Trick or Treat: Cracked Walls, Pits & Crappy Fences in Greenwood Heights

For a moment when we saw these photos, we thought we were looking at a site we’d missed in Williamsburg or Greenpoint. Actually, it’s at 300 20th Street in Greenwood Heights. Brownstoner noted the mess yesterday morning and there’s now a Stop Work Order on the project for both undermining the property and building next door and for “failure to maintain,” which has to do with having a lousy fence. Aaron Brashear of Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights wrote:

As of last night the job site was open to the public and a mess. Barely any remediation. Called the situation into DOB and they showed up this morn to issue more citations for access to the site and to make sure the “new” contractor hired for the remediation does his job. Follow up inspections pending.

Unlike North Brooklyn, where blatant violations of regulations and threats to public safety seem to go unchecked at dozens of sites, in this case, the system actually appears to (sort of) have worked, albeit in a very belated fashion:

DOB [did] a pro-active surprise inspection of the site to find inadequate underpinning of the corer property at 472 6th Avenue (K&H Deli) and unsafe excavation which lead to the partial collapse of the back slab of the property and foundation wall. 472 6th Avenue rear extension is vacated. According to DOB (who did inspections on Saturday and this morning) “Rear extension is to vacated until made safe.”

Neighborhood groups applied intense pressure to the Department of Buildings over the last two years after a series of major problems with individual projects and it seems to have produced more responsiveness than has been the case in Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

Happy Halloween from GL

Happy Halloween from GL. Here are a couple of houses in Williamsburg that are always done up, both for Halloween and for Christmas.

Karl Fischer N. 8 & Roebling Updates & Revealed

We’ve been watching the building on the site of the former Tribeca Oven in Williamsburg at N. 8 and Roebling since the builders dug a very shallow foundation and started building up. We have no idea why this building, which is a mere two blocks from the Roebling Oil Field, has no basement. We’re guessing that each unit has washer/dryers and that parking beneath the building was deemed a frill. Regardless, the rendering of 229 N. 8th Street has finally been revealed and it makes for an interesting juxaposition against the building as it currently stands, not to mention the yellow Porsche in the rendering vs. the yellow cab in reality.

Bklink: Carroll Gardens is Like a New West Village

“So Carroll Gardens is quaint, and for those in love with the West Village but who simply can’t afford to live there, it will do. The tree-lined streets with well-kept brownstones, little cafes and restaurants, and independent boutiques are all that’s required of a charming neighborhood. As rents rise, it’s only bound to grow nicer (better hop on the G train before it’s too late).”–Gridskipper

Landmark Tuesday: Eberhard Faber Approved, Dumbo Goes "Astonishingly Well"

Yesterday was a good day for a couple of possible Brooklyn landmark districts. The Eberhard Faber District in Greenpoint was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and appears headed for final approval by the City Council. Meanwhile, the hearing on the Dumbo Historic District “went astonishingly well,” according to the Historic Districts Council Newsstand blog. Here’s an excerpt:

…over 30 people spoke in favor – including Jed Walentas. The BID, who had been problematic about the designation , spoke in vague support – mostly to ask the LPC to make sure that the area’s Belgian block streets were protected (and restored) and asking that LPC be lenient to ground floor retail…LPC is is keeping the record open for a week, but it feels like the designation is definitely fast-tracked.

The Eberhard Faber District includes a number–but not all–of the buildings that were once the home of the Eberhard Faber pencil factory in Greenpoint. The landmarking vote was nearly reported in real time yesterday by Brownstoner. Several buildings are already being redeveloped, so preservationists consider a district to be a significant victory. The old buildings are among the most significant major surviving industrial buildings in Greenpoint, particularly after last year’s Terminal Market Fire destroyed those structures before they could be landmarked.

Exploring Coney Island Creek

It looks like a number of local photographers and bloggers went to the wilds of Coney Island Creek, known for the ghosts of its sunken boats, and came back with photos and tales of sinking into (possibly toxic) muck. Photos posted so far include those put up by the wonderful photographer Elizabeth Weinberg on Burnt Sienna and by the excellent photographer & blogger & writer Jake Dobkin on Blue Jake. Photos should also be forthcoming on several other sites, as photographer and blogger Nate Kensinger was involved as was Food of the Future. We’ll edit the post to add links or do an entirely new item as photos are posted.

