Among improvements to the grocery post-Sandy—which decimated the 52,000sf waterfront store with 5 feet of water—are wider aisles, no dead ends in produce, entire store is easier to navigate, bakery is three times larger, a new cafe with enhanced offerings, meat & seafood easier to shop and a self-serve meat aisle across from the butcher counter.

In addition, a new expanded bulk section now comprises 198 items, including granola, nuts & seeds, grains & beans, natural candy and more.

The store was packed all weekend, here’s the Tale of the Tweets from opening day onward:

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/55734

After Hurricane Sandy devastated Red Hook’s beloved Fairway Market, the entire neighborhood has suffered as many that visited the grocery from the surrounding vicinity also stopped supporting other local businesses that depend on so much traffic from the anchor store.

Good news: Fairway is set to reopen March 1, according to the New York Daily News, after 5 feet of water filled the 52,000sf waterfront grocery store, damaging all equipment, including refrigerators, cash registers and merchandise. The market was gutted, along with a $10 million price tag to put in a new bake area and cafe, wider aisles and new equipment. Workers are now putting the finishing touches on the store.

And to the credit of Vice Chairman Howie Glickberg, most employees were never out of work as the store has put itself back together. Fairway officials set up shuttle buses so employees could work at other outlets within the chain. “We have an obligation. We’re the cornerstone of Red Hook,” Glickberg said. “This area was devastated and we had an obligation to take care of our workers.”

All 300 workers at the store on Van Brunt Street were rerouted to other Fairway markets, some as far away as Douglaston, Queens and Westbury, Long Island.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/55363

The Fairway Market in Red Hook was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in November, as the 52,000sf waterfront grocery at the base of Van Brunt took on 5 feet of water—which also had a detrimental effect on surrounding boutique businesses that depended on Fairway’s customer base. Good news: Fairway’s Facebook page reveals that the store is planning to reopen in March—and it’s also hiring additional staff. Welcome home, Fairway… you’ve been missed.

UPDATE: More about Red Hook businesses in The New York Times. (Photo: Brownstoner)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/54047

As BHB reported November 9, Red Hook’s Fairway Market suffered major damage from Hurricane Sandy. with the 52,000sf waterfront grocery at the base of Van Brunt taking on 5 feet of water and closed “indefinitely” as rebuilding ensues. Red Hook store General Manager Andy Zuleta has posted a video showing the destruction, cleanup efforts and his optimism for a bigger, badder locale in the near future. See it here, posted on November 13.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51906

Subway service on the R train from Brooklyn Heights may not be returning before the end of the year. According to MTA in the New York Daily News, “The line’s Montague Street Tunnel, which connects Brooklyn and Manhattan, saw more flooding than any of the eight subway tubes inundated by superstorm Sandy.”

In addition, “Water from an unprecedented sea surge cascaded down a tunnel ventilation shaft at the southern tip of Manhattan, and it rushed down the stairs of the Whitehall St./South Ferry station. The volume of water in the tunnel was so great it extended up a steep incline into Brooklyn Heights, about four blocks from the riverbank. It stopped about 500 feet from Court Street station.”

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota says, “That’s a long distance and the water was floor to ceiling. “The tunnel and the equipment was severely damaged.” NYC Transit President Thomas Prendergast said it will probably take at least two or three weeks to repair and replace signals, signal relays and other equipment. (Photo: The Brooklyn Paper)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51893

From 9 a.m. to noon TODAY, Thursday, November 15, the Brooklyn Law School, in association with Borough Prez Marty Markowitz and the Brooklyn Bar Association, will host a free “Brooklyn Sandy Relief Legal Clinic” at Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, between Court and Adams.

The Clinic will be staffed by disaster relief-trained law students and volunteer attorneys who will offer storm-related legal and application assistance in regards to insurance claims, FEMA applications and appeals, public assistance and housing.

