After the Mermaid Parade came the, well, after-parade. Here’s some of the action on W. 10th Street after the end of the parade in Coney Island.

It might have been the nicest day ever for the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. A huge and fun crowd descended on Coney Island yesterday for the 25th Anniversary edition, and a day that was capped off by the Mermaid Parade Ball inside the historic Childs Restaurant Building. Here are a handful of still shots. You can find the full flickr set with 165 photos here or look at the slideshow we’ve posted too, below. There’s more Mermaid-related material below, as well, as we suspend some of our regular programming today to deal with the day after Mermaid Day. It was excellent fun.

If you don’t feel like going over to our flickr Mermaid Parade slideshow which is 165 photos strong, you can check it, as embedded out below.

It’s fair to say this is the first time the Mermaid Parade had a little bit of an anti-development flavor. About a half dozen groups of people in the parade, including a large Save Coney Island contingent, brought an anti-Thor Equities and anti-developer Joe Sitt flavor to the event. We’ve got some pics from the Mermaid Ball too, which we’ll get to later. You can check out the Anti-Thor flickr set here and see it as a flickr slideshow here.

The historic Childs Building in Coney Island hosted its first public event in 60 years last night, and it rocked. We’ll have more on the building itself tomorrow. In the meantime, we’ve got a lot of photos from last night’s festivities. Good music. A beautiful night. An incredible buildings. The ocean air. What more could you want? Embedded slide show below or you can go over to our flickr set if you’d like.

Here are some early vids of the Mermaid Parade posted on the YouTube. Enjoy.

[Ms. Gowanus Canal at the Mermaid Parade courtesy of f_heaney/flickr]

• Will the Times Advise Spitzer to Veto the 421-a Legislation? [AYR]
• Brooklyn Heights Beach Coming Soon [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
• Mass Arrest of Brooklyn Teens Spotlights Police Tactics [NYT]
• Ralph Stanley in Prospect Park [Velvet Sea]
• Stoopendous Shout Out [Dope on the Slope]
• Report on Stoopendous [OTBKB]
• RIP, Cafe on Clinton? [BK 11201]
• Hello Living Update [Set Speed]
• Teachers Drinking at Moe’s in Fort Greene [NYT]
• Thank You God, Di Fara’s Has Reopened [Lost City]
• Splasher Attempts to Make a Stink in Dumbo [Brooklyn Enthusiast]

There is much news to convey about the embattled and threatened Red Hook vendors this morning as it was a busy Friday for them. First, as we noted yesterday afternooon, Sen. Charles Schumer announced that the Parks Department had agreed to allow the food stands at the Red Hook Ballfields to remain open through October 28 rather than being shut down right after Labor Day. Then, within about 40 minutes of that announcement, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe send out a mass e-mail to everyone that had emailed regarding the plight of the vendors.

Red Hook Vendors Committee Director Cesar Fuentes, who has been leading the fight to protect the vendors, issued a statement late last night in which he thanks Sen. Schumer, but said that the long-term issue of the vendors’ survival continues. “As this waiver permit brings a solution to our short-term concern,” Mr Fuentes said in the statement, “our long-term concern still remains undecided.”

Here is a bit more from the statement:

We would like to acknowledge Parks Department’s diligence on this matter and ‘people first’ approach to an otherwise ordinary fiscal issue. We understand the Department’s need to comply with city regulations concerning concession permits & are willing to abide by any standard guidelines set in order to obtain a long term permit for operation. In short, we are not requesting any special treatment from the Parks Dept in order to obtain this permit.

We define ourselves as a public market with defined public goals, operating in a public space, and serving only locally owned and operated businesses. This is the textbook definition given by the non-profit organization Project for Public Spaces (PPS) in their book “Public Markets and Community Revitalization.” This organization has provided a letter of support for our committee, and in it, has also recognized our affair as a public market by definition. This is important when considering the type of permit to be designated for the operation our affair, especially if it differs greatly in definition and nature, from generic concession establishments.

Thanks to Council member Gonzalez, Senator Schumer, and Assemblyman Ortiz for coming to our aid promptly and willingly, for your intervention, advocacy, and support. Our appreciation to the newsmedia, and our gratitude for your positive portrayal of our mercado.

Above all, our heartfelt thanks for all your support -our patrons, food bloggers, cyber activists, and friends (Specially Josh, Bob, and Ed). Without your advocacy and staunch support through emails, petitions, and determination to preserve this humble affair, we would have not aimed so high nor come this far.

