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Closing Bell: Petition to Keep Columbia St. P.O. Open
Columbia Street Waterfront-area residents who don’t want to see their small post office (really a “contract postal unit”) close, as planned, can now sign an online petition aimed at trying to keep it open. The petition, which only had a few dozen signatures as of this morning, says the following, in part: “There is no other postal service in the area. The closest one is the Red Hook Main post office which many can tell you is very undesirable due to the lack of proper customer service and its hard to park location.The community is frustrated with the fact that the Postal Union and the Private Service Sector Unit of the USPS is terminating the contract. Please help us fight to keep this 17 year old establishment from being shut down.”
Keep Rita’s Dry Cleaners Postal Service Open [Petition]
Rita’s Dry Cleaners Launches Online Petition [Patch]
Keep the Columbia Street Post Office Open! UPDATE [TWOCS]
02/21/2012 4:00 PM
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Some Protest Closing of Columbia Street Post Office
Some residents who live near the small post office (technically a “Contract Postal Unit,” or CPU) on Columbia Street between President and Carroll streets are trying to fight to keep it open following an announcement that it would be shut down within a couple of months. The owner of the space, Rita Farone, has a petition for residents to sign urging the USPS not to end its contract for the space, according to Patch, and Community Board 6 District Manager Craig Hammerman has sent a letter to the postmaster general saying the location should be kept open. A reader who lives in the area also wrote in to us to say that an online petition is coming soon, and had the following to say about how it serves the community: “Please note for those who aren’t aware that substations do not charge a fee on top of postal charges. The employees are not paid either. The USPS pays the landlord a rental fee for the space. For those who don’t frequent this post office, it should be known that it generates a lot of secondary business for those who normally use the station in Red Hook at 615 Clinton off the BQE. The Red Hook station has a notorious reputation for being understaffed and undermanaged while the Columbia substation is well regarded, friendly and efficient. This closure would affect a great deal of people in this burgeoning and growing neighborhood.”
Community Board 6 District Manager Speaks Out On Behalf of Rita’s [Patch]
Keep the Columbia Street Post Office Open! [The Word on Columbia Street]
02/13/2012 12:00 PM
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Columbia Street Residents Looks to Transform Lot
At this week’s CB6 Parks committee meeting Shannon Mulholland, who lives in the Columbia Street Waterfront area, asked the committee for their support in establishing a children’s garden at an empty lot on Sackett and Columbia. (Kitty-corner from the community garden already on Columbia.) She envisions risen garden beds, a green house, composting and a chicken coop, with a focus on children and education. Board members had plenty of suggestions for nearby schools and educational garden programs to team up with. The committee approved the garden and, if all goes according to plan, construction on it would begin this spring. The lot, however, is owned by HPD, and committee members warned it might be difficult and time-consuming to convince HPD to transfer the lot to the Parks Department. The Community Board’s approval is the first step, so we’ll see what happens. GMAP
01/20/2012 10:00 AM
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Closing Bell: Waterfront Park Planned for Columbia Street
Tomorrow night the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and Regional Plan Association are having a meeting about the public park planned for Columbia Street between Degraw and Kane streets. Preliminary renderings are going to be released, and judging from the one above, a dog run might be in the mix. Work can begin on the park once the Van Brunt Street reconstruction and the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel construction are complete, which is probably still a couple of years away. The meeting is taking place tomorrow night at the Union Street Star Theater, 101 Union Street, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. More info and how to RSVP here.
Columbia Waterfront Park Report-Back Meeting [BGI]
Columbia Waterfront Park Meeting 1/18 [Cobble Hill Association via McBrooklyn]
01/17/2012 4:00 PM
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Prepping for Portland Fave Pok Pok
The photo above shows how the interior is shaping up at the Columbia Street storefront that will eventually be home to one of the East Coast branches of Pok Pok, the much-loved Portland Thai restaurant. Signs posted in the neighborhood say there’s going to be a presentation at a Community Board 6 meeting next Monday about the restaurant’s request for a liquor license.
