Broadway Triangle Certified; Domino Not

Via WG, the Observer reports that the Broadway Triangle rezoning has been certified by the City Planning Commission. Expect the application to be before CB1 at the June public hearing, with a vote by the Board in July (also expect CB1’s July vacation to be cancelled – maybe we’ll get August off).

The Domino Sugar rezoning was not certified in Monday’s round of mass certification (theoretically, Monday was the last certification date to guarantee that a project would be reviewed by the current administration and council). WG says it has a line on another possible hold up for CPCR, Domino’s developer, but we’ll have to wait for the new issue to hit the newsstands (and the interweb) to find out what this delay is.

For opponents and proponents alike, Domino and Broadway Triangle have some parallels. Domino seeks to supersize the allowed height and density of recent rezonings in exchange for more affordable housing; many community activists would like to see Broadway Triangle do the same, while the proposal that was certified is more in keeping with heights and densities approved in recent rezonings.

May 19: Council Debate

05/18/2009 | 1 Comment

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Tomorrow evening (May 19th) New Kings Democrats is hosting a debate for the open seat in the 33rd Council District. In case you haven’t been paying attention (and you should be) Councilmember David Yassky is not running for reelection (he’s running for Comptroller). As of today, there are seven candidates looking to fill Yassky’s seat (which covers Greenpoint, parts of Williamsburg, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill and parts of Park Slope and Carrol Gardens.

When: Tuesday, May 19 – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Harry Van Arsdale High School (257 North 6th Street at Roebling).




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OSA: Here’s Your Parks

05/18/2009 | 1 Comment

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Photo: NAG


We were out of town for the weekend, so missed Saturday’s “Where’s My Park? Day” event (and the relatively nice weather – we were fogged in on Saturday). But as NAG reports, not only was the event was a success, but there is progress to show for it. Stephanie Thayer of Parks (and OSA) emailed NAG prior to Saturday’s event to make the following the promises on behalf of the City:

1. Manhattan Avenue Street end greening is open to the public as of [Saturday].
2. Northside Piers (at North 5th St/Kent Ave.) will be open 7 days per week within the next two weeks.
3. We will break ground on the first phase of Bushwick Inlet Park, a soccer field, between North 9th and North 10th, in June.
[We knew all of this already, but it gets better…]
4. Transmitter Park will be opened for use this summer, with interior fencing that provides as much safe site access as possible.
5. We are working to improve Newton Barge Terminal Park to provide waterfront views this summer.
6. Mayor’s office will proceed with an independent study to further the relocation of the MTA.
7. Parks Dept. will hold regular public listening sessions about the parks commitments of the rezoning [from what I’ve been told, there will be monthly progress updates].

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Assemblyman Lentol looks for his park.
Photo: NAG

NAG attributes this progress to “the public attention that was brought to the promises from the 2005 rezoning going unfulfilled”, which has definitely ratcheted up in the past few weeks. Councilmember Yassky’s press conference on the MTA site last week and “Where’s My Park? Day” were the most conspicuous, but there was also a lot of press and a few blog posts to help things along.



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