Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
TUESDAY: Transportation Committee Meeting
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
It is certainly proving to be a busy week as far as our Community Board is concerned. Note that a presentation for Williamsburg Walks from Southside Merchants ans El Puente is on the agenda. Color me intrigued!
Transportation Committee Meeting
March 19, 2013 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Community Board 1 Office
435 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11211
TOMORROW: Parks & Waterfront Committee Meeting
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
As announced at last week’s Community Board 1 meeting. Tomorrow, February 18th, starting at 6:30 p.m. the Parks and Waterfront Committee will be hosting a meeting at Community Board 1’s HQ. As you can see a number of interesting topics will be on the table. Check it out!
Parks & Waterfront Committee Meeting
March 18, 2013 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Community Board 1 Office
435 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11211
P.S.: Here is footage of the presentation given at last week’s Community Board 1 meeting regarding East River State Park hosting Brooklyn Flea/Smorgasburg.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: CB1 Combined Public Meeting & Board Meeting
Filed under: 11206, 11211, 11222, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
March is upon us and with it comes another Community Board 1 meeting! Yours truly found item number two of particular interest. Note to my fellow citizens interested in speaking up/out about this item, any others on the agenda or beyond: you must sign up to speak by 6:15 p.m. This is strictly enforced.
Community Board 1 Combined Public Meeting & Board Meeting
Wednesday, March 12, 2013 starting at 6:30 p.m.
The Swinging 60?s Seniors Center
211 Ainslie Street
Brooklyn, New York 11211
Spotted At 120 South 4 Street: Work
As my previously blogged bit of zen courtesy of 646 Manhattan Avenue would suggest, today was filled with many an interesting discovery! This was certainly the case when I walked by 120 South 4 Street and saw men at work. More specifically, they were installing windows. I found this interesting for a number of reasons. Foremost among them:
this property has a standing Stop Work Order on it. Not that the owners of this property seemed to be terribly troubled about this technicality, mind you. Why should they be? They have amassed a litany of unpaid ECB fines and no real, substantive action has been taken.
,
Anyone care to do the math?
UPDATE, March 3, 2013:
It would appear that the Department of Building’s Emergency Response Team paid this site a visit the next day!
Naturally I had to bring this to my Community Board’s attention:
Update, March 4, 2013: Not only did I get a response from Community Board 1, but apparently they have received other complaints as well. They’re on it!
P.S.: Last October a man was found stabbed to death in this building. You can read about this gruesome and sad turn of events here. Be sure to take a moment to look through all the photos.
In so doing, gentle readers, you’ll quickly ascertain that 120 South 4 Street has acquired quite a few new windows in the last four months.
P.S.#2: Here is something that might be illuminating regarding what constitutes a HAZMAT site.
THIS WEEK: Community Board 1 Joint SLA/Public Safety Committee Meeting
Filed under: 11206, 11211, 11222, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
All things being relative (this is north Brooklyn we’re talking about, after all) this is a pretty brief list. Nonetheless, here it is. If anyone has issues with any of the above establishments, the time to have your say as citizens cometh. Soon!
Community Board 1 SLA/Public Safety Committee Meeting
February 7, 2013 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Community Board 1 HQ
435 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222
Closing on a related note here’s the calendar for this year’s Combined/Public Meetings…
and those of you who are curious can peruse an updated list of the Committees (and members) which comprise Community Board 1 by clicking here and here!
Now At 74 Kent Street: Stop Work Order
Filed under: 11222, Fuck This Shit, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
Many of you have undoubtedly noticed the blog has been quite sporadic of late. I can assure you, gentle readers, there is a very sound reason for this: I have acquired the cold/sinus yuckiness that is making the rounds hereabouts. Nonetheless, today I decided to venture out for a short walk. If there’s one thing yours truly acquires quite quickly it is “cabin fever”. It was during said peregrinations I stumbled upon this freshly issued Stop Work Order. I find it fascinating for a number of reasons. Among them:
1. First you have work without a permit in a landmark district. That’s pretty bad. But wait folks it gets even better— and by better I mean worse!
2. Not even 24 hours before the above-listed complaint was called in there was a presentation given to Community Board 1’s Land Use Committee seeking a variance to convert the above-depicted property from F4 (Factory Industrial) into market rate residential apartments replete with a penthouse! How do I know this you ask? Very simple: I attended the aforementioned meeting!
Given my feelings about commercial/manufacturing space being pressed into service as luxury apartments, dear readers, you can imagine I had a few things to say about this— and say them I did. Nonetheless, I got quite a chuckle when I passed by today only to discovered to see these fellows have proceeded to work anyway. Do what you damned well please, pay the fines (cost of business) and deal with any semblance of civil process later. If there is one thing 239 Banker Street has taught us it is: this is the Greenpoint way!
