Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
New York Shitty Day Ender: Results
Under your watch, Evan, you have done nothing. Zero. Zilch. To preserve my community’s quality of life. Quite to the contrary; I live in a wasteland of derelict nondos, vacant lots and broken promises. “Smart development”: please explain to me why a bankrupt condo on my block is trying to rent one bedroom apartments for $2,150 a month?
As a (now former) member of CB 1 (you resigned before that controversial vote on the Broadway Triangle thing— it’s harder to hit a moving target) I take it you voted in favor of this? Because what Greenpoint (which already has Bloomblight aplenty) needs is a 40 story tower. As long as it’s not in your backyard who cares? It’s in my backyard and I care.
And of course there’s the matter of David Yassky, your mentor, funding the mural on India Street. With a little help from Dean Palin, the developer who wants to build said tower. He and his donated in excess of $7,000 to Yassky’s Comptroller war chest.
The head of the “Friends of India Street” group, Barbara McGlamery, donated no less than $300 to your campaign.
Her husband, Adam “I never worked for a developer“* Perlmutter donated $175 to David Yassky’s campaign. Among others.
Oh, but we get a “mural” and “park space” before this turd is built. With the tacit and enthusiastic approval of the head of OSAnb (who can be seen smiling with Yassky and Palin in the above image**) and NBpac: both are on the city’s payroll.
Show me one piece of affordable housing in Greenpoint you have created, Evan, and I’ll give you my endorsement.
You can’t and I won’t.
I’m voting for Jo Anne Simon.
Miss Heather
P.S.: I will enjoy my summer knowing you, Yassky, and Rami Metal will be out of a job next year. With “progressive” representatives like you, who needs enemies?
*Perlmutter did. He worked for George Klein. Who has hedged his bets campaign-wise. Here’s Klein’s vision of our waterfront. Boardwalk Empire is currently filming on Klein’s property: Commercial Street at Franklin. So much for enjoying our waterfront.
**Which comes courtesy of the brave new Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
New York Shitty Day Ender: Notes From “The Bounty”
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Inasmuch as I think film shoots in north Greenpoint are becoming excessive* I have to confess a certain amount of curiosity about them. Hence why when I woke up early this morning I wandered down Manhattan Avenue to see how The Bounty was coming along.
Truth be told it was pretty boring. A lot of people with walkie talkies wrangling extras and pedestrians alike. Including myself.
From what I could gather the Uncle Sam on stilts had some stunt action coming. I didn’t wait. I had an appointment to get my hair cut at 11:00 a.m. and I was not about to miss it because:
- I really needed a haircut. My tresses have grown a life of their own. They were well on their way to getting their own zip code.
- Anna at Zoe’s gives a mean cut. Cheap.
But I did get some footage of a motorcade of wonderful vintage cars driving past the Greenpoint Hotel. If this following is any indication, 11222’s (least) favorite den of iniquity* will be preserved in perpetuity by “The Bounty”. Enjoy!
I also took a number of photographs. The following are my favorites. Enjoy!
When I told Anna that Greenpoint had become Bensonhurst today she made a very piquant observation:
Why can’t they film Bensonhurst in Bensonhurst?
Indeed.
Miss Heather
P.S.: You can see more pix of today’s shoot by clicking here.
*Step Up 3 on West Street, Boardwalk Empire on Commercial Street (though to be fair, they have their own sandbox to play in courtesy of George Klein) and this, on Manhattan Avenue. It’s a bit much. Really.
**Not only is Max Stark and the craptastic hovel he presides over party poopers on this ad hoc 4th of July, but his men are still busy at work at 239 Banker Street.
Stop work orders and no Certificate of Occupancy be damned.
Hence why Greenpoint has the first “transient hotel” that sports floor plans, kitchens, washer dryer facilities and no beds— unless you count those of the floral variety.
Greenpoint Photos Du Jour: Dude, Where’s My Park?
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Some of you may or may not be aware that I am on the steering committee for what has been dubbed “WNYC Transmitter Park”.
