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December 18, 2007
Terrapin Park Still Far From Complete
We haven't been all that impressed with progress on Terrapin Playground, the section of J.J. Byrne Park that Novo developer Shaya Boymelgreen pledged to revamp in exchange for using the public park as a staging area during the Novo's construction. The playground, which is supposed to include eight new handball courts, two new basketball courts, a skate area, and a dog run area, was originally slated to be completed this summer, then this fall, and now—who knows? Not the Parks Dept., anyway. A Parks rep told us they "don't have a new estimated date of completion but we're still working with them and monitoring their progress. While the original goal was to have it completed in 2007, there were some unforeseen complications involving the park's plumbing and drainage system. They're working to resolve that but during the winter, construction work often becomes weather dependent."
What's the ETA on Boymelgreen Park? [Brownstoner] GMAP
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Comments
I really can't believe someone isn't stepping up to the plate to get some answers on why this is taking so long.
It's a disgrace.
That building with all the problems it has added to the neighborhood during construction should be BENDING OVER BACKWARDS to make sure this was done in a timely fashion.
It's really disrespectful. As if I had much respect to begin with for that eyesore.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 12:01 PM
Didn't know there were so many handball enthusiasts out there reading this blog who are inconvenienced by the fact that they can't go and play in the middle of December with temps in the 20's and 30's.
Interesting.
P.S. Gabby, keep up the anti-developers and anti-4th Ave propaganda. Your tireless efforts are making the world a better place.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 12:15 PM
Who is this Gabby? A nimby? I want to know where this person lives so we can egg it.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 12:22 PM
12:15 -- You minimize the amenity. Terrapin was supposed to be completed a lon gtime ago. Countless softball,handball, skateboard, and basketball "enthusiasts," not to mention kids learning to ride bikes, toy radio car enthusiasts and others, were denied the promised amenities all fall. Even in its pre-Novo cracked asphalt jungle incarnation, Terrapin was heavily used by many each year right up until winter set in. Allowing a developer to occupy a public park at great length while it builds is a privilege. The City held up its end of the bargain in allowing the develoepr to do so, and people are right to complain when the developer does not make good on the return promise. One does not have to be anti-development to complain when the developer goes back on his promises to the public.
Posted by: slopefarm at December 18, 2007 12:29 PM
Cry me a river. The stupid city officials should have charged rent for use of the city park as a staging ground for condo construction, but they didn't. The idiot people working at the city should be fired for this.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 12:32 PM
12:29. I though 'real' slopers didn't go that close to 4th Avenue. I thought 4th Avenue was a hideous dump that people in the slope are proud to declare they don't live anywhere near (even if it's only a block or two) and wouldn't go near. Now suddenly tarrapin is an important public resource, used and beloved by the community.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 12:38 PM
Why is this site full of so many assholes? And why does it matter where this park is located? The developer should hold up their end of the deal no matter where they are constructing be it 4th Ave., Cobble Hill, Red Hook, East Village
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 12:48 PM
12:32, what is the source of information for your statement that the city did not charge rent for this?
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 12:51 PM
They should have made it a stipulation of getting the C of O for the building that the park had to be completed...
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 12:53 PM
Slopers to Boymelgreen: 'we don't like your building...and 4 Ave is a hideous monstrosity...but it's OUR hideous monstrosity...and though we love to denigrate it, you can't touch it.'
What 'deal' is there between the developer and the city that the park would be done by a certain date? Where is that deal documented? The building isn't done, it's still being built, so of course the park isn't done? What city office or official committed the developer to finish by a specific date?
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 12:55 PM
Sometimes I think Gabby's mandate from Brownstoner is to "spice up" the blog with posts she/he knows will rile people up and make for long threads.
Without commenting on the "deal" between the City and Boymelgreen my comment is:
Why so much paved space in Terrapin and Burne?!
Out of a full city block of park space (minus the land the school sits on) there is one lame patch of grass in front of Stone House and already 3 handball courts and a paved area.
Why more handball courts and paved space when we could have had a real park with … GRASS!
You can call the "deal" a failure but the real failure is lack of urban planning in the way the park was re-developed.
Posted by: Mr Joist at December 18, 2007 1:39 PM
Who are all these commentators so upset that someone dares point out that a developer didn't live up to his promises? The arguments put forth "Gabby is anti development" or "when did Slopers care about 4th Avenue" are nonsensical.
I have to imagine that those commentators are in so way involved with NOVO, Boymelgreen, or some other disreputable developer.
BTW, spokesmen for Boymelgreen originally said the park would be done by then end of summer 2007. See this article from The Brooklyn Paper: http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/30/24/30_24shayapark.html
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 1:46 PM
If Boylemgreen is violating his agreement with the city ---(how about some quasi real reporting Gabby and find out for real!) then the city should take enforcement action
BUT people should at least be honest
except for 2 handball courts, the area of the park that Boymelgreen co-oped was basically unusable (and basically unused) PRIOR to any deal with Boylegreen.
This section was essentially on big pot-holed and cracked parking lot with a baseball diamond painted on it.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 1:49 PM
1:46 - again we don't know WHAT the agreement w/ Boylemgreen was but you ignore the part of the cited article where the community says:
"Members of Park Slope’s community board want the city to prevent tenants from occupying one of real-estate mogul Shaya Boymelgreen’s new Fourth Avenue buildings until he fulfills his promise to repair a local park damaged during construction.
Even though the promised repairs began on Monday, locals are asking the city to make sure they’re completed before Boymelgreen’s NOVO condo residents can move in."
