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Carroll Gardens Association Fights Proposed Budget Cuts
A representative from the Carroll Gardens Association wrote in to publicize the organization’s concerns about some of Governor Cuomo’s proposed budget cuts. The CGA is protesting proposed cuts to the Neighborhood Preservation Program, which provides funds to nonprofit housing organizations in New York that develop, rehabilitate and manage affordable housing. The Carroll Gardens Association receives funding from the program and wrote a letter to the governor describing the impact the proposed cuts will have on Southwest Brooklyn-based residents and businesses. We inquired how much of CGA’s budget is actually dependent on the funding but didn’t receive a response. Read the letter after the jump…
Pic: A health fair hosted by the CGA via (more…)
02/03/2012 11:30 AM
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Closing Bell: Brooklyn Wants Wi-Fi, Gondolas
Earlier this week WNET’s Metro Focus ran a fun post checking in with four council members on the participatory budget system, which allows citizens to suggest how their tax dollars – approximately $1 million per district – should be spent, and then vote on said ideas. Council Member Brad Lander (pictured, representing CB6 territory) and Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (representing Flatbush, parts of Canarsie and Midwood) shared some of the best, and weirdest, suggestions for the borough so far. They include a community center in Kensington, wi-fi in all public parks, a roller skating rink, more dumpster pools and a recording studio/youth center. Our favorite: the “Gwondola,” a Gowanus-based gondola system. Never hurts to dream! Proposals are now being considered by volunteer committees and will be voted on this spring.
Checking In on NYC’s Participatory Budgeting Project [Meto Focus]
12/14/2011 4:00 PM
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Bed Stuy Would Like Funding for a Host of Projects
A few days ago Community Board 3 member L. Joy Williams posted a picture on Twitter outlining a list of funding requests from the board, which covers Bed Stuy, to the city. The list is still a work in progress, but here are a few points of interest so far: among the already-funded requests, reconstruction of Nostrand Avenue from Flushing to Atlantic; rehab of Charlie’s Place Playground and Pulaski Park; refurbishing the Franklin Avenue Shuttle Station; and additional staff and hours for the Macon Library. The longer, unfunded list of requests includes the construction of a sanitation garage; affordable housing and retail developments on Atlantic Ave. and Fulton Street; a rehab of the Sumner Avenue Armory; funding for a dedicated Skywatch for the neighborhood; and more sanitation manpower. A more detailed report on the 2011 Budget Requests can be found here.
Notrand Avenue by fešák
10/06/2011 9:30 AM
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Protesters Call for More Jobs at AY, Downtown Projects
This morning protesters outside the Atlantic Yards site claimed that they’d been deceived about job creation at Atlantic Yards and other developments in Downtown Brooklyn. As Atlantic Yards Report explains, the protest was organized by People for Political and Economic Empowerment (P.P.E.E), who initially supported Atlantic Yards because of the jobs it was supposed to create. Martin Allen, president of P.P.E.E, told AY Report: “We was there when you called us, to go in front of the press, and speak our minds about jobs and contracts, about why Atlantic Yards was a good project for Brooklyn. So don’t turn your back now after you feel like you got your foot in the door, and leave us standing on the other side of the doorway.” That sentiment was echoed this morning as protesters gathered to yell through a megaphone outside the construction site. “We’re fighting because we’ve been lied to,” Allen told the crowd. “We were promised jobs and they never came.” He also yelled toward the construction site, addressing developer Bruce Ratner: “You’re shameful… you’re a monster to Brooklyn.” Another protester, taking the megaphone, said, “This is just the beginning. We’ll be here, and you’ll be held accountable. You can run but you can’t hide.” Click through for more photos.
Formerly Vocal and Distruptive Atlantic Yards supporters, P.P.E.E., to Rally July 27 [AY Report]
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07/27/2011 12:00 PM
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Tensions, Questions Remain about Loft Laws
You may remember in June when Loft Laws were passed in three of Brooklyn’s industrial zones, giving tenants the option of rent stabilization and forcing landlords to bring loft buildings up to code. Bushwick BK revisits the topic, touching upon some questions brought up in a recent town hall meeting. While landlords have six months to register illegally converted lofts with the city, no one knows how much money it will cost to bring buildings up to code or how much of that cost can be passed along to tenants. Attorney David Frazer commented, “It’s going to be very costly to legalize…The easiest way to do that is to get rid of tenants, and you’re going to have to start looking for ways to protect yourself.” There was also concern loft laws would drive out manufacturing in the area, but Loft Board Member Chuck DeLaney retorted that, “Having you here is a lot better for manufacturing than having the people who would replace you through gentrification.”
