32,
I think that this is already NOT permitted, which is why the intro permitting the City to remove illegal curb cuts and bill the building owners makes a lot of sense.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at December 26, 2007 6:07 PM
First, they rid Carroll Gardens of the Mafiosi and the grottoes. Then the Mom and Pop shops on Smith. Then the curbs. Now they wanna change Brooklyn into Queens.
Posted by: guest at December 26, 2007 7:05 PM
[…]Change may be the only constant, but there are more good diners remaining in the area. Several are along Fourth Avenue and there are many more along Third Avenue. One, at the corner of 3rd Ave and 7th St has probably the lowest prices in the area. It's also many times larger than the Donuts Coffee Shop.
Meanwhile, along 5th Ave, on the other side of 9th St -- the higher numbered streets -- there are lots of diners. A good one is on 5th Ave near the Prospect Expressway overpas.
http://www.Johnbeck.tv
[…]
Posted by: guest at December 27, 2007 12:30 AM
you can park more cars on a street with curb cuts... a car parked in a driveway is only taking up about 6 feet of street space (the width of the car) versus 12-15 if it was parked on the street.
Posted by: guest at December 27, 2007 12:59 AM
I want more curb cuts and more donkey statues and grottoes.
Posted by: guest at December 27, 2007 9:27 AM
"Curb Cuts" are illegal, in NYC Home Owners own their property. NOT city sidewalks. Get over it.
Posted by: guest at December 27, 2007 2:29 PM
"Curb Cuts" are illegal, in NYC Home Owners own their property. NOT city sidewalks. Get over it.
Posted by: guest at December 27, 2007 2:30 PM
Don't like curb cuts? Set up an anti-curb-cut fund!
http://capntransit.blogspot.com/2007/08/please-give-to-anti-curb-cut-fund.html
Posted by: Capn Transit at December 28, 2007 9:57 AM
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