But most people, my fellow Greenpointers included, better know it as “that vacant lot at the end of Greenpoint Avenue”. I mention this because GWAPP in cooperation with NAG (Neighbors Allied For Good Growth) will be conducting what can best be called a “Park-In” protesting the lack of open space in Greenpoint promised under the now infamous 2005 re-zone. I’ll let the folks from NAG take it from here:
Remember the 2005 Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning? In it, we were told that in exchange for enormous buildings along the water front we would receive a number of parks and open spaces to relax in, to get up by the water, to play soccer, to do whatever we please!
Not one park has been completed, not one has been opened.
So while the rest of New York City is celebrating “It’s My Park Day!” on May 16th, NAG and GWAPP will be instead asking, “Where’s My Park?!?” in an act of community awareness and civic action.
Bring your kids and your grandmas to the NAG Office (N 8th and Kent) at 12:30p to make some pro-park crafts and picket signs, and then join us at 2:00p at Bushwick Inlet (N 14th and Kent) as we march down past several of the promised parks’ locked gates. The day will end with a block party full of music, games, refreshments, and community… in a parking lot.
Come help us make a scene! It’s the only way we’ll unplug the City’s deaf ears across the river.
What NAG’s press release does not mention specifically is WNYC Transmitter Park is one of the “promised parks”. I have been assured the money has been set aside to build it. And by “it” I mean the park, not the pier and water taxi.
Still, when I walk by this site (as I did May 9th which is when the photographs gracing this post date from) to discover a newly built deck, tires and oil drums being employed as planters it makes me wonder…
what’s going on? If the Parks Department (who owns and occupies this land) can enjoy this space why can’t we?
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Bushwick Inlet Park (where the Monitor was built and as such is a historically significant site) and 65 Commercial Street (which is currently occupied by the MTA) are also on the itinerary. The previous should be a park. The latter leaves me with certain trepidations. David Yassky’s lackeys have seen fit to spam a great number of neighborhood groups in north Brooklyn with a petition addressed to Mayor Bloomberg demanding the MTA vacate 65 Commercial Street:
Particularly frustrating is the fact a few months ago the MTA decided, seemingly of it’s (sic) own volition, to remove the buses that had been the main obstacle for leaving the site.
What’s particularly frustrating to me are the manifold ways David Yassky has failed north Brooklyn as a City Councilman and seems unwilling to admit it. Sure, I like the fancy garbage cans with his name emblazoned upon them (for reasons I will not go into here) but I cannot shake the feeling David “I’m running for Comptroller” is simply using us for votes. I have learned over the years that the key to deciphering David is to follow the money. His maligning of the MTA is merely a crass exploitation of popular sentiment against their malfeasance. So as to direct attention away from his shoddy record in our community (take 184 Kent Avenue, for example).
Those of you interested in participating in this event (and I encourage you to do so, you can get more details by checking out NAG’s blog) please do not confuse Mr. Yassky’s recent interest in Greenpoint or financial involvement in its “parks” (READ: India Street) as being genuine concern. Ask him why a parcel of land ostensibly owned by the New York City’s Parks Department has yet to become a park for its own citizens.
March For Parks
May, 16, 2009
Preparations start at the NAG Office at 12:30 p.m.: 101 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn 11211
March starts at Bushwick Inlet at 2:00 p.m.
The odds David Yassky will be soap boxing/shilling for votes when you reach the promised “party”: let’s just say I wouldn’t bet against it.
Miss Heather
P.S.: This the most vomit-inducing plea for money I have seen. EVER.
A Red Herring In Greenpoint
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
One of the more compelling questions raised at last week’s meeting of the 94th Precinct Community Council was why Franklin Street currently has seven drinking establishments with an eighth one forthcoming. In other words, the citizens present wanted to know why are so many drinking establishments have been sanctioned to inhabit such a small area. When queried, D.I. Fulton did not have answer— not should he; he is a police officer, not an expert on liquor licensing. The following email from Phil DePaolo, however, might shed some light on this phenomenon:
I just can’t help felling extreme sadness after watching these videos from the above link about the problem with quality of life issues in Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
During the rezoning I spoke to many residents of Hell’s Kitchen and the Lower East Side who were having many of the problems we face today. I was warned that this would happen to us. But to the City, our local council members and some community groups infrastructure and “quality of life issues” I felt were very important were considered non issues and my concerns fell on deaf ears.