Since no one has moved in, it appears that the community should be satisfied
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 1:54 PM
1:46. The developer said the park would be done by now. Yeah, and the former World Trade center site was also supposed to be close to done by now as well. So what? Take any estimate for something's completion and add 50% or more. Are you naive?
And no personal connection whatsoever to the developer or the buildings. Nice attempt to impugn my motives Just tired of this same rant and BS. No one who reads this blog used Terrapin for anything at the 4th Ave end. So crying about delays in its recovery is horseshit.
And Gabby's posts on 4th Ave are getting lazier and sloppier as we go along. Even he/she seems bored with it all.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 1:58 PM
THAT'S the back of the novo?? DEAR GOD i hate boymelgreen
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 2:31 PM
He doesn't like either, 2:31. In your dumpy rental or in your brownstone highhorse (with a stick up your arse).
Happy holidays, douche!
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 2:50 PM
1:49 -- re the cracked parking lot that was Terrapin before the occupation. That's how you know Terrapin is valuable. Despite its awful condition, it was fairly well used by softball leagues, skateboarders and the like, and there was often a wait in the warm weather for the next handball game. Imagine how much people might use it if it were in good condition with more recreational options. Not to mention, a fully functional Terrapin might be an attraction to help sell (or rent) units along 4th Avenue.
Mr. Joist -- I would love more greenspace, too, but every time they try to grow grass in Byrne, it fails. It's just too small an area to be successful as lawn without requiring everyone to keep off, like at City Hall Park. Two weeks of toddlers and their parents playing whiffle ball will turn the hardiest patch at Byrne into dirt. Not to mention the IS 51 kids during lunch and recess. So it might make more sense to let Prospect Park remain our nearest true greenspace and let Byrne/Terrapin function as recreational parks. We need those, too.
To all -- These parks serve a diverse mix of people from many walks of Brooklyn life. Away from the strange little distorted world of this website, the ongoing occupation of Terrapin is indeed sorely felt in the community.
Posted by: slopefarm at December 18, 2007 2:57 PM
I don't know if any of you have small children but even in cold weather they have to get out of the house and run around for exercise. Even parks that don't look that great serve this purpose. So please don't assume that nobody want to use the park in the cold weather just because you, as an adult, find it unappealing.
In general I think this site has been invaded by pro developer trolls and others who may just have a bad attitude. This may be in response to the higher visibility the site has and that people feel it is influential. I think it might be time for Mr. B to reinstitute registration for commenting.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 3:54 PM
Yes, let's keep this club idelogically pure. Developers and condos: bad, old houses and apartments: good.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 3:57 PM
"Yes, let's keep this club idelogically pure. Developers and condos: bad, old houses and apartments: good."
Yes, and what of it? You have the whole world in which to promote your pro-business, Bush-Cheney-Halliburton agenda! Let us have our little space to agree with each other!
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 4:18 PM
So typical of the Brownstone Brooklyn liberal -
if you don't hate all development or new construction then you are a Bush-Cheney-Halliburton capitalist pig
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 5:12 PM
Let me get this straight. Developers want continued anonymity on this because they want to be able to aggressively criticize those who criticize their developments? And asking for registration threatens this how? No one on this thread proposed banning developers from commenting. Somehow, suggesting that developers adopt a pseudonym in order to comment on others' comments on their developments seems to have struck a nerve. Awfully sensitive of them.
Posted by: slopefarm at December 18, 2007 5:15 PM
Developers dont give a flying F^ck about this board or its comments
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 5:19 PM
'You have the whole world in which to promote your pro-business, Bush-Cheney-Halliburton agenda!'
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ... cough, cough, cough ... ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha! Ha! Ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha... cough, cough, cough, cough... ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 5:51 PM
"You have the whole world in which to promote your pro-business, Bush-Cheney-Halliburton agenda!"
I never thought of this site as anti-business or anti-capitalist. Who can afford all these $2 and $3 million brownstones other than capitalists? In fact this place is crawling with bourgeoisie toads, worrying about their crown molding and original carved details, who won't survive for a second when the revolution comes!
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 6:08 PM
The revolution can't afford to be in these neighborhoods. Perhaps it will relocate to the Midwest.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 6:20 PM
Viva la Slope!
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 8:33 PM
New rules: Any ball hit off the "brown wall" that returns back onto the field of play, automatic double. Any ball hit that breaks a rear window, and returns to field of play, triple. Any ball hit that passes through said rear window AND continues on through a front window onto Forth Avenue, automatic homerun.
Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 9:06 PM
there is a sign saying the parks dept. will have samples of new surfaces for the new dog run available for community input today- wednesday.
and almost nobody ever uses the other large concrete area- between the stone house and handballs.
and while we're at it, what's the deal with the decent size 'garden' inbetween the stone house and 3rd st- it's a nice sized shady plot with only 1 small bench in it.
Posted by: guest at December 19, 2007 12:25 AM
"a nice sized shady plot with only 1 small bench in it"
Perhaps they are trying to discourage the proliferation of homeless people who already gather on the shady Fifth Avenue end of the park?
Posted by: guest at December 19, 2007 12:40 AM
Hey, 12:32! Pretty soon this thread will drop off the bottom of the screen so I'll ask agai, what is the basis for your statement, "The stupid city officials should have charged rent for use of the city park as a staging ground for condo construction, but they didn't."
Posted by: guest at December 19, 2007 9:38 AM
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