New Round of Whining from Cobble Hill Towers

The conversion going on at the Towers has prompted some fresh cries about...well, I'm not exactly sure. From the Brooklyn Paper:

"Regardless, renters say that the changes would dismantle the mission of utopian builder Alfred T. White, who set out to show that private developers could build decent housing for the working class and still make a profit.

This is the last bastion of diversity in Cobble Hill,” said one 10-year tenant. “And to take these rent-stabilized apartments out of the housing pool is really harsh.”

Former residents agreed.

“The people who live in that building, there’s no way they can buy,” said Carl Rosenstock, who lived in the complex for 13 years."

What the Brooklyn Paper seems to miss (and, to be fair, so did the Times and Patch) is that NOTHING changes for the residents if they don't want it to. If they are subject to rent stabilization and/or rent control, they can stay in their apartments with no changes to their rent other than who they make the check out to (which could change at any time anyway). Their neighbors might change, but that is a factor of their neighbors accepting five or six figure buyouts, not a fault of the new owners.

Staubitz!

One of the last real butchers in the area, John McFadden from Staubitz, got profiled in the New York Times:

"Favorite meat: A thick, juicy rib steak. But I only eat red meat once a week. I’ve got high cholesterol; it’s hereditary.

Manual dexterity: I must enjoy working with my hands, because in my workshop upstate in Milan, I’m always out there building all sorts of things from wood. Now I’m restoring portions of a 1730 barn.

The next generation: This is kind of funny. The other day my son asked me if he could work in the store when he gets old enough. I said, “Of course you can.”"

My uncle was the bicycle delivery boy for Staubitz in the 50s, and has some great stories about the meat market in those days!

LICH Remains Open, for now

Some state funding and a quasi-merger have kept LICH open, for now. From the NY Times:

"Long Island College Hospital, known as LICH, has been at risk of closing since at least 2008, when its parent company, Continuum Health Partners, announced that the hospital was straining under the weight of $170 million in capital debt and proposed to shut down its maternity and pediatric operations. The State Health Department denied Continuum’s 2008 plan to close maternity and pediatric operations, leading to the search for a partner.

Governor Paterson said Thursday that the state would provide $40 million to support the merger. In 2009 the state gave LICH $22 million to help stabilize itself and to make it more attractive to a prospective partner."

Let's hope that that money got allocated, or that Cuomo will honor the deal.

Some More Whining About the Cobble Hill Towers' New Owners

From Curbed:

"What would any rental-to-condo conversion, even one that promises renters the opportunity to stick around, be without tenant fears that they'll be forced out? It would be unlike any condo conversion we've ever seen! And it would not be Hicks Street's Cobble Hill Towers. Tenants in the complex have already gone through the first few stages of conversion anxiety, including arguing that the insider prices are too high and that gentrification is coming. And now come the worries that the building will try to force out its renters."

What are we missing here? The commenter clearly states that he or she has only lived in the complex for one year and that the rent was $2,300 a month. So, the apartment is already deregulated and the renters do not have stabilization or control protection. So, the owners can charge whatever they want since the apartment is deregulated. 


Also, forcing that particular renter out would only be counter-productive for the owners, since they can be evicted anyway in the instance of a sale.

Ax Comes to Area Services: Fair?

There has been much consternation lately about cuts to city services in the area, and there are many. Some others are picking up on the issue. From the New York Times:

"Within a 10-minute walk, three day care centers, one senior center, one swimming pool, one after-school program and a health clinic are to close. Venture 20 minutes more, and six additional facilities — two day care centers, two after-school programs, a senior center and a health clinic — are also to shut down on July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Making matters worse, the nearest public transit option — the B37 bus along Third Avenue — is being eliminated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority"

You can add to this the elimination of the B71 and other local bus routes.

But here's the rub: if not here, then where? Does Red Hook deserve cuts more? How about Brownsville? Kew Gardens? Inwood?

The cuts have to come from somewhere. While I'm not exactly pleased about them happening here, I can't be so self-centered as to think that Carroll Gardens (or Gowanus or Cobble Hill or Boerum Hill) is a neighborhood in need or somehow "deserves" the service more than any other neighborhood.

It's easy to walk most places, there is great subway access and there are still numerous bus routes in the area. If my 85 year old grandmother can manage (which she does), so can you.

Lazy, inflamatory journalism by the Brooklyn Paper

In a recent article reporting on the impending condo conversion of the Cobble Hill Towers, they really pandered to the lowest common denominator.

"Tenants in the landmark building will be offered the chance to buy their apartments at insiders price such as $230,000 for a studio and $595,000 for a three-bedroom apartment. Owners would then be free to set their own re-sale prices, though residents in the rent-stabilized apartments will not see any changes if they want to go on renting.

