Hawthorne Street : Prospect Lefferts, Brooklyn

"Uncool" PLG in the Sunday Times

2009-11-07T10:17:18-05:00

The schmancy "On the Market" feature in this weekend's New York Times "Real Estate" section features a home on our very own Hawthorne (between Bedford and Rogers). The place looks beautiful, though, at $1 million and with only 2,300 sf, it's overpriced. A house on our block (Flatbush and Bedford), sold about 18 months ago for a million, but that had over 3,000 sf, was a two-family, had a third exposure and the credit markets had yet to completely implode. (On the other hand, it wasn't as nicely renovated as this listing and one floor needed a complete overhaul, as it hadn't been lived in for decades and showed it).

Also in the real estate section, "the Hunt" column — which chronicles New Yorkers' search for a home — features a couple who ultimately chooses a place in PLG. The headline: "Going With Uncool." Huh? While I'll be the first to acknowledge that we're not exactly the epicenter of hip, this couple moved here from Bay Ridge!

UPDATE: According to resident real estate agent Barbara Rogers (see comments), the apartment featured in "the Hunt" is on Linden, between Nostrand and New York—in other words, well outside the PLG border. So instead of telling their friends that they live in a neighborhood that is "part of Flatbush," they should simply say that they live "in Flatbush." If people are concerned about cool, that's probably a cooler answer anyway.

PLG buses lose again; Nostrand Merchants protest bus upgrade

2009-11-06T13:49:24-05:00

The Straphangers Campaign has given the B44 bus, which runs along Nostrand Avenue, its annual Shleppie Award for being the most unreliable line in the City. And a runner up? The B41, along Flatbush. Both of these buses are likely to be either bunched together or spread far apart over 20% of the time, causing gaps in service.

Unfortunately, the one community effort directed to change the matter only promises to make things worse: the Nostrand Avenue Merchants Assocation organized a protest last week against Department of Transportation efforts to upgrade B44 service. The DOT has been working on a plan to implement a Bus Rapid Transit network, starting with Nostrand and Rogers Avenue. Streetsblog writes:

[Nostrand Avenue Merchants Association president Lindiwe] Kamau takes issue with bus improvements planned for Nostrand because, she claims, dedicated bus lanes will eliminate curbside parking along the corridor. Here's the thing: The most recent renderings of Select Bus Service on Nostrand [PDF] depict buses operating in an existing travel lane. The curbside parking lane would still be there.

[...]

On a typical weekday, more than 40,000 people ride the B44 on the Nostrand corridor. On Saturdays, average ridership is about 29,000. B44 riders can definitely use some relief: They currently depend on the second-most unreliable bus route in the city, according to the Straphangers Campaign. The improvements promised by Select Bus Service -- pre-paid boarding, dedicated travel lanes, signal priority -- would speed trips and enable buses to stick to their schedules.

[...]

When I had asked Kamau why she opposed plans for BRT on Nostrand, the indignities and inconveniences of riding the bus weren't foremost in her thoughts, nor were her own customers' transportation needs. She said merchants already get ticketed for parking their cars on this stretch of Nostrand during the p.m. rush, when the west side of the street is a no-standing zone. "We already have problems with parking," she said. "Our merchants get tickets constantly."

Bill Thompson, Bill de Blasio, and John Liu all came out to a Nostrand Merchants press event to protest the bus line upgrade, which, incidentally, is the kind of short-term thinking that made me not want to vote them (or, at least not in the primaries). In essence, they threw their weight toward a relatively powerful minority--car owners--ignoring the voices of the silent (unorganized) majority. Or, as one commenter put it, "Democrats [made] a huge effort to pander to a single merchant who, essentially, wants nothing more than to be able to park her own car in front of her shop."

(Photo: Streetsblog)

Public meeting for Church Avenue improvements

2009-11-04T14:51:56-05:00

The Department of Transportation is holding a public meeting next Tuesday, November 10, to discuss its ideas for improving Church Avenue. The intersection of Church and Flatbush is one of the most congested intersections around, with doubleparked cars and vehicles turning every which way. Small wonder that that there are a ton of crashes, many with pedestrians, here. Ocean Ave. and Church isn't much better.

Some of the DOT's plans include improvements that we'd love to see more of here in our nabe: bulb outs, lead pedestrian intervals, pedestrian refuge islands, and dedicated turn bays. These changes would help cut congestion, improve air quality, and make the streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

The meeting will be in the auditorium of Erasmus High School, 911 Flatbush Ave., just south of Church, at 7 pm. If you'd like to speak at the meeting, please arrive by 6:30. For more info on the Church Avenue improvements, see the DOT project page. or call 212-839-4850.

