BSA Makes a Mockery of Itself in Two Rulings
The Park Slope Courier calls bullsh!t on the BSA’s recent gift to developers in the South Slope who’ve done nothing but flout the law and give the finger to the community. While finding that neither 400 15th Street (top) nor 639 6th Avenue (bottom) had its foundation substantially complete–the condition for being vested under the…
The Park Slope Courier calls bullsh!t on the BSA’s recent gift to developers in the South Slope who’ve done nothing but flout the law and give the finger to the community. While finding that neither 400 15th Street (top) nor 639 6th Avenue (bottom) had its foundation substantially complete–the condition for being vested under the old zoning laws–the Board only confirmed the public perception that it is in developers’ pockets by allowing the projects to go forward under claims of hardship. Basically, the developers got a free pass because the Board was worried that they wouldn’t make enough money if they had to play by the rules. Grassroots community groups weren’t the only ones who opposed the variances. “Clearly the foundations were not advanced in both cases, and we felt they should not have been vested,” said John Keefe, a representative from Assemblymember James Brennan’s office, who testified against the developers’ requests.
Park Slope Zone Busting! [Park Slope Courier]
Brooklyn Olympic Sport: Beat the Downzone [Curbed]
Crawford,
You keep talking about 4 and 5 story buildings – Have you seen the 11 story piece of shit, going up on 16th street.
Everything about this Development was done illegally from the start. Instead of enforcing the laws that were already on the books and stopping this abomination, the DOB rewarded the Developer by vesting that crap even though they were still pouring (Illegally) the foundation on Christmas Eve. Now he is already boasting that he can sell the best view in the area and that no one will ever be able to block the view.
The same scum bag is also trying to build another piece of shit rite down the block from that one. He has been caught breaking a variety of laws and even lied in official documents when questioned about the illegal work. He has gone so far as to tell the BSA that neither they nor the DOB have the right to stop him from breaking the law because they (The Developers) have been breaking the law for over 30 years without any significant ramifications.
Because the precedent has been set that Developers have been allowed to break the law it can not be changed now.
If you really believe that there is nothing wrong with this crap then I dare you to buy one of those Luxury Condoms.
Believe me when I tell you that you will regret it for the rest of your life.
My concern, frankly, isn’t with the previous generations of tenants who moved out. That’s the way life and the market works. My concern is that property owners who skirted legal requirements are now being rewarded (by the BSA) handsomely for their efforts.
I can accept the outcome – but clearly the process was a sham. Awarding a hardship variance to a builder in part due to legal costs associated with fighting city enforcement and neighborhood efforts to ensure safe and fair building conditions? Come on. It’s a horrible pattern for the BSA to perpetuate.
I’m surprised that local elected officials — who have been so active in monitoring this siutation — have been relatively quiet on the outcome.
Damn! Joe Joe sure did hit the nail on the head. Well done!
You whiners are all a bunch of hypocrites. You are the very same people that displaced the blue collar working class imigrants that made park slope their home up until about 25 years ago. Apartment buildings were converted to coops and condos, apartments were cut in half, residents were harrassed out of their rent controlled/stabalized units, the rest cashed out because you came then with “YOUR” money. Those left behind in unregulated apartments found themseleves with “Brand New Leases” they no longer could afford. Whether it was you then who had to pay your brand new mortgage or some developer who just wanted to empty the building for conversion, it had the same effect. It became unaffordable, people moved out, the services catered to the new slope. Now you have your little slice of Idaho just like they did and calling everyone else greedy because people with more money are jacking everything up another level and you are now the residents being pushed. Who cares. Deal with it. Your attitude is like “as long as it doesn’t happen to me” wrapped up in the pretense of caring for the community. You didn’t care then, but all of a sudden you care now. How convenient.
Good. Let BSA approve these projects. Unlike the NIMBYs I do not what to look at this big holes/unfinished projects for the next couple years or more. It looks like blight to me. Prospective buyers looking for homes in greenwood heights/south slope would also consider the surrounding blight when making offers. But if the NIMBYs have their way we will have a bunch of unfinished projects all around the neighborhood. Ok I accept we have lost some FAR (“Valueâ€) with the rezoning. But now they want the neighborhood already struggling with a reputation of vinyl/aluminum sided and frame structures to be marked by unfinished constructions. The school system though improving is not a seller. Everyone with kids knows where the good schools are. I do not know who is more dangerous to our already declining property values “the NIMBYS†or the market.
a community’s residents deserve to have the zoning laws enforced. zoning can be attractive to a neighborhood’s residents. watching someone violate the law then get a free pass is frustrating and just should not occur. if I break a window on your house, should the cops not care because it’s already done? no, I should be in jail for the night. why is this any different?
Crawford,
It’s not the size (though it is the bulk, under our new zoning, which would be shorter and less floor area), it’s the behavior…the developer flagrantly disobeyed the law, ruined one building to the right (still in court), 5 back yards and undermined another building to the left. Worked against stop work orders, nights & weekends…broke the law, plain & simple.
Bad conduct does not deserve a pay-out, regardless of the proposed hardship to the BSA. if it was “in your backyard” (rather your back yard had slid into the work site) you would take a different tone. Or move to Paramus, I guess.
They still could have provided needed decent housing/condos at a contextual level under the new zoning and still made a heck of a profit.
It’s not about 5 story apartment buildings, it is about out of context “luxury” condos that sell for multi-million dollars that change the character of a neighborhood far quicker than a more natural evolution. It’s about tearing down smaller and affordable multi-family housing and replacing it with housing that is no longer affordable for those who were/are displaced. It is about a change that makes it difficult for those of us who have called this neighborhood home for many years to remain here due to increasing prices on not only the homes/rentals, but the services offered in the area.
David,
Why will 5-floor apartment buildings make Brooklyn look like nowheresville? Wouldn’t nowheresville be typified by suburban-style living? Single family homes, auto dependency and environmental ruin are the hallmarks of suburban lifestyles. Stop trying to import these values into Brooklyn.
There is nothing inappropriate about 5-floor buildings in Brooklyn, of all places. This is not Paramus.