“A passer-by sends in this picture of a confrontation on Stratford off Cortelyou, where the developers of the Cortelyou Condos at 1103 Cortelyou Road are putting the finishing touches on the new condo building by paving their neighbors’ curb cut. There’s a dispute over the property line — not something that can be litigated here — which wound up in police being called yesterday, people on the street said. In short, the developer paved the curb cut and the neighbors tried to restore it. The developer, in old-fashioned Brooklyn style, settled the matter yesterday by putting a beefy guy in a chair on top of the disputed paving.”–Ditmas Park Blog

Some neighborhood unhappiness with the successful Brooklyn Flea operated by our friends at Brownstoner has become very public this week. Much of the opposition stems from Queen of All Saints, a church across the street from the large space where the Flea takes place every Sunday in Fort Greene. The church feels the Flea has interfered with parking and reduced attendance. There will be a community meeting on the topic tonight. The Flea, which has attracted big crowds from all over the borough with its eclectic mix of vendors has also won some strong political support. Today’s Sun reports that Council Member Letitia James says that shutting the market is “not going to happen” and Borough President Marty Markowitz will send a representative to support the Flea. Eric Demby, who runs the Flea for Brownstoner, tells the Sun that the organizers will do whatever it takes to make the operation run more smoothly for the community including finding more parking for attendees, installing bike racks and putting in more garbage cans. “We’ll do whatever it takes,” he tells the paper. We’re confident the Brownstoner crew, which is hyper-sensitive to quality of life issues in Brooklyn neighborhoods, will find ways to make the Flea better for all concerned and that it will enjoy a long and happy life.

Grand Ferry Park closed for a remake in October and, while the reopening was a few months later than promised, the redone park–which provides a bit of waterfront access in a part of Williamsburg where none currently exists–is open again and looking good. There is a lot of new landscaping and the park, overall, has a more inviting and open look. We posted a full photo gallery of the new look park over at Curbed yesterday.

Warehouse 11, which was once known as the Roebling Oil Building for conditions that have since been cleaned up, is getting a friend. It’s a diminutive one, compared to the big Warehouse 11 megaplex, which is currently in an expansion phase. The new building, plans for which have been in place for a long time, will be 69 feet high. Despite the 6-7 story height, DOB records show a building of only four stories with three units. The building’s formal address is 201 N. 11 Street. Plans were approved in May and piles have been driven and excavation is underway. The new building is behind the Church of the Transfiguration, a landmark on Driggs Avenue because of its big copper dome near McCarren Park.

Does the “Narrow Streets” Zoning Text Amendment mean trouble for the controversial 360 Smith Street building (the former Heavy Metal Building) known as Oliver House? It could be. The amendment takes effect right away and the building’s foundation does not appear to be complete enough to be vested under the old zoning. One resident we spoke with said that Developer Billy Stein “is nowhere near the 50 per cent vested he needs to be to get excluded from this text amendment which is effective immediately, but he’s making a great effort to look as vested as possible as quickly as possible so that the DOB will let him be grandfathered.” There are also reports that holes in fencing that would allow photos have been sealed and that several people taking photos have been told to stop by workers. Meanwhile, Community Board 6 District Manager and City Council candidate Craig Hammerman sent an email to some residents yesterday advising them to file complaints about the building with 311 so that the Department of Buildings can make a determination about the building (and presumably issue a Stop Work Order) if any changes need to be made. Mr. Hammerman advised that “it would be up to DOB to determine” how the zoning text change would apply to the 360 Smith project. He urged calls to “set the wheels in motion.” The building would have to lose about a story of height and a bit of bulk if the new zoning is deemed to apply to it. Its developer Billy Stein was a vocal opponent of the zoning change. Mr. Stein, himself, told the New York Times he isn’t sure if enough progress has been made to exempt the building from the new rules. But “he said he hoped that his building, which will have six stories and a penthouse, could be exempt from the new zoning rules, in part because of ‘difficult constraints’ he said he had to follow in planning the structure.” We’re told that DOB will be getting calls about the building today.

An effort to officially define a number of very narrow streets in Carroll Gardens as actually being narrow for zoning purposes received unanimous support from the City Council yesterday afternoon. The “Narrow Streets” Zoning Text Amendment had won wide political and community support. It changes obscure, yet critical, zoning language that had considered very narrow streets as being wide because gardens in front of homes was considered as part of a street’s width. The change shaves several stories from the height of any new construction and reduces the size of additions to existing buildings (sometimes called “tumors”). The maximum height of new buildings on narrow streets is 55 feet. The controversial 360 Smith Street building (Oliver House) is more than 70 feet tall under the old zoning language. City Council Member Bill de Blasio said in statement after the measure passed the Council that it is “a critical piece in the larger puzzle of preserving the character of our neighborhood.” The zoning text amendment change is seen as an interim measure before a general downzoning of the neighborhood. Calls for a moratorium on development of buildings of a certain height have gotten nowhere. “While this is a positive step forward, we must continue to focus our efforts on a neighborhood wide down zoning,” Mr. de Blasio said in a statement. “Limiting the permitted heights and densities of new buildings will help to match future developments to the existing low-scale context of the neighborhood.” The CORD group, which fought for the change, sent out an email late last night saying, in part: “This is a moment to for all Carroll Gardens residents, their friends and neighbors to celebrate! We CG residents have worked long and hard for fourteen months to arrive at this point. This is a great step in our neighborhood’s commitment to maintain its integrity and its unique character.”

