Strip Club in Red Hook?

Unfortunately, not according to the proprietor. From the Brooklyn Paper:

"Paris Burlesque Club — which has not yet opened at 18 Commerce St. near Columbia Street — is set to replace the grocery store-sized party hall, Hello Brooklyn, where Sunday night crowds once spilled onto sidewalks and management was last year arrested for selling booze without a license.

Neighbors are already lining up to oppose the new owners’ bid for a difficult-to-get cabaret license, saying they prefer a good night’s sleep to a good night on the town.

“Everybody knows the word ‘burlesque’ is used to mask the words ‘strip joint,’” said Bill Sullivan, who has been fighting noise in the neighborhood for two years. “I can’t even tell you what a nightmare it’s been.”"

Why does Sunset Park get to have all the fun?

Hypocritical Ikea Giving Out Bikes

After taking their shameful stance in June of opposing a bike lane outside their store, Ikea is sending mixed Scandinavian signals by giving out free, custom bikes to all of their employees.

"Company officials insisted the event was hypocrisy-free — even though they blasted part of the four-block cycle path painted in both directions on Columbia Street from Bay Street onto Halleck and Beard streets back in June.

At the time, Ikea manager Mike Baker said that a southbound bike lane along Beard and Halleck streets could jeopardize cyclists, cars and buses all vying to enter the big box store."


But how will they get to work? According to Ikea, it is dangerous to bike to their store...

The Hits Keep Coming for John Quadrozzi

We recently heard about how John Quadrozzi was being forced to fix his crumbling house and how "upset" he was about Superfund designation of the Gowanus. In another recent decision that should make everyone but him happy, the City is again making him do the right thing, this time in Red Hook. From the Brooklyn Paper:

"“The wall prevented families from enjoying the alternative recreation that this waterfront vista offers,” said Ludger Balan, a Red Hook resident and founder of the Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy, an environmental advocacy group.

Balan said he is pleased to see most of the wall is down, but complained that support poles remain moored in the ground, perhaps a sign that the structure may one day rise again.

While the view has certainly improved for park-users, Quadrozzi says his own vista is no becoming X-rated.

He claimed that since taking down a controversial wall on his property last winter, trespassers have had a field day — including a bawdy duo caught snapping nude photos."

What John, you didn't distribute the photos in court? I'm disappointed.

Really Ikea? Really?

Ikea scored major points with the community the other night by vigorously objecting to a bike lane in Red Hook.From the store manager's comments in the Brooklyn Paper, it appears that Ikea would be happiest if Red Hook were a 28-lane on and off ramp allowing for the fastest possible access to their site for anyone in a car.

Really, Ikea, really? You built a huge store in RED HOOK, and want to REDUCE transportation options? Really?

"“It seems dangerous to officially encourage bikes to the front of Ikea,” Baker told Community Board 6 on Thursday night."

Really, Ikea, really? Bikes, and bike lanes, which cause cars to go slower, seem dangerous? Really? Maybe his former occupation was as a Transportation Engineer?

"“If [the city] insists on proceeding with the south-side bike lane, [it] should be responsible for periodically monitoring safety along those bike lanes,” said Baker."

Really, Ikea, really? You build a giant warehouse that brings innumerable cars, trucks and buses to a new location, and a bike lane will cause congestion that should relieve you of your responsibility to monitor traffic? Really?

"“If the … traffic management elements constructed and funded by Ikea are going to be modified … then Ikea is not responsible for impacting or remedying the vehicular flow in Red Hook.”"

Really, Ikea, Really? You don't think this sounds like trying to weasel out of traffic monitoring requirements and their costs? Really?

The New York City Economic Development Corporation and Phoenix Beverage. Liars.

Normally, there is nothing more annoying and disingenuous than whining about traffic by "Community Activists". It generally smacks of a NIMBY attitude and being anti-development in any form.

Nothing could be further from the truth for Phoenix Beverage and the Columbia Street Waterfront. Turns out that contrary to the statements of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and Phoenix Beverage, delivery trucks ARE being routed through neighborhood streets.

From the Brooklyn Paper: 

"“Why are they here?” asked resident Brian McCormick. “[The city] made a commitment around a year ago to use the internal truck route for truck movements between Piers 7 and 11. It was the lead issue — how Phoenix would affect the circulation of traffic!” 

It’s unclear why Phoenix trucks are using Columbia Street to shuttle beverages between Piers 7 and 11, given that there’s a perfectly good route inside the port."

