Curbing Illegal Curb Cuts by Targeting Self-Certification
Brooklyn’s “paving wars” may yet come to a peaceful end, but not without striking a blow to the practice of self-certification. A number of City Council Members—including Vincent Gentile, Letitia James and Domenic Recchia, Jr.—have co-signed bills aimed at limiting curb cuts (whereby front yards are turned into parking spaces). The bills (here, here, and…
Brooklyn’s “paving wars” may yet come to a peaceful end, but not without striking a blow to the practice of self-certification. A number of City Council Members—including Vincent Gentile, Letitia James and Domenic Recchia, Jr.—have co-signed bills aimed at limiting curb cuts (whereby front yards are turned into parking spaces). The bills (here, here, and here), which are currently being considered by several community boards (CB9, for example, voted in favor of the legislation a week and a half ago), would not only require homeowners to correct curb cuts constructed without a DOB permit, they’d also make it impossible to use self-certification to create curb cuts. The Brooklyn Streets, Carroll Gardens blog sees the change as a good first step for killing self-certification completely: Intro 619 would limit [self-certification] to exclude curb cuts. I would eliminate it altogether and put an end to self-certification once and for all. Chalk it up as one more miserable failure from the hand of Rudy Giuliani. Think the curb-cutting bills could be the beginning of the end for self-certification?
Curb Cutting Spreading in Carroll Gardens [Brownstoner]
Not in My Front Yard? [Brownstoner]
Council Tries to Clamp Down on Self-Certifiers [Brownstoner]
Ending Illegal Curb Cuts, and Self-Certification [BSCG]
Intro 619, Intro 639, Intro 620 [NYC Council]
brownstones are overbearing, ovewrought and depressing
NYC zoning regulations should prohibit storing an automobile between the building line and the curb. It is unneighborly to use your property to store your car. If a home owner doesn’t understand this, the law should make it clear. If you have a garage, you can have a curb cut, otherwise forget it.
These nabes with parking in the paved front yards (and white-painted gates, and the spiral topiary, and plastic flowers, and Astroturf, and Greek statues, and on and on) are the most depressing in the city. Viva Staten Island.
Queens has more trees, Brooklyn has more trees, whatever. I think it can be safely said that Brooklyn on a whole has more of an active pedestrian prescense albeit one of a 19th Century victorian flanuer variety. I would also argue that Queens (and I have visited nearly every part) does not have streets like Montague, 5th Ave, Washington, ect… Queens has it’s very own brand of street life, more suited to the bazaar (I mean this in a good way). The chaos of queens street life and sometimes the complete lack of it suits curb cuts, concrete driveways, and astro turf stoops very well. These elements are in direct conflict with the aura of the Brownstone Belt of brooklyn.
It’s common sense as to where these curb cuts shuold be allowed in brooklyn. Coney Island Ave? Sure no problem, it’s a stretch suited for automobile use anyway. President Street? Absolutely not. I know that down by 4th ave and the BQE there are curb cuts and the car is typically an oversized obnoxious SUV or commercial van. I really want to key them every time just for the fact that they disrupt the aesthetic of the block.
I have lived more than 20 years in both boros (BRooklyn and Queens) Queens has less concrete.
2:19: not everyone lives in a housing project like you did and never saw a tree in their life.
I was visiting someone in Jackson Heights the other day. It felt like living in a parking lot.
I would rather allow people to marry their cars than allow gay marriage.
Having a relationship with your car preserves the sanctity of marriage.
Cheese anyone?
suck it, PArk Slope
Queens has less concrete than brooklyn! HA! Do you even live in the city?
I spoon my car every night on the street in front of your house.