[Photo courtesy of arimoore/flickr]

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn-related information and images:

· Franklin Avenue Shuttle is Most Punctual Train in System [NYT]
· Tourists in Panic: Grimaldi’s Temporarily Shut Over Taxes [amNY]
· Fire Victim Died Trying to Save Son [NYDN]
· Uh, Williamsburg is Not Just for Hipsters [amNY]
· 109 Gates Avenue Revealed: Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. [Brownstoner]
· Thank God: Dime Bank Coming to Montague Street [BHB]
· Work at 192 Water Going Forward [Dumbo NYC]
· Rubys Host Says Coney Not Shutting Down [Kinetic Carnival]
· Greenpoint Puts Bike Lanes to Good Use [New York Shitty]
· What’s Up with Green Church? [Bay Ridge Journal]
· Meet the Neighbors, Episode 11 [Bed-Stuy Blog]
· The Blog is Taking a Break [Hawthorne Street]
· Wednesday Food and Drink Roundup [Brownstoner]

[Photo courtesy of Rubys Host/flickr]

Here’s a gorgeous shot of the sun setting behind some clouds in Coney Island the other night, with the lights of KeySpan Park in the foreground.

“The very idea that Marty Markowitz supports historical preservation in any shape or form is downright laughable. If it was up to him, the whole borough would be razed to the ground and replaced with high rise towers and box stores.”–Markowitz Calls for Demolition of Admiral’s Row & “Food Justice”

If this is not the most bizarre real estate marketing video we’ve ever seen, we don’t know what is. It’s so weird and bad that it’s wet yourself funny. Seriously, if you didn’t catch it on the Curbed post yesterday we heartily recommend that you watch it now. This is some of the writing that goes along with it. Daphne, who stars in the vid and, uh, lives at 358 Grove in Bushwick, wants you there and works in “a local pizza parlor”:

Hey guys, my name is Daphne B and I am 24 years old. Basically, I grew up on Long Island, with my type-A, proper and overprotective parents and a picture perfect older sister (who went to Harvard and graduated with honors). Vomit. I guess I am the black sheep of my family, the one who always got in trouble in high school and ended up dropping out of college. I finally moved out of my parents house about a month ago and finally enjoying life in an awesome place on Grove st. in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Right now, I am trying to save up some money so I got a job at a local pizza parlor and life..s been pretty good : )

Be warned that it’s kind of early in the morning for this kind of thing.

[Photo courtesy of caaaah S/flickr]

We love this photo, which comes to us via our Gowanus Lounge Flickr Pool. It’s an interesting angle from the Wonder Wheel in Coney Island.

Outside the Brooklyn Weather Observatory it is very, very wet. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch: “Heavy rain and flash flooding likely through late today…a cold front very slowly approaching from the west will continue to trigger very heavy rainfall through the day…and into the evening hours. A moist tropical air mass is providing the ingredients to produce the torrential rainfall and flash flooding.” Several more inches of rain could fall today. The actual forecast calls for heavy rain and some thunderstorms through early afternoon with a high of 79. Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low of 67. Be careful out there, Gowanus.–Accuweather

A lot of work by Dain has been wheatpasted up around Williamsburg in recent months. This is an installation (on a constantly changing board) outside a gallery on Berry Street.

[Photo courtesy of threecee/GL Flickr Pool]

This amusing image from the Vanderbilt Yards (aka Atlantic Yards site) comes to us courtesy of Tracy Collins via our GL Flickr Pool. Whatever you do, do not park in this spot. For many reasons, all of them having nothing to do with the fallen sign.

The Prospect Park Carousel will be free for kids to ride on Thursdays in August. We know this because the man we call the Oracle of Prospect Park, Eugene Patron, emailed us about it. Here’s an excerpt:

The best family fun ride in the heart of Brooklyn just got better: Prospect Park’s 1912 Carousel is free for kids under the age of 12 every Thursday in August, courtesy of Astoria Federal Savings. “Enjoying the cool breezes and joyous music while riding the Prospect Park Carousel is a perfect family outing,” said Prospect Park Alliance President, Tupper Thomas. “It’s wonderful that Astoria Federal Savings is making it possible for even more people to experience this great treasure of the Park.”