One Month Later, Loft Law Confusion Reigns [BushwickBK]
New Loft Law Passed [Brownstoner]
Picture by Jeremy Sapienza for BushwickBK.com
08/02/2010 10:02 AM
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New Loft Law Passed
On Monday night, a new law was signed by Governor Paterson that gives permanent protection to loft dwellers in New York City. Though last-minute wrangling by lawmakers ended up excluding 13 of the city 16 industrial business zones (including Red Hook and Sunset Park) from the legislation, tenants in Greenpoint and Williamsburg are protected by the new measure. Mayor Bloomberg and several business groups had argued that the new law would hurt manufacturing in the city. The blog Bushwick BK points out that the laws impacts around 3,600 units in approximately 300 buildings; tenants, who will have to be able to prove they’ve already lived there for 12 months to qualify, will be afforded the benefits of rent stabilization. Landlords will have to cough up the dough to bring all of the residential lofts up to code.
New Law Expands Rights of Some Loft Residents [NY Times]
Late-Night Law Reshapes NYC’s Loft Landscape [Crain's]
Patterson Signs Amended Loft Law… What Next? [Bushwick BK]
Photo by l_c_m_tt
06/23/2010 9:00 AM
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Who’s Marching Across the Brooklyn Bridge?
Anyone know what this march is about that’s currently happening on the Brooklyn Bridge? We can make out some Arabic writing on some of the flags, but that’s the only clue we’ve got. Update: Our eyesight must be failing…As per a commenter, it’s a march for a Free Tibet.
03/10/2010 9:41 AM
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Election 2009: No Big Surprises in Brooklyn
You’ve probably seen them by now, but just in case (and just in case you feel like discussing), we’ve post the results of all the Brooklyn City Council races yesterday on the jump. In some of the races most relevant to Brownstoner-land, Tish James, Brad Lander, Al Vann, Charles Barron, Sara Gonzalez, Vincent Gentile and Mathieu Eugene all emerged victorious.
2009 NYC General Election Returns [NY1]
Photo by Susan NYC (more…)
11/04/2009 9:29 AM
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Closing Bell: Windshield Spam Backfires
Here’s one thing we learned today: If you want people to vote for you, you might not want to put political fliers designed to look like parking tickets on their windshields. “Thank you for giving me a very clear favorite in this election – your opponent,” one South Slope resident wrote to Gothamist about Council candidate Joe Nardiello’s marketing tactics. A Brooklyn Heights resident who emailed us was equally peeved — and surprised when he got the following email response from Nardiello:
What would you do? if the media is allowing our local pols to ‘stick a spigot in your back’… without featuring the story? Do you want a defender and a fighter of your rights — or not? I went straight to YOU. You would have simply received an annual bill, in the Spring if I’d not done this. Think twice. Your local government is plotting over the next few months to charge YOU and everyone that visits you, real $$ — which may amount to $400-500 per car owner. Everyone that visits you, will need a Temporary Residents Sticker, etc. I’m sorry to have shocked you, and clearly upset you. But, Squadron-Lander-DeBlasio have set the stage for a HUGE payday for the MTA on our backs, and ONLY our backs. The only person in NYC government that can stop this — is me. The choice is yours.
11/02/2009 4:00 PM
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Relationship between Towns and Countrywide Scrutinized
Representative Edolphus Towns, a Democrat from Brooklyn and the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has been relentless in his criticisms of the financial services industry, reports The New York Times, but now he himself is under fire because he opposes Republicans’ efforts to subpoena records for Countrywide Financial, a company implicated in the subprime mortgage crisis. Republicans have suggested that Mr. Towns has received loans from Countrywide’s V.I.P. program and refuses the subpoena for personal reasons. A representative of Mr. Towns said this is simply a smear campaign, since Countrywide was already investigated last year regarding its connections to Senators Christopher Dodd and Kent Conrad, with both parties coming out clean. He went to his local mortgage guy and got a normal mortgage, the representative said. The guy’s from Brooklyn and doesn’t have much money and wasn’t prominent enough to be considered a V.I.P. Whether it was later transferred through the V.I.P. program, I don’t know. But he didn’t receive any favors. The Dodd-Conrad investigation showed that the V.I.P. program expedites service but issues regular loans at market rates. Republicans plan to continue their investigation, however, to prevent companies from buying influence from government officials.
