The Day the Music Was Turned Down (But Not Really)

05/04/2011 | 2 Comments

Apparently last night’s CB1 Parks Committee was a bit of a doozy (Aaron Short went so I didn’t have to!). In an advisory vote, the committee recommended that the number of concerts be cut by a third and that attendance at each concert be cut by about 25% (from 6,500 to 5,000 people). Since the Open Space Alliance has already booked 15 shows for the summer, and since the concerts are held on State park land (which the local CB1 has no jurisdiction over), this vote won’t change anything. It may be a symbolic gesture, but it’s pretty clear that some people are not too happy with the concerts or with OSA.

More on Hope

04/29/2011 | Comment

Rami Metal, Councilman Steve Levin’s Williamsburg & Greenpoint rep, posted the following to the CB1 Info mailing list:

Some of you may already be aware of this but for those who are not I am deeply saddened to say that Hope Reichbach, our communications director, died yesterday. We are unbelievably shaken and saddened by her sudden passing and are putting all our energy right now into working through this difficult time and helping her family in any way we can. The funeral is being held on Sunday at noon and the full details are below.

Needless to say we feel that we need to cancel the planned 2:30pm rally against the proposed homeless shelter at 400 McGuinness Blvd. We do not yet have a new date for the rally but will work to figure something out in the next week or so. Obviously this is very last minute and we are doing what we can to let people know about the cancellation but if folks can let their friends or neighbors know that would be helpful.

As for the funeral arrangements, the services will take place at Congregation Mount Sinai, 250 Cadman Plaza West, at noon on Sunday. All are welcome.

The Reichbach family will sit shiva Sunday following the service, Monday and Tuesday all day at 148 Bond Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217.

Donations in Hope’s name can be made to: Nicholas Naquan Heyward Jr. Memorial Foundation, Inc., 413 Baltic Street, Suite 1A, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Below is a joint statement from last night from Steve and the Speaker:

Joint Statement by Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Council Member Stephen Levin

This evening we learned of the tragic death of one of the Council’s family. A bright young woman who was at the start of a career in public service is gone too soon. Hope was a wonderful, vivacious, and tough young woman. A beautiful soul who cared deeply about her community and her family. We are deeply saddened by her passing and will miss her more than words can ever describe. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and her friends, and everyone affected by this loss. We also respectfully request that the media respect the family’s privacy at this most difficult time.

Hope Reichbach

04/29/2011 | Comment

This is sad beyond words. Hope Reichbach was found dead in her Boerum Hill apartment yesterday afternoon. She was a wonderful young woman and a positive force in her community and mine.

Gatemouth and FiPS have some very nice remembrances, as do the commenters at this Brooklyn Paper article.

My condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.

A Better Look at Triangle Court

04/22/2011 | Comment

Triangle Court (proposed)
Architect: KOH Architecture
Photo: KOH Architecture via Curbed

Yesterday, Curbed posted a better image of Triangle Court. Here it is in all it’s glory.

The building will occupy the former gas station site on the western half of the triangle formed by Grand, Keap and Borinquen. The future of the rest of the triangle (under separate ownership) is not known.

First Look at Triangle Court

04/20/2011 | Comment

Triangle Court, proposed design
Architect: KOH Architecture
Photo: nycmayorsoffice

Via Azi Paybarah, I came across this photo on the Mayor’s flickr stream (and also learned that the Mayor had a flickr stream).

Azi (and others) seem to be interested in the political ramifications of the photo (that’s Vito Lopez’s head cropped out at the top corner), but I was more interested in the design for the proposed building proposed for the former gas station site at Keap, Grand and Borinquen. The new building is designed by KOH Architecture of Little Neck/Flushing. Unfortunately, it will do nothing to raise the bar for design in the Union Avenue triangle (if anything, it lowers the bar quite a few notches).

For Whom The Bells Toll

04/19/2011 | Comment

They toll for no one, actually.