Restored in 1990 by the Prospect Park Alliance, the Carousel has 51 hand carved horses, as well as a giraffe, lion, deer and two dragon-pulled chariots. The Carousel’s melodic Wurlitzer organ with 141 pipes and 16 bells is dedicated in honor of philanthropists Peter and Isabel Malkin. The Carousel is open Thursdays through Sundays, from 12 – 6 p.m. (5 p.m. after Labor Day). Rides cost only $1.50…The Carousel is located in the Park’s Children’s Corner, just inside the Willink entrance to the Park, at Ocean and Flatbush Avenues and Empire Boulevard. The nearest subways are the Q, S, or B Train to Prospect Park station.

Go forth and ride for free.

[Renderings courtesy of Learned Evolution via Eater]

A couple of weeks ago, Nicole Davis of Brooklyn Based posted details about the new bowling alley and venue on Wythe Avenue at N. 11 Street that will be called Brooklyn Bowl. Today, there’s more info about it, including the fact that Blue Ribbon will be doing the food. Eater also has some renderings of what the new venue might look like when it opens later this year and more info.

[Photo courtesy of threecee/flickr]

Here’s a shot of the Ward Bakery building in Prospect Heights which is coming down to make way for the Atlantic Yards development. It’s looking rather dramatic in its current state of deconstruction.

Lola Staar’s Dreamland Roller Rink is officially open for business, putting the historic Child’s Restaurant Building back into regular public use for the first time in generations and giving Coney a fun new attraction for the rest of the season. (Editorial Digression: Hooray!) There will be an official opening bash on August 2, when we’ll be out of town, but the rink is already open. The hours are Fridays, 7PM-12AM, Saturdays 12PM-12AM and Sundays 12PM-7PM. The official address is 3052 21st Street. Admission is $10 and skates will cost $5 to rent, although everyone is welcome to bring their own wheels. More info here. (Another Editorial Digression: Props to Taconic Investment for letting the building be used for the roller rink instead of letting it sit empty until development plans are finalized. It’s warms our hearts to see a Coney Island survivor open for people to enjoy. Congrats as well to Diana Carlin for making it happen.)

Finally, someone is doing a Brighton Beach blog! Little ‘Rus, which we found courtesy of one of our other favorite area blogs, Sheepshead Bites, has been around for about a month and offer some eclectic coverage of the neighborhood from food (we learned about pelmeni) to development. While the former is interesting, the latter is vital in an area that receives scant coverage, yet is being heavily and quickly developed. As if to prove the point, one of the first posts on the first screen of the blog is this one, including a map the blogger made showing 17 condo and apartment developments either underway or recently completed in a relatively compact area.

Check out the development map after the jump.

We’re quite taken by the concept of mapping all the spots in Brooklyn that have Red Velvet cake and this map, created by meganlibrarian of Brooklynian is an excellent option. It covers a lot of based in the Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Red Hook territory. You can access the full map by clicking here.

“Despite what feels like a dwindling down of the Coney spirit under the hot and humid air, many are seeing small businesses and attractions closing down and leaving Coney Island. Crowds are looking thinner at times and a few biz numbers are down.” There are positive developments too, though, like the opening of the Dreamland Roller Rink.–Kinetic Carnival

There is significant excitement in Carroll Gardens neighborhood circles today as the City Council is slated to vote on the “narrow streets” Zoning Text Amendment. The technical change will redefine very narrow neighborhood streets as being narrow for zoning purposes. They have been defined as “wide” because the front gardens of buildings were counted as part of the street. The change would cut the possible height of new construction by 2-3 stories and limit the size of “tumor” addition to the top of existing buildings. The measure is expected to pass easily.

We’re surprised that news of this didn’t trickle out via local message boards or email lists, but there’s apparently a flasher on the loose in Park Slope. “The man exposed himself to a 14-year-old girl after pushing his way into her apartment building two weeks ago. ‘I’m not gonna hurt you; I’ve got something to show you,’ the pervert said, flashing the terrified teen in the doorway and chasing her up the stairs…78th Precinct detectives are on the case looking for the flasher, described as in his early to late teens, wearing black shorts, a gray T-shirt and a blue hat.”–NYDN

Here’s an odd bit of angst that a GL contributor found on President Street in Park Slope. The writing on the note refers to an accidental theft, saying she/he thought the bag had been left out for taking. Apparently it turned out to be someone’s lunch bag, perhaps from an adjacent construction site. We’re not sure what we like more: the fact that the bag was taken and return or the note that came along with it. It says, in part, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be wicked. I thought you bag was left for somebody to pick up but when got to my place of work I found it had food, spoon instruments for a work. I was so mad. Please! Please! Please! I am very sorry.”

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn information and images:

· Hero Saves People From Deadly Bed-Stuy Fire [NYP]
· 11 Hurt in BQE Accident [NYDN]
· Boy, That Gehry Glass Would Be Close to the Street [AYR]
· Torch of Suffrage [New York Shitty]
· Checking on 314 12th St. in the South Slope [Brownstoner]
· Bag Recycling at Key Food [Brooklynometry]
· New Neighborhood Haunts [Brooklyn Based]
· Ah, the Grand Army Plaza Entrance to the Park [A Year in the Park]
· Boys Boxing in Sunset Park [Best View in Brooklyn]