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NAG Action!

NAG is pleased to announce a new initiative: NAG ACTION!

NAG ACTION is a once-a-month collaborative meeting between concerned citizens looking to learn more and do more. NAG ACTION brings the issues of our Organizing Agenda: Open Space, Transportation, Affordable Housing, and Community Character, under one umbrella. The goal is to address them in a proactive way and to support the larger goals of progressive, intelligent community growth. NAG ACTION will meet the first Tuesday of every month to have a "teach-in" on a selected topic that is concerning our community with immediacy. We will be looking to local experts on each topic to help us teach, so by asking you to attend we are also asking you to participate. We'll be focusing on the activism and priorities of the organizing agenda so that these disparate groups will be working together to

The best part of NAG ACTION is that we welcome you to join us at any level of community knowledge. Whether you've been in the 'hood your entire life, or just arrived last week, there are things that we can all learn and share and do together. To fully tap into our potential power, we must learn and share in a safe community-oriented environment first.

Please join us. Our first NAG ACTION meeting will be Tuesday, May 4 at 7pm at the NAG office (110 Kent Avenue). We'll be discussing how you can get involved in our advocacy around the New Domino development.

McGuiness and NAG in the Daily News

Jake Pearson from the Daily News has an exclusive today on the preliminary results of NAG's traffic monitoring project at Nassau Ave. and McGuiness Blvd. Yet another fatality on McGuiness, 28-year-old pedestrian Neil Chamberlain, is calling attention to North Brooklyn's most dangerous street.

Using a pilot version of the Neighborhood Traffic Monitoring Kit developed by Transportation Alternatives, NAG volunteers have found some shocking results. As Pearson writes:

"Over the eight hours, drivers ran red lights 150 times, yapped on their mobile phones 89 times, and failed to yield to pedestrians 114 times. 'There's very little enforcement," said Les Brown, 28, NAG's head volunteer."

This study is ongoing, and we need volunteers to help gather more data! The goal is to provide the local police precinct, the NYC Department of Transportation, and the Department of Design and Construction (who are heading up the Nassau Ave. reconstruction) with data that shows the desperate need for both traffic enforcement and traffic calming in this area. To get involved, contact transportation@nag-brooklyn.org.

The North Brooklyn Week in Review

After more than three years of review, HPD has finally awarded the development rights for the Greenpoint Hospital site. The winning bidder - TNS Development, an outsider in North Brooklyn - won out over local development groups Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation and Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council. The redevelopment will bring 240 units of affordable housing to the former hospital site.

Marty Markowitz agrees with NAG - New Domino is way too big. Marty wants to see New Domino match the density of other recent waterfront developments, all of which were 20% to 25% smaller. Marty also wants to see the upland site reduced to match past rezonings and reduce the impact of the project on Grand Ferry Park - all positions that NAG supports.

Steve Levin also thinks New Domino is way too big.

In a related story, Gotham Gazette has a good piece on the disconnect between PlaNYC and the City's existing parking regulations for new developments. Here's the takeaway:

The increased number of spaces in rezoned neighborhoods like Long Island City, Harlem, and Greenpoint-Williamsburg -- close to the Manhattan core and touted by the city as transit-oriented -- will likely add tens of thousands of new cars to the city.

In Greenpoint, the NYPD wants to cut short the annual Memorial Day parade.

Also in Greenpoint, we are said to report that Neil Chamberlain, the pedestrian who was struck by a hit-and-run driver at Calyer and McGuinness, has died.

The New York Motorcycle and Scooter Task Force has a new initiative to increase designated parking for two-wheeled vehicles. In the past few weeks, they have been making the rounds at Manhattan Community Boards, where they have been seeing a lot of support.

In upstate news that affects our water supply, the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued new rules that make it more difficult for gas companies to extract gas from shale using hydrofracking new City reservoirs.

And finally, the Newtown Creek Waster Treatment Plant Visitor's Center opened today, and New York Shitty was there.

Williamsburg Talks

Last night, about 30 local residents gathered in the back room of Teddy's to plan the 2010 Williamsburg Walks. The event was a great success, thanks to everyone who attended and contributed.

This year, WW (co-sponsored by NAG, the L Magazine and Project for Public Spaces) will take place over a two-day weekend - June 27th and June 28th.

This was the first of many planning sessions. Williamsburg Walk needs volunteers and ideas for programming. If you would like to contribute, contact Gregor at williamsburgwalks@gmail.com.

A Tragic Crash within Miles of Our Traffic Study Site

NAG Volunteers have recently been conducting a traffic study in conjunction with Transportation Alternatives. We've been watching the intersection where last year cyclist Solange Raulston was hit and killed on Nassau and McGuinness Blvd (where the other day I counted something like 30 "failure to yield to pedestrians" in a 15 minute block.) Now, tragically, just three blocks away, another near fatality has been reported.

