Something that didn’t exist three months ago has disappeared and this has a big impact on development in Greenpoint. Unless you read the article, in which case the overall response seems to be “Meh”.
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“We Have Not Figured Out Exactly How to Handle That”
“We have not figured out exactly how to handle that” is a quote from MTA Managing Director Ronnie Hakim about overcrowding on the First Avenue and Third Avenue platforms specifically, but it might as well be the mantra of MTA and City DOT when it comes to the new plan to fix the L train tunnel. Most of the surface transit mitigation that was in place for the L train shutdown is off the table (read: the City isn’t doing anything) and the MTA doesn’t really know what additional service it will run for the down times. Service will start to get reduced around 8 p.m. on weeknights, and trains will run with (minimum) 20-minute weekends.
Luckily, very few people go to north Brooklyn on nights and weekends, so it should all work out just fine.
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PAUL Reveals Updated Renderings For 302 Broadway
I guess the architects are drawing on the aesthetics of the existing building on the site?
302 Broadway (existing condition)
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On the (Queer) Waterfront
New exhibition opening in March at the Brooklyn Historical Society – On the (Queer) Waterfront: The Factories, Freaks, Sailors & Sex Workers of Brooklyn, based on a new book by Hugh Ryan.
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LongPoint Bridge Connecting Greenpoint to Long Island City Gains Momentum
I’ve always wanted to see this connection between Greenpoint and Hunter’s Point reestablished. The article mentions the Vernon Avenue Bridge (see below), which was constructed in 1905. But a bridge connecting Manhattan Avenue to Vernon Avenue was in place at least as far back as the mid-1850s, when Greenpoint and Hunter’s Point were being developed. Eliphalet Nott was involved in the development of both neighborhoods, which is apparent looking at the very similar building stock in both areas.
Vernon Avenue Bridge, 1905
Credit: Novelty Theater -
Yankowsky and Yankowsky
From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1910:
“The man was Andrew Yankowsky, 22 years old, an iron worker, who occupied a furnished room at 81 Grand street, with Andrew Yankowsky. The two are no relation.”
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Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Plan Picks Up Speed
City readying release of RFP for environmental impact studies, the preliminary steps towards an actual ULURP action. Meanwhile, the scope of the project continues to shift away from the waterfront connector it started as.
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L Train Service Partially Shut Down After 2 Passengers Faint from Noxious Fumes
The explanation – diesel trains running overnight – and the symptoms – “gas” smells between First Avenue and Graham Avenue (or beyond) – don’t seem to line up. Complaints about the noxious odors seemed to start around 9:30 a.m., with heavier reporting coming between 10 and 11 (this is based on the @NYCTSubway Twitter feed and posts to the North Brooklyn Community Facebook page). One of the fainting incidents happened around 11:00 a.m. And the Daily News mentions a “liquid leak of an unknown substance ‘bubbling’ at the Grand St. station around 12:20 p.m.”. The Transit Workers Union pulled their members out of the stations around noon, and one of the union heads was warning passengers to stay out of the Grand Street station.
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2019 Charter Revision Commission Announces Four Focus Areas
Following on the Mayor’s 2018 City Charter revisions, the City Council will have its turn in 2019. Their’s looks to be a more comprehensive and (hopefully) thoughtful approach to the process. One of the focus areas is evaluating the ULURP process and the City’s land-use board (CPC, LPC, BSA and Franchises). Plenty of opportunities there, but also the potential for many pitfalls.
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Greenpoint Mainstay Enid’s is Closing After 20 Years
I had no idea that Enid’s had been around that long (somehow I had it in my mind that they opened in the early 2000s).