Also from the Daily News: 

""The street's narrow and not at all suited for truck traffic," said Councilman Brad Lander (D-Red Hook). "Truck traffic is going to lead to accidents with cars. It runs the risk of accidents with pedestrians."

City officials promised before Phoenix moved onto the Red Hook waterfront last year that the company's container trucks would use roads inside the port instead of neighborhood streets. But they said that pledge didn't apply to the smaller delivery trucks now flooding Columbia St."

I served on the Community Board 6 Committee which reviewed the EDC/Phoenix Beverage proposal. There were a large portion of community members who were opposed to the idea from the start (I was not one of them). However, the main point that the EDC and it's representatives kept emphasizing time and again was that this would be economic development without adding truck traffic onto local streets because there was an internal circulation route which would be used to funnel trucks directly on and off the BQE's Atlantic Avenue exit.

Turns out, they're liars. While I'd like to blame Phoenix Beverage, this is square on the shoulders of the Economic Development Corporation. Is there nothing in Phoenix Beverage's lease which could be enforced? Which is worse? If the answer is yes, and they're not enforcing it, or if nothing was included in the lease? 

Someone has some 'splaining to do.

Red Hook Trolley Again?

A quick trip through Sunset Park, Gravesend, DUMBO or Red Hook will show anyone that there is still evidence of what was once a vast Brooklyn Streetcar, or Trolley, network. Basically the buses of yesteryear, streetcars are now making a comeback in many cities around the world, as their benefits are now clearly seen. Although the idea of a Brooklyn streetcar network has been raised from time to time, funding has never really been there for one. Well, it still isn't, really, but there's money for a study! 

From the New York Post:

"DOT plans to finally take advantage of a $300,000 federal grant that Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn) secured for the six-month study in 2005.

Velazquez said the project is crucial for Red Hook, since the isolated neighborhood is facing brutal service cuts to its already-limited bus service -- the B61, B77 and B71 lines. The neighborhood has no subway; its nearest train line -- the F -- is more than a mile away.

Bob Diamond, president of the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association, which has tried to create a trolley line since 1989, estimated the project would cost $10 million to $15 million to complete."

That's a low estimate. By a LOT.

Bond Street Rats

From the New York Post:

"Defonis caught one monstrous beast on tape, capturing it as it blithely sauntered through her backyard in broad daylight. She said that she’s also seen two or more of the creatures engaged in what scientists call social play behavior.

“They were playing like cats,” she recalled, adding that they show no fear of humans during their rambunctious rodent hijinks — or any other time.

Parking lot manager Mohamed Gamil said the problem has nothing to do with maintenance at the lot. “It’s not us — the canal is right there,” he said, stretching an arm towards the fetid Gowanus. “It’s the whole neighborhood. They come from everywhere.”"

Ehh. I've been watching that lot since they started parking carts there, and it's not exactly the bastion of health and cleanliness (also, plenty of street corner carts are there, it's not just the Red Hook Vendors). But Mr. Gamil has the better point: it's the canal!!! There are rats everywhere!

Red Hook Cement Plant Open. When will the whining start?

We heard all about the horrors of manufacturing zoning in Red Hook. Well, the cement plant causing so much consternation is open, and so far, so good. From the Post:

"A controversial Red Hook concrete plant that will help rebuild the World Trade Center has quietly opened, dashing the hopes of stone-faced critics who vilified its arrival.

The United States Concrete facility opened on March 15, according to Michael Gentoso, a regional vice president for the Texas-based company, but rainy weather and the ongoing economic storm has kept the plant operating at below capacity.

“We are having a slow start,” he said."

Wait, where am I again?

News Flash: Red Hook still Rough

As if we didn't already know it, despite Ikea, lobster rolls, water taxis and key lime pies, Red Hook remains very real. Over the past week weeks, the 76th Precinct has received reports of a trio of armed robbers who have brandished weapons in an effort to get their victims to hand over cash. From Courier-Life:

"“Three in a row is a pretty serious thing,” said John McGettrick, the co-chair of the civic group. And the actual number of robberies might actually be higher, he said. “Sometimes there is an unfortunate tendency not to report a crime that’s committed against you,” McGettrick said, adding that he has heard anecdotally that there was more than three recent robberies.

“Young people using guns to engage in criminal activity — that’s a bad combination,” he continued, “and that has heightened the level of concern.”