Please keep community member Neil Chamberlain in your thoughts as he struggles to survive. Read the full article from Gothamist here.

If you'd like to get involved in the traffic study, please contact nagbrooklyn@gmail.com. This is the first step in changing the dangerous traffic situation in our neighborhood.

UPDATE: It seems from the latest news reports that Mr. Chamberlain has passed away. NAG's condolences to his family, friends and neighbors.

Get Involved in North Brooklyn This Week!

Spring has sprung and with it comes many, many opportunities to get involved in our neighborhood! This week:

Tuesday 4/20: Grow Your Parks - The Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn presents Grow Your Parks: a Forum for Park Lovers to Share Ideas for Making our Parks Better. Propose Your Own Park Improvement Idea; Vote on Proposed Projects; and Hear Updates from NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. 6:30pm at Polish National Home (a.k.a. Warsaw), 261 Driggs Avenue/Eckford Street.

Wednesday 4/21: Williamsburg Walks Brainstorming Session - Williamsburg Walks is organizing a brainstorming session to solicit your ideas on how to make the event fun, memorable, and fulfilling. This is a chance for you to get your questions answered, to share your suggestions and to support the event in general. At the session, the organizers will update the group on our latest progress planning the event and conduct a brainstorming session about the kind of programming the community would like to see happen on their street. 6 to 8 pm at Teddy’s Bar & Grill, 96 Berry Street (corner of N8th Street). RSVP on Facebook.

Thursday 4/22: Williamsburg/Greenpoint Greenway Planning Workshop -One of a series of four community planning workshops in Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, led by NYC Department of Transportation. These workshops will inform DOT’s master plan for constructing the greenway. 6:30-8:30pm at Brooklyn Brewery, 79 N. 11th Street. RSVP to brooklynwaterfrontgreenway@dot.nyc.gov.

Saturday 4/24: Paint a Jersey Barrier - The New York City Department of Transportation selected artist Lucy Kalian to implement a design on the bike lane barrier along Williamsburg Street West between Kent and Flushing Avenues. Brooklyn Greenway Initiative seeks volunteers to work with the artist in stenciling and painting the barrier on Saturday, April 24th (between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm). Anyone interested in helping to beautify this new bike facility should contact Emily Colasacco, Manager of the Urban Art Program at ecolasacco@dot.nyc.gov and ccmpuryear@brooklyngreenway.org.

Saturday 4/24: Greenpoint Soup Kitchen Community Garden Organizing Meeting - NAG & GIFT (Greenpoint Interfaith Food Team) are teaming up to start a community garden in the backyard of the Greenpoint Reformed Church. The idea is to grow organic veggies and herbs to supplement the weekly soup kitchen meal. We will need some dedicated volunteers (at least 21) who will commit to watering every 1-3 weeks. We would also like to schedule some community time, educational workshops, and children's gardening hours. But we can’t do it without you! 4-5pm, 136 Milton St. Backyard. Come early (9am-1-pm) to help plant! Join the Facebook group!

Also, don’t forget that the City Planning Commission’s public hearing on the rezoning of the Domino Sugar site is coming up next week! Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 at 10:00AM
22 Reade Street, Spector Hall.

Hope to see you out and about!

Greenpoint Community Kitchen Garden: 1st Meeting!

Great news! NAG is teaming up with GIFT (Greenpoint Interfaith Food Team) to bring fresh veggies to the Greenpoint Soup Kitchen this summer. This project will not only be an opportunity to bring healthy foods into the everyday lives of our neighbors, but also a great chance to get dirty and learn about gardening (or share your expertise!)

We're looking to get 21 regular volunteers to be the main Garden Team for the summer, but there is room for many different levels of commitment. If you are interested, please come to our first meeting:

Saturday, April 24 2010
from 4-5 pm
at 136 Milton Street (Greenpoint Reformed Church)

If you have any questions, contact ryan@nag-brooklyn.org

Community Meeting on Domino: April 14

From the office of Councilmember Steve Levin:

Councilmember Stephen Levin invites you to a

Town Hall Meeting

Topic: Domino Development

Date: Wednesday, April 14^th 2010

Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm

Location: Pierogi Boiler

191 North 14th Street

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

(between Berry and Wythe)

Join Councilman Levin for a lively discussion on the future of this site.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Hope Reichbach or Arisleyda Dilone at 718.875.5200

Worth the Wait!

The results of our Franklin Street tree-bed project, done in collaboration with Brooklyn Tree Project with a little help from the NYers for Parks and OSA.

Photo courtesy of Tommy Cole from ALTER