Petition Against South Slope Hotel Expansion
IMBY reports that neighbors have created a petition to “deny the non-contextual expansion of Grand Prospect Hall,” the site on Prospect between 5th and 6th avenues where a developer wants to create an 11-story hotel plus parking additions. A sample of the petition, which can be found here: “The proposed expansion will increase the current…
IMBY reports that neighbors have created a petition to “deny the non-contextual expansion of Grand Prospect Hall,” the site on Prospect between 5th and 6th avenues where a developer wants to create an 11-story hotel plus parking additions. A sample of the petition, which can be found here: “The proposed expansion will increase the current GPH [Grand Prospect Hotel] to a size that is completely out of context with the rest of the neighborhood. In 2005 this neighborhood was re-zoned to R6B zoning which caps building heights at 40 feet at the street wall and 50 feet after a setback. GPH’s proposal, as it stands, will have a building with a height of at least 110 feet, nearly three times the height and five times the bulk allowable by law. In addition, GPH claims that there will be benefits to the community, primarily in the addition of 400 parking spots that will be available some of the time, (when they are not being used by GPH), to the local community. This claim is unsubstantiated, and is not viewed as a benefit by many in the community. We feel that the benefit of occasional parking will be more than outweighed by the downside of having such an enormous structure in a quiet residential neighborhood.”
Restless Natives Petition to Deny the Non-Contextual Expansion of Grand Prospect Hall [IMBY]
Prospect Ave Hotel Opponents Will Not Go Gently [Brownstoner]
Opposition to Prospect Hotel Mounting [Brownstoner] GMAP
Renderings, Details Revealed for Prospect Hotel [Brownstoner]
Photo from Property Shark.
Lets put all this bickering aside.
Mud wrestling.
That’s the answer. Action Jackson vs ou812
Or saowhat vs who ever;
Or who ever else wants to have at it.
Lets do it right in the middle of the Grand Prospect Hall.
Winner takes all.
Oh sorry. I shouldn’t haver said that. I am sure that someone will say that “Winner takes all” is the issue. But that’s just some more selective quoting on their part. The problem with that argument is that those who have signed the petition are not against the GPH expanding. They are (if you read what is written) against the “proposed expansion”.
I would think that even uo812, or iou, or denton or who ever would understand that.
AJ
Why don’t YOU tell me about the positive impacts such a project could have for “The Community”. You don’t need to hear it from me, you know what they are. It’s not just parking. Step up! We can argue about scale later. Certainly you’ll do plenty of that on your own.
AJ,
FYI: I have been here long before you arrived on the scene, I will guarantee you that. Nor am I angry. The zoning change doesn’t impact me as I have no plan on selling out to developers (but it did financially impact owners who might have, a little factoid you conveniently ignored). And guess what, I live less than three blocks from GPH. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are wrong, wrong, wrong, and again, wrong. Go find another angle to use.
As for petitions, point of view, etc. it is always only one that is presented. You honestly expect a signature in favor on a petition labeled “DENY THE NON-CONTEXTUAL EXPANSION OF GRAND PROSPECT HALL” where all you are asking for is a signatue in agreement. That’s a total joke.
Even the hundreds you claim joined you before does not represent the community as a whole. OK, let’s call it a thousand in community of what 100,000. A loud minority at best. Did you present all the facts or just the points of view that made your case? Local officials, please don’t make me puke. They will do anything for and against a soundbite. And you traded off for a downzoning in the South Slope (15th St and south, a small section that was R6, while the rest of Park Slope was already R6B) for a major upzoning across most of 4th ave. So you got what you wanted and by your own standards, everyone on 4th ave got screwed. (Ps. I don’t live on 4th ave either before you go there). You want to know what the community thinks, ask them. Ask them without any bias inferred.
To answer your other question, I did not agree with allowing 12 story high rise condo’s on blocks predominantly with one/two family homes. But this project makes sense to me. Scale can be negiotiated, but limiting them to a residential restriction on this block doens’t make sense to me. The broken record here is the constant drumbeat of “Don’t Develop Anything”. Don’t agree with us and we’ll mock you or infer something else about you (as you just have).
If you don’t like those answers, then BLO ME!
OU812.
ou812,
I love it when folks like yourself (and the other one; I forgot his name already, that’s how much it means to me) open your mouths.
You make it so much easier for people like myself to make our point.
Keep up the good work.
And I might add of the 150 signatures, there’s not one in favor of GPH’s proposed plans. It’s not an all or nothing petition ou812, sign it yourself and give your reasons to support the potential spot rezoning and development.
ou812, why so angry? Moved to the area and forgot to check the new zoning before you bought?
It’s not “my petiton.” It was started by folks who live directly adjacent to the potential project. Which is the part of “the community” that is going to be directly effective if the plan goes fwd.
They are quite clear that GPH has not been a good neighbor with thee current way things are (check this blog, brooklynian, the local list servs), why would they be any better with a larger scale operation?
As far as the rezoning of 2005, where were you? Certainly not with the hundreds (which lead to thousands by the rezoning’s end and the BSA appeals) who came out to many events, hearings and protests. The thousands of signatures that were captured? The support of the local elected officials and GPH?
Please do your research before you mouth off about losing FAR. Been down that road before. Broken record that’s long since played out.
ou812,
Maybe you should share some of that stuff you’re smoking with the rest of us.
Maybe then we could all understand how our property values will go up by having a monstrosity built next to us.
Not to mention that; Even if it did, I don’t want my property values to go up.
I don’t live in a Ponzi scheme, where my life is predicated by how much I can profit from everything around me.
Enough of that stuff might help me to understand how a “Community” that chose to be down zoned to protect its “community” is now going to “choose” to allow one entity to break the law.
Maybe after I’ve smoked enough of that crap, I’ll believe half the stuff that you are saying.
Until then – My shoes fit just fine..
This is a disaster waiting to happen.
1- Anything that is built will be built on the cheap
2- Everything is premised on illusions of grandeur.
What happens when all of the promises and grand illusions are not realized.
The community will be left with a very large shadow and nothing to show for it.
Denton and anyone else that “Claim” to support this are that same kind of folks that thought there was nothing wrong with all the money Madoff “claimed” to be making while everyone else was being fleeced.
It’s so easy to talk when you are far enough away that you only have to deal with the “positive” aspects of something like this.
I really would like to see what these “community minded” folk would be saying if something of this magnitude were being built near them.
“The Whole Community”. Did you poll the whole community? I think not. In this case, the whole community would be Park Slope/Sunset Park since GPH is right in between both. You have less than 150 people on your petition last I checked. You will not break 1/10 of 1% with those numbers yet you speak about the whole community like you’ve been elected to do so.
50 Stories, 5 Stories, even if they stayed within current guidelines, you will complain about it and try to stop it. Who are you kidding?
As for the downzoning, maybe if you explained to “The Whole Community” that besides the devlopers, you also took away thier own FAR, thier own ability to expand, reduced thier property values (Directly proportionate to buildable SQF), then maybe “The Whole Community” might have a different opinion. But that is not what you do now is it? One side, one argument, everyone else must be called names and labeled.
What shoe fits you?