UPDATE, 4:23 p.m.: It has been brought to my attention that the above-cited structure might actually be legit! It may have been put in place so LPC (the Landmarks Preservation Commission) can get a sense of the visibility of said penthouse. Hilarious.
Highlights From Community Board 1: Let’s Talk Trash
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Planet Entitlement, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
One of the more provocative parts of last week’s convocation— and there were quite a few, I assure you— were two ladies speaking on the subject of illegal garbage can holders.
More specifically: these garbage can holders. Behold the Community Board 1 action regarding them for yourselves, gentle readers (start at 7:28).
New York Shitty analysis:
1. Exactly what constitutes a “beautiful” garbage can holder? If there is in fact such a thing, it in the eye of the beholder.
2. While certainly nice, they are placed on public property (READ: the sidewalk). This is a big no-no.
As these ladies noted, their neighbor is obeying the law:
3. This is not to suggest I am not sympathetic to these ladies’s plight. I am. They brought up a very salient point: the developer of their respective properties did not consider trash collection when designing their respective condominiums. This is clearly a problem. One which should have been prevented at the “planning stage”. Which brings me to…
Yesterday I decided to see how 239 Banker Street’s illegal garbage fixture cum bicycle rack was faring.
Not only is it still there, but among the assorted detritus I found something of interest.
Not one but two boxes which formerly contained stoves. (For those of you who are not in the know, “estufa” means stove in Spanish. Somewhere my high school Spanish teacher is smiling!) As you can see the powers that be behind this illegal conversion are scarcely concerned about getting caught. What’s more, I learned at last week’s proceedings why.
So there have you: fines are simply part and parcel of “doing business”. Given the “lofts” at 239 Banker Street are going for anywhere between $2,700 – $3,400 for 700 square foot (if that) of “living space” nowadays, well, it has become all too clear how effective these “penalties” have been as a deterrent against this landlord continuing to illegal legally lease out this property as residential space.
In closing I will leave you, gentle readers, with the latest bit of “immaculate construction” I spied at 239 Banker Street.
As the screencap of a video I shot on June 3rd of this year indicates, what is now an “apartment” used to be a doorway.* But don’t take my word for it: view the video for yourself.
*For those of you who are wondering, this is perfectly in keeping with the plans for this “hotel”…
This Week: Community Board 1 Combined Public Hearing & Board Meeting
Filed under: 11206, 11211, 11222, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
That’s right folks: this upcoming Wednesday, October 10th this month’s Community Board 1 Meeting will come to pass. As always you have to sign in to speak by 6:15 p.m.
Community Board 1 Combined Public Hearing & Board Meeting
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Swinging Sixties Seniors Center
211 Ainslie Street
Brooklyn, New York 11211
On a (somewhat) related note, I have received word the Swinging Sixties Seniors Center is slated for closure January 2013.
Yours truly would like to humbly recommend that the Polish National Home (AKA: The Warsaw) be pressed into service as the new venue for meetings of our local Community Board. Given some of the convocations of this body yours truly has attended in days past, having access to a refreshments of the alcoholic variety would (in my humble opinion, anyway) make these proceedings much more provocative.
New York Shitty Day Starter: 239 Banker Street Craigslist Advertisement Du Jour
Now they’re employing YouTube footage.
New York Shitty analysis:
- It would probably be advisable to remove the personal items from the previous tenants (who were vacated by the Department of Buildings) before filming.
- Then again, who cares?
But the insanity does not end there. Let’s proceed, shall we?
So now:
- 239 Banker Street
- The Sweater Factory Lofts
- The Factory Lofts
- The 39 Meserole Avenue Lofts
- The “Rustic House” Artists Lofts
are now known as 245 Banker Street. Fascinating. By any other address it still has Stop Work Order.
THIS WEEK: Community Board 1 Combined Public Hearing & Board Meeting
Filed under: 11206, 11211, 11222, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
That’s right folks: following a rather lively summer the first Combined Public Hearing & Board Meeting of our local Community Board (whose agenda can be seen above) will come to pass this upcoming Wednesday, September 12th. Once again: Any/all interested in speaking must sign up by 6:15 p.m.! Those of you who are curious can view a map of the manifold number of new liquor license applications by going to my comrade’s site.
Community Board 1 Combined Public Meeting & Board Meeting
Wednesday, September 12, 2012 starting at 6:30 p.m.
The Swinging 60’s Seniors Center
211 Ainslie Street
Brooklyn, New York 11211
UPDATE, 8:54 P.M.: I somehow overlooked sharing one of the more curious items in the rather lengthy roster of liquor license applications. Without further ado, here it is:
7 North 15th Street
At this rather curious location will be— albeit potentially— a microbrewery and restaurant.
Upon which this notice was posted in accordance to the rules— albeit out of view of anyone under, say, 6′ tall. It notes they are applying for a sidewalk cafe seating as well.
NYS Flickr Pool
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