The Benepe e-mail, meanwhile, says that the permit will not go to the highest bidder, and that factors such as the value of the bidders proposal and their experience will be factored into the decision. Presumably, then, the Parks Department could write the Request for Proposal in such a way that the existing vendors would have an advantage. This is a good thing, and we wonder why the department waited this long to point it out.

Here’s some of the content of the Benepe e-mail/statement:

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation has been issuing “Temporary Use Authorizations” to two separate groups to operate a food market at the ballfields in Red Hook Park. We began the process a few years ago in an effort to legalize the vendors at Red Hook, helping them become a permanent fixture in the neighborhood, and the park users have benefited from their presence. They enhance and diversify the Red Hook neighborhood, and particularly our ballfields, by serving great food at reasonable prices. Unfortunately, once it became clear that the Red Hook markets would regularly be open for more than 29 days a year, we could no longer legally renew their temporary permits without opening up the concession to the public solicitation process.

I would, however, like to correct a common misperception that we are offering the site to the “highest bidder.” In order to comply with the concession regulations in the New York City Charter, we will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP). This will allow Parks to evaluate proposals based on qualitative criteria such as operating experience and planned operations. We plan on releasing a RFP shortly for the operation of vending markets at the various ballfields at Red Hook Park; the term of the license will be six years. This process will give the selected vendors the permanence and regularity that they deserve.

One certainly hopes the process works to give the Red Hook vendors “the permanence and regularity that they deserve.”

Developer Joe Sitt and Thor Equities have been hit with a Stop Work Order by the Department of Buildings. We know this because we were walking along the Great Wall of Stillwell Avenue, aka the huge wooden fence erected by around the Go-Kart Tracks and other attractions he demolished when we noticed some very familiar-looking paperwork last night. When we checked, we found that Ye Olde Stop Work Order, dated June 22. It was so new, in fact, that as of 9:00 this morning it still hadn’t been entered into the Building Information System website. There was a complaint dated June 19 about work being done without a permit. The official address involved is 3030 Stillwell Avenue.

Buried deep inside the complicated verbiage of the 421-a developer tax break reform legislation in Albany, are many goodies, including an extension until next year of the times that developers have to start buildings under the old regulations that were far more favorable to them. (That sound you hear are bulldozers revving so that luxury condo developers can get one last tax break at the public’s expense.) Yet, the bill has treated no single developer more generously than Bruce Ratner, whose Atlantic Yards project gets its own set of taxpayer-subsidized breaks and regulations.

Today, No Land Grab highlights the fact that Mr. Ratner will also be allowed to charge low-income tenants higher rent than other landlords in the program:

One detail about the Atlantic Yards exception that most bloggers and reporters are overlooking will likely eventually generate considerable outrage.

Atlantic Yards “affordable” housing isn’t just going to cost taxpayers more money than other developments that qualify under the 421-a program. It will hit lower-income tenants in the pocketbook as well!

The very people who are supposed to benefit from 421-a reform will get to kick in a higher percentage of their income toward rent, just for the privilege of living at Atlantic Yards. In the most simple terms, Ratner will get to make more off the poor than all other developers receiving the same tax breaks.

There’s more information on this very complicated issue (and the complexity is what allows lawmakers to work on such legislation and insert almost anything they wish with virtual impunity) over at Atlantic Yards Report. Even ACORN, which has been one Atlantic Yards’ biggest supporters called the provisions “bad public policy.” The bottom line, however, is quite simple: As it has turned out, the 421-a legislation contains a slew of customized tax breaks and goodies for Atlantic Yards. Some of them, as it turns out, will come directly at the expense of low-income Brooklynites.

The Thor Equities/Joe Sitt publicity machine has been in overdrive this week, trying to get things in order as important behind-the-scenes discussions take place with city officials and a lot of people with cameras prepare to descend on today’s Mermaid Parade. So, the $1.5-$2 Billion Question is, will there be an Anti-Sitt/Save Coney Island presence at the parade? We believe the answer is going to be yes. In fact, one Coney Island figure, reports being treated to a surprise appearance on Sunday by developer Joe Sitt and his PR representative Lee Silberstein who had an unidentified reporter with them. They reportedly brought the reporter along so he could get a reaction after Mr. Sitt personally related the news of dropping condos from the Coney Island redevelopment plan. The person promises that “real” reactions will be on display today during the parade. The one thing that’s for certain is that thousands of cameras will be on hand to capture the feelings and send them everywhere.

