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February 19, 2008
create a parking spot at brownstone??
Don't know much about B'klyn, parking, brownstones, but I've seen a few brownstones with outdoor parking spots, and a few with spots indoor (the front of the garden level.
Is it possible to create an indoor parking spot, are there any laws/regulations against it? Can brownstones be modified to do this??
Comments
"Can brownstones be modified to do this?"
Only by those with the Suburbanosis gene mutation.
Posted by: johnife at February 19, 2008 1:39 PM
I've been thinking about putting a helicopter pad on my roof, and replacing my front stoop with an escalator. Any regulations to consider? I live in a historic district, if it matters.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 1:55 PM
Excellent ideas, thank you! I think I'll add the chopper pad! And I'll work on that gene mutation in my basement on my spare time. Hopefully your dog will eat the kibble and grow a head so that you can use his!!! Thanks all!
if anyone has any experience with the topic and not a lot of time to waste on their hands, your time towards value-added comments are welcome.
Posted by: ddtobey at February 19, 2008 2:08 PM
You have to apply for a curb cut permit, although many people don't. Depending upon where you live, your neighbors may or may not be displeased.
http://www.brooklynrowhouse.com/node/74
Posted by: Carol Gardens at February 19, 2008 2:53 PM
Do you live in a landmarked district? If so you will have to check with them.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 2:55 PM
Please don't do this. It's rude to your neighbors and to the rest of the city. Consider making use of our excellent, world-class transportation system.
Posted by: zinka at February 19, 2008 2:57 PM
If your house is in a landmarked district. Kiss your car goodbye or learn to get up and move it from side to side. Landmarks will NOT let you change the facade of your house for a garage door.
If your not in a landmarked area.
Yes, you can apply for a curb cut. you need a certain amount of space for a car - depth and width. Look it up, I'm too lazy to.
If you want to put the parking in your use. You need the same out of space as above.
If you want to ruin the character of your house, it's your call.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 3:22 PM
Go for it. Do what you want with your house as long as you're the one paying the mortgage and it's within the law. Best of luck to you. Make sure you hire a good expediter and that you do it legally, or it will be big trouble.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 3:37 PM
Sure, go ahead. But as you can tell from most of these posts, your neighbors will hate your guts. HATE you.
If you care (and you probably don't), make sure you keep everybody up-to-date on your plans, and try to lend out your spot when you aren't using it for any reason. That way they will hate you just a little bit less.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 4:03 PM
No laws against being an asshat in non-historic areas, I say go for it.
Posted by: moreteasir at February 19, 2008 4:18 PM
I think people who are saying you can do this in a non-historic district are wrong. The DOB turn these request down to my knowledge.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 4:35 PM
It is hard to imaginge landmarks permitting this if the house is in a historic district or otherwise designated.
Otherwise, go for it. There are some nice houses with garages even in Brownstone Brooklyn -- I can thnk of one that is on Sackett between Court and Clinton that is not bad. And of course building from scratch makes it easier to do this -- like that one modernist looking townhouse on Wyckoff off Smith.
Whatever you do, don't be jerk and just park your car in fron of the curb cut and use the garage as storage space.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 4:55 PM
Not that I'm for doing this but....
Wonder if people who first owned carriage houses in Brooklyn got this much grief!
Did it make an eyesore to the block and hog space from others trying to park their horses?
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 5:12 PM
Go for it, but don't be surprised when your neighbors leave broken glass and nails point-up in your driveway...
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 5:20 PM
Why all the hate on people with drive-ways?
They take up half the space of parking on the streets, usally 10 feet wide versus 18-22 feet for cars and SUVs parked on the street.
Or is it jealousy? The ease and comfort of ALWAYS having a spot 24/7? And YOU have to circle jerk around for hours to find a place to park...
Posted by: bmfesq at February 19, 2008 6:00 PM
It's not jealousy. Rather, I fail to understand how some people get a guaranteed parking spot for their tax dollars.
