An Evening at the Bell House for George - Guest Post

N.B. Today's post is authored by a friend and contributor, Mike Benigno. You can find more of him over at Lines in the Street and On Your Fork.

The Universal Thump, named after an obscure line from the allegorical Melville masterpiece Moby Dick, is a collaboration of over 20 performers, songwriters and composers all from their own individual bands, who, under the leadership of musicians Greta Getler and Adam Gold, first started working six months ago to cover the classic George Harrison solo album, "All Things Must Pass" in its entirety. ATMP remains as true to a Harrison masterpiece today as it was when first released in 1970 as his first post-Beatles release. The Nov. 29th show at the Bell House marked nine years to the day since Harrison died, and the performance was both a tribute to his music, his spirit and the fund that bears his name at UNICEF.

 So, what did that look like? First, nothing but a stage full of wires, amps, mic stands and more. Then, a stage full of people - as many as 20 at one time, and no fewer than five or six at any given point - playing before rear-projected Harrison black and whites to an intimate crowd. The album was done cover-to-cover, beginning with the bang-up hits "I'd Have You Anytime," "My Sweet Lord," "Wah-Wah," and "Isn't it a Pity," in arrangements complete with a string and horn section, two drummers, several keyboard and guitar players, upright and electric basses and, of course, the pedal steel guitar. Arrangements of many of the complicated tunes were done with such dexterity that you'd wonder if these guys had been practicing for a lifetime, and, in a way, they probably have been. The program given out before the show - which was an impressive directory of talent - sums it up best:

In a year when band after aging band filed into America's Halls and Plazas of music to perform their "classic" albums in their entirety, to remind us all of a time when their albums were important, or when albums were important, it seemed a natural [idea]. "Why don't we pay tribute to a true classic? An album we all love?" And then, what would this band even look like on stage?... Most everyone seemed thrilled by the idea... Nine years to the day of George's death, and just days after the 40th anniversary of the three discs' original release. This was to be a tribute indeed, and an ambitious one.

What was the show like? It was like being at the tribute concert of your life, but, somehow, only a couple hundred people were were there alongside you. One performer after another came out, joining and re-joining those on stage, performing each piece with creativity and, more than anything else, reverence for the songs, their complexity, their underlying spirituality, their writer, and their legacy. John Wesley Harding stole the show with "Wah-Wah," but Carol Lipnik's "My Sweet Lord" was the be-all-end-all performance. Perfection. If you saw it live, you'd beg for a recording or video.

Performers included:
Corrina Albright
Amy Allison
Oren Bloedow
Zach Brock
Amy Correia
Therese Cox
Robert DiPietro
Lee Feldman
Pete Galub
Greta Gertler
Adam Gold
John Wesley Harding
J. Walter Hawkes
Art Hayes
Missy Higgins
Byron Isaacs
Courtney Kaiser
Dayna Kurtz
Gary Langol
Carol Lipnik
Jonathan Maron
Barney McAll
Rick Moody
Chris Moore
David Nagler
Rozz Nash
Clinton Newman
Phil Rodriguez
Sean Sonderegger
Leigh Sutart
PT Walkley
Shara Worden

Lines in the Street

On Your Fork

Fix the Ditch!

Some plans for the greening of the BQE were recently revealed. From the Brooklyn Paper:

"The cheapest plan, about $10 million, involves a massive tree-planting effort along the highway-created chasm — creating one of the greenest stretches in all of Brooklyn.

Another option calls for the construction of six, lightweight bicycle and pedestrian bridges over the ditch, costing between $20 million to $45 million.

And the most expensive plan calls for the construction of an iconic, $85 million, energy-generating “green canopy” along the length of the trench, from Atlantic Avenue to Hamilton Avenue."

Let's not hold our breath. If there is no money for Brooklyn Bridge Park without private development, where is the money for this?

Whole Foods is on!

