Homer Fink – Brooklyn Bugle

SUNY Withdraws Application To Close LICH; Will Seek “Sustainability Plan”

April 26, 2013

After mounting community pressure and a unanimous vote from the NYC Council this week to support its existence, SUNY Downstate has officially withdrawn its application the the State Department of Health to close Long Island College Hospital. According to SUNY Downstate’s press release, forwarded to us by City Councilman Stephen Levin:

“The financial conditions at LICH remain unchanged. LICH’s continued financial losses still threaten the viability of Downstate Medical and our world-renowned medical school. We are withdrawing the closure plan so we can work with the State and other stakeholders on a sustainability plan for Brooklyn’s only medical school and to ensure quality medical care throughout the borough. The current legal proceedings prohibit this dialogue,” said Downstate President Dr. John F. Williams, Jr.

We will keep you advised of developments.

Tweets about “#savelich”

And this statement from our man in the NYS Senate Daniel Squadron:

It’s good news that SUNY is withdrawing its closure plan for LICH. Now there’s a real opportunity for a collaborative process that engages the community and local leaders on LICH’s future.
We’ve been making our voices heard loud and clear: LICH is vital to Brooklyn. And it’s clear we’re being heard.
As nearly the entire Brooklyn delegation wrote last week, it’s critical that any decision on LICH’s future includes community and legislative input. I continue to urge the state to form a working group to ensure those voices are a key part of the process.
This is a positive step on SUNY’s part and I urge the state and SUNY to continue to work with us to ensure that the needs of our community and all of Brooklyn are met.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/57954

From the Web

Around Brooklyn

Cobble Hill’s Linden Tree Preschool Looking For Assistance In Relocating Facility

April 22, 2013

Susan Kuhlmann, the Principal of Linden Tree Preschool in Cobble Hill, informs CHB that the facility it has used for the past nine years, Christ Church at 180 Kane Street, is being closed permanently after the building was struck by lightning and severely damaged last July.

At that time, Kuhlmann says, for safety reasons, the school had to immediately vacate, “being told by Christ Church we’d be back within weeks.” Since, it has been operating out of St. Stephen’s Church in Carroll Gardens. But now, “weeks and months have gone by and in January (2013), we were informed by Christ Church that they are closing Linden Tree Preschool as of June 30, sending families clamoring for alternate preschools and leaving nine dedicated staff members unemployed.”

Linden Tree Preschool is now searching for a new permanent home. Kuhlmann notes:

In order to continue to serve our families, staff and greater community by providing a beautiful preschool experience, myself and a colleague, Jennifer DeLuna, have formed our own LLC, Building Bridges. We require a minimum of 3,000 square feet but are willing to exceed that for the right opportunity. We are also willing to sign a long-term lease.
As you know rental space in our community is costly and difficult to come by. We have been searching for months and continue to. If anyone can help us please reach out, we need a home and can provide a nice income stream for a rental space. We appreciate any assistance.

Susan Kuhlmann: susan@lindentreepreschool.com
Jennifer DeLuna: jennifer@lindentreepreschool.com
lindentreepreschool.com
718-687-8141

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8426

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights, Food, News

New Farmer’s Market Coming To Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6

April 21, 2013

Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 has gotten greener, with the opening of a new farmer’s market. Down to Earth, based in Ossining, N.Y., and the manager of some 20 markets in and around New York City, will kick off its BBP locale June 2. The new Pier 6 market will feature a minumum of eight vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables primarily from upstate New York, along with meat, cheese, seafood, honey and baked goods.

Down to Earth spokeswoman Frankie Rowland tells DNAInfo.com, “All data pointed to the fact that this would be a great location for a new market offering fresh food. We think people will really welcome this new addition to the park.” It currently hosts markets in Park Slope and McGolrick Park in Brooklyn and in Manhattan’s Morningside Park, among others.

The farmer’s market will sit alongside the dog run, sand volleyball courts and playground of Pier 6.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/57727

From the Web

News

Tale of the Tweets: Marty Markowitz’s Final State of the Borough Address

April 11, 2013

Marty Markowitz’s final State of the Borough address was staged as a faux talk show and featured guest appearances by Larry King, Tony Danza, Pat Kiernan and Sunny Anderson. We also learned that the famous Coney Island parachute jump has received $2 million in funding to have its lighting restored.

(In honor of Marty’s final SOTB we’ve included a “Throwback Thursday” video of him above.)

And now, the rest of the story:

From the Web

Around Brooklyn

Broker aptsandlofts Expands Purview In Cobble Hill Market

April 7, 2013

Real estate broker aptsandlofts.com, which recently opened its second brick-and-mortar office in Cobble Hill at 236 Court Street, is making good on the burgeoning residential market in the neighborhood. The firm reports that within the last three months it has hired a dozen new agents—a rate of one new hire per week.

Founder & prez David Maundrell notes, “We are seeing a notable increase in interest from agents looking to join the team as a way to further expand their professional business in the Brooklyn area.” aptsandlofts.com was founded in 2002 with a focus on Brooklyn and Queens, and currently consults about 35 new residential developments (3,000+ units) rising in NYC. It plans to hire a total of 43 agents in Cobble Hill over the next year.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8247

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights, Celebrity Residents

The Lena Dunham Effect: Brooklyn Heights’ Resident Fosters Boom In Greenpoint

April 7, 2013

Lena Dunham—2012 BHB Top 10 honoree and creator, star, writer, et al, of HBO’s “Girls”—may lead a quiet existence at her Mansion House digs in Brooklyn Heights, but apparently she’s having such an impact on pop culture that a boom is taking place in once-sleepy Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the setting of the hipster series.

