A few months ago in this column, I examined the community board’s recommendations regarding the Gowanus rezoning plan that allows real estate developers to build 30 story luxury condos in the formerly arts and industrial (and polluted) Gowanus neighborhood. After the community board’s approval, the next step is the approval of the Borough President. We still actually have a borough […]
News
The Magic of Dutch Kings , By Mike Fiorito
Dutch Kings delivered a stunning preview performance this Saturday, August 15th in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The opening performance is set for Saturday, August 21st, 11AM and then 3PM. There will be another two shows on August 28th. Like other plays produced by Brave New World Theater, the presentation space is location specific. In the case of Dutch Kings, it is […]
Update on local flood protection measures, by Brian Abate
New York City officials came to the Atlantic Basin to celebrate the completion of the Interim Flood Protection Measures (IFPM) program. “With the addition of IFPM, low-lying, vulnerable areas in Red Hook get some added protection from potential storms,” said Emergency Management Commissioner John Scrivani. The Atlantic Basin design uses semi-permanent HESCO barriers with openings that allow for normal site […]
Electric car racing returns to Red Hook
Formula E returned to Red Hook in July- this year with some COVID restrictions. The organizers set up three separate “bubbles” for the three main entrance areas. The fans who entered at the E Village area got complimentary tickets and everyone who entered from the media entrance or who was associated with one of the sponsors or race teams could […]
Cobble Hill Cinema post-pandemic (hopefully), by Brian Abate
Cobble Hill Cinemas was able to re-open its doors to the public this March after approximately a year of being closed because of the pandemic. The theater, located on the corner of Court St. and Butler St., has been a staple of Cobble Hill since it opened in the 1980’s. “The toughest thing was the unknown,” said Andrew Elgart, who […]
Yet another unfavorite son, Opinion by George Fiala
I guess it’s time for my Andrew Cuomo stories, at least those from my eleven years at the Star-Revue. Actually, let me start off with something I can say about his Dad, someone who I respected as America’s conscience, especially from his days as an analyst of the worst of the Bush years. It’s true that today he is criticized […]
Opinion: CB 6 Gowanus Rezoning conditions pretty meaningless, by George Fiala
The long-planned, top-driven Gowanus rezoning plan is reaching climax this year, as a large group of local, term limited politicians are set to walk out the door. As Gowanus historian Joseph Alexiou once proclaimed a bit ironically at the Brooklyn Historical Society, the story of New York is the story of real estate. Probably inevitable after the communities of Park […]
Fight For Last Mile Warehouses to Use Waterfront Continues, by Brian Abate
There will be six massive last-mile warehouses open in Red Hook by 2022, totaling more than 3 million square feet. These warehouses include Amazon, UPS and Fedex facilities and right now the plan is for them to bring tons of trucks in and out of Red Hook every day. The designated truck route runs down Van Brunt Street, which would […]
Gowanus Canal Superfund cleanup on schedule, City behind, by Jorge Bello
No sooner had Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional counsel, Brian Carr, finished giving his update on the Gowanus Canal Superfund cleanup—works are advancing on schedule with no major hiccups—than members of the neighborhood’s Community Advisory Group began venting their grievances. Among other things, members who attended the June 22 virtual meeting expressed to Carr their disappointment in what they described […]
Parks Dept. reminds us that Red Hook has ballfields, by Nathan Weiser
The Brooklyn Parks Department Office along with the Environmental Protection Agency held a zoom meeting on June 15 to give an update on the construction of the Red Hook Ballfields. The first community update meeting about the Red Hook Ballfields was held in 2015. The EPA deemed that the fields needed to be remediated due to led contamination. As of […]