Category: Linked

It should have been a banner week for Open Space Alliance Executive Director Stephanie Thayer.

Its not that hard – OSA is a partner with the Department of Parks. OSA raises money for North Brooklyn parks, and works with Parks to develop and maintain parks in North Brooklyn. OSA’s executive director is also an employee of Parks (51% Parks, 49% OSA). In the long run, North Brooklyn should benefit from the access and control that OSA has.

But access and control mean that OSA is not going to be the parks advocate that thumbs its nose at the Mayor. Its not a sell out, it’s their role. Happily, we have other groups that can fill the advocate role – and keep the City (and OSA) honest.

From Cobble Hill Blog*, a follow up to the link I posted earlier about the Mayor’s plans for the Sunset Park waterfront. It sounds like a very enlightened approach to maintaining a working waterfront in 21st century New York.

(* which IS in South Brooklyn.)

And to think, I was there at the beginning.

Sunset Park is not South Brooklyn, but the stretch of waterfront south of the Gowanus Canal (and south of South Brooklyn) will, not surprisingly, remain industrial.

Q. And what’s happening with Phase II of [the Edge], which is supposed to include more condos as well as retail space?

A. You tell me when the banks will be lending. Financing for Phase II may be a few years in the offing.

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce held its annual Building Brooklyn Award ceremony yesterday. Unlike in past years, this year’s crop of awardees included some local projects:

• 221 McKibben [sic] St. (historic preservation), circa 1850s and 1930s industrial buildings renovated to create spaces for small manufacturers and artisan studios and soon to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places;
• The Block Building (industrial building) at 41 Box St. in Greenpoint that’s a “contextual fit with the surrounding neighborhood”;
• NYPD Brooklyn Tow Pound (office building) at the Navy Yard. This award, which brought some groans, recognized its design and LEED silver certification “giving a visit to the building a positive twist,” said Doban;
• The Perry Building (National Grid Award) at the Navy Yard, honored as Brooklyn’s first multi-tenanted green building.

Save Coney Island, that is.

WNYC checks in on the rezoning of Williamsburg.

“It’s like St. Marks in the ’70s,” said Williamsburg activist Philip DePaolo, referring to the notorious East Village hangout. “It’s the bad old days all over again. There’s crack and heroin all over the neighborhood.”

The Daily News picks up on the crusties/stalled condo squatter meme (Williamsburg is Dead was there first). DN does manage to put an address on the problem – 510 Driggs, at the corner of North 9th, is supposedly a shooting gallery. I think that means the vacant lot next to this building. Can anyone ID actual buildings that are used as squats?

If Brooklyn is home to the devastating housing quake, Williamsburg is the epicenter of the disaster.

More on the New York article soon.