Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
From The New York Shitty Inbox: Community Workshop Regarding Greenpoint Landing & 77 Commercial Street
Filed under: 11222, Gentrification, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
Given the major implications these projects have for our community, I feel compelled to pass along this missive I received this morning from the folks at GWAPP.
At a casual glance this seems all well and good, yes? This brings me to the mailing address for GWAPP which I have highlighted— and not too secret fact known by quite a few Greenpointer: the mailing address for this organization is, in fact, that of the very attorney cum community activist who was hired by the Park Tower Group (whose endeavor Greenpoint Landing is) to advocate for the 2005 rezone in the first place.
From NY1 on April 4, 2005:
Here’s another corker courtesy of Amanda Burden.
It provides opportunities for new housing, including affordable housing for a range of incomes, while respecting the scale and mixed-use character that defines these vibrant neighborhoods.
Um, in the clarity that is 2013 hindsight, it did not exactly work out that way— but I digress. Now the New York Daily News on April 29, 2005:
It also interesting to note this same-said fellow is a board member of Open Space Alliance North Brooklyn— and the Park Tower Group was a “partner” at last year’s $150 a head fundraiser at the McCarren Park Pool.
Rather funny/sad/curious, isn’t it? In any case, any and all who are interested in attending this community forum can RSVP by clicking here.
Community Workshop Regarding Greenpoint Landing & 77 Commercial Street
June 27, 2013 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Newtown Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant Visitors Center
329 Greenpoint Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222
UPDATE, 4:57 p.m.: Oh, I forgot to mention this oldie but goody, also from NY1. It dates from July 29, 2002:
You can read the rest here.
Comments
4 Comments on From The New York Shitty Inbox: Community Workshop Regarding Greenpoint Landing & 77 Commercial Street
-
SpillConspirator on
Fri, 14th Jun 2013 12:15 pm
-
missheather on
Fri, 14th Jun 2013 6:43 pm
-
SpillConspirator on
Fri, 14th Jun 2013 10:58 pm
-
missheather on
Sat, 15th Jun 2013 12:05 am
Many community residents wanted a rezoning to happen, including me. It’s true that we needed to have the waterfront rezoned so that noxious industry and manufacturing would not happen as of right. But the community’s vision for rezoning appears in the Greenpoint & Willilamsburg 197A Plans and then again in the highly pressured revision that the Brooklyn Community Board One Rezoning Task Force recommendations and TPL/GWAPP waterfront plan show. The rezoning we have before us now is something that elected officials, developers, and others morphed in the back room of city council chambers. It is not the community’s plan. It was a bait and switch deal, which I still believe could be overturned if the community raised holy hell. If community members sit on their hands and moan, “oh well”, we’ll get huge residential towers that we did not agree to. The community is stronger than it thinks. If 10 people from every block showed up in protest, we’d be able to close down streets and make our voices heard. But if folks don’t even show up in noticeable numbers to meetings, we send out the message that we’re weak and uninterested. So I”m glad you posted this. This meeting seems geared to accept the morphed plan we didn’t agree to and to “negotiate” the newer additional insults that developers and the city have to offer. That’s simply BS. We were lied to on every count, parks & open space, affordable housing, preservation… We need to say with one clear loud voice, “No More!” And we need to demand that the city doesn’t move forward on a plan we did not approve. A meeting like this, may be the place to begin connecting with each other (old timers & newcomers) to talk about what we can do.
The community is stronger than it thinks— and they could, should supersede the community groups who purport to “represent” their interests— by showing up to this meeting and raising hell.
I cannot tell a lie: I became “community conscious” late in the game. So to speak. Regardless, I have a very big problem with someone, a neighbor no less, who enabled this rezone to be passed despite community opposition (because he was on the developer’s payroll) now being not only affiliated, but part of the leadership that’s supposedly going to hold the Park Tower Group accountable. I call that the fox guarding the hen house.
I don’t know if this is the place to raise the hell. Because city officials and such, won’t be there to receive it. But it’s certainly a place to connect, voice opinions, and move things in a different direction. We shouldn’t just accept what’s happened to this community. I don’t plan to negotiate. Negotiating hasn’t done anything for this community thus far.
You wrote: We shouldn’t just accept what’s happened to this community.
These things didn’t just happen. They were planned. Mr. Perlmutter resigned from CB1 just in time to represent George Klein’s interests— under the pretext of defending a community against a power plant, incinerators and waste transfer stations. Obviously it did not work, as we’re faced with another incinerator:
It took Chris some time, but he got it. Skip to 5:59.
Tell me what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
NYS Flickr Pool
