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Boerum Hillers Not Psyched About House of D Reopening
When it reopens next week, the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic will have one thing to boast over other jails: Proximity to $3 million townhouses. “It seems strange to have a jail in downtown Brooklyn,” a pizza chef on nearby Livingston Street told Crain’s. “I never would have agreed to buy this house for all this money had I known it was opening,” one woman who paid $3.4 million last summer for a house on State Street told The Times. “We took a gamble and lost on this neighborhood.” While some of the higher end restaurants don’t think the visitors to the 759-bed jail are going to do much for their businesses, the manager of the New St. Claire diner across the street is bullish. And while safety surely is a concern for some, like most contentious issues in New York City, this one also comes back to parking. The warden, though, has promised to limit the improper parking of official vehicles.
As Neighborhood Thrives, No Warm Welcome for a Reopened Jail [NY Times]
Sadly for Some, Brooklyn Gets Its Jail Back [Crain's]
02/06/2012 9:00 AM
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Brownstone Belt’s Increasing Affluence, by the Numbers
The Eagle has an article looking at reports recently compiled by CUNY’s Center for the Study of Brooklyn in terms of how they show a number of brownstone neighborhoods “getting wealthier” in recent years. The neighborhoods in question are those in District 2 (Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Downtown, Boerum Hill and Fort Greene) and District 6 (Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Gowanus and Park Slope). Here are some of the stats that are highlighted:
-In District 2, the median gross income per household is $65,836, up from $52,342 in 2000. In District 6, the median gross income per household is $84,154, up from $66,000 in 2000.
-People are paying more in rent to live in both areas: “In District 2, the median gross rent went up from $878 in 2000 to $1,104 in 2007-09 — a 25 percent increase. In District 6, between 2000 and 2007-9, the median rent per household rose from $1,141 to $1,499. This is an even higher increase — 31 percent.”
-The neighborhoods have gotten whiter: “In a breakdown by race, District 2 is 43 percent white vs. 32.5 percent in 2000. District 6 is 64.9 percent white vs. 55.7 percent 2000. In both areas, the black population has declined — for example, the percentage in District 2 is 31 percent now vs. 39 percent in 2000. The black population within District 6 decreased from 11.5 percent to 8 percent in the same period, and the Latino population decreased from 23.8 percent to 18.2 percent.”
Another fun fact from the reports that’s not mentioned in the article: The top occupation in both districts is “lawyer,” as it was for both in 2000. In District 2, 4.9 percent of residents are lawyers pulling in a median salary of $121,547, and in District 6, 6.6 percent of residents are lawyers, with a median salary of $126,611.
Brownstone Areas Getting Wealthier, Despite Recession [Eagle]
01/30/2012 9:30 AM
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Have the Yuppie-Hasid Wars Come to Crown Heights?
It seems like the tensions between Orthodox Jews and non-Orthodox neighborhood newcomers that are old hat at this point in Williamsburg are starting to simmer in Crown Heights. Gothamist links to a post on a Chabad Lubavitch website in which a local landlord implores other building owners to “reinforce the observant Jewish character of crown heights”:
Young, upwardly mobile professionals may seem to be pleasant tenants who bring in reliable income, but they also introduce a very different way of life: new nightclubs and bars, sun tanning on rooftops, bike lanes and an increasing amount of immodesty on our streets. Some of these changes are hard to ignore; for instance, one of the sun tanning parties are visible for our young children to see from the window of a local school. Rising rent compounds the problem and makes it even harder for our young couples and families to compete in the rental market. Friends, we pay a premium to live in this neighborhood, and we strive to create an atmosphere of holiness and kedusha for our children and teens. These yuppies bring pritzus to our neighborhood. They come out at night to our restaurants and act inappropriately while waiting on line etc. We would hope that landlords, especially the Crown Heights landlords, would put a priority on our values, but sadly the need to make money is taking precedence for them. Some young agents and landlords will specifically rent to these goyim instead of a fellow Jewish family. Sadly, some homeowners have gone as far as bringing these yuppies as tenants in their home in prime locations.
The landlord suggests that the community might want to look into finding ways to subsidize rent for Orthodox residents in order to maintain the neighborhood’s identity.