[Photo courtesy of Burnt Sienna]

Tis the Season: Barfing Pumpkin

This comes from Humboldt Street, from the camera of our Greenpoint correspondent who notes–of the hurling Halloween decoration that it’s “Proof positive anything Williamsburg does, Greenpoint does better.” Indeed.

Brooklinks: Wednesday Halloween Edition

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn-related information and images. Happy Halloween.

• Decking Installed Next to South Slope Crack Building [IMBY]
• It Came From the Blogosphere [No Land Grab]
• Are Scholarship and a Study for Ratner Compatible? [AYR]
• Bay Ridge Day Care Parents Get $115 Ticket [NYDN]
• The Major Improvements to Myrtle Avenue [Streets Blog]
• Duffield Street Coverage Roundup [Duffield St. Underground]
• Northfork Bank Moving into Old Dance Space [Brownstoner]
• Nappy Time at 158 India [New York Shitty]
• New Building on Park, WTF? [Clinton Hill Blog]
• Abandoned Toys of Brooklyn [Big Sky Brooklyn]
• Parking on 13th Street [Brooklynometry]
• It’s Easter in Gowanus [Found in Brooklyn]
• Halloween Kitty Needs a Home [New York Shitty]
• All Trick, No Treat: Port Authority Rounding Up Feral Cats at JFK [NYP]
• Halloween Lands in Clinton Hill [Brit in Brooklyn]
• Happy Halloween [Dope on the Slope]

Hint of Controversy Over Carroll Gardens "Town Hall" Meeting?

Carroll Gardens is never a dull place, at least, not in terms of development issues and community meetings. As we noted last week, another Town Hall Meeting is coming up on November 19. The one in late August was so well attended that it’s been moved to a larger venue–the auditorium at PS 58. An email is already circulating via the Carroll Gardens Association Mailing List that suggests it’s going to be far from dull:

There will be a CGNA meeting on Monday, November 19, from 6:30-8:30 at PS 58. The major theme of the meeting will be re-zoning and landmarking of Carroll Gardens – up to 100 feet west of Bond Street. Questions will be written on cards and a panel of “experts” will try to answer them.

There is a push on the part of some members of CGNA to limit the questions narrowly to the two themes. I strongly urge a large presence and a strong attempt to ask the questions which need some answers.

Given the array of issues and questions in the neighborhood–ranging from rezoning to the expansion of the tiny Carroll Gardens Historic District and individual developments–the meeting should be an interesting one.

Help Keep the Port Authority from Killing the JFK Cats

Our friends at Slope Street Cats sent out an “action alert” about what people can do to stop the possible extermination of the feral cat colony by the Port Authority at JFK Airport. We understand that in a world full of horrors and deprivation, the fate a few hundred cats at an airport aren’t world news, yet, there is something heartbreaking about a public agency slaughtering cats. (This is not hyperbole. The odds are very good that the cats will be euthanized as the vast majority are not adoptable.) You can check Slope Street Cat’s blog post for info about what to do or check here at Neighborhood Cats. We’ve also reproduced some of the info below in case anyone is interested. If you care about animals, take 90 seconds of your time today to tell the Port Authority what you think about a policy that amounts to killing cats. Here is the info:

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Phone, fax and email the people listed below and demand Port Authority suspend the trapping immediately and meet with representatives of the NYC Feral Cat Initiative and the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals to come up with a humane, effective feral cat management plan. The people contacted on Friday refuse to meet, so now let’s talk to their bosses. Please review the three talking points at the end of this letter so you know how to respond to their PR dept’s fabrications.

WHO TO CONTACT

Anthony Shorris
Executive Director
Port Authority of NY and NJ
(212) 435-7271
ashorris@panynj.gov

Stephen Sigmund
Chief, Public and Government Affairs
Port Authority of NY and NJ
212-435-4174
ssigmund@panynj.gov

Port Authority Corporate Headquarters
(212) 435-7000 (get a live person on the line and demand to speak to someone about the JFK situation)

Susan Baer
General Manager, JFK Airport
sbaer@panynj.gov
718-244-3501

Shawn Laurenti, Director
Government and Community Relations Dept.
Port Authority of NY and NJ
(212) 435-6903
slaurenti@panynj.gov

If you love cats and animals, please help.