Corey said he understood the fear, and reacted quickly to the situation.

After the first incident, the precinct deployed extra cops to the area, a tactic that proved successful when cops nabbed a member of the trio the next day.“The additional resources resulted in the arrest Monday evening,” the top cop said."

New Concrete Plant in Red Hook: Why The Controversy?

As humans, we are very protective of our environment, and feel powerless when we can't control it. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work when we're discussing property that is owned by someone else, and is zoned for something that we don't want to see. The new U.S. Concrete plant in Red Hook is a perfect example of this.

First there was the Times article about concerns of air quality, where they chronicled certain residents fears (founded or unfounded) and opinions that perhaps Red Hook, of all places, was more appropriate for apartments than for heavy industry, because of it's waterfront location. Why did this article not mention that water-borne transportation is some of the greenest transportation that you can find, taking trucks off of the streets with every barge delivery, making Red Hook and Gowanus MORE suitable for heavy industry than nearly any other neighborhood? There is a reason so many concrete plants are along the Gowanus and waterfront, and thus, why those areas are zoned for heavy industry.

Next came A View From the Hook's coverage of the same, which postulated many of the same points as the article, but added perceived impacts on schools athletic departments and recreational facilities. As someone who has participated in innumerable Saturday and Sunday soccer games in Red Hook, I can tell you that the Red Hook fields, which are in decidedly mediocre condition, are some of the most picturesque in the city. Other fields around the city are immediately adjacent to, or built on top of, landfills, slaughterhouses, highways and rail yards. Before raising specific concerns about this specific location, perhaps zoning regulations should be implemented city wide which mandate a certain distance from heavy industry that a ball field must be. But that would require some foresight.

Now comes Explain the Plan's update on the situation. And finally, we hear a voice of reason, from, as usual, Community Board 6's District Manager, Craig Hammerman:

"“Local zoning allows the cement plant to operate,” said Craig Hammerman, manager of Red Hook’s Community Board 6. “All they need to do is apply and get permits.”"

In zoning codes, there exist what are called performance standards for special permits, conditional uses, special uses, or whatever your local jurisdiction might call them. They are uses which are permitted, but only once you have met certain criteria; additional setbacks, environmental mitigation, buffers, hours of operation, etc... These standards allow uses which are maybe not ideal, but feasible, to be permitted, with these additional conditions or level of review.

Since U.S. Concrete has seemingly met every level of review asked of them, they have every legal right to open for business. If the 600 residents who were so opposed to this plant are committed to the effort, they will need to be involved with PlanNYC's air quality monitoring or in crafting regulations which would keep things like this happening in the future. Of course, if one more area of city is not zoned for industry, where will all of the industry go? Will Brooklyn become a sea of condos and fro-yo shops?
Photo source: CUNY Journalism Department

Nine Good Teeth: Carroll Gardens, Old School

For an incredible video, head on over to Pardon Me For Asking, Katia Kelly's Carroll Gardens and beyond blog. The video is titled "Nine Good Teeth" and is about someone's grandmother, born in Carroll Gardens (then Red Hook) two centuries ago. The video is not only incredibly well done, but is touching and contains scenes of the neighborhood.

I won't put this video up, because she went through the hard work of finding and posting, but suffice to say that as someone whose own grandmother is from Carroll Gardens, I found it touching. So head on over there and thank Katia for posting!

Red Hook is Solar Car Ground Zero

Brought to you in an old shipping container in Red Hook comes New York's first electric vehicle (EV) charging station, and this one uses a battery bank that stores solar energy to charge the cars. From In Habitat:

Located on an industrial lot near the Beautiful Earth’s headquarters overlooking downtown Manhattan, the off-grid, modular station is constructed of recycled steel shipping containers and powered solely by 235 watt photovoltaic panels. The car that is currently being charged at the station is a 100% electric BMW MINI E, and is now one of the few cars in the world to run exclusively on solar power. The vehicle has a range of just over 100 miles and takes about 3 hours to charge.

Check out the company running this amazing setup at www.beautifulearthgroup.com.

No car is really "green" and we need to get away from the mentality that our future transportation option are based around the car. Also, EV charging stations in Red Hook, which itself is out of the way for the majority of New Yorkers, will have limited use and application in building a charging station network, which is the real hold up for EVs.

Having said that, this is probably a step in the right direction in demonstrating that solar power is feasible for charging applications and (possibly) as cost-efficient as other powering methods.