Portland Thai Favorite Coming to Columbia Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
01/03/2012 2:00 PM
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Condo of the Day: 140 Degraw Street, #2
When 140 Degraw Street was getting built in 2007, most people didn’t know what to make of the non-right-angled facade that broke up the continuity of old row houses on the Columbia Waterfront District block. We’ll admit to having been skeptical but we’ll also admit that, based on this resale listing that just hit the market, the interiors turned out quite nicely. (Remember, this wasn’t actually a new building; it was a new facade plus an interior renovation.) Anyway, the kitchen’s well done, there appears to be good light and the location’s in the eye of the beholder. The asking price is $750,000. Thoughts?
140 Degraw Street, #2 [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark
01/03/2012 12:55 PM
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Little Love Lost for Columbia Street Poultry Market
The Times looked at last week’s partial collapse of the Columbia Street building that houses a poultry slaughterhouse in terms of how the gentrifying neighborhood views the business. Plenty of residents thought the place was smelly and barbaric (“One family saw a man chase down a fleeing duck, grab it by the neck and drag it to its fate”) while others suggested that people who complained about it are annoying Johnny-come-lately yuppies. A couple real estate brokers interviewed for the story said the smell from the business sometimes deterred prospective buyers. It’s unclear whether the slaughterhouse, Yeung Sen, will be allowed to reopen. The accidental building collapse was caused by workers digging to improve the Gowanus Canal flushing tunnel. The story notes that as of 20 years ago there were three slaughterhouses in the neighborhood, but if Yeung Sen closes only one will remain: “The last slaughterhouse standing, on Sackett Street, kept a low profile last week, its corrugated shutters pulled down tight. “A knock at the steel door brought Jenny Li, in a white apron. She said her uncle founded the business decades ago. ‘They complain, but we were here before them,’ she said. ‘There was nothing here.’”
A Collapse at a Poultry Shop Exposes a Rift Among Neighbors [NY Times]
Partial Collapse of Columbia Street Building [Brownstoner]
01/03/2012 10:00 AM
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Partial Collapse of Columbia Street Building
We received a few tips over the holiday break that a building that houses a live poultry farm on Columbia Street partially collapsed last Friday. A community notification sent out said the following: “The building is non-residential and no people were injured or displaced. NYPD, FDNY and the Department of Buildings has responded to the scene to ensure that all safety measures are taken.” As Patch reported, the building is next to a city construction project on Degraw Street where workers are digging a new sewer. One more picture after the jump. (more…)
12/27/2011 10:00 AM
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Summit Street Build Gets Bricked
Here’s how the new nine-unit development on Summit Street off Columbia Street is looking these days. The facade on the building appears just about complete. We’re not sure if these are planned as rentals or condos, but the big windows suggest a loft-y vibe. Work on the project started early this year.
Development Watch: 49-53 Summit Street [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 49-53 Summit Street [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 51 Summit Street [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
12/21/2011 2:40 PM
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Action at Stalled Columbia Street Site
The stalled site at the corner of Columbia Street and Warren looks to be rejoining the land of the living. Over the past few weeks new construction equipment has made an appearance, and new permits have been filed with the city for a 7-story, 12-unit project. The developer is Louis Greco of On Prospect Park fame, among others. GMAP
11/21/2011 2:40 PM
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New Life for Columbia Street Building?
The sale of the building at 251-255 Columbia Street for $3.3 million just hit public records. The building previously housed the furniture business Sokol Bros, which closed in late October after a 60-year run. From the looks of it, the upper floors of the building are empty. The building sold to an LLC simply called “Columbia Street Development.” We wouldn’t be surprised to see shiny new apartments here in the future. GMAP
11/10/2011 9:30 AM
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Portland Thai Favorite Coming to Columbia Street
On Friday news hit that Portland’s much-loved Thai restaurant Pok Pok will be opening an outpost on Columbia Street. The restaurant will be located at 127 Columbia Street, in the space that housed Pit Stop and, more recently, 5 Burro Cafe. Here’s what the owners of Pok Pok have to say about the opening: “This is another great neighborhood, quiet and full of families, parks, low key businesses with a view of the Manhattan skyline across the water. Pok Pok Ny has a tiny dining room and a big outdoor seating area, kind of like Pok Pok PDX.” It’s slated to open within the next few months.
