Month: August 2008

NAG – Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (the second “G” is silent) – has started a new blog. NAG’s blog focuses on the issue that matter most to the organization: balanced growth in north Brooklyn. The blog officially went live on Saturday, but they have been posting for a couple of weeks on topics such as brownfields, the Finger Building, industrial retention, Williamsburg Walks (which NAG helped to organize) – so generally, stuff about getting involved in your neighborhood and helping to shape its future.

For those who don’t know, NAG began life as Neighbors Against Garbage (hence the single “G”), fighting against the Nekboh/USA Waste waste transfer station on Kent Avenue (now the site of Northside Piers). During the waterfront rezoning of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, NAG was one of the leading neighborhood advocacy groups. (It was the NAG leadership that coordinated the formation of the North Brooklyn Alliance, an umbrella organization of community groups that fought for affordable housing, open space, jobs and reasonably-scaled development in the rezoning.)

[Full disclosure: I’m on the NAG board.]

Lawanna’s, which moved this past year from the heart of the Bedford strip to Grand Street, is having a closing sale. Apparently, the Grand Street location did not have the drop-in foot traffic necessary to maintain the business. (Grand Street, is a great retail area, but realistically, it probably is more of a destination retail area.)

Nearby, a new storefront for a new restaurant has gone in at 167 Grand (the former head shop/coffee shop next to La Villita Bakery).

The Straphangers Campaign ranked the L train as the best in system. It’s scheduled every three-and-a-half minutes in the morning rush, comes on time, has regular, audible announcements, fewer breakdowns, and is cleaner than the average subway lines… The Straphanger’s put a $1.40 value on an L train ride. The one drawback — it’s nearly impossible to get a seat at rush hour.

The L was also top rated in the announcement category and in the on-time category (tied with the J/Z, actually).

I don’t take the L often enough to say if service has improved dramatically, but if it has, that is really great news.

Great news, and great work by all those involved, in particular the local pols and Gerry Esposito of CB1.

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Photo: Neighbors Allied
for Good Growth

Among the many things going on this weekend:

Williasmburg Walks: Week 3. Saturday, from noon to 7 p.m., Bedford Avenue will again be closed from Metropolitan to North 9th. Last weekend saw cooler temperatures and more use of the sidewalks by merchants. The forecast for tomorrow is for even cooler temps (and maybe some rain). Come out and help this urban experiment evolve.

Stop the Violence Rally. Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., at Continental (Washington) Plaza, Roebling and South 5th. Rally to protest the recent spate of violence in the Southside. Will include a mass at 7 p.m. and music all night.