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8 May 2013

Ugliest, Scariest, Most Horrible [✜]

The last thing Greenpoint ever wanted was a wall of buildings. This is the ugliest, scariest, most horrible plan.

It would have been great if all these people cared back in 2004 or so when all of this was getting approved. Olechowski is right - there was a lot of activism within the community to get a better plan out of the rezoning (going back to the mid 1990s), but what was approved is what was approved.

And except for the height of 77 Commercial, just about everything here is what was approved in 2005. And the height of 77 Commercial has an actual community benefit attached to it - a new park next door at 65 Commercial. Whether that is a trade-off worth making is another question.

Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg Move to East River State Park

Here is the press release from NY State Parks on the relocation of the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg to the slabs at East River State Park. Seems like a good fit, but what are people going to think about taking a quarter of the (only) waterfront park out of commission every weekend?

22 February 2013

Brooklyn Flea Moving to East River State Park [✜]

This has been in the offing for a while. Presumably the nitrous will be locally sourced now.

18 February 2013

New York Parks in Less Affluent Areas Lack Big Gifts [✜]

I’m not saying he owes anyone anything, but how about you give Central Park $98 million and Flushing Meadows-Corona $2 million? That two million would have gone so much further in an underappreciated park.

14 August 2012

City Attempts to Develop Long-Stalled Greenpoint Park [✜]

The City has issued an RFP for the sale of the 65 Commercial Street air rights - which could be an important step in the process of breaking the log jam over the City's commitment to turn this property into a public park.

26 June 2012

Greenpoint’s Boathouse on Troubled Waters [✜]

Beautiful pictures and nice synopsis of the Greenpoint Boathouse project at Brooklyn Based:

Community advocates want to reclaim Newtown Creek by constructing a boathouse in the ground floor of the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center (GMDC). The project would also include a repaired bulkhead and an esplanade along the waterfront. For boaters and the kayak-curious, it will mean storage space for non-motorized watercrafts and a training center for recreational boating. For all other visitors, it will provide a place to enjoy the waterfront, as the development would create a public gathering spot that is more of a park than a club.

If all goes according to plan, Greenpoint will have this new waterfront park by 2014.

City Won’t Promise to Finish Two Long-Stalled North Brooklyn Parks

As the Brooklyn Paper reports, the Bloomberg administration has refused to commit to any goals or deliverables on the acquisition or construction of Bushwick Inlet Park or 65 Commercial Street. (I guess everyone has given up on the expansion of Barge Park?) Financial mismanagement and planning gaffes have also stood in the way of both […]

Brooklyn Waits on Promise of a Park

Stuck in Park Source: WSJ The Wall Street Journal has a lengthy article (and excellent graphic) on the fight to get the Bloomberg administration to follow through on the parks and affordable housing it promised Williamsburg and Greenpoint in the 2005 rezoning. Often there are community benefit components that make rezonings more acceptable than they […]

Two Trees to Buy Domino?

The Daily News and Crain’s are reporting that CPCR has reached a deal with Two Trees to sell the Domino project for $160 million. CPCR and its partner Isaac Katan bought the Domino site in 2006 for $55 million. Since then, they have rezoned the property for residential use and gotten stuck in a morass […]