Hasidic Landlord Sick Of “Sun Tanning Goyim” In Crown Heights [Gothamist]
Take Back Our Neighborhood [COLLive]
01/25/2012 12:00 PM
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Williamsburg Bar Fight Rages On
Crain’s has a story about Community Board 1′s attempt to crack down on the number of bars in Williamsburg following the board’s decision last month to not vote in favor of any liquor license requests involving outdoor spaces unless the businesses also serve food. The article touches on residents’ complaints about the neighborhood’s bars, most of which center on how noisy the patrons are (“We’re trying to tame the Wild West of bars,” say CB1′s public safety chairman Mieszko Kalita), while also quoting bar owners who say the board is overreaching. Matt Webber, who owns the bar Soft Spot and is looking to expand, says the board is “trying to stipulate us to death.” Meanwhile, Felice Kirby, who has run Teddy’s Bar and Grill for three decades, says “no bar should be demonized that doesn’t deserve it.” Bar owners have banded together as a group called Brooklyn Allied Bars and Restaurants to try to protect their livelihoods.
Crackdown Hits North Brooklyn Bars [Crain's]
Photo by Johnnie Utah
01/23/2012 10:00 AM
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Closing Bell: Sound Off on 7th Avenue
The Park Slope Chamber of Commerce is running an online survey about 7th Avenue to gather opinions from residents about what is and isn’t working on the commercial strip. You can fill one out here.
7th Avenue Survey [PSCC]
01/16/2012 4:00 PM
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Robberies Rose in the Slope and Carroll Gardens Last Year
The NYPD reports that there was an increase last year in robberies in the 76th Precinct, which covers Carroll Gardens and Red Hook, and the 78th Precinct, which covers Park Slope, according to a story in the Post. There were 124 robberies in the 76th Precinct last year, compared to 100 in 2010, and a 32 percent increase in the 78th Precinct. The thieves are targeting “tipsy revelers, distracted shoppers and anyone with earbuds oblivious of his surroundings, police sources say.”
Thieves Getting Hip to Trendy Brooklyn Nabes [NY Post]
01/09/2012 11:00 AM
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Inmates Coming Back to the House of D Next Month
The Department of Corrections says it will start putting inmates into the House of Detention on Atlantic and Smith next month, according to the Daily News, and eventually fill all 759 of the facility’s beds over the coming year. According to the story, the inmates will be pretrial prisoners who have court dates in Brooklyn and Staten Island. The jail basically stopped hosting inmates in 2003, and some neighborhood residents are less than thrilled about the HOD’s reopening: “Howard Kolins, president of the Boerum Hill Association and a member of the house of detention’s community advisory committee, said that when the jail was open, it brought visitors ditching contraband in the street, vehicles parking in bus stops and handicapped spots, and shackled prisoners being transported through residential streets. ‘Residents of State Street with small children are unnerved by that,’ he said.” A few years ago a bunch of different schemes for the building that came to nothing were bandied about, including ones that involved getting a developer to build retail and expanding the jail facilities. It remains to be seen whether simply bringing inmates back will have an effect on residents’ quality of life.
Inmates to Fill Reopened Brooklyn House of Detention in Boerum Hill [NY Daily News] GMAP
Photo by JayeClaire.
01/05/2012 9:30 AM
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Crackdown Coming to Two Local Methadone Clinics
Yesterday the Daily News reported on police crackdowns on two methadone centers in Crown Heights and Clinton Hill where addicts are known to hustle drugs on the street after treatment. Officials say a three-strike rule will be implemented if patients are caught buying or selling drugs. City Councilwoman Tish James called for the crackdown and has been speaking out against the methadone clinics since 2008, when she first called for a consolidation, downsizing or closure of the existing facilities. The clinic pictured is at 882 Bergen Street between Classon and Franklin; the Clinton Hill clinic is at 937 Fulton Street, just outside the Clinton-Washington subway stop.
Residents say Brooklyn Methadone Clinics Created ‘Drug Bazaar,’ Authorities Promise Crackdown [NY Daily News]
12/07/2011 10:03 AM
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Residents Talk About Possible Fourth Avenue Upgrades
Last night we sat in on the first meeting of the traffic, transportation and safety committee of the Fourth Avenue Task Force, an initiative that’s “charged with directing the community-focused transformation of Fourth Avenue into a place that safely accommodates all road users.” About 20 people showed up, including Council member Steve Levin and representatives from the DOT. Residents expressed concerns about the avenue and offered suggestions for improving the thoroughfare. Some of the ideas bandied about last night included adding bike lanes, studying truck use and improving infrastructure while keeping the industrial waterfront accessible. A rep from Bay Ridge’s community board said “hot spots” for accidents in the neighborhood have already been identified. DOT reps talked about the stretch of the avenue from Sunset Park up to Atlantic Avenue, which is where the first safety improvements are likely to be implemented. At present only temporary changes can put into place—like banning certain turns—before capital improvements are made. There was also discussion of how Atlantic Yards might affect the avenue, and Council member Levin said that he’s heard reports that traffic changes that have already been put into place have increased congestion on the northernmost stretch of Fourth Avenue. Another participant added that the Whole Foods development will be another source of congestion in the future. If you missed last night’s meeting, you can attend the town hall meeting scheduled for tonight, which will have more of a focus on possible aesthetic improvements for the avenue, such as landscaping.