The intersection of 3rd and 3rd will no longer have just one attraction; sounds like the Whole Foods project is back on! In an e-mail to Community Board 6 District Manager Craig Hammerman, Mark Mobley from Whole Food wrote the following:

"Our property, which was formerly home to a number of auto repair shops, warehouses and other industrial uses, has now been fully cleaned and remediated under the strict guidelines of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's brownfield program and is ready to return to a positive, productive, job-creating and community service use.

Our planned new store will be approx. 52,000 square feet, which is about 25% smaller than the store we had previously proposed for this site. We believe this site plan - which continues to feature a 40 foot public esplanade for our neighbors to enjoy - will simply work better within the parameters of the property.

We have reduced the number of parking spaces on-site from 430 to 248, which eliminates our previous need for a separate parking structure and allows all of the parking to be at-grade in a surface parking lot. The store will feature parking for both energy efficient vehicles as well as specially designated recharging stations for electric powered vehicles. The lot will also include bike parking in front of the store and along the promenade. Whole Foods Market will also offer delivery for area residents.

With parking now no longer needed on the store roof either, we have been presented with the opportunity to include one of the most exciting and innovative features ever included in a Whole Foods Market: A 20,000 square foot greenhouse located on the roof of the store that will grow fresh, organic produce right on-site!

Rather than construct the store below-grade as previously proposed, we now plan to build it above-grade, which will require a variance from the Board of Standards and Appeals due to the physical hardships associated with site development (there is a high water table and, as you know, environmental cleanup requirements on the property). These factors have a large impact on the development costs that will be encountered on this site.

As always planned, the two-story, 19th century brick building situated at the property's corner at Third Avenue and Third Street - which is not owned by Whole Foods Market - will remain in place. The Whole Foods Market will "jog" around the existing building at that corner and Whole Foods has committed to investing in improvements to the building that will include a new roof and exterior repairs. "


Lets hope that this doesn't exacerbate the nightmare that is traffic on 3rd Street at times, but the reduction in parking spaces and 40 foot waterfront access is a great thing!

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!

Progress for Community Board 6

Turns out that sometimes, Community Board 6 CAN make a progressive decision. From Streetsblog:

"Last night, the committee voted in favor of expanding the Park Smart area and the time that peak hour rates are in effect. The resolution did not touch on increasing the peak meter rate to $2.25 per hour but rejected the idea of extending the time limit at curbside spaces from one hour to two hours...

The interesting exchange of the evening happened when one committee member raised the prospect of extending the time limit from one hour to two hours.

Extending the time limits could wipe out the gains that the higher peak hour rates have achieved, explained DOT Deputy Commissioner Bruce Schaller. “The combination of the rate and one-hour time limit is affecting turnover,” he said. “If you relax one of them, you have to make up for it with the other.”"

Columbia Street Waterfront District Gets Some Love

The Columbia Street Waterfront District, the ex-Red Hook, ex-Carroll Gardens hanging chad, has gotten some love from the NY Times:


"A slice of about two dozen square blocks, cut off from the rest of the borough by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, the Columbia waterfront has been seen as an up-and-coming neighborhood. But development has come in fits and starts because of its location, the forbidding warehouses and piers that block harbor access, and a lack of subway lines.

“This particular location — we’ve liked it since Day 1,” said Louis V. Greco, the general manager of the development company SDS, which bought two parcels in the neighborhood in 2008. “That’s because of the views of Lower Manhattan, obviously, and there’s just so much going on down there now.""

Brooklyn's Park Avenue: Walkabouts and Subway Improvements! And Evil Developers?

Recently, some money was found for the 4th Avenue/9th Street Subway Station rehab. From the Brooklyn Paper:

"The Beep said this week that he has set aside $2 million for improvements in and around the station, which critics say shares the same aesthetic of a Turkish prison.

“This $2 million will showcase the potential to create safer conditions all along this roadway and make it a beautiful thoroughfare that better serves us,” he said.