Watchdog in Congress Now a Target Himself [NY Times]
10/16/2009 9:44 AM
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EPA, Bloomberg Compete to Clean Gowanus
In late September, the Gowanus Canal, polluted from sewage runoff and years of industrial waste, made headlines when Riverkeeper, a watchdog organization, threatened to sue major polluters unless they take remedial action. The Environmental Protection Agency is also considering the waterway as a possible Super Fund, which would take extensive containment measures and look for clean-up funds through litigation against present and past polluters. The Bloomberg administration opposed both these plans, offering that the city could clean the canal faster, without hampering private development—and Friday, in a pump house along the canal, Bloomberg announced the details of his plan: a two-stage process that he expects would clean the canal within ten years. The first stage, according to The Architect’s Newspaper, consists of three capital programs to increase fresh water flow, dredge the river, and increase capacity to transport and process sewage runoff. The second, and more vague, stage involves approaching companies to help remedy some of the long-term environmental damage, with matching funds from the federal Water Resources Development Act. The city would grant oversight rights to the EPA, which could step in if the city’s program failed to meet its standards. There are no data yet concerning which plan, city clean-up or the Super Fund process, would be safer for residents or more environmentally sound. Some people have criticized Bloomberg, saying that his sudden interest in the canal isn’t just to protect private development but because Riverkeeper implicated the city’s Department of Transportation as one of the polluters. The decision has caused some polarization and frustration already; at Friday’s announcement, for example, eight supporters of Super Fund designation were barred entry to the event, while the developer Toll Brothers was allowed inside, reports the Daily News. A Bloomberg representative said that it was simply a private event for invited guests and the media. And there are other residents, on the other hand, who don’t care who cleans the canal, as long as someone does.
Riverkeeper, Feds, State Jostle to Clean Gowanus [Brownstoner]
Advocates of Super Fund Barred from City Conference [Daily News]
Flushing the Gowanus [Architect's Newspaper]
Photo by Timothy Vogel
10/14/2009 9:01 AM
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The Fate of the Broadway Triangle
It’s going to be a big month for the Broadway Triangle, the city’s nine-block redevelopment site in South Williamsburg that has attracted a fair share of controversy. The City Planning Commission was scheduled to vote today on the plan, which calls for 1,850 new apartments with about half reserved for affordable housing, but postponed the vote until October 19 (it was originally scheduled for September 23, but was already rescheduled once before). The City Council will also discuss the vote later this month at the Land Use Committee hearing. Finally, the Broadway Triangle Community Coalition, the meta-organization that formed to oppose the city’s plan primarily due to its closed-door process, filed suit against Mayor Bloomberg and the Housing Department and the court date is currently set for October 19. “The coalition’s plan is unlikely to succeed,” writes Matt Chaban in The Architect’s Newspaper, but he mentions that their actions have raised awareness with the community board and the Department of Housing, Preservation, and Development regarding the nebulous planning process, and perhaps this awareness will trickle down with some positive effect for the coalition.
Gathering Storm [Architect's Newspaper]
Community Groups Sue City over Broadway Triangle [Brownstoner]
10/07/2009 9:00 AM
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The Mob Infiltrates the DOB
“The Buildings Department has a history of corruption scandals,” says The New York Times, such as the plumbing inspector extortion cases in 2002, but now the DOB can add mob infiltration to its list of black marks on its record. Yesterday prosecutors accused the Lucchese crime family of installing three of its associates in the DOB, who then participated in bribery, abuse of power, gambling, drug-trafficking, extortion, and loan-sharking. Three others from the DOB were also accused, and 27 of the 29 people named in the indictment have been arrested, according to the Times. Last year, the long string of accusations against the DOB led to scrutiny from the Department of Investigation, which in turn led to the resignation of former Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster. The new commish, Robert D. LiMandri, expressed an intent to crack down on the department. Regarding the Lucchese family indictment, he told the Times: As a precaution, the department has visited all of the buildings associated with the investigation to ensure safety, and we expect to complete all reinspection work soon…These former inspectors are accused of betraying the public and this department for their own selfish gain, and they should be prosecuted to the full extent under the law.