11/15/2011 12:00 PM
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Hookers Seeing Red Over Strip Club
Paris Burlesque Club, the venue that opened in Red Hook earlier this year, has dispensed with burlesque shows and turned into a seedy strip club, according to the Brooklyn Paper. While the club’s owner, David Ruggiero, promised it wouldn’t be “an adult establishment” when he went before Community Board 6 seeking a liquor license, the paper found women pole dancing and offering lap dances on a recent visit. Neighbors are also complaining about violence outside the club and say there was a recent incident in which patrons peed on nearby buildings. Folks who live nearby and were against the club’s opening in the first place because they feared it would become a strip joint are, of course, upset. A burlesque dancer who produced a couple of legit shows at the club when it was first open says Ruggiero “used our art form to justify peddling smut.” The article also notes that Paris is operating without a proper cabaret license.
Neighbors Irate Over Strip-Club Switcheroo [BK Paper]
11/08/2011 10:15 AM
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On Warren Street, High Prices Despite the Projects
The Times has an article about Warren Street between Nevins and Bond, a block that has the Gowanus Houses on one end of it and Wyckoff Gardens on the other, and finds that proximity to the projects doesn’t kill its real estate values. This despite an anonymous comment on Brownstoner regarding the condo at 433 Warren (“Worst possible location”)! Price fluctuations at 433 Warren, which reached a low of $305 a foot in ’09 but were up to $639 a foot last year, are offered as evidence of high prices on the block. A broker who has a $2.5 million listing for the four-family at 486 Warren, meanwhile, has this to say: “When the market is down, the projects are a factor. When it is up, the projects aren’t a factor.” That opinion is backed up by data from the Furman Center showing “federally subsidized housing in New York did not typically depress values within a roughly four-block radius.” Longtime residents of the block say that the nearby public housing isn’t as big a problem as drug dealing.
Brownstone Brooklyn Between 2 Projects [NY Times]
10/25/2011 9:30 AM
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Following Complaints, OSA Moving Concerts Out of Park
In response to numerous complaints over the Open Space Alliance’s Summer Concert Series at the East River State Park, OSA rep Stephanie Thayer (pictured) announced to Community Board 1 last night that the concerts would be moved to 50 Kent Avenue at North 10th Street, part of the Bushwick Inlet Park. The new spot, which is currently an asphalt-covered parking lot, will be the third location for the concert series. Thayer said all site preparation should be done by next summer. “We’re here to engage the community,” she told residents, some of whom were still hostile because of the series’ problems this summer. There will be a public hearing on the move to 50 Kent on October 20th, 6:30 p.m., at 211 Ainslie Street.
After the jump, CB1 recaps its summer meetings with OSA, which included death threats….
(more…)
10/06/2011 9:00 AM
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Closing Bell: Atlantic BID Going Into Law Today
The mayor will sign the Atlantic Avenue BID into law this evening at 5pm in City Hall. The BID was approved by City Council a few weeks ago and has been in the works for quite some time. It covers all properties fronting Atlantic Avenue from the BQE to 4th Avenue, as well as one block north and south on all side streets. The BID should be up and running by April, 2012 with a budget of $240,000 a year. For some more details on how the BID came to be, check out this interview we did with Elizabeth Crowell, co-chair of the BID and property owner on Atlantic Ave.
Atlantic Avenue BID Will Soon Be Official [Brownstoner]
Council Hearing for Atlantic Avenue BID [Brownstoner]
Atlantic Ave. BID Gaining Momentum [Brownstoner]
09/27/2011 4:00 PM
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D.A.: More Gang Activity in Parks
The Daily News follows up on its stories about how groups of teens are causing trouble in Crown Heights’ Brower Park and the Park Slope Playground with a report that Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes’ office says there’s been more evidence lately of gangs congregating at parks and playgrounds across the borough. A spokesman for the D.A.’s office says they “are definitely aware of the increase of gang activity in parks and playgrounds,” and cops say it’s difficult to “bust” the teens unless they find weapons or drugs. Examples this time around include Highbridge Park in East New York, the Parade Grounds and Dean Street Park. As with the earlier stories, it’s tough to determine the extent to which these anecdotes are of the selling-newspapers variety or if, in fact, a lot of residents are staying away from parks because they feel threatened by the teens.
