Celebrating Community
UPDATE: The introductory webinar was held on August 12. As predicted below, it was an undemocratic neighborhood meeting. We were told that over 400 people were online, but there was no further information as to who they were, what they looked like, or whether they had anything to say. It was the kind of ZOOM meant for a one-way conversation, […]
At a ceremony at the Red Hook Container Terminal, the Mayor, the Governor, the Port Authority and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) made a surprise announcement (at least to most of the public and this newspaper) about the future of the waterfront from Atlantic Avenue up to the Red Hook Cruise Terminal. They were standing in front of […]
“Do you live on a nice quiet block with no stores, or in a corner residential building that has no stores! Well that is all about to change! Under Mayor Adams City of Yes ‘COY’ communities all over NYC will be getting a store on every corner and even inside residential buildings that exist on corners!” On Nextdoor, a social […]
In other news I notice the Bike-Nazi-Politicos have proposed eliminating parking for the Not-Really-Affordable-Housing (NRAH) going up in “transit rich zones.” Our new Beep, Antonio Reynoso, leads a cast of nine Brooklyn Council members, including Alexa Avilés (Red Hook/Sunset Park) and Lincoln Restler (Dumbo/Boerum Hill) who sent a letter (penned by Reynoso and Restler but yet to find its way […]
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and Assembly member Jo Anne Simon spoke to a frustrated crowd of people in the Whole Foods parking lot next to the Gowanus Canal. They both voiced their concerns about the city’s Gowanus rezoning plan which was approved by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The rezoning plan would allow real estate developers to build new condos in the […]
Alexandros Washburn, a professor, architect, city planner and lately a real estate developer who owns a house on Van Brunt Street, made a name for himself after Hurricane Sandy by attaching himself to the many resiliency groups that sprung up after that disaster. His latest project is what he is calling a “Model Block.” He and a group of partners […]
Regal Management, a corporate landlord in Brooklyn, has a portfolio of more than 20 buildings located primarily in Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Its tenants have the same complaints as most renters in Brooklyn: namely, high rents and subpar maintenance. In March, after COVID-19 hit New York City, Regal sent a form letter to residents. “We are aware that you might be […]
The tenants won, and the real estate lobby lost. But the tenants didn’t win everything. Signed into law on June 14 amid widespread celebration, the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (HSTPA) expanded and strengthened New York’s system of rent stabilization and offered a host of new benefits to tenants across the state. It suffered, however, from the […]
Human-Scale NYC, along with 19 other neighborhood groups, held a press conference across the street from the Equitable Building, where the City Planning Commission (CPC) has its New York City offices, on June 19. They believe the Commissioners, who they say are mostly connected to the real estate industry, rubber stamp a majority vote along the lines indicated by landlords […]
Since I live in a very small and ugly apartment, one of my favorite activities when I’m a tourist (in my own city or elsewhere) is to visit historic homes that’ve opened themselves to the public. Different houses serve different purposes. Some – like the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park or Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island, famous primarily for […]