Still, the plan will result in the building’s transformation from moderate-income rentals to luxury (ed - emphasis added) condos. As a result, it has frightened residents, who are unsure whether they’ll be able to buy, even at the insider prices."

Why does the conversion to condos automatically make the units luxury? A condominium is simply another form of ownership. By using this adjective, the Brooklyn Paper is seeking in incite fears of "them" moving in. Used to be that "them" meant Puerto Ricans. The Brooklyn Paper is simply trying to stoke fears of long-time residents regarding condo conversions and their perceived impact on affordability, but the fact remains that the average condo price is cheaper than the average single-family home, significantly increasing affordability for most who would otherwise be renting.

The fact remains that if a renter becomes an owner (at below market prices, I might add), not only may they benefit in the long run, but the unit will most likely stay identical whether they buy or not. The only change would be the form of ownership!

A Neighborhing Test Case FOR Landmarking

When last we heard from John Quadrozzi, he was complaining about how Superfund designation of the Gowanus Canal had forced him to move his company to another spot (along the canal's plume) which is better suited for his business. Now it seems that the Landmarks Preservation Commission is calling him out on not maintaining some townhouses he owns on Degraw and Clinton.

He sounds like just the type of property owner John Esposito and CALM are looking for in Carroll Gardens! From the Daily News:

""It took me over a year and buckets of money to convince them [a wall] might collapse," said Quadrozzi, who bought the buildings in 2000.

The walls of the 1852 brownstone are badly cracked and there are holes in the adjacent stable's roof; city officials have warned Quadrozzi to quickly fix the hazards.

"There is an ongoing risk of progressive collapse that may endanger the public," a Buildings Department inspector wrote to Quadrozzi in January."

Just the other day I commented that the scaffolding had been there a LONG time, and someone in the know told me that ownership complications and multiple investors had stalled the restoration project. Let's see what happens.

Photo from the Daily News

BookCourt launching Literary Journal

BookCourt, the, yes, book store on Court Street, is launching their own literary journal. No need to go to Williamsburg for the arts scene! From the Daily News:

""It seemed like a natural step, with all of the great ideas that flow through this establishment," said Zach Zook, the Court St. store's general manager and the journal's executive editor.

The twice-yearly publication, dubbed "Cousin Corrine's Reminder," will feature more than 150 pages of fiction and photography from local and international artists and authors, as well as a graphics section curated by Brooklyn comic book author Dean Haspiel.

"You'll be seeing essays and pictures, and then you'll come to the literary equivalent of the Sunday comics," Haspiel said."
Image from Momondo.

Court Street Fence Raided

The Court Street office of Cobble Hill Car Service has apparently been functioning as a fence for stolen electronic goods. Does this really surprise anyone? From Courier-Life:

"Investigators executed a search warrant at the Cobble Hill Car Service near the corner of Court and Douglass streets on February 2 after learning that workers were allegedly both buying and selling stolen electronics such as portable GPS devices. It’s believed that the electronics had been taken from cars in the neighborhood.

Police said that one car service employee was arrested, charged with criminal possession of stolen property.

The raid took place after several undercover buys were held at the local business, officials said."

We've Got the Biggest...

Courtesy of the New York Times Magazine Blog, we find out that The Invisible Dog (gmap), an art space in Cobble Hill, has a new installation called "Ant Colony".

"An enormous ant built of steel and nylon balloons, with a porkpie hat suspended above its head, “The Ant” refers to the childrens’ poem by the Surrealist artist Robert Desnos."

Hmm. This reminds me of something...




And, for the jazzy amongst us...


The Invisible Dog.

Long Island 12 Needs a Geography Lesson

Long Island 12 recently did a story (and accompanying video) on a suspicious device which caused an evacuation. From the video and story, we can ascertain that the evacuation was in Gowanus. Ok, I guess if you stretch it, you could say that it was in Carroll Gardens. But, oh boy, were they off...

Congresswoman Yvette Clark Leaves Community Waiting, Wanting

Last night Conresswoman Yvette Clark (D-NY) held a community roundtable last night at Christ Church, courtesy of the Cobble Hill Association. After showing up half an hour late, the Congresswoman gave updates on topics ranging from joblessness to health care to housing. After a short discussion on health care, the discussion moved to the topic that everyone knew it would, Superfunding of the Gowanus Canal.

Congresswoman Clark explained her (non) position thusly: The Superfund process is slow, and the EPA currently does not have enough money to complete the process (this is debatable). The Mayor's plan (which itself lacks many details), will be faster and will include private sector money. She claimed that she is still waiting for details to emerge on both plans before endorsing either plan. See some of her comments in the video at the bottom.

