Things might be heating up at the Greenpoint Hospital:
Councilwoman Diana Reyna (D-Williamsburg) is vowing to fight a plan to build housing at the site of shuttered Greenpoint Hospital after a private Bronx-based developer was picked to build the housing over the coalition of local nonprofits she favored.
This is a couple of weeks old, but Aaron Short has written one of the best pro/con analyses of the new loft law that I have seen.
Inspired by the closing of Relish, Eater looks at eight neighborhood restaurants that are no longer. I’m not sure that I would include Coney’s among the first-wave Williamsburg restaurants, and Bonita only counts if you’re looking at Southside pioneers (2002 is way too late for “first wave”, no?). Still, some great old neighborhood restaurants, including Oznot’s (ca. 1994? – a true first waver) and Brick Oven Gallery (which happily has been reincarnated at Kenny’s Trattoria down the block).
So long as we’re strolling down memory lane, why not go all the way? What about the L Cafe and Planet Thailand (the Bedford Avenue one, not the bloated pan-Asian disaster on Berry)? What are the other true “first wave” Williamsburg restaurants – it’s a short list, but I know I’m missing some.
(And for extra credit – what was the name of the restaurant that occupied Diner before Diner? It was started, ca. 1995?, by a female chef from Manhattan.)
As you’ve probably heard, Relish closed last weekend (we happened to be there for dinner the Wednesday before it closed, so we (unwittingly) had a last meal there). For many years, Relish’s diner was a ghost ship in the neighborhood – this cool old building that sat vacant and unused. I guess now it will go back to being a ghost ship.
Gothamist [via FreeWilliamsburg] has a new take on the future of the Kedem Winery site, or more specifically, the huge parking lot there. According to the post, JellyNYC is going to start a smaller Saturday concert series somewhere in South Williamsburg. The concerts would be outdoors, and the original Gothamist speculation was that the parking lot at Kedem Winery was the chosen location. JellyNYC has confirmed the new series, but – while not naming a location – has said that they won’t be at Kedem.
If the concerts are really in South Williamsburg (as opposed to the Southside), this would open a whole new chapter in the hipster-Hasid culture wars.
Aaron Short follows up on the CineMagic story at Kedem Winery.
Sort of makes you wonder about all those claims about manufacturing no longer being viable on the waterfront. This project will bring far more high-paying, good-benefit jobs to the waterfront than the eventual mixed-use residential/retail project will. The problem isn’t that manufacturing isn’t viable, the problem is that we haven’t changed our definition of “industrial” to match the changing face of manufacturing in 21st-century Brooklyn.
When asked whether she lived in [Bushwick], Ms. Snyder replied: “I live by the Montrose stop on the L, which is technically East Williamsburg. But I tell everybody I live in Bushwick.”
The law passed by the legislature is aimed more at SROs and apartment hotels in Manhattan, but should help enforcement of illegal “hotels” in Williamsburg.
Only one minor injury, thankfully.
Joe Lentol is sponsoring legislation to outlaw the siting of radioactive storage facilities within 1,500′ of schools. This legislation – inspired by Luis Garden Acosta’s “toxic-free school zone” idea – would force Radiac, located at the corner of Kent and Grand, to cease radioactive waste storage. (As Luis says, if we can have drug-free school zones, why can’t we have toxic-free school zones?)
Lentol’s press release is reproduced in full, below:
Legislation to Close Radioactive Waste Site, RADIAC, Next to Elementary School Passes Both Houses
Legislation Forbids Radioactive Waste Facilities Within 1500 Feet of Any School
Assemblyman Lentol Urges the Governor to Sign the Legislation into LawAssemblyman Joseph Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) is thrilled to announce that legislation he wrote and sponsored making it illegal for Radiac Research Inc., a radioactive waste storage facility, to continue to operate at its current location in North Brooklyn has passed both the Assembly and Senate. The legislation is on its way to Governor Patterson and Assemblyman Lentol urges the Governor to sign the legislation into law.
“This legislation would be a real victory for the North Brooklyn community and the safety of our children,” said Lentol. “I want to thank Senator Martin Malave Dilan for sponsoring it in the Senate and all of my colleagues in the legislature for helping me to take this important step towards ensuring that there is a plenty of space between our children and radioactive waste.”
At issue is the company’s close proximity to a local elementary school PS 84; so close it is actually in violation of NYC code. Despite the site typically storing medical low-grade radioactive waste that many experts see as relatively safe to store, Assemblyman Lentol refuses to gamble with the health of his constituents. This has been an especially worrisome because the City of New York has recently closed Fire Company 212 which was the engine company specially trained to deal with facilities such as RADIAC. Also, the Department of Justice has stated that such facilities are at high risk of terrorist attacks.
Lentol believes that any company storing radioactive waste should not be located in such a populated area. “No one wants to live next to a dump, let alone one that contains radioactive waste. It is only common sense that my constituents be safeguarded against potential health hazards that are completely avoidable. It is appalling that the students in this community are going to school next to radioactive waste, if the Governor signs this legislation it will be a real victory for the environment for health, for safety and for our children,” said Lentol.
Assemblyman Lentol teamed up with local students from the El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice to create the legislation. The legislation prohibits any kind of radioactive waste facility within 1500 feet of the boundary of a school. In order to write the legislation Assemblyman Lentol needed to know exactly how many feet were between PS 84 and the toxic waste facility. So as a special project, the math class at El Puente went out in the community and measured the exact distance.
“El Puente’s over 20 year struggle, launched by our Toxic Avengers and, today, embraced by all, is poised to take a major step in reclaiming the safety and environment of our communities, especially, our school young. With Governor Patterson’s support we look forward to ‘Toxic Free School Zones’ across New York State, heralding our human right to clean air, green and open spaces as well as renewable, sustainable energy. Our schools can, now, teach another ‘R’ – the Right of North Brooklyn and all communities to peace and environmental justice,” said Luis Garden Acosta, the founder, president and CEO of El Puente Academy.
“El Puente has a long history of being involved in community and the environment and without them this legislation would not exist. This hands on project gave students the opportunity to learn not only math but also about the environment and government. I am grateful for their crucial role in this process,” said Assemblyman Joe Lentol. “It is my hope that these students’ work will go the full length of the process and be signed into law by Governor Patterson,” he continued. “If it does, those students will have played a crucial role in protecting all of the students who come after them. They should be very proud,” said Lentol.
