Brooklyn Inside & Out

As I have observed before, people feel the need to make exaggerated claims when protesting new buildings, but the quotes in this article are especially histrionic and overblown. "I thought it was pretty cute having described it as urban decay, nice touch to someone who’s, you know, really, actually lived there" You can view these buildings going back to 2012 on google street view. Once there was a laundromat in part of the structure, but it's been vacant for over 10 years. It's boarded, graffiti covered, with cracked sidewalks and overgrown vegetation. You're really going to get persnickety about calling it "urban decay?" "These are the only open spaces available to Ebbets Field . . . everybody in this neighborhood and all the children will now be playing in the dark.” This is patently false in several respects. This neighborhood is situated near some of the best open space in the entire city in Prospect Park. And anyway, the sun moves. Shadows cast in the morning will turn to sun by midday. Moreover, the big playground and ball fields on the same block (Jackie Robinson Playground) get plenty of sun except for the morning hours when the substantially taller Ebbets Field houses shade them. Have a look at the various street shots going back over a decade on google maps. Plenty of sun that playground! Finally, tons of children in NYC - even very privileged ones - have played in pocket parks and in the shade of tall buildings for decades. ". . . the board conditionally supported commercial development at the site and recommended a two-story retail space with parking" This was a surprise to me. There is already a ton of parking lots in that area, and I don't two story retail with parking as some sort of amazing outcome to aspire to.

Such a jarring mismatch of taste: the exterior cladding, the hardscaping, the choice of shrubbery versus the interior. Was this a couple who decided to divide domains? "Honey, you can do whatever you want outside, but I'm preserving the character inside." Anyway, how much to remove permastone? And while you're at it, re-open the wraparound porch. There's plenty of space inside; no need to add extra square footage by enclosing one the best features.

It would be lovely and much appreciated if you could cite my 2024 book, Brooklyn Takes the Stage: Nineteenth-Century Theater in the City of Churches (McFarland).

The opposition to this project is ridiculous. The area is blighted with trash, storage units and fast food. The nearby apartments are known for an entrenched gang presence linked to a recent shooting of 11 people. Where exactly are children whose sunshine is being taken away from by these nice apartments and commercial spaces? I'd be willing to guess they weren't at the town hall. The community in this area failed itself, and that's why developers are there and rightfully so.