In the meantime, we noted that beach chairs and banners had been set up at the site of the new water slide that Thor is installing on the site of the miniature golf course that it installed. It was too dark to get pics yesterday, but Kinetic Carnival was there and has some great shots of the New Look Coney on display for today’s crowds.

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn related information and, especially on weekend, images. The Mermaid Parade kicks off 2PM today in Coney Island. It runs down the Boardwalk and Surf Avenue.

Mermaids:

• Mermaid Day Set [pixietart/flickr]
• 15,980 Mermaid Parade Photos [flickr]
• Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2005 [Linus Gelber/flickr]
• 1983 Mermaid [Now Public]
• Mermaid Parade 2006 [GL’s flickr set]

Not Mermaids:

• Brooklyn Jail Will Definitely Reopen [110 Livingston]
• Meet the New Two Trees Building Next to the Brooklyn Bridge [Brownstoner]
• Reactions to Bruce Ratner’s Special, Customized 421-a Tax Breaks [AYR]
• Go Eat Some Food with the Red Hook Vendors [NYT]
• Weekly Dumbo Links Rundown [Dumbo NYC]
• Banners and Chairs for Thor’s Water Slide [Kinetic Carnival]
• New Kid on the Block [Bed-Stuy Blog]
• Plan to be Stoopendous Today [OTBKB]
• Carroll Gardeners Want Protection from Development [McBrooklyn]
• The Blogger Behind the F Train Express Petition [Streets Blog]
• Construction Too Close for Comfort [Kensington Brooklyn]
• Bicyclist Crashes into Open Car Door & Is Killed in Williamsburg [NYP]

In honor of today’s Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, some parade vids from the YouTube, including a clip of Coney Island USA’s Dick Zigun speaking at the parade in 1983.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Park Slopers are invited to go outside today and have parties and other activities and, then, at 8:31PM make a lot of noise. It’s all because of what’s called Stoopendous. OTBKB has great details about some of today’s event up this morning and here’s some verbiage from the website, which is loaded with info:

Join your neighbors on Saturday, June 23, for a STOOPendous party that is as big as the Slope! Mark the start of summer with your neighbors on your own stoops and sidewalks. Celebrate the summer solstice, the day when planet earth enjoys the most sunlight during the year…Your celebration can occur any time of day, but at 8:31 pm, when the sun sets, the All-Slope-Solstice-Shout-Out will start. Use kazoos, bang pots and pans, swing bells, or play drums. Make a racket to bid farewell to the sun’s long day and to ring in the new season. Or sing to the sun.

We believe a lot of kazoos have been given out to residents by the Park Slope Civic Council.

Maybe you’ve heard about the Revere Sugar Dogs that used to roam the property. For a long time, some bloggers we know avoided posting about them for fear of bringing harm to the dogs. Most were rescued and adopted. One remains. Harriet Zucker is working to save her and participated in this video.

Sen. Charles Schumer, just announced that the Parks Department is extending the permits of the Red Hook food vendors through October 28. The Department had previously threatened an end to the vending season after Labor Day. However, there’s some bad news: The Parks Department still says it’s going to open the permits to competitive corporate bidding next year although it promises to treat the vendors “fairly.”

As for the short-term, Sen. Schumer is claiming victory, saying in a press release that “Today’s decision protects this Brooklyn treasure for the rest of the summer and fall and I applaud the Parks Department and Commissioner Benepe for their quick action. Had these vendors lost their permits before the end of this year’s soccer season, it would have been a blow to Red Hook, Brooklyn and all of New York City. The diverse, cultural vitality they bring to Red Hook is what makes New York the great city it is, and it should be preserved. I look forward to working with the Parks Department to craft a new arrangement that keeps these vendors running and thriving for years to come.”

Saving the remainder of the vending season has been a priority for the vendors, but the long-term situation is equally important to them. Last week, after we spoke with Cesar Fuentes, head of the vendors group, we wondered if the Parks Department would grant an extension so the vendors could work at the Red Hook Ballfields for the full season through the end of October, but would stick with competitive bidding for next year. This would seem to be what is happening. The competitive bids can go as high as $300,000, but the vendors–who currently pay $10,000 for the permit–say they would be crushed by an increase to even $50,000.

