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February 09, 2006
Owens, Montgomery & James Join Lawsuit
From the Daily News:
Three Brooklyn elected officials yesterday (February 8, 2006) joined a high-profile lawsuit to bar Bruce Ratner from demolishing six buildings in the proposed Atlantic Yards site.
"My colleagues and I stand 100% with the plaintiffs," said Councilwoman Letitia James, who filed the supporting brief with Rep. Major Owens (D-Crown Heights) and state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (D-Fort Greene).
The move comes a day after South Brooklyn Legal Services joined the suit filed by Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn and other community groups Jan.18.
The suit also charges that the same well-connected Manhattan lawyer, David Paget, first represented Ratner, then moved to the state agency overseeing the project, where he signed off on the demolition.
Written by Elizabeth Hays (Daily News)
Posted by klowy at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)
The pain of having to defend demolishing the Purchase Bldg.
At last evening's Community Board Meeting (CB2 - Brooklyn), the board voted 29 in favor, 0 against and 2 abstentions. They voted that the Purchase Building could be partially demolished (the loading dock area).
A member of the Conservancy and the Development Corporation showed up as did one of the architects. The Chair of the Land Use Committee mentioned that at last months meeting, only one person spoke in favor of demolition, it was a member of the Conservancy. During the discussion, board members asked many questions about the use of that area for the park. Matthew Urbanski, one of the architects sat in the back of the hall hoping no one would notice him. The chair asked if they were there. They said nothing. Finally I pointed them out and they had no choice but to come forward. Matthew clearly hates doing this and did a poor job of defending why they wanted to demolish the building. The vote showed this. Matthew is a good guy, but it seems clear that his heart just isn't in this anymore. You get the feeling that if he had his choice, he'd rather be somewhere else. Note to Matthew: get some enthusiasm for this project or have someone else be the front person.
Posted by klowy at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)
360 Furman Street
If you missed the announcement about 360 Furman Street (a.k.a. 1 Brooklyn Bridge Park), then you don't know the true definition of high-end luxury. Living here will not come cheap. And that means the PILOTS (payment in lue of taxes) should be truly high as well. The PILOTS could cover all of the maintenance costs for the park. If that's the case, then there is no reason for any other apartments in the park. Let's see what happens...
Posted by klowy at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2006
Take Back Our Park Brunch - Sunday Feb 12
Sunday, February 12th
11 AM to 2 PM
"Take Back Our Park Brunch"
Caffe Buon Gusto
151 Montague Street
Suggested donation levels: $60, $150, and $300
This will be your chance to hear from community leaders about how we can get back to a real park, without housing, with recreation and open, welcoming entrances. We will present the facts about the budget and visuals from the park plan we thought we were getting. We will outline what we are doing to secure a real park instead of the private residential enclave it has become.
A silent auction will offer some pretty cool items, too, including a cut and style from one of NYC’s top hair stylists, and a week-long vacation condo on Cape Cod.
All funds will go to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund, which, together with nine community and civic organizations surrounding the park and the NY State Chapter of the Sierra Club, is fighting to save our park from real estate developers.
RSVP to judi@parkdefense.org
Posted by klowy at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)