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Update on the Finger Building

Photo: Katie Carman

As noted last week, there was a hearing on the Finger Building of Northside in front of an obscure city agency called the Board of Standards and Appeals. After over two hours of sometimes grueling testimony, the community's appeal to stop the Finger Building from rising to sixteen stories is in a stalemate for the moment. The fight will continue at an upcoming hearing scheduled for October 7, 2008.

Representing the appellants NAG and the People's Firehouse, Attorney Kevin Christopher Shea cited legal precedent to support the community's claims against the project and forcefully questioned the unexplained decision made by the Department of Buildings (DOB) to reverse its December 30, 2005 decision to revoke the permits and approvals to build the wildly out-of-context 220-foot luxury tower.

The origin of this appeal arises from an odd coincidence. Thirty days after the DOB's Brooklyn Commissioner Susan Hinkson issued a written "intent to revoke the approvals and permits" for the Finger Building, she was reassigned to serve as the Borough Commissioner of Staten Island. The revocation order was never acted upon and subsequently rescinded. When the BSA Chair, Meenakshi Srinivasan, asked the DOB spokesperson to explain the reasoning behind this unusual chain of events, she was told that the DOB "wanted to maintain the status quo" provoking spontaneous cries of disbelief from the 30+ local residents that attended the hearing.

The community's argument is that since the developer can at this point in time only demonstrate the legal control of enough space to build the 10-story building (based on being grandfathered into old zoning that was changed in May 2005), the permit to build the 16-story building should be revoked and new building plans submitted that conform to the existing building.

The attorneys for the developer Mendel Brach, invoked the "doctrine of laches" (the failure to appeal in a timely way, a situation based on the DOB's delay in issuing a decision), and argued that revoking the permit for a 16-story tower would be an infringement of the development rights of their client.

The fight will continue at a hearing tenatively scheduled for October 7. Join your neighbors and speak out at the next BSA public hearing:

Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA)
Tuesday, October 7th
Time to be Announced
40 Rector St., 6th Floor: Hearing Room E
(Take the #1/ W/R train to Rector St. or the 4/5 trains to Wall St in Manhattan)

Industrial Brooklyn

There is a great slideshow on the New York Times site of some industrial sites around Brooklyn, including our own Newtown Creek, Domino Sugar Refinery and the ruins of the former Greenpoint Terminal Market.

You can see it here.



—Mikki

CB1 Public Safety Committee Meeting on Thursday

The Public Safety Committee reviews applications for liquor licenses and cabaret licenses (both new licenses and renewals). This month the list includes local faves Dumont Burger, Acqua Santa, SEA, and Sweetwater, as well as the sure-to-be-contentious application from Studio B.

The meeting will take place at 6:30, at CB#1's District Office, 435 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (Corner of Frost Street).

For some background on the Studio B issue, check out coverage from The Brooklyn Paper, Gothamist, and Miss Heather's blog.

—Mikki

Proposed Concert Space in Bushwick Inlet Park

As you all know, and as Michael posted earlier, McCarren Pool will close as a performance venue at the end of the summer—so it can reopen as a pool in a few years!

This is thrilling but it does raise the question of whether our neighborhood can find a new place for outdoor performances and events. Local community groups, artists, activists, and others could use such a space for rallies, concerts, etc. I personally would love to see an amateur astronomy night like they have in Central Park, and to let local high schools put their drama club shows on. Or some classical music!

Jelly NYC, the group who puts on the free Sunday Pool Party shows, has started a petition to get a performance space in the new Bushwick Inlet Park. You can read more and sign it (if you want to) by clicking here.

—Mikki

Stop the Violence Rally August 2nd

Is the L train the best in the city?

Photo: sarahnw

According to the latest Straphanger's Campaign State of the Subways report, it is!

They write:

"The best subway line in the city is the L with a MetroCard Rating of $1.40. The L ranked highest because it performs best in the system on two measures—regularity of service and announcements—and well above average on three other measures: frequency of scheduled service, delays caused by mechanical breakdowns and the percentage of dirty cars. The line did not get a higher rating because it performed well below average on: a chance of getting a seat during rush hour. The L runs between 14th Street/Eighth Avenue in Manhattan and Canarsie in Brooklyn. The previous top-rated line—the 1—dropped to a fourth-place tie."

If you want to read an indepth report on the L, plus links to L-related forums and and contact info for the L line superintendent, visit Straphanger's L Train Home Page.

Are you as surprised as I am by this? The L has gotten a little better, true, though it is still sorely inequipped to deal with the rapid growth of our neighborhood. But is it really the best?

—Mikki

McCarren Park Pool Events Need a Home in 2009

Free Williamsburg notes that the Pool Party at McCarren Pool this past Sunday was one of the most popular and crowded yet. Now in their fourth year, performances at the pool are operated under the non-profit umbrella of the Open Space Alliance.

As a welcome development, the Parks Dept. will begin construction a restored, functional pool in 2009. But while the pool is under construction for several years (and depending on Parks Dept. policies once it's finished), the free events that have thrived there will need a new home. One site under consideration is 50 Kent Ave, a former sanitation facility, but there may be environmental issues with the site preventing its use in 2009, and the site lacks the inspirational setting of the pool.

Photo by Agaton Strom

Noted: There will be a benefit concert for the Open Space Alliance on August 13 featuring Wilco (fun fact: band member Pat Sansone was a Greenpoint resident for a few years).

And, while we're talking about the pool, we can't resist a link to PoolAid's classic "We Are The Pool" video, which was produced by NAG board member Mikki Halpin and featured this poster in the role of a lifetime as PoolAid Man.