Mob Infiltration Is Seen in New York City Agency [NY Times]
Agency With a History of Graft and Corruption [NY Times]
Image of Gaetano Lucchese, co-founder of the Lucchese crime family, from Wikipedia Commons
10/02/2009 9:29 AM
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The City Spurs Grocery Stores to Underserved
The Bloomberg administration, which has already cut down on trans fats and distributed fruit vendors to produce-anemic neighborhoods, is now seeking to provide incentives for grocery stores to open in areas where most families spend their food budget at bodegas and drug stores. The City Planning Commission unanimously approved the proposal on Wednesday, reports The New York Times, which would grant zoning and tax incentives to grocery stores, with set requirements about how much produce and other foods they sell. The city is eying northern Manhattan, central Brooklyn, the South Bronx, and downtown Jamaica in Queens. Many city officials, food experts, and grocery store executives approve of the plan, meant to spur economic growth in addition to encouraging health (and fighting the rising rates of obesity and diabetes), but the Times mentions a recent report to Congress by the Department of Agriculture that shows an uncertain correlation between obesity and access to healthy, fresh foods. Avi Kaner, a supermarket operator, said education is the main solution. If you force distribution of product to a population that’s not interested in it, or not educated in it, and the grocery stores can’t make a profit, he told the Times, they’ll eventually leave. Check out the Times article for more details about the program, similar programs across the country, and a finer breakdown of the pros and cons.
A Plan to Add Supermarkets to Poor Areas [NY Times]
FRESH Food Store Program Overview [DOCP]
NYC’s Neighborhood Grocery Store and Supermarket Shortage [DOCP]
Photo by Royce Bair
09/24/2009 9:30 AM
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Democratic Primary Results
The Democratic primary, held yesterday, was, in many ways, about Democratic Party leader Vito Lopez—whether his hand-picked candidates would get pushed through to run for City Council on the party ticket. Steve Levin, from team Lopez, won in the 33rd District with 33.7 percent of the vote (Jo Anne Simon was his closest competitor, with 20.2 percent); Maritza Davila, endorsed by Lopez, lost in the 34th District to Diana Reyna, a former Lopez staffer who fell out with the party boss. Incumbent Letitia James won in the 35th District with 81.2 percent of the vote, and Brad Lander took the 39th District with 41.1 percent due to, he told The Brooklyn Paper, his stances on “affordable housing, livable communities, jobs, and good schools.” In the race for comptroller, Councilman John Liu of Queens came out 8 points ahead of Brooklyn Councilman David Yassky, but with 38 percent of the vote, did not have the 40 percent required to win outright. Thus there will be a runoff election held September 29. For more primary results, check out the Eagle’s coverage of the State Senate race.
33rd District: Levin Wins Handily [Brooklyn Paper]
35th District: James Steamrolls Yards-loving Foe [Brooklyn Paper]
39th District: Lander Crushes Four Rivals [Brooklyn Paper]
Liu and Yassky Headed for Runoff [NY Times]
State Senate Primary Results [Brooklyn Eagle]
09/16/2009 9:05 AM
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Triangle Debate Goes On over Eminent Domain
The city’s controversial plan to develop a 31-acre area of Williamsburg known as the Broadway triangle still needs approval from City Council, but if it goes forward, the project will displace at least six businesses via eminent domain and throw others into limbo due to rezoning. The Daily News tells the story of some of these business owners such as Ernie Wong, 33, whose family owns Shanghai Stainless Product & Design Co. on Gerry Street, or Sara Gelb, 52, who started a bus company on Bartlett Street with her husband 25 years ago and has built it up to a fleet of 18. Borough President Marty Markowitz approved the development plan, but stressed the importance of relocating these businesses properly by finding relocation spots before acquiring the property, and funding the businesses generously. These owners are still concerned, however, that they will receive the short end of the stick. Aaron Jacobowitz, 44, told the News that he has established a customer base for his Bartlett Street flower shop, Floral Expression, over 14 years; for him, moving shop would mean starting over. “It’s a back-room deal,” he said. “We’re determined to fight it all the way to the end.” The Broadway Triangle project has already received plenty of opposition over political corruption, due to a no-bid process that granted development rights to the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and the Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, which has ties to Democratic Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who has also been accused of several forms of corruption.
Williamsburg Businesses Fear for Eminent Domain [NY Daily News]
Markowitz Endorses Lopez’s Triangle Plan [Brownstoner]
The Voice Calls Out Lopez [Brownstoner]
Broadway Triangle into Bermuda Triangle? [Gothamist]
Photo by Scott Bintner/PropertyShark
09/08/2009 10:04 AM
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The Voice Calls Out Lopez
This week The Village Voice grilled State Assemblyman Vito Lopez of the 53rd district for corruption, especially the misappropriation of funds. Lopez has been in the news recently due to the controversial development deal with the city for the area of East Williamsburg known as the Broadway Triangle, as well as two City Council district elections in which his former aides are running. The Voice goes through a laundry list of complaints that have long been associated with Lopez’s name: allocating state funds to his pet projects such as the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council (which received the development rights to the Broadway Triangle in a no-bid process, along with the United Jewish Organizations); Angela Battaglia, his partner and the housing director who receives $190,000 per year; Bushwick United Democratic Club and its newspaper, which publishes a high volume of Lopez-glorifying stories; the list goes on. Lopez is currently trying to push three allies into public office, while Diana Reyna, an incumbent City Council candidate and former aide of Lopez, is on the outs with her former mentor. Instead, Lopez is supporting Maritza Davila for the 34th district seat, who is currently a project director at Ridgewood Bushwick. At a rally for Davila, Lopez said, “We need a team player!” Lopez’s opponents in the community, of course, could not agree more.
