Curb Cut Crack Down in Carroll Gardens
[nggallery id=”47866″ template=galleryview] Yesterday the Brooklyn Paper wrote about curb cuts in Carroll Gardens; in particular, 4th Place has been turned into “a trailer park,” in the words of one resident. Because of a loophole in city zoning, the front yards on First, Second, Third, and Fourth Places are part of the street and not…
[nggallery id=”47866″ template=galleryview]
Yesterday the Brooklyn Paper wrote about curb cuts in Carroll Gardens; in particular, 4th Place has been turned into “a trailer park,” in the words of one resident. Because of a loophole in city zoning, the front yards on First, Second, Third, and Fourth Places are part of the street and not the homeowner’s property, which gives the city control of what goes there. Evidently, many of the curb cuts were done without permits, which now gives the city the ability to start handing out violations. But many residents claim the homes had curb cuts before they even lived there. We checked out Fourth Place between Smith and Court, which the Brooklyn Paper calls “the wild west of inappropriate use of the very front gardens that give the neighborhood its name.” There were around six homes using their front lots for parking. Cheese-tacular!
‘Lots’ of Problems on One Carroll Gardens Lot [Brownstoner]
That is an ugly block and those brick homes look like what we have here in Bensonhurst. They are totally in appropriate for Carroll Gardens, but now after all these years they are bitching about these parking spaces???
I would say tough. The homes came with garages and driveways when they were built, so goo d for the homeowner, and tough for everyone else.
There’s certainly no way that grandfathering would apply here — the law that designated these as courtyards was from 1846 when these streets were laid out. (The curb cuts regulations obviously came later, and those regs are citywide.)
I have to agree with the folks who say that the people who bought these houses and inherited the curb cuts did not do their due diligence. The law was in place and was on the books.
hey gemini,
our sympathies to you losing or potentially losing your parking spot but lets be rational here. You are creating parking space my illegaly parking on government property?? Fuzzy logic and circuitious thinking, no?
Are only neighbors allowed to block your driveway? Do you know each and everyone of their cars and addresses? Get the drift here?
The law is the law even when it’s not enforced as LDR has so plainly spelled out….he is NOT “dropping dime” simply stating the facts! Inconvenient yes but true.
BTW: we know aesthetics is in the eye of the beholder but you know what? That is one ugly block in a cluster of beautiful historic brownstones!!
LRD
It was me who made that comment, not BXgrl
Stop dropping dime on your neighbors and let them be – SOOO many of the curbcuts were done WAY before the city created these rules. Trust me I know – as I said I owned a house in PS with a driveway and anything done before I (want to say 1980 but I could be wrong) was grandfathered in even if the new rules consider it illegal
I agree maybe increase their taxes to have that privledge – I will agree with you on that!
Hey bxgrl:
I am among the Italian tomato growing CG natives of which you speak. My family’s been on the Place blocks for 80 years. These Curb Cuts and private parking pads definitely take away fairly won street parking by reserving curb space for the people who have driveways to access their private and illegal parking spots in the courtyards. People have been towed for parking in those curb cuts. That’s a fact. You can’t just rely on the kindness of the property owner and park in their curbcut and hope they ring your bell when they need to get out. Get real. This is Brooklyn. We aren’t THAT neighborly. At the very least, these homeowners should have to pay taxes on these spots. Right now, it isn’t assessed in their property taxes.
Johnny!
I have since sold my house with the spot – BUT what I wondered is why my driveway curbcut is City property, but the sidewalk belongs to me? I don’t see the City coming and shoveling my my sidewalk or my driveway?
Gemini,
If I understand it correctly, you’re saying that you don’t own the space in front of your house while at the same time demanding that it be reserved for your personal access to your drive way?
Point of information: In NYC, ALL owners of property are required to maintain their property , i.e., clean, remove snow, keep in good repair, etc, and are subject to enforcement for failing to maintain. However owners of 1, 2 and 3 families that are owner occupied DO NOT bear the liability of lawsuits emanating from these deficiencies. The City still assumes that liability.This was all changed in 2003. See attached link and excerpt:
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
NEW YORK, NY 10007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2003
No. 200
http://www.nyc.gov
MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG SIGNS
TORT REFORM LEGISLATION
REMARKS BY MAYOR BLOOMBERG AT A PUBLIC HEARING ON LOCAL LAW
“The last bill before me is Introductory Number 193, sponsored at my request by Council
Members Liu, Addabbo, Reyna, Stewart, Gerson, Moskowitz, Gonzalez, Sears and the Public Advocate
Gotbaum. This legislation transfers liability from the City to the owners of real property for the owners’
failure to maintain sidewalks adjacent to their property in a reasonably safe condition. However, the
provisions of this bill imposing liability on the owners of the real property would not apply to one-, two- or
three- family homes that are owner occupied and used exclusively for residential purposes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/05/realestate/your-home-sidewalk-liability-hits-home.html?scp=1&sq=RESPONSIBILITY%20TO%20MAINTAIN%20SIDEWALK%20IN%20NYC&st=cse
You have to laugh at the people who bought the houses there claiming the parking spaces were already there. They most likely overpaid for their houses under the false assumption that it came with a private legal parking space.