Incidentally, while improving Church Avenue is a top DOT priority right now, the department plans to look at Flatbush south of Empire in the future.

Fried responds to "Free building" prank

2009-11-04T09:00:14-05:00

The Daily News has a followup to the "free building" story. Apparently, the owner is not very happy about the prank.

"People were calling all day," [Moses Fried] said. "I couldn't get through to my office."

[...]

Fried, who was fined by the city for running a hot sheet hotel in Clinton Hill ... ultimately scrapped his hotel plans for 205 Parkside, citing "community unrest."

"Community unrest" - ha! That's a funny way of saying that the community didn't want a whorehouse.

Meanwhile, Fried maintains that he's got plans to turn the building into a 20-family building "sometime soon." According to city records, the building is currently listed as having only 14 residential units. In 2006, a lawyer for Fried told Planet PLG that the income from 14 residential units would not offset heating costs and taxes.

Whether this hypothetical renovation would require a zoning variance (the building is currently R7-1) or be built higher is a question we'll leave to someone with a better understand of building code. I wouldn't get too worked up about it yet, though.

(Photo: Jeff Wilkins/Daily News)

Guide for the last-minute voter

2009-11-03T10:25:59-05:00

Par usual, Gotham Gazette has compiled an excellent summary of where the candidates in today's election stand on various issues.

See, in particular, the Guide for the Last Minute Voter and Where [the Mayoral Candidates] Stand.

No one is happy about Bloomberg's extension of term limits, but I'm voting for him anyway. Thompson has done next to nothing to distinguish himself, and Bloomberg has shown a commitment to urban planning rare in electeds. In a city like New York, we can't be thinking of transportation reform, the environment, and other efforts to insure New York's future as fringe issues. Bloomberg has proven himself to be a true progressive here.

I don't agree with Bloomberg on everything. Banning smoking in parks? Please. But at least he has the guts to experiment and take bold measures. And he has made it a mission to not only hire and work with people who are genuinely experts in their field — he actually listens to them. With Thompson, we're bound to get little more than business as usual.

Drop off for UPS packages

2009-11-02T10:52:24-05:00

Post offices in Brooklyn are notoriously slow and infuriating. If Charles can't take the mail into Manhattan, I tend to use UPS. Here in the neighborhood, sending things via UPS is fairly easy. UPS now has drop-off boxes on Parkside (between Flatbush & Ocean) and Flatbush (near Midwood). You prepare the shipping label in advance on the UPS website, then drop your package in the box.

If your package is too big for the drop box, you can always walk it down to the Staples (Flatbush & Tilden) and drop it off free there.

PLG Halloween Trick or Treat Route

2009-10-30T18:09:21-04:00

Happy Halloween, PLGers! The 71st Precinct Community Council is again sponsoring a trick-or-treat walk for those so inclined. While I am skeptical that a "safe route" is warranted, if people think it is, it probably is - if for no other reason than it will mean more kids are allowed to go out.

The trick-or-treating caravaners will start at 5PM at Rutland and Flatbush and weave their way to the precinct house at Empire and New York. The full route is:

Start at Rutland & Flatbush.
Walk Rutland Rd. to Rogers Ave.
Left on Rogers, Walk to Midwood St.
Left on Midwood, Walk to Bedford Ave.
Right on Bedford, Walk to Maple St.
Right on Maple, Walk to New York Ave.
Left on New York, Walk to Empire Blvd.
End at New York & Empire @ the 71st Precinct.

The precinct will have more candy and games until 9PM.

Additionally, many of the businesses on Flatbush (and I assume on the other avenues) have candy for kids and I know that some of the houses on Hawthorne last year did as well, despite being off of the official route.

This year we will not be giving out candy as we will be among the revelers. Look for a two-and-a-half foot otter and say hi.

Dreams deferred

2009-10-29T22:33:44-04:00

Looks like we spoke too soon. The Associated is no longer stocking Ciao Bella sorbets. On the bright side, Ben & Jerry's is on sale...

205 Parkside available for free?

2009-10-29T12:44:10-04:00

Spotted at 205 Parkside Avenue:

FREE BUILDING
14 residential, 3 commercial units
Pre-War, 4 story, abandoned rathole
Squatters included at no charge

Moses and Bernice Fried
(718) 377-4444

There is also a sister advertisement on Craiglist with more detail.