Subsequent Clinics will take place on Tuesdays, 1-4 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. For info, contact the Legal Clinic at 718-802-3890 or email sandyrelief@brooklynbp.nyc.gov.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51878

According to Entertainment Weekly:

This Saturday, Nov. 17, Vampire Weekend, Real Estate, members of the Walkmen and Dirty Projectors, and others will perform acoustic sets at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity, an Episcopal church in Brooklyn Heights, with all proceeds going to Occupy Sandy. There’s no set ticket price, but the organization suggests a minimum donation of $30.

More details about the concert, which will go from noon to 5:00 p.m., are here. The church is located at Clinton and Montague streets. There’s more about Vampire Weekend here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51868

TerraCRG and aptsandlofts.com are continuing much-needed efforts for Hurricane Sandy Relief, in a partnership with “United Way Rallies NYC Real Estate Industry Support for Storm Victims.” The commercial real estate brokerage with its partners is launching a fund-raising effort to facilitate and encourage donations from the real estate community to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy through a secure webpage created to gather the donations.

All proceeds will be used by local United Way chapters to address near and long-term hurricane recovery needs in communities that FEMA has declared disaster areas, with “aggressive monetary goals to help aid those in need. The goal of this effort is to unify the New York City real estate community to make a difference in the lives of the many people who experienced devastation and have been severely affected by the storm.” Both TerraCRG and aptsandlofts.com have each contributed $10,000 to the effort.

Ofer Cohen, founder & president of TerraCRG, and David Maundrell, founder & president of aptsandlofts.com are directing the efforts. Cohen notes, “We would like to see the entire real estate industry in New York come together. While our lives in North Brooklyn and Manhattan have been slowly returning to normal, many residents and businesses in the hard hit area of Southwest Brooklyn and Staten Island, Queens and Long Island are dramatically impacted and will remain so for months.”

The webpage, www.NYCREUnited.com, is linked directly to the United Way’s website infrastructure.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51848

Halstead Realty at 150 Montague Street (between Henry and Clinton) is directing another much-needed food & goods drive this weekend, in which they intend to pack a moving van with requested items for Hurricane Sandy residents in The Rockaways. Please bring donations by the shop Saturday & Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Broker Meryl Blackman tells BHB that the truck will arrive in front of the shop at 9 a.m. Monday, and is asking area residents to contribute specific items that donation centers have asked for. She adds that Halstead volunteers will be going door to door in areas “where many people and pets are shut in with no elevators.” See the list below…

In addition, Corcoran Reality is collecting items for The Rockaways. Drop goods by their BH location at 124 Montague St.

FOR HALSTEAD’S COLLECTION EFFORT:
• Canned Food/Can Openers
• Electric/extension Cords/Rope/Tarps
• Pet Food – wet and dry
• Multi-roll packages of toilet paper
• Batteries (especially AA and D)
• Rubber Gloves – Dish gloves, and medical
• Work Gloves (all sizes) and Work Shams
• Bleach/Cleaning Supplies
• Contractor Bags/Heavy Duty Plastic Bags
• Adult Diapers, Baby Wipes
• Feminine Products
• Handwarmers (the self-heating kind)
• New unopened packages of underwear/socks – for Men, Women and Children
PLEASE NO CLOTHING OR BLANKETS!

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51741

The weather forecast is encouraging, but with so many institutions, like Bargemisic, which is in good physical shape but still lacks Con Ed power, coping with the aftermath of the Sandy/nor’easter one-two punch, what is there to do if you’re in town? There’s the penultimate Smorgasburg of the season this Sunday, November 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Tobacco Warehouse, Water Street at New Dock Street in the Fulton Ferry Historic District (I once described it as being in DUMBO and caught holy heck from the Fulton Ferry Landing Association). The final Smorgasburg of the season will be the following Sunday, November 18.

Brooklyn Heights Cinema, 70 Henry Street (corner of Orange) will be showing The Sessions and A Late Quartet. Showtimes are here.