Now we see how bars have transformed our community. Small businesses that served local residents have been forced out of their storefronts unable to meet high commercial rents that landlords know bars can afford. And since new bars often attract their clientele from outside the neighborhood, there is no local market cap on their number or viability. New bars attract non-local patrons, those patrons attract more outsiders and more new bars pop up to meet the boundless demand as the entire neighborhood becomes a scene, a lively scene, but also noisy, congested and sometimes dangerous to our community.
Neighborhoods thrive on responsible development and bars are a useful part of that development. But the bar scene has gotten out of hand. It is forcing on us an unbalanced, non-local and precarious economic base that compromises the quality of life for residents and depreciates the business value of current bars. Our neighborhood  residents and businesses and bar owners alike Âneeds a cap on the number of bars per block. I proposed this during the rezoning.
The State Liquor Authority has loosened its interpretation of how many bars are allowed by right within a 500 foot radius. It used to be that opening a bar within 500 feet of any 3 full liquor licenses required a special hearing at the SLA, consultation with the local community board and evidence of public benefit. The new interpretation will allow many more bars to slip in without that special hearing, consultation or evidence.
The new interpretation of the SLA’s 500 foot rule is that there must be 3 or more licenses of the same class. However, community boards do not have information regarding the classes of existing licenses to be able to make informed decisions.
The State Liquor Authority awards liquor licenses to bars in New York City without regard for local economic diversity or residential quality of life. These local concerns should lie within the purview of local governance, not an unaccountable state authority. To return local concerns to local governance, The New York Community Council will ask every City Council candidate to take a clear stand Âin writing, Âon developing new City Council zoning laws to restrict the proliferation of bars in our community, promote economic diversity and preserve the quality of residential life.
The bar problem may not seem as deep an issue as affordable housing or quality education, but it is an issue that affects residents personally and immediately, the kind of issue that brings residents to the voting booth.
Our neighborhood, long prized for its diversity of peoples, cultures and arts, has many challenges: rampant poverty, homelessness, violence and drugs, rampant gentrification, displacement of long term residents and businesses and now a bar scene that is out of control. Isn’t it time we took in hand the future of our neighborhood? We must ask City Council candidates, where do you stand on zoning limits for new bars?
So there have you. We, as citizens, have been effectively by-passed from having any voice regarding our own community’s future. As a result large venues/tourist attractions like Studio B (which, per Gothamist will be coming back with a vengeance. Soon.) and The Production Lounge (backed by lobbyists and/or unheard of amounts of money) are reshaping our community in a manner which best suits their interests, namely: making it a playground for others. When these “tourists” leave we are the ones who have to live with the consequences of their actions be it garbage, noise, traffic, a smashed window, posting an apology for said broken window, or having bullets fired outside (or inside) your home.
Contrary to what good ol’ Joe alleges (because has no other proverbial leg to stand on) this is not a race issue: it is a quality of life issue. An issue that has arisen time and time again in this, my community when nightclubs have operated with total disregard to the well-being of their neighbors. A neighborhood which I care very much about: Greenpoint.
Those of you who are amenable to having 11222 become another 11211 (or are simply apathetic) should ignore the rest of this post. Those of you who are interested taking our neighborhood back (or at least having your voice heard) can raise holy (but polite and non-threatening, please) hell with your elected officials. Here’s a few to kick things off:
State Assemblyman Joseph Lentol
619 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 383 – 7474
lentolj (at) assembly (dot) state (dot) ny (dot) ny (dot) us
Councilman David Yassky
114 Court Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201
(718) 875 – 5200
yassky (at) council (dot) nyc (dot) ny (dot) us
Community Board 1
435 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn , New York, 11211
(718) 389 – 0009
Fax: (718) 389 – 0098
Email: bk01 (at) cb (dot) nyc (dot) gov
And last— but hardly least— you can complain to the New York State Liquor Authority. The people who have in large part created this problem in the first place.
Miss Heather
Photo Credit: Algul Siento
Thought Of The Day
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
Yesterday afternoon I was walking along Commercial Street as the clouds were rolling in. When I reached Franklin Street I stopped and looked up. What I beheld was quite amazing.
It was at that moment I realized I don’t care what people say. Greenpoint is beautiful.
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
You must be logged in to post a comment.