If 205 Parkside sounds familiar, that's the neglected building that Moses Fried tried to turn into an hourly "hotel" three years ago. For those who take the train at Parkside, the place is pretty hard to miss — it's next door to the Pioneer grocer on a busy, high-traffic commercial strip.

We haven't heard anything out of 205 Parkside since 2007, when Fried's lawyer said that the owner was "reviewing his options" of what to do with the place. Apparently, Fried has been reviewing his options for some time. According to city records, the building has been "vacant and untenanted" since 1979. The building has been condemned and has no Certificate of Occupancy. Lights are often on at night, though, and clearly people are living there.

We're pretty sure this real estate isn't actually free (in any sense), but hope Fried is getting lots of calls. Property owners who let buildings fester for decades don't deserve to keep them. Fried clearly has no concern whatsoever for how his properties affect local the local community. But who knows. Perhaps a sly kick in the pants will get him to do the right thing and clean this s***hole up — or sell it to someone who will.

UPDATE: Fried response to "free building" prank

Breaking: Ocean on the Park Historic District Approved

2009-10-27T12:38:53-04:00

Earlier today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the designation of 189 - 211 Ocean Avenue, between Parkside and Flatbush, as the Ocean on the Park Historic District. A reporter on the scene with a blackberrry announced that, over the objection of the owner of 189 Ocean, the district designation passed, encompassing all houses in the row.

UPDATE: The New York Times City Room blog has more about the history of the HD and the hearing. In response to the objection of the owner at 189 that she would be handcuffed by the HD rules to respond to development on the lot at 185, the Commission scheduled a hearing extending the district to cover the lot at 185, which would preclude the border lot from erecting a building that would be out of context with its neighbors. Expect to see people out there pouring a foundation ASAP if they are allowed to do so...

Thanks, Barbara, Heidi and Bob!

Image via Brownstoner

Meanwhile, in gang news

2009-10-27T11:52:14-04:00

According to local news site YourNabe.com, police are keeping tabs on two clusters of gangs responsible for a wave of crime in East Flatbush. East Flatbush runs to the south and east of PLG, but one of the gang clusters isn't all that far away; it's at Nostrand and Cortelyou. Apparently, a bunch of Crips and Bloods have been spotted around there, but that's about all we can glean from this article. So we'll have to save our lesson in how to spot a Crip or Blood (and stay the hell away from them) for a later date.

Restaurant Update

2009-10-26T18:21:11-04:00

We heard a rumor that the Gino's Pizza at 548 Flatbush (near Lincoln) was going to expand into the open space at 546; that rumor is true.

I happened by when Gino was there and he told me that they are doing a major remodeling. They are going to take down the wall between the spaces and move the kitchen/ovens to the back. They are going to move the pizza to the expansion and turn the current space into a sit-down Italian restaurant. He also said that they might get a brick oven to make pizza in. All good to hear.

Gino gave me a timeline of one to two months, but that seems optimistic. It seems particularly optimistic because there is still a "For Rent" sign on the space next door, so I don't know if contract negotiations are even finished, much less preparations for the renovation.

In other restaurant news, the Crown Heights blog Nostrand Park has noticed the opening of a new restaurant on ~~our~~ the CH side of Empire. Essential Organic and International Cuisine, at 762 Nostrand on the corner of Sterling ~~Street~~ Place, is offering a polyglot menu. Nostrand Park explains:

[The owner explained] that the restaurant has three main chefs - one versed in Caribbean cuisine, one versed in Italian cuisine and one versed in organic cuisine. Taking a closer gander at the menu, indeed the selection is much more diverse than we first recognized. The offerings include portabello burgers, salmon swiss melt, hummus platter, veggie lasagna, fried chicken and stuffed red snapper (plus many more items). Perhaps due to his background as small business lender at Chase, the owner was able pick up on the fact that people are "hungry" for a broader food choice on Nostrand.

Either this restaurant is open all day or, I strongly suspect, that the menu has a typo, since it says breakfast is served from 2-11AM. When we check it out, we'll give a more complete report.

PLG Among the Worst Recylers in Brooklyn

2009-10-26T17:52:24-04:00

The Department of Sanitation has published a list of the best and worst neighborhoods for recycling throughout the city and PLG falls near the bottom of the list. This is especially unimpressive, since Brooklyn is fourth among the boroughs.