We’re cheered that the vendors will get their full season, but it will be a hollow victory if an equitable solution is not found to assure their long-term survival in the park. More tomorrow.

That story about Astroland getting a one-year stay of execution? It may not be true. amNY reports this morning that “negotiations for an extension appear to have bogged down over rezoning concessions the site’s developer is seeking from the city.” Astroland’s owner, Carol Albert, in fact, says she hasn’t been offered any lease extension at all. David of Coney Island USA says the Post’s Thursday story saying that Astroland and developer Joe Sitt had reached an agreement “is not correct.” He posts the following on the Coney Island Message Board: [Astroland owner] Carol [Albert] asked me to let everyone know that she is not involved in any talks…Astroland has not been given a reprieve. The Post is wrong. He posted a comment to that effect last night on GL.

Yesterday, GL tried to contact Thor spokesperson Tom Corsillo to talk about the Post story, but he did not respond. In the meantime, we were told that an agreement with Mr. Sitt had been reached to keep Astroland open, but that the developer had subsequently backed away from the deal and had, in fact, made the one-year extension contingent on winning zoning concessions he is seeking. A city official described the tactic as Mr. Sitt pointing “a gun” at his head.

Kinetic Carnival also picked up some conversations yesterday and reports:

Council member Domenic Recchia said that he did have talks with Thor Equities and they did say they would work about a plan to keep Astroland open for the ’08 season. He also stated that Thor Equities later added further dialogue which indicated that they would extend Astroland for another season only if and when the city changes the zoning to their favor.

Recchia, regardless, promised he will work hard and fight to keep Astroland open at the current location for another season and also help them find another location for the future.

Thor spokesperson Lee Silberstein, meanwhile, is quoted in amNY as saying, “Thor is confident it will be able to reach an agreement with Astroland to keep the rides open next summer.”

Apparently, very high level meetings with Thor have been going on all week, which could explain some of the motivation behind the stories about the change from condos to hotel rooms and time shares, and the new renderings, that began circulating this weekend. GL has learned that both Borough President Marty Markowitz and Council Member Recchia met with Thor executives this week and that Mr. Sitt met this week with Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff. That meeting was described as having “laid everything on the line.”

Richard Thompson performed brilliantly at Celebrate Brooklyn last night in an appearance that even on-and-off downpours and bolts of lightening snaking from the sky in the distance couldn’t wreck. The legendary guitarist and musician joked that the weather was like performing at a British outdoor festival. A huge crowd braved the rain to watch and listen. Slideshow below or the flickr set here.

If you were confused by the events, statement and announcements in Coney Island this week, join the club. The Coney Island redevelopment has never been a straightforward process, but this weeks seemed to set new levels for obfuscation, tactical shifts and overall confusion.

What is clear is that major behind-the-scenes negotiations are going on and that significant press attention will be focused on Coney in coming weeks courtesy of the Mermaid Parade on Saturday and the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on July4. That, in part, could explain the charm offensive on the part of Thor Equities, which has floated several stories in the press and even included bloggers on their distribution list for the first time. It would also explain why the developer would want to make concessions–or appear to be seen in the press as making them–and release some new drawings. In development negotiations, especially high-profile ones with a public side, it’s sometimes all about gaining the upper hand via perception. Frankly, most people aren’t following this story closely enough to understand that a plan with three hotels and time shares isn’t radically different from the plan with with condos that has generated opposition locally. The average person will see the headline that says “Thor Drops Condos” and say, “That’s great” and move on.

Likewise, if there’s a story in the press that Astroland is being saved for another year many people won’t notice the follow ups, like the ones today, that point out that the one-year extension was apparently offered contingent upon zoning concessions.

We think it’s safe to say that in a week when Thor executives have met with Borough President Marty Markowitz, Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, City Council Member Dominic Recchia, and who knows how many other planning and economic development officials, that the outlines of a deal–or, at least, an understanding–are being cut. We also think it’s a good bet that the developer has been bending over backwards to try to win over or, at least, confuse some opponents, in the hope of avoiding photo ops of mermaids and protesters holding up “Save Coney Island” and “Sitt Sucks” signs.

In the real estate development game, it’s not just all about location, location and location. Sometimes, it’s about timing too.

