This event offers the opportunity for newcomers to Brooklyn as well as long-time residents to become more socially informed and active in their communities. Workshops will provide information about current local issues and initiatives. The showcase of speakers and performers will serve to inspire and empower people to become involved. The exhibiting local organizations will give people direct access to ongoing programs in Brooklyn.

Oh, and they asked us to tell you that while it’s a party for the people, there’s no liquor license, so the people have to bring their own in order to party. The Yard is at 388-400 Carroll Street, next to the Gowanus and the Carroll Street Bridge.

Seven-Star Luxury Via Williamsburg’s Riviera Real Estate (above & below)
It’s Mouse Season in Park Slope
Celebrate Fall by Squatting on a Parking Space
Frank Gehry to Have Prospect Heights Historic District Neighbor?
Battle for La Marqueta de Williamsburg Continues
Interesting Williamsburg Building Goes Glassy
Fourth Avenue #2: The Park Slope Five
Fourth Avenue #1: Olive Garden Building Grown Tall
A Sign That Greenpoint Has ‘Arrived’?
Myrtle Avenue Remake in the Making?
Court Street’s Gowanus Expressway Building Ready for Action
Red Hook Update: Now in Yellow and Blue

Look at the angle of that “chute” and note were the permits are placed. I know enough about physics to know this is a bad situation. Hence, why I didn’t get the address; my sense of self-preservation prevailed.

Uh, is that chute, so-called, legal?

It’s relatively new to YouTube and very heavy on the irony, most of which is intended.

Photos:

• Almost October [Seriously Excited]
• Building on North 3rd [Blue Jake]
• Moore Street Market [Food of the Future/flickr]
• Waiting at the Bus Stop [Park Slope Street Photography]
• End of Wolcott Street [Atomische]
• Beasts [Lex’s Folly]
• Coney Americana [For the Love of Brooklyn/flickr]

Not Photos:

• IBO Calculates Addition Modest Costs from Atlantic Yards Arena [AYR]
• October Clinton Hill Events [Clinton Hill Blog]
• Remember, the free Brooklynbretta Music Festival is Today [423 Smith]
• Mysterious Dump on Fifth Ave. in Park Slope [Brownstoner]
• Check Out This New Coney Island Poster [Kinetic Carnival]
• Hanging Out on a Myrtle Avenue Parking Spot [Streets Blog]
• Red Hook Gets New Bike Lanes [Brownstoner]
• Fire on Seventh Avenue? [Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn]
• Filmore Place Historic District [WPA]
• Entrepreneurial Spirit Alive and Well on Hicks Street [Lost City]

Today, we are presenting the Department of Buildings Triathlon. You can view Event 1 (The Late Night Concrete Pour) here, and Event 2 (311 Calling) here.

Related Posts:
Department of Buildings Triathlon, Event 1: Late Night Concrete Pour
Department of Buildings Triathlon, Event 2: 311 Calling

GL Analysis
The most deteriorated area, of course, and the one that represents the greatest hazard to public safety, is a stretch of several blocks in the heart of the heart of the amusement district. The cost of replacing that would be far more manageable and could be a short-term priority. It would also seem to us that both Taconic Investment Partners and Thor Equities could kick in a significant portion of the total repair tab for the amusement district part of the boardwalk as part of any deal the city reaches with them. The question is, will people again risk injury next summer as critical short-term repairs are put on hold?

Called 311 to complain about a construction-related problem–say, illegal after-hours work–lately? Some of GL’s readers have, and the results are not heartening. There were a number of comments yesterday in our item about people getting frustrated with making complaints to the Department of Buildings. We believe they are indicative of some, uh, problems with both the system and a critical city agency. We have literally seen and heard of problems hundreds of times in Brooklyn in the last 12 months.

Here are a few noteworthy stories, as related in yesterday’s comments:

Its true, the turnaround time is horrible. there should be an on-staff DOB person that handles all calls, similar to police. An inspector that goes out and responds to night calls that night or within 24 hours. SL Green was doing demo from 7pm to 1am everyday behind my apartment. I called and called. Took 6 business days for a response. (which seems to be the typical length of time). They were still doing it during that time period however every time they supposedly did a night visit, ‘nothing was found’. they had dust and debris pouring out of the building. Its was so obvious. I think the inspectors dont want to do paperwork or even a site visit, so they say they went and really didnt.

And there’s this:

the DOB takes too long to respond. Point blank. If someone is doing construction, the response time is min 6 business days. Even then, they usually “find nothing” which I believe is a cop out for “i didnt visit the site or want to do paperwork, so i ‘found nothing'”. They are understaff and underqualified. the whole dept needs an overhaul.

And this:

I”ve complained about after hours construction at 530 3rd Ave 3 times. Once they didn’t even file the complaint. For the complaints I filed on the 15th and 16th, they sent somebody out on May 28th!

Awesome. The system works.

One senses a problem experienced by many Brooklyn residents.

Related Posts:
Department of Buildings Triathlon, Event 1: Stop Work High Jump
Department of Buildings Triathlon, Event 3: Late Night Concrete Pour

Will a Prospect Heights Historic District be created soon? There’s no timetable, but the disrict is said to be “at the top of the list” of ones the Landmarks Preservation Commission is considering. The news was conveyed by Atlantic Yards Report:

The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council (PHNDC), with the assistance of the Municipal Art Society, has been pushing for historic designation for the neighborhood, and the process looks promising, if hardly assured.

Mary Beth Betts, director of research for the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) said last night at a PHNDC meeting at P.S. 9 that, while, no timeline can yet be provided, “it’s at the top of the list of [potential historic] districts that we’re looking at.”

The bulk of the Atlantic Yards footprint is not within the possible boundaries.

That new street cleaning plan for the territory covered by Community Board 6–which includes Cobble Hill, Park Slope, Red Hook and Carroll Gardens–has been announced. Twice a week street cleaning is being eliminated in places that had it, and the three-hour time period for sweeping is being narrowed to 90 minutes. Plain English: Once a week, 90 minute street cleaning. This should all necessitate some lifestyle changes among those that have built routines around alternate side of the street parking. Here’s a bit from the release:

The new plan will result in a uniform set of once-a-week, 90-minute sweeping regulations per curb on typical residential streets throughout the district, which includes Cobble Hill, Park Slope, Red Hook and Carroll Gardens. Currently, the entire district has three-hour street cleaning regulations that are once a week in some neighborhoods, and twice a week in others.

The plan also provides additional cleaning along commercial corridors like Court Street, Smith Street, 5th, 7th, Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues which will now be swept six times a week in non-overlapping half-hour segments.

“We are finally getting once a week street cleaning throughout the entire district,” said Hammerman, who has been meeting with the DSNY in recent years to reach an agreement on the plan. “That means the DSNY is making the ‘pilot’ reduction area in Park Slope permanent, and expanding it to the whole district.”

The plan will be implemented in a “matter of months.” Listen for the sound of people used to moving their cars from, say, 8AM-11AM, getting ready to move them back at 9:30AM instead. Wow.

Since 9:30 p.m. a cement mixer & a pump truck have been operating 3 houses away from me. Condo going up at 271 Nassau Ave (at Sutton St). Lights in my window & noise of a FUCKING CEMENT TRUCK. It’s now almost 11pm. I called 311 & reported the perps to both DOB & DEP. No variance posted, of course. We all know what good will come of my report. Motherfuckers.

Call us dense, but how can one investigate after-hours work days later? Small wonder that most such complaints result in “no evidence” being found of the work.

Related Posts:
Department of Buildings Triathlon, Event 3: Stop Work High Jump
Department of Buildings Triathlon, Event 2: 311 Calling

• In the Zone on 21st Street? [Brownstoner]
• All of the Abolitionist Place Action [Duffield St. Underground]
• Bushwick Advertecture Attack [newyorkshitty]
• Piece of Ward Bakery Escapes Wrecking Ball [AYR]
• South Sloper Fights for Neighborhood [NYDN]
• The Wandering Stranger of Schermerhorn Street [Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn]
• Petition Astoria Federal for Trees [Kensington Brooklyn]
• Moving to Minneapolis? [Escape Brooklyn]
• East 28th Street Revisited [My Life in Brooklyn]
• Ugly Circulars, Be Gone [Son of Planet PLG]
• Williamsburg Gets Disaster Center [Brooklyn Downtown Star]

We were pleased to do a segment on the Brian Lehrer Show yesterday on WNYC. You can check out the segment here if you wish or simply click on the embed below. The entire segment runs about 17 minutes. We were on wearing our hat as an Editor of Curbed, and dealt with some questions about the overall health of the New York City real estate market. Of course, we also got into a lot of Brooklyn talk, discussing in particular our feelings about Williamsburg and what an overall decline in the market could do to the expensive condo projects being developed in the neighborhood. (It is our considered opinion that the results of market turmoil, if it occurs in any significant way, will not be pleasant to watch in North Brooklyn.)

We are certain that the irony of Prospect Heights residents and others getting together on a Sunday in September to clean up trash in part of the Atlantic Yards “footprint” is entirely intended. In any case, the work will take place this Sunday (9/23) from Noon-5PM along Pacific Street from Fifth Avenue to Vanderbilt. Volunteeers are welcome and are asked, if they wish, to bring garbage bags and gloves (although supplies will be available). An email about the clean-up says in part:

The sidewalk all along the North side of Pacific Street between 5th Avenue and Vanderbilt, is still owned by the MTA. Caring for the cleanliness of this space is legally their responsibility. However, the sidewalk has become completely obstructed by over grown weeds, and illegally dumped garbage. Forest City Ratner has “bully-dozed” the neighborhood. Evictions have sent people, literally out of town – which places FCR as the prime perpetrator of this neglect. In an effort to arguably assist Forest City Ratner in purposefully creating a virtual site of blight, it is no coincidence, that over the past four years, there have been less garbage cans and garbage pick ups, on the street. As a result this area has become a dumping ground. Which came first, the induced blight or the neglect? The MTA has done nothing to ensure its cleanliness. Not BUILD, Not FCR, not the Atlantic Yards Community Liaison office!

For any other building in the city, if a landlord or home owner has unsightly garbage that is not cleaned up, even if it is blown onto their property, they are slapped with fines. Has the MTA received the same fines? Are they once again being held to a lesser standard than other property owners in the area?

We are tired of waiting. We are tired of looking at the neglect that the State and MTA has allowed, in the name of Forest City Ratner, “progress and renewal.” Is this what we can look forward to in the future if the Atlantic Yards project is to plough through?

This Sunday, neighbors and members of the community will come together in a first attempt at cleaning up Ratner’s mess. Four foot weeds can not possibly exemplify Bloomberg’s plan for a greener New York. Brooklynites, it is time to take it upon ourselves to clean up the RATNER and STATE CREATED blight.

Whether one is for or against the Atlantic Yards development, the city, state and Forest City have allowed a despicable state of filth along the Vanderbilt Yards. Given the scope of the problem, this is probably only the first such clean-up volunteer effort. No Land Grab has posted an image of the flyer for the event.

The 3rd Annual Green Brooklyn Conference is taking place today at Brooklyn Borough Hall from 11AM-4PM. Coordinated by Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment, it’s billed as “Brooklyn’s largest showcase of green and sustainability issues, programs, and products.” The even is a fully day fair and symposium and “will feature workshops and discussions led by several of the city’s preeminent leaders in sustainable design, green manufacturing, transportation alternatives, energy efficiency, environmental education, and sustainable food.” The full schedule is available here. We’re intrigued by the “hands-on worm composting demo” from 2:45-3:30. You simply can’t get that kind of thing every day.

You will be hearing a lot about this, as it looks like the email went out to a long list of Brooklyn blogs: There will be a “Brooklyn Goes Vegetarian Week” from October 21-27. (Those crafty vegetarians know how to get word out better than some big companies and their PR firms.) Here are the details:

Brooklyn Goes Veg is a month-long event celebrating Vegetarian Awareness Month. Launching October 2007, Brooklyn Goes Veg! will host a series of events centered around plant-based nutrition.

Vegetarians, near-vegetarians, and the curious are invited to tune-up their eating habits, change old paradigms, and discover new ways of thinking, eating, and becoming vegetarian.

We are excited to announce Brooklyn’s First Annual Vegetarian Restaurant Week, highlighting the diversity of the borough’s vegetarian restaurants.

The kickoff reception is on Thursday, Oct. 18, from 6PM-9PM at the V-Spot Café, 156 5TH Avenue in Park Slope. More info to come over the website for the event.

Thor Equities and developer Joe Sitt are said to have offered leases for the 2008 season to some Coney Island businesses. The development was reported yesterday on the Save Coney Island MySpace page and is reported in today’s papers. Jotham Sederstrom has coverage in today’s Daily News:

It may not be the last ride for Astroland after all.

Coney Island mega-developer Thor Equities yesterday made an eleventh-hour deal to let a string of popular Coney Island Boardwalk vendors stay through next summer – and the owners of the historic Astroland amusement park hope they will be next.

“This makes me even more hopeful,” said Astroland owner Carol Hill Albert, who shuttered the 45-year-old amusement park Sept. 9 but is still pushing for a deal to let her stay through next summer.

Albert, who sold the property to Thor last year, said the developer this week backed off its demand for $3 million in rent for next summer.

The statement posted last night on the Save Coney website says:

Coney Island will continue to Amaze and Astound in 2008!!

Hurray!!!

Fantastic news!!

Many of the businesses in Coney Island including Lola Staar, Ruby’s and Cha Cha’s were told by Thor Equities that they would be offered an Agreement for the summer 2008 season!! It is not confirmed but it looks as though Thor Equities is also still negotiating with Astroland to allow them to remain open in Coney Island for the 2008 season as well.

This is tremendous news! It means that this past summer was not the last summer of Coney Island as we know it!!

Long live Coney Island!!

There had been rumors that Thor would be making an announcement of some kind before the end of the week.