Bay Ridge is the greenest Brooklyn neighborhood while Brownsville is throwing away the most of its recyclables. PLG is among a cluster of central Brooklyn neighborhoods. Laurel was right to call out the unnamed "neighborhood leaders" mentioned in the article who blame the "lack of facilities" in the area for their constituents' poor showing on Nostrand Park, a Crown Heights blog. What facilities do you need? The Department of Sanitation comes to you!

Image via Nostrand Park

Memorial for Brian Scott Held Last Night

2009-10-26T17:22:00-04:00

Last night, a memorial was held for Brian "Cosmik" Scott, the young man who was murdered in the Parkside Avenue Donut Shop. That link includes video of the NY1 story about the memorial, which was held by his fellow rollerbladers in a Lower East Side skate park. They were also collecting donations to help defray funeral expenses for the family. If anyone knows who to contact regarding donations, let us know and we'll post the information here.

Mr. Scott was not, according to police, the intended target. I haven't read anywhere whether one of the other injured patrons was the intended target or if they were connected to Mr. Scott in any way. Police are still searching for the shooter.

As we've written before, Cosmik was getting a reputation in the rollerblading scene. Below the fold are a tribute photo montage and a three videos of Cosmik shredding around town.

Senator Eric Adams responds to recent shootings: Come to community meetings this week

2009-10-19T10:08:05-04:00

Thanks to Senator Eric Adams for sending this note in response to a previous comment on the blog. He's holding two community meetings to discuss the recent shootings. The first meeting is in Crown Heights tonight and the second will be at his office here in PLG on Tuesday. Details below.

Several days ago our community suffered another homicide. It occurred on Prospect Place near Classon Avenue. One community resident voiced frustration by asking what Eric Adams intended to do about the increase in crime. Consider that question for a moment, and while you are reflecting, let me share a significant detail with you. The shooting took place only doors from my own home. I live on Prospect Place. In fact, I have resided there for about twenty years. When I first moved onto the block, few dared walk down it, and living there was a perilous option. However, a few of us resolved that we would not turn over our street to thugs. We organized, and we fought to take our community back. One clear lesson was learned: if we wanted to live on a safe block, we had to build a safe city.

Our communities do not have either real or imaginary demarcation lines, and criminals do not confine themselves to one geographic area. Thugs don’t care whom they harm or where they commit their crimes. I know this well because 22 years of my life were spent wearing a bulletproof vest, standing on street corners to protect our city from those who wanted to harm the decent people who make up its neighborhoods. I did this both as a cop and as a private citizen. Many are aware of the numerous volunteer hours that I have given and will continue to give to anti-violence measures.

If we want safe communities, we will have to build them, not blog them. No neighborhood can be safe if the only proffered solution is to look for a politician or the police to do it for us. Just as there are prerequisites for being a responsible elected official, there are also requirements for being a conscientious citizen. It takes teamwork to make a community safe. I know first hand, because I was a member of such a team in this neighborhood.

If you are interested in uniting with me in an effort to make our streets and homes safe, I ask you to attend an emergency meeting (see below for venue and time). There is no courage in staying at home and blogging about our complaints. Bravery involves facing down the thuggery that can destroy our community. I anticipate your partnership in making our district safe for raising children and families.

Best, Eric NYS Senator

Monday, October 19
7pm - 8:30pm
Hope City Empowerment Center
650 Washington Avenue (between Bergen & Dean Street)

Tuesday, October 20
7pm - 8:30pm District Office
(572 Flatbush Avenue near Midwood Street)

Gentrification Watch: Ciao Bella

2009-10-15T18:27:29-04:00

Following on the heels of its new organic section, the Associated on Flatbush has started stocking Ciao Bella sorbet and gelato. Currently going for over $5 a pint, it is not a cheap dessert.

I confess, however, that it is awesome. The Dark Chocolate Jalapeno and Chocolate Hazelnut gelatos are particular favorites as is the Coconut sorbet (which is apparently no sugar added, though that's hard to believe).

Got a tip for Gentrification Watch? Please send it along. (NB: "the Hawthorne Street blog" doesn't count.)

Doggywood "reveal" this weekend

2009-10-15T16:24:32-04:00

The Doggywood mural that we wrote about a while back is going up this weekend. Local artist Susan Berkowitz is billing the event as "the Red Carpet Reveal... a canine parade of lucky dawgs and awards ceremony" on Saturday, October 17 (rain date: Sunday, October 18). There was no time listed on the flyer, though, so your guess is as good as mine.

I'll confess that our initial excitement over Doggywood ended in disillusionment upon discovering that our beloved Ethel was excluded from the judging. Yes, we are that petty.