Williamsburg Walks #2

The second Williamsburg Walks went off successfully with a much milder temperature and a much more crowded street. We were visited by Assembly Member Joe Lentol, Council Member Diana Reyna, and Borough President Marty Markowitz (pictured below with billburg.com founder Jason Jefferies on right and Yvette Helin's "pedestrians")



Organizers are measuring the success of the events to see how it impacts the street, merchants and residents. Some inital results are out from fellow co-sponsor Transportation Alternative's press release which notes:

Foot traffic on Bedford Avenue was 96% higher than the average Saturday, based on pedestrian counts. The number of children and seniors using the street also increased. And because so much more space was available for walking and sitting, the street felt open and uncongested.

Interested in volunteering for Williamsburg Walks?
We need people to help set up, close up, and do voter registration. Drop us an email at (info (*at*) nag-brooklyn * org)

Putting Environmental Justice on the Map

Michael Heimbinder, founder of habitatmap.org, presented a new tool for environmental justice to the Newtown Creek Alliance last Wednesday evening. The new website shows a number of environmental issues, brownfields, and companies on a map, especially around the Newtown Creek that separates Brooklyn and Queens.

The website also functions as a wiki, so users can contribute and edit information, as well as place new geographic entries on the site. It's worth browsing around- there's already a great deal of information on the site.

Stop the Finger Building! (Yet again)

Photo: Katie Carman

Join your neighbors & speak out!
Tell the Department of Buildings (DOB) to enforce the law rather than work to ensure a windfall for a developer operating in bad faith.

Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG), the People's Firehouse, and several community residents are appealing the Dept of Building's (DOB) decision regarding the validity of the permit for the "Finger Building" (located at 144 North 8th St between N 7th and N 8th and Bedford and Berry).

Although the building is 10 stories tall right now, the DOB has NOT revoked the permit that allows the developer to more than double the current height!
The Brooklyn DOB Commissioner wrote that the permit is valid because the architect, Robert Scarano, and the developer, Mendel Brach, "believed" they could use the neighboring roofs for the required "open space" that would allow a 22-story tower under the old zoning that existed pre-2005. Yet every related legal document (easements, etc.) expressly disallows the use of those rooftops.

The bottom line is that the DOB should ensure that the building complies with zoning laws rather than the beliefs of self-interested developers.

Join us at a public hearing
Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA)
Tuesday, July, 29th
10:00 AM
40 Rector St., 6th Floor: Hearing Room E
(Take the #1/ W/R train to Rector St. or the 4/5 trains to Wall St in Manhattan)

RSVP to NAG at (718) 384-2248 to let us know you’ll be joining us, or call us if you need more information.

Live Here? Vote Here!

Voting in local eletions is key to improving the neighborhood!
Greenpoint and Williamsburg are underserved in part because of low voter registration and voter turnout. Some important primary elections have only seen turnout of only 3% in Williamsburg.

Register to vote and participate in the local primary on Sept. 9, 2008.
There is a competitive race in the 25th State Senate district which covers parts of Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Find out if you're in this district. (NAG is a non-partisan entity and does not endorse candidates for office).

Are You Registered Correctly?

• The registration deadline for the primary is August 14, 2008.
• If you moved since you last registered, you need to register at your current address. File a "change of address" registration (see below for getting a form).
  
• You can confirm your registration online.
• In NY State, you can only vote in a primary if you are a registered member of that party. Changes in your party registration do not go into effect until after the general election, so we recommend that you change your registration now if you are not registered in a party and want to vote in primaries. Fill out a voter registration form (see below) to change your party.
  

How to Register

• You pick up a voter registration card at libraries, post offices, and most government agencies.
• You can stop by the NAG office to pick up a voter registration form (call 718-384-2248).
  
• You request a form in the mail, call 1-866-VOTE-NYC.
• You can fill out a PDF form, print it out, and mail it to the Board of Elections.

How to Vote

• Find out where your polling place is.
• If this is your first time voting in NY State, bring a photo ID with you, or proof of residency like a phone bill or bank statement with your current address--you do not need to bring the card the Board of Elections sends you in the mail.

Welcome Williamsburg Walks

Photo:sabeth718

The first Williamsburg Walks (a pedestrianization of Bedford Avenue from Metropolitan to N. 9th Street on four Saturdays this summer) was a success!

Even though it was a hot, humid day, hundreds came out to enjoy the reclaimed street. Many folks took the opportunity to draw with chalk, mingle with neighbors, enjoy an outdoor meal or cool-off in the sprinklers. Attendees were also treated to performance art by local resident, artist and custom costume manufacturer Yvette Helin.

NAG, a co-sponsor of the event, was there promoting our tenant-aid services, our construction watchdog project, and registering people to vote.

A special thanks is owed to Teresa Toro, Chair of Community Board One's Transportation Committee and Jason Jefferies & Connie Colvin of Blenderbox.com, who initiated and organized the event, as well as the many businesses who supported the event.

We view this event as an evolving creature-- tweaks will need to be made on an on-going basis. As the event continues to develop, we hope to be able to allow off-Bedford businesses to participate and to make sure that the impact on Bedford Avenue residents is minimalized. We'd also like to see more of the creative spirit of Williamsburgers showcased-- so let's find ways to use and activate the new street space!

Early reactions to the event at 11211
Neat StreetsFilm about the event at streetsblog
Give feedback to the organizers of Williamsburg Walks at billburg.com

Photo:sabeth718

Welcome to NAG's Blog

We hope that this blog will serve as a resource to the North Brooklyn community for updates on the neighborhood, useful information for you to deal with issues (housing, construction problems), and opportunities to get involved in solving local problems.

Your comments are welcome. Please, treat your fellow Neighbors Allied for Good Growth as you would yourself and keep it civil.

-Michael Freedman-Schnapp
NAG Co-Chair