The station — once targeted for a grand facelift as part of the $250-million reconstruction of the elevated tracks between the Carroll Street and Fourth Avenue — has been in limbo since MTA budget cuts delayed the lofty plan."

Seems that the Park Slope Civic Council agrees that the rehab will be in the best interests of safety and aesthetics as well. Unfortunately, they can't do that without whining about development. From the Brooklyn Eagle:

"A renovation would eliminate thousands of pedestrian trips across Fourth Avenue, one of the city’s most dangerous streets. Earlier this year, the NYC Transit Authority estimated that a renovation would cost about $3.5 million, according to Cairl. The Brooklyn Paper recently reported that Borough President Marty Markowitz is willing to use about $2 million of his office’s capital budget.

While there may be money for rehabilitating subway stations, several development projects have stalled on the corridor because of the credit crunch. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, at least for the time being, Cairl said. Most recent development on the corridor left neighborhood advocates wanting something better. Citing ugly design and structures too often out of scale with the surrounding community, the Park Slope Civic Council would like developers to take a more organic approach.

“New development is great but it needs to relate to the community,” said Cairl, citing the “unfriendly street presence” of so many buildings. “You can’t just sit at a drafting table and not come and walk the ground.” S.J. Avery joined the council because she perceived that type of development insensitivity, but it originated from city government, she said, noting that the way the city handled the eventual condemnation of historic P.S. 133 upset her so much that she had to get involved."

A more appropriate villain than "developers" might be the high-density zoning that has been a failure. Until the City changes the zoning codes to allow a great mix of uses within the high-density FAR, and does something to slow down traffic on 4th, there will be no streetscape to speak of.

The City and Phoenix Beverage: Kind of Keeping Their Word?

We covered the spat between Columbia Street residents and Phoenix Beverage, the EDC's newest tenant (and, from a logistical perspective, the perfect tenant). Basically, Phoenix and the City were exposed as big, fat liars. According to the Brooklyn Paper, they are now keeping their word, but under the guise of a "compromise". Between this and Joan Millman's bike land compromise, Noah Webster must be spinning in his grave.

"Eventually, Teamsters, bosses from Phoenix Beverages, local pols and residents reached a compromise in which the trucks would bypass Columbia Street by driving on the BQE between Hamilton to Atlantic avenues.

“We’re extraordinarily happy,” said Brian McCormick, a member of the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association. “The trucks are pretty much gone. There is a system in place that is working, and we’re hoping that will continue.”

The trucks are expected to continue cruising on the BQE until the chronically delayed reconstruction of Van Brunt Street is completed, opening up the proper truck route from Degraw Street to Hamilton Avenue (officials say the work could be done next summer)."

Make no mistake; this is anything BUT a compromise. This was community leaders forcing a private company (with an EDC lease) to adhere to the stipulations that they had agreed upon. 

I was at those meetings and voted on the deal. The use of the BQE was a MAJOR point of Phoenix and EDC's pitch.

GaGa in CaGa?

According to Gothamist we may need to lock our windows and our doors, cause Lady GaGa be stealin' boyfriends from everybody up in here:

"Allegedly Gaga showed up at the couple's Carroll Gardens apartment, and begged her former fling to come back. He agreed, and next thing you know the two are drunk at a Mets game together."

Be on the lookout for idiotic outfits on Court Street?

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.

Gowanus Canal

Courtyard Crackdown: Finally!

Someone finally got someone's attention about the well-documented problem of public space being used to as private space. Interesting that it is the DOB ticketing the cars, as it would seem that the DOT has jurisdiction over public rights-of-way. Wonder why no one has gone after Hannah Senesh? From the Brooklyn Paper:

"Three homes were ticketed after the Department of Buildings’ inspection, a visit that followed a stunning report in this newspaper that many residents of Fourth Place between Smith and Court streets were violating city zoning, which forbids parking in the front yards along First, Second, Third and Fourth places.