The vast majority of those there endorsed Superfund designation and peppered the Congresswoman with questions about why she refused to endorse Superfund status. She kept on repeating that in fact, she had no endorsed EITHER plan. What she failed to realize was that in fact, by not endorsing the Superfund designation, she was implicitly endorsing the Mayor's Plan, or, at the very least, supporting those who oppose Superfund designation.

The rest of the night was spent with the Congresswoman attempting to straddle the fence on the issue, and with her parrying the citizen's concerns. While composed and cool under pressure, at a few points, she and her staff did break down and begin bantering with residents.

Congresswoman, the issue is simple. It will soon be a year since the issue has been raised. On one side of the issue are residents, your voting constituents. On the other side, people who stand to make loads and loads of money.

Who will you support?

More detailed writeup at Pardon Me For Asking, with additional video.

A Life In The Gowanus Houses

Many newcomers to Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill (and, lets face it, many of the natives) avoid the Gowanus Houses. Sure, they're projects, but as projects go, they're not that bad. The New York Times has a nice little piece on one life in the Gowanus Houses, and her impact on the Drill Team the "Gowanus Wildcats".

"Ms. Flowers, now 51 and a facilitator at an East New York post office, still lives in the three-bedroom apartment where she grew up. And a third generation is in residence: the apartment is also home to her son, Darryl, 31, who works at a consulting and technology firm. (Ms. Flowers is engaged to his father, a longtime friend.) 

Ms. Flowers, who pays about $1,000 in rent, is not sure how much her parents paid when they arrived, but she could check because she has saved all the old receipts. “I hardly throw anything away,” she admitted. “You name it, it’s around here somewhere.” 

Over the years, her life has been brushed by the sorrow and disarray that is sadly commonplace in many of the city’s public housing complexes. She does what she can to fight back." 

Sometimes we lose track of the fact that old timers live everywhere, even the pjs. Click through and read about a life that is so close and yet so far from the Carroll Street F Train stop.

Meet Your Congresswoman: Yvette Clark

Reported by Pardon Me For Asking and the Cobble Hill Association, Congresswoman Yvette Clark will be hosting a Community Roundtable at Christ Church (Clinton and Kane) on Monday, January 11th, at 7:30 pm. If history serves, one issue will likely dominate the night, that of Superfund status for the Gowanus. From PMFA:

"I believe that Congresswoman Clarke owes her constituents an explanation for her failure to take a stand on the proposed listing of the Gowanus Canal as a Superfund site. She has been tiptoeing around the issue for months claiming she is doing due-diligence. As opposed to Congresswoman Velázquez's strong pro-Superfund statement, Ms. Clarke's fence-sitting has been deplorable.

I had lengthy conversations with the Congresswoman's staff about this very important environmental issue and hope to have an opportunity to finally hear directly from Ms. Clarke."

I hope that the Congresswoman and her staff are prepared for the constituents' ideas.

The BQE Going Green???

The good folks over at Curbed have continuing coverage of the madness that surrounds the New York City Economic Development Corporation's solicitation of ideas for the "trenched" section of the BQE. From more ambitious ideas based around housing, flooding, the EDC has selected dlandstudio for it's "less-than-abitious" plan to green up the trenched BQE section in Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill.

"Now, two years after Brooklyn architecture firm dlandstudio wowed us with some renderings of a green BQE, that concept appears to be the winner. Why? Because it's the cheapest. The Brooklyn Paper calls it a "less-than-ambitious" proposal, but when other ideas include turning the ditch into the Nile, what realistic alternative isn't a disappointment?"

For those who don't realize, in the footprint of the current trenched section of the BQE were numerous buildings, churches and parks prior to the BQE's construction. Caputo's Bake Shop's original building was demolished to make room for the open wound that severed the Columbia Waterfront District from the rest of Carroll Gardens, as was the original Sacred Heart's parish building.

Another big problem with the BQE is that the Carroll Gardens community is cut off from the waterfront. There used to be legions of workers who would come walking up the hill from the docks after work. Now, we have two different neighborhoods, neither quite whole.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree at Cobble Hill Park

Form the Parks and Recreation Department comes good news for those looking to keep their thumbs green during the holiday season - Mulchfest!:

Saturday, January 9 and Sunday, January 10, 10 am – 2 pm. Wreaths and garlands cannot be accepted. Please remove lights and decorations. No artificial trees!

Cobble Hill Park: Clinton Street and Verandah Place
Prospect Park: Prospect Park West and 3rd Street

Coffey Park: Dwight Street and Verona Place
Red Hook Farm/Added Value: Columbia and Halleck Streets


Trees will not be accepted after the scheduled times.

Sponsored in part by: Cobble Hill Tree Fund, Cobble Hill Association, Friends of Cobble Hill Park, & Boy Scout Troops 213 & 815

CHTreefund.org