Pok Pok NY Will Open at 127 Columbia St., Brooklyn [Eater] GMAP
Pok Pok Ny Will Open in the Columbia Waterfront District [Grub St]
10/31/2011 10:00 AM
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New Bike Lane Painted by Pier 6
This is how the new bike lane running next to the existing greenway on Columbia Street was looking as of Saturday. The lane, which is one of several street improvements the DOT is implementing near the entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6, runs from Atlantic Avenue to Congress Street. The purpose of it is to move bikes off the sidewalk path next to the water.
Some Strides on Street Upgrades Near Pier 6 [Brownstoner] GMAP
Street Upgrades Near Pier 6 Starting This Month [Brownstoner]
10/03/2011 12:00 PM
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Jalopy Theatre Taking Over Old Moonshine Space
The space that housed the Columbia Street bar Moonshine, which recently closed, won’t sit unused for long. The owners of the neighboring Jalopy Theatre have announced plans to take it over. The new business is going to be called The Big Time Jalopy Tavern Bar and Grill. The owners tell Lost City that Moonshine’s antique bar will remain.
Jalopy Theatre Takes Over Old Moonshine Bar Space [Lost City]
Jalopy to Expand to Become Jalopy Tavern! [The Word on Columbia St]
Last Call at Moonshine This Weekend [Brownstoner] GMAP
09/29/2011 2:00 PM
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Rental of the Day: 29 Tiffany Place, #3H
The exposed beams and wood floors are great touches in this two bedroom at 29 Tiffany Place, near the Columbia Street Waterfront. It doesn’t look like a huge apartment, but it certainly appears livable. The rent is $2,850/month. How does that seem for the far side of the BQE?
29 Tiffany Place, #3H [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
09/27/2011 12:32 PM
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New Bagel Shop Open in Red Hook
The South Brooklyn Bagel Cafe opened late last week on Hamilton Avenue between Van Brunt and Columbia Street. The menu features standard bagel shop fare and pricing (bagels with butter are $1, and most cold-cut sandwiches run around $5). It’s unique for the area, though, in being open 24 hours a day.
South Brooklyn Bagel Cafe [Official Site] GMAP
09/26/2011 2:00 PM
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Some Strides on Street Upgrades Near Pier 6
Last month the city started putting in street improvements near Pier 6—at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue, Furman Street and Columbia Street/the Brooklyn Greenway—and so far the beginning of a plaza space near the start of the greenway is in evidence (click through to see the DOT’s full plan for the area). It doesn’t seem as though the upgrades are going to make the pedestrian or bike approach under the BQE significantly less harrowing, though perhaps the still-to-come new pedestrian island on Atlantic will do some good. GMAP (more…)
09/23/2011 11:30 AM
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Last Call at Moonshine This Weekend
Moonshine, the Columbia Street bar, is calling it quits in a few days. Patch reports that the fate of the space is “murky,” but it’s possible that it will continue on as a new bar under different ownership. According to the bar’s website, it will “open at 2pm until ???” for a last run on Saturday. GMAP
09/14/2011 2:00 PM
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New Diner Opening on Columbia Street
The Word on Columbia Street notices that a biz called Water’s Edge Diner is opening in the old Waterfront Family Restaurant storefront between Sackett and Union streets. The interior of the long-unused space, which Lost City had photos of last year, was in the process of being gutted yesterday.
Changes on Columbia Street [TWOCS] GMAP
09/08/2011 2:00 PM
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bryanx
Feb 17, 2012 | 11:02 AM