Power Plays by Party Boss Vito Lopez [Village Voice]
Markowitz Endorses Lopez’s Triangle Plan [Brownstoner]
Voice Takes on Vito [BushwickBK]
Image of Steve Levin, left, and Vito Lopez from BushwickBK
09/02/2009 10:15 AM
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Mapping Slumlords
Bill de Blasio, who is running for Public Advocate, is making tenants’ rights a key aspect of his platform: last Sunday, he joined a City Hall rally against negligent landlords, and he has launched a Slumlord Watch List on his website, where visitors can submit an address of a questionable building to see if it “meets minimum health and safety standards and has open, life threatening violations.” The site doesn’t mention the criteria, but de Blasio said in a press release that unacceptable conditions include “leaking pipes, exposed wires, no fire alarms, [and] broken locks.” It is unclear how long the site will remain active (will he take it down if he is or is not elected?) and what, if anything, de Blasio plans to do with it or how he will use it to pressure landlords or take legal action.
09/01/2009 10:15 AM
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Advocacy Org Finds Ubiquitous Housing Discrimination
The Federal Fair Housing Act was passed 40 years ago, points out the Gotham Gazette, which allows the Department of Justice to prosecute “patterns or practices” of “housing discrimination”, and yet housing discrimination persists, according to the Fair Housing Justice Center, a non-profit advocacy organization. There is a significant dearth of affordable housing, for example, and the sales and rental markets are operated by brokers, some of whom use illegal practices and propagate discriminatory concepts such as the idea that it is okay to set a limit on the number of children. The FHJC gave the Gazette several examples of discrimination based on race (NYC is the fourth most segregated metropolitan area in the U.S. for African Americans, and the fifth most for Latinos), disabilities (such as new buildings that flaunt flout design requirements for access to disabled people), or income source. In July 2008, for example, the FHJC found that close to 400 posts from 161 different real estate companies on Craigslist discriminated on income source alone, using phrases like “no government programs.” As a solution to these violations of rights, the Center is pushing for better training of realtors and brokers, consistent and flexible enforcement of existing laws, and improved regulations towards marketing practices that will make all available units visible to all demographics.
Housing Bias Persists [Gotham Gazette]
09/01/2009 9:30 AM
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Markowitz Endorses Lopez’s Triangle Plan
Borough President Markowitz endorsed the Broadway Triangle development plan of Assemblyman Vito Lopez this week, according to The Brooklyn Paper. He also endorsed Steve Levin, a former Lopez staffer, for councilman from the 33rd district. The Broadway Triangle, a 31-acre plot in East Williamsburg slotted for redevelopment that includes 1,851 units of housing, has been an incendiary issue with some locals, who have protested favoritism and exclusion in the planning process. The current plan, pushed through by Lopez’s Ridgwood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council as well as the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg, calls for 905 of the 1,851 units to charge below-market rates, whereas opponents of the plan want taller buildings with more affordable units. Markowitz endorsed Lopez’s plan, but recommended certain changes: another 150 units of affordable housing, a method of guaranteeing that affordable housing remain affordable in the long term, and security for displaced businesses. Markowitz also possibly implied that he supports Levin because Levin, in turn, supports the city’s plan for the Broadway Triangle: “I know Steve’s opponents think process is more important than results … but he understands that results are the most important thing.” GMAP
Old Feuds Resurface in a Brooklyn Rezoning Fight [NY Times]
Marty Endorses Lopez’s Pet Projects [Brooklyn Paper]
Markowitz Holds Hearing on Broadway Triangle [Brownstoner]
Broadway Triangle Creates a Wedge in Williamsburg [Brownstoner]
Broadway Triangle: Reverse Class Cleansing in BBurg [Brownstoner]
08/28/2009 9:30 AM
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needles
Feb 09, 2012 | 11:02 AM