Decades-old zoning designed to preserve the gardens that give the neighborhood its name designates such front yards as part of the street and not the homeowner’s lot, giving the city oversight about what is permissible there.

Two homes were summonsed for illegal front yard parking. The third home was found to have an illegal curb cut."

Smart Parking Policy/Dumb Parking Policy

The few Park Slope residents who drive cars (let me make that clearer: the MINORITY of drivers) want to make it tougher for everyone else to live. From the Brooklyn Paper:

"Park Slope community leaders (ed. self-declared) continue to slam the brakes on a scheme that would jack up the price of parking in the spot-challenged neighborhood by a whopping 33 percent, and stretch the hours when those rates are in effect.

Last week, Community Board 6 tabled the two most contentious aspects of a plan to extend “Park Smart,” a controversial city initiative that frees up parking spaces by making it pricier to park during peak hours, from noon to 4 pm."

This is in sharp contrast to a city with progressive, liveable streets, like Seattle, which is embracing change for the better:

"Mike McGinn, the bicycling mayor, is counting on cars to salvage the city's transportation fund.
His budget proposals, released Monday, would affect anyone who drives into downtown and the other busiest neighborhoods, through higher taxes and meter fees of $4 an hour in and near downtown. Even the residential parking zone fee would increase for street parking in certain neighborhoods. And that's in addition to a likely $20 car-tab fee.

Why look to parked cars for money in a weak economy? Because people have been quite willing to put up with parking-fee boosts the past few years — and the city sees a potential gain of at least $20 million next year."


First CB6 went wild about the potential loss of a few spaces for massive progress on Prospect Park West, and now this. I feel sad for anyone on CB6 with any knowledge of transportation.

Why High-Density Zoning on Fourth Avenue is a Failure

The Park Slope Civic Council is hosting a forum on November 6th to try and wrap their heads around the current situation that is 4th Avenue. No need for discussion, guys, the WSJ hit it right on the head.

"While the 2003 rezoning resulted in 859 new apartments—either built, under development or in planning—the design of many of the new buildings have come under attack. They've done little to improve the character of the neighborhood or make it more pedestrian friendly because they have parking garages, air vents or concrete slabs at street level rather than shops and cafes, critics say.

The result is that Fourth Avenue remains relatively desolate, attracting little of the street activity that has made Park Slope one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city."

The solutions to 4th Avenue's problems are simple; eliminate a lane of traffic, expand pedestrian and bike space and change the draconian zoning regulations that dis-incentivize (made up word, yes) the creation of mixed-use development and instead result in a plethora of "community facilities" (read: "Commercial space limited to medical uses") which do nothing to the streetscape (second made up word).

Doesn't Anyone Have a Job?

Marty Markowitz' shameful example has apparently emboldened a few people who still think that having an expressway through Park Slope and next to the biggest city park in the borough is a good idea. Maybe Marty wants a speedier trip home to Kensington from Borough Hall? From the Brooklyn Paper:

"Since the bike lane was first proposed last year, it has been one of the most controversial issues in Park Slope.

Many cyclists and pedestrians hail the lane as a safer path that has reduced the well-documented speeding on Prospect Park West by eliminating one lane of car traffic. But drivers and other locals say the lane is ugly, has exacerbated traffic, reduced parking, and increased the danger for pedestrians who must dodge cyclists traveling in both directions.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan has said that the agency will finish compiling data on Prospect Park West traffic by January.

Dueling bike lane protests on Thursday, Oct. 21. Supportes gather at Grand Army Plaza on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 8 am. For info, e-mail rsvp@parkslopeneighbors.org. Antis gather at Prospect Park West and Carroll Street at 8:30 am. E-mail ppwbikelane@gmail.com for info."


Don't either the supporters or opponents of the lane have any place to be at 8 or 8:30 on a Thursday? Jobs? Kids to care for? Or is it just a convenient time for some yentas who think cameras might come out at that time?