What's the ETA on Boymelgreen Park?
Workers have been tilling the soil behind the Novo Park Slope fast and furious these days, cultivating a $1.6 million renovation of Terrapin Playground. Terrapin’s the section of J.J. Byrne Park that Novo developer Shaya Boymelgreen pledged to revamp in exchange for using the park as a staging area during construction. (And which has been…
Workers have been tilling the soil behind the Novo Park Slope fast and furious these days, cultivating a $1.6 million renovation of Terrapin Playground. Terrapin’s the section of J.J. Byrne Park that Novo developer Shaya Boymelgreen pledged to revamp in exchange for using the park as a staging area during construction. (And which has been the subject of plenty of community acrimony.) Originally, the Parks Dept. said the work—which is supposed to include eight new handball courts, two new basketball courts, a skate area, and a dog run area—would be done by the end of this summer. At some point, that timeline got revised so it was supposed to be completed sometime this fall. Guess what? Now it’s fall, and though it appears that construction workers are kicking into high gear, you gotta be a little skeptical about them delivering on everything that’s promised within the next 90 days. Beyond that, it’s a little troubling to look at the back of the building and imagine that a public park is basically going to be the Novo’s backyard. Sort of like a half-assed, 4th Avenue version of One Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Old Park Slope Says Novo Park Slope is a Deadbeat [Curbed]
Hi all. I am a recent buyer of a unit in the NOVO building. Perhaps I am biased, but I am of the opinion that NOVO, Argyle, etc… will only serve to improve the fourth avenue corridor in the long run. Yes it’s true that some of these buildings are not exactly architectual marvels, but they are leaps and bounds better than the former tired old buildings that formerly defined this “less than desirable” area of Park Slope. As the demographics shift on 4th avenue…. retailers, restaurants, and bars will follow which is exactly what happened to the “hot” 5th avenue area only a few years ago.
As for the park progress (or lack there of), we must remember that half of the problem is actually the parks department itself. They are a slow, governmental agency full of red tape. I’m not defending greedy developers by any means. I just don’t understand all the full on hatred
that I encounter on these blogs.
If you are a contract holder of Novo, you are welcome to join my Yahoo Group!
Shoot me an email at jj_porch@yahoo.com
9:01PM,
It is not I but the city (and you) that wants it both ways. The tax revenues that the city is hoping to reap and the ones that are foolishly ignored are different entities. The City’s whole economy is based on the projected tax revenues from real state sales. While ignoring the tax money being stolen by Boymelputz et al. in the form of unaccounted for wages (which by the way I and many other have ample proof) and the SS and insurance that come with it. In fact 95% of the City budget surplus from last year came from the sale of 1 piece of real estate – Stuyvesant town. As for your last statement “the only thing the city will be left with” is all the headaches and problems from these many inferior buildings, that are only in their infant stages and are already showing signs of major problems.
9:01PM,
It is not I but the city (and you) that wants it both ways. The tax revenues that the city is hoping to reap and the ones that are foolishly ignored are different entities. The City’s whole economy is based on the projected tax revenues from real state sales. While ignoring the tax money being stolen by Boymelputz et al. in the form of unaccounted for wages (which by the way I and many other have ample proof) and the SS and insurance that come with it. In fact 95% of the City budget surplus from last year came from the sale of 1 piece of real estate – Stuyvesant town. As for your last statement “the only thing the city will be left with” is all the headaches and problems from these many inferior buildings, that are only in their infant stages and are already showing signs of major problems.
I am no great fan of Boylemgreen but 3:59 yo so overstate the case (and facts) that you loose all credibility.
1st off while Boylemegreen and Katan (partners on many jobs) dont use Union labor and there have been quite a bit of safty complaints – I am unaware of any deaths on one of their job sites (and there have been many in this city).
Second – you cant have it both ways – you cant say the city wants tax revenue so it looks the other way and then say the developers dont pay taxes – which is it? And what evidence do you have that this (or some other developer) isnt paying taxes – let me say that if there is one thing this city is efficient at, its tax collection.
Lastly while you may not like the condos that have been built around the city, but the reality is the only thing that the city is going to be left with in the years ahead is ever increasing property taxes – especially as the 421(a) abatements begin to diminsh and expire.
To 4:11,
Yes neither of those is illegal. As long as you pay the proper taxes, and insurance. Also as long as you abide by the law. These are just a few of the things that Mr’s Boymelputz, Katan and the rest seem to have trouble doing. Even with the City and it’s various agencies culpability and cultivation of there illegal acts.
It’s funny you should mention Mr. Katan. Has anyone noticed that he is now hiding. His associates are trying, very hard, to distance them selves from any affiliation to him. Even though we all know he is still very much involved in what is going on (EX: Domino Sugar plant).
A friend of mine told me that Katan’s tower on 16th street is on the market even though, to date, their are many questions about the legality of the existing plans on file not to mention the building it’s self. The advertisement in the Times says it’s a Karl Fisher building but anyone with any knowledge of this project knows it was/is a Radusky/Bricolage designed building. Again trying to hide the dirty laundry from the unsuspecting buyers.
Yea! What a great bunch of guys.
Making money is neither illegal nor immoral, 3:59.
Boymelputz and others (Hello Issac Katan) just like him have built these shit boxes with only one consideration in mind – Maximum Profit.
For the better part of the last decade they have used slave labor and substandard construction practices and all with the Cities blessings. Why? Again the answer is money. The City has turned a blind eye to there illegal and immoral acts because the only thing the Administration was concerned with was the “Projected tax revenuesâ€. Now that the artificially inflated real estate market is starting (just starting) to burst. These Scum have no incentive to finish anything. They will do whatever they can (Lie, cheat) to sell what they have and leave the city and its tax payers holding the bag for many years to come. As a result of this foolish trust (all based on Projected income – Sounds very much like ENRON) given to these scum our city and its tax base will be hemorrhaging money for years to come.