Brooklyn DA Warns of Rise in Gang Presence in Borough Parks [NY Daily News]
Parents Complain About Rowdy Teens in Slope Playground [Brownstoner]
Gang Menacing Brower Park [Brownstoner]
Photo by Sugar Pond
09/26/2011 9:30 AM
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Parents Complain About Rowdy Teens in Slope Playground
Another day, another story in The Daily News about a group of teens messing with residents’ quality of life in a Brooklyn park. Yesterday it was Brower Park in Crown Heights, and today it’s the Park Slope Playground, where “neighborhood toughs” who go by the handle “TNG – Top Notch Gentleman” are said to be intimidating parents and their kids. According to the story, the teens congregate at the playground between Lincoln Place and 5th and 6th avenues in the evening, often smoking pot and cursing: “Parents who complained to cops charged that after 6 p.m., the stench of weed and the sound of loud cursing takes over the playground, forcing them and their children to leave early.” The article says residents started complaining to the police about the teens this summer. One member of the group says they’re often arrested by the police, but he sounds unrepentant: “For all those people who want peace and quiet, Brooklyn isn’t the place for you.”
Moms vs. Teens Turns Playground Into Battle Zone [NY Daily News]
Photo via Google Images
09/21/2011 9:00 AM
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Gang Menacing Brower Park
The Daily News has a story about how a violent teen gang is making Brower Park unsafe. The group, known as both the Brower Park Gang and the Brower Park Boys, started hanging out in the park this summer, according to the article, and the police have been stepping up efforts to patrol the park. The gang is known for fighting and loitering during school hours, and the recent spate of shootings in Crown Heights has led to increased concerns about gun violence. One resident said there’s “a concern for safety” after 6 p.m., while some dog walkers say they only go into the park as a group during certain hours of the day. Beyond the fear of attacks, the article says the gang has also “gotten in the way of efforts to recast the park as a destination hosting Shakespeare plays, a skateboard competition and countless concerts.”
Turf Battle in Brower Park [NY Daily News]
Photo by Runs With Scissors
09/20/2011 10:00 AM
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Contest to Redesign a Stretch of Parkside Ave
A group of Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighbors have banded together to launch a contest that will award a $1,000 prize for a concept to redesign Parkside Avenue between Flatbush and Ocean. The contest invites participants to come up with new ideas for the stretch, which can include traffic calming (“Thousands of cars speed through the intersection of Ocean and Parkside every hour. What can be done to pacify this hazard?”); giving the subway entrance a new look (“Ailanthus trees grow from its roofs, its ceilings are collapsing, its paint is peeling, its exits smell like a sewer”); refreshing the “derelict” plaza in front of the park; and imagining a new use for 205 Parkside, the building on the block that is “in shambles.” One of the folks behind the contest says the idea for it came out of community meetings about what could be done about 205 Parkside, and everyone from local Kindergarteners to Daniel Libeskind is encouraged to apply.
The Parkside Prize [Official Site]
09/14/2011 2:40 PM
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Cleanup at 13th Street Hoarder’s House
Several weeks ago we ran photos of a house on 13th Street between 3rd and 4th avenues where the owner has been piling up garbage for more than a decade. NBC picked up the story in early August, and it looks like all the attention resulted in the removal of a lot of the junk outside the property. It’s unlikely that the house is the pride of the neighborhood these days, but at least it’s a lot less gross than it was in late July.
The ‘Trash House’ of 13th Street [Brownstoner]
09/12/2011 9:30 AM
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‘Gentleman’s-Style Club’ Opening in Sunset Park?
There’s no question that the posters in the windows of a new Sunset Park club, Bar 90 Grados, are garish, but some folks on Brooklynian are wondering whether it’s a “‘gentleman’s’ style club barely masquerading as a sports/nightclub.” When we stopped by yesterday it was unclear whether it had actually opened (there’s a sign on the door saying they’re looking for waitresses and bartenders) but the drawings of scantily clad women on the posters that are worrying some on Brooklynian were in evidence, as was a sign reading “Ven a disfrutar del ambiente mas caliente de New York en compania de hermosas chicas,” which translates to “Come enjoy New York’s hottest scene in the company of beautiful girls.” The people on the message board who aren’t pleased with the new business say the patrons could be rowdy, and that it’s close to a few schools. GMAP
09/09/2011 11:00 AM
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ruth2989
May 29, 2012 | 11:02 AM