As NY Shitty reports, the bells at St. Anthony of Padua on Manhattan Avenue have been silent for some weeks now. According to the church, the mechanism to operate the bells is in need of repairs, to the tune of $10,000 to $25,000. To fund the repairs, they are devoting the proceeds of their annual raffle. For details on the raffle, and any other efforts to raise money for this, stay tuned to Ms. Heather.

Backlash Against Bars

04/19/2011 | Comment

After linking to Greg Hanlon’s piece on liquor license moratoriums last night, I came across a very similar piece by Sumathi Reddy in today’s Wall Street Journal (via Brownstoner).

Both Reddy and Hanlon do an excellent job of highlighting the futility of actions like the proposed liquor license moratorium. Past experience at CB1 in Brooklyn (years ago) and CB3 in the East Village (much more recently) shows that moratoriums have no effect.

For those that think that there are too many bars, the SLA is not the answer. As an SLA rep told Hanlon, “the general presumption of this agency is that it’s going to be approved unless there’s a reason not to approve it.”

For those (like myself) who believe that we need to do more to rein in problem establishments, the SLA is only part of the answer. Stopping problem places before they happen (and they are usually pretty easy to spot) requires a lot of proactive work on the part of the Community Board. Making the case against specific applications or specific locations. Following up with state and local electeds, City agencies and the SLA. Going to hearings. Addressing problem places after the fact requires a lot more of the same, and ultimately, getting local agencies such as NYPD, NYFD, Consumer Affairs, DOB and the like to take action.

In other words, it is a lot of work and requires a lot of follow through.

City Launches Brownfield Program in Williamsburg

04/18/2011 | Comment

Mayor Bloomberg was in the neighborhood today, launching the country’s first municipally-run brownfield clean up program. The program, which targets “lightly contaminated” sites, gives developers liability protection in addition to a clean development site.

The City chose 456 Grand Street, at the triangle that intersects Grand, Keap and Borinquen, and which is to be the site of a 6-story apartment building with ground-floor commercial, as the location to launch the program. This is the same site that was supposed to have broken ground – either as a retail or a residential development – almost exactly a year ago.

Transmitter Park Before It Was a Park

04/15/2011 | Comment

WNYC Transmitter, 1937
Painting by Alan Gordon Lorimer
Source: WNYC

Once upon a time, there was an actual transmitter at Transmitter Park (the park to be at the base of Greenpoint Avenue). The transmitter was for WNYC, which was then a City-owned radio station. The station still exists (AM 820, FM 93.9 and online), though it is no longer owned by the City and it no longer uses the Greenpoint transmitter site.

WNYC’s Archives & Preservation project has a post about the Greenpoint transmitter, including two paintings by artist and architect A.G. Lorimer (no mention of whether or not he was related to the Lorimers of Greenpoint). The image above shows Lorimer’s gorgeous map of the transmitter site, complete with distances to five local airfields (all of which, with the exception of North Beach (aka LaGuardia Airport), are now closed). The second painting, a view of transmitter building and towers, can be seen on WNYC’s site.

Let There Be Music

04/13/2011 | 6 Comments

Brooklyn Vegan has a statement from OSA on the summer concert park series, basically saying that the show will go on. (Not that there was really any doubt about that – the concerts are popular, profitable and well beyond the jurisdiction of the local community board.) And Brooklyn365 has a similar statement from Assemblyman Joe Lentol, with similar sentiments. Like everyone else (myself included), Lentol is unclear as to exactly what the board said last night, but this is his interpretation:

I believe that there were complaints about the noise and drunkenness of some concert goers afterwards on the neighborhood streets. There were also some requests for information about how much money has been raised and where those funds go.

That last bit is pretty important. Four (?) years in, and the community isn’t seeing the benefits of these concerts. Not that they aren’t there – OSA does tremendous work on behalf of the community. But clearly they can do a better job of publicizing that work.