Posted by: Johnny at February 19, 2008 6:23 PM
Does anyone know how to tell if a curb cut is legal or not? Would that be one of the permits that would be listed in the BIS for that address? If so, well, EVERY SINGLE curb cut on my block in East Williamsburg is illegal. Could this be possible?
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 6:32 PM
Johnny, You fail to realize that in most of these cases, the home owner has to give up square footage inside their house and considerable expense to build a garage. Not everyone has 20 feet in front of their house to park. That is the trade off.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 6:37 PM
can you answer the question? Landmark area or not?
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 6:39 PM
What Johnny fails to realize is that people with driveways pay even more tax dollars for the privelege.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 9:57 PM
Do taxes go up or down if the car is up on blocks?
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 9:58 PM
Being in a landmark area or not is virtually irrelevant. DOB will not issue the permit because if you are in a brownstone in a predominantly brownstone neighbor you do not have the required frontage space. If you do it anyway your neighbors will report you and you will then have all types of other issues.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 10:01 PM
If someone has a driveway they should be granted the curb cut. Driveways are for cars and the owner is surely paying enough taxes to deserves it. If someone wants to park in their front yard, I say forget about it. It looks awful. Strike that. It is awful.
Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 10:34 PM
bmfesq 6:00 PM, your argument is bullshit:
"Why all the hate on people with drive-ways? They take up half the space of parking on the streets, usally 10 feet wide versus 18-22 feet for cars and SUVs parked on the street."
Wrong. The driveway is 10 feet wide. But street parkers can't nudge their bumpers right up to the edge of that 10 feet. In fact, the law for distance that you need to allow for a hydrant, when you're parking on either side of it, is 15 feet. Anything less, whether it's a hydrant or a driveway or whatever, is getting tight for that driveway's ingress/egress. So nobody does it.
So your driveway can easily take 40 feet of parking off the street, not 10 feet. AND the douchebag owner of that curb cut can also block his own drive and use the garage for a boat if he wants. That is the reason for all the hate on people with driveways.
Posted by: Rehab at February 20, 2008 1:41 AM
People here don't understand the first thing about private property rights. If it's legal, then the owner has every right to do this. It doesn't matter if it makes you mad that they can park and you can't. It doesn't matter if you have to drive around for hours looking for a spot.
All the arguments here are from other people who are mad because someone took up a parking space they wanted to use. It's not a valid argument-- even though it makes you mad. Go buy a house with a driveway or get rid of your car. If the owner with legal driveway wants to park in front of his curbcut and build a sailboat in his garage, and it's legal, then you have no recourse. If it's not legal for an owner to park in front of his curbcut, then call 311 and report him.
How can anyone who expects their own private property rights to be protected seriously advocate hating a person for exercising their own rights on their own property? How can you seriously advocate perpetrating violence or vandalism against anyone who is legally in the right? That just makes you a criminal.
Posted by: guest at February 20, 2008 2:46 PM
1:41- did your daddy own a boat and did he beat you and is that why people hate curbcuts? The boat imagery doesn't change the issue one bit if it's a legal curbcut.
no one parks 15 feet away from a curbcut. everyone parks right up against them, or a few inches into them
Getting a legal curbcut doesn't mean you get to pretend you're a fire hydrant
Posted by: guest at February 20, 2008 2:54 PM
If you can legally get a curb cut, there's nothing I can do to stop you. Agreed. But you're still a douche for doing it.
Posted by: Rehab at February 20, 2008 4:49 PM
well well well. this was one stupid thread. why not just buy a house with a driveway? it's not that hard.
Posted by: guest at February 20, 2008 7:15 PM
Rehab, you're wrong. There is no law requiring parking a minimum distance from a driveway as there is for a fire hydrant. I think if you average the people who park a few inches or feet away from the curb cut, with the people who think they can get away with a few inches or feet into the driveway space, it works out to about the same usage as if it were a regular street spot. Nothing near your 40 foot hyperbole.
Posted by: guest at February 23, 2008 1:18 AM
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