Stories have appeared in both The Real Deal and Crain’s New York Business over the past few weeks about the impact of Dunham’s hit show on the nabe. The former notes, “Exposure has boosted the neighborhood’s rental market,” quoting David Behin of brokerage MNS: “We get more and more calls there for rentals every day,” while the residential sales market is also seeing an uptick.

It doesn’t hurt that the area is seeing “a slew of new residential buildings, including two massive rental projects,” with plans for two more large rez developments in the works.

Crain’s, meanwhile, documents the Dunham effect via an increase in foot traffic, focused around coffee joint Café Grumpy—where Dunham’s character Hannah Horvath works: “The hit HBO show is boosting foot traffic on Manhattan and Nassau avenues and Franklin Street, Greenpoint’s main drags, and pumping cash into the local economy. (In addition) some longtime residents fear it is also drawing more people into the neighborhood and emboldening more landlords to boost rents.”

Crain’s continues, “Like it or not, what’s undeniable is that images of Greenpoint’s shops, restaurants, streets and people beamed into millions of homes around the globe are having an impact on the area that was once primarily known for its large Polish population.”

In Brooklyn Heights, meanwhile, our slew of celeb residents—including Paul Giamati, Björk, Nate Silver and various writers and artists—perhaps offers the opposite effect, providing a quiet refuge for name brands, where they can blend in with the overall fabric of the nabe. Doesn’t that make Heightsters the true hipsters, eh?

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/57110

From the Web

Around Brooklyn

Carroll Gardens’ Good Food Closing After 85 Years

April 6, 2013

At the end of this month, Italian Superette Good Food will shut down after 85 years in business. Located in Carroll Gardens at 431 Court Street (between 3rd and 4th Place), the store has supplied fresh mozzarella, Italian sausages, olives and other Italian delicacies, along with a deli and meat counter. Good Food also carried everything from canned goods to cleaning products and everything in between.

Pardon Me For Asking blog adds that the business first belonged to the Bruno brothers, relatives of NY City Office Of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Bruno. Then brothers Mike and Allegrino Sale bought the supermarket and the building, and have managed it for the past 35 years.

Pardon Me—which interviewed the owners—also reports that representatives of Investors Bank have made the brothers “an offer they could not refuse” for the property. The Jersey-based bank will open a branch at the location.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8240

From the Web

News

Tale of the Tweets: Democratic Mayoral Forum At St. Francis College

April 3, 2013

The Brooklyn Reform Coalition hosted a Mayoral Forum at St. Francis College Wednesday night featuring most Democratic candidates.

Here are some selected tweets from event attendees:

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/57073

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights, Real Estate

One BBP Could Score Residential Record High Price For Heights

March 29, 2013

A combined penthouse unit and 3-bedroom 4-bath condo below at One Brooklyn Bridge Park could set a record-breaking residential price tag for Brooklyn Heights. According to a story in the New York Daily News, MNS CEO Andrew Barrocas is close to signing a $9 million contract for the duplex.

One Brooklyn Bridge Park, at 360 Furman Street, is located within Brooklyn Bridge Park across from Pier 6. “If sold, the combined unit would likely go to contract in the $9 million range, a record for a Brooklyn condominium,” reports real estate guru Jason Sheftell in the Daily News. Barrocas notes, “There is someone interested in combining a penthouse and the apartment on the floor below. What this says is the Brooklyn high-end is on fire. Prices are going one way, and that’s up. We’re having lots of bidding wars on the last few apartments left in the building.”

Listed at $4.25 million, one of the units, 1302, offers 2,687sf and a wrap-around terrace with Manhattan skyline views. Developed by RAL Companies, One Brooklyn Bridge is a former Jehovah’s Witness printing plant converted to 449 condo units.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/56906

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyn Heights Preservationist to Squadron: BPL Is Prepared To Sellout For A Mess Of Pottage

March 28, 2013

Long time Brooklyn Heights resident and preservationist Martin L. Schneider has written an open letter to NYS Senator Daniel Squadron regarding the Brooklyn Public Library’s plan – and the BHA’s tacit approval – to sell the Brooklyn Heights library building. In short, the plan is to sell the building and a new library would be built into a much larger, mixed use structure.

Scheider literally wrote the book about the landmarking of Brooklyn Heights and as one of the founders of CCIC and later a governor of the Brooklyn Heights Association he’s uniquely qualified to present this concise and pointed argument to Squadron:

Dear Senator Squadron:
As a former long-time Governor of the Brooklyn Heights Assn. I am dismayed at their passive acceptance of the plan to sell of the 1962 Branch Library building for what amounts to a quick fix for the on-going budgetary needs of the main library. This is wrong on many counts, one of which is the fact that that fine small building— capacious for local library purposes— was built on property acquired under the Urban Renewal Title One act by right of eminent domain. The takeover of the private property was justified under the rubric of putting it to a higher use which in this case was a ‘public use.’ Now the BPL is prepared to ‘sell out that heritage for a mess of pottage.’
I was here on Monroe Place just around the corner in 1957 and saw the whole show. The takeover and the rebuilding. Now I am one of those who makes regular use of it, though, truth to tell, Amazon has cut into my need for the library. But it hasn’t cut down on those many people who need access to its computers and who line up patiently to wait their limited time on the machines.
I hope you will very soon focus on this issue because, as the NY Times article noted a few weeks ago, it reflects a too common giving up on the public authority for neighborhood amenities in favor of quick bucks proferred by developers. As you well know, great urban places are not developed for profit alone.
I look forward to hearing that you will take a close look at this very significant issue.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/56896