Williamsburg’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on Havemeyer Street–known for its Giglio Feast in July–is still contending with Sunday construction. A neighbor told GL that repeated calls to the Department of Buildings about illegal construction have failed to produce a visit from the department. (They may produce a visit from one of the local TV stations, however, which is one way to prompt action.) The neighbor, who is involved in community issues, complained that officials at DOB won’t even return phone calls about the problem. Apparently, average residents and activists aren’t the only ones having a hard time getting a response: Community Board 1 notified the Building Department about the problem with no results (ie, inspectors coming on a Sunday morning to check out the problem) so far. Good to know the Kafkaesque city building inspection and enforcement system is working like a well-oiled machine.

Related Post:
Williamsburg’s Giglio Feast Church Under Seige by Construction

Look for a new development to start rising soon at the corner of Third and Bond Streets in Carroll Gardens/Gowanus. The corner lot, which involves four different properties, recently sold to The Hudson Companies for $7.75 million. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because it is the same company that developed the J Condo in Dumbo. No luxe condo tower is possible on this site, however. A release from City Feet says:

The rare, as-of-right residential development site is located on the northwest corner of 3rd and Bond Streets. It contains approximately 46,728 buildable square feet and is walking distance from Whole Foods supermarket on 3rd Street and 3rd Avenue. The property sold for $166.39 per square foot to a Manhattan developer – The Hudson Companies Incorporated, who developed the J Condominium in DUMBO.

“Plans call for a series of townhouses, which will blend more contextually with the neighborhood than a high rise tower,” said Massey Knakal Broker Ken Freeman, who exclusively represented the seller. “The seller will relocate his electrical contracting company to an industrial zone in Red Hook.”

A Carroll Gardens resident who passed the information along said that “the developer plans to break ground for a luxury low-rise condominium development this summer.” The site can be developed without going through the Gowanus rezoning drama.

[Photo courtesy of Kinetic Carnival]

Well, the big Hippo water slide that Thor Equities had promised to put up in Coney Island for the summer has arrived. Coney blogger Kinetic Carnival has posted photos of it sitting on the property that housed a miniature golf course until it was demolished during the winter. He also put up pics at the Coney Island Message Board. In case you don’t remember, the water slide is 36 feet tall, 47 feet wide and 168 feet long. The top platform is three stories high and it’s a 40 degree drop. The manufacturer says the operator can make about $29,000 a week from it. It’s supposed to require a six-hour set up and comes with three days of training, so if you see it up and operating on Saturday during the Mermaid Parade, well, draw your own conclusions…because three days of training would bring us to Monday, assuming they blow it up today. And, remember kids, according the manufacturer, “When it comes to attracting thousands of families to your location, size does matter.” Indeed.

Related Post:
Here’s the Water Slide Thor Says It Will Put Up in Coney Island

There’s growing concern on Court Street, where the former International Longshormen’s Association Building property at 340 Court Street is said to be in contract. No one has yet confirmed the sale, but the site can support a 13-story building under current zoning. The building, which is between Sackett and Union Streets, is owned by Long Island College Hospital and was recently put on the market. Local residents are pushing for a rezoning that would prevent such “as-of-right” developments that are not in scale with the current neighborhood.

In the frenzy of keeping up with other things, we totally dropped the ball on something in our own backyard. The Gowanus Community Development Corporation and the Gowanus Canal Conservancy have a new executive director, Bob Zuckerman. He replaces Thomas Chardavoyne, who passed away earlier this year. The Conservancy–which will function as a sort of Prospect Park Alliance for the Gowanus–was Mr. Chardavoyne’s creation.

In a press release, which was also recieved by OTBKB, who was on the ball enough to post it, Gowanus CDC chair Micheal Ingui called Mr. Zuckerman “the ideal choice to lead the Gowanus Canal CDC at this critical juncture.” Gowanus is in the early stages of a rezoning effort that will determine the neighborhood’s future direction. The Conservancy, meanwhile, is dedicated to efforts to clean up the canal. Mr. Zuckerman has served as the Executive Director of the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce and is one of the new appointees to Community Board 6. The Gowanus CDC is pushing to make part of Gowanus a center for green businesses and construction. The Conservancy, meanwhile, is developing plans for more public access to the canal and for clean up efforts. “With so much being planned for the canal and the surrounding area, I am eager to work with both the CDC and the Conservancy to begin building a new kind of neighborhood,” Mr. Zuckerman said. “One that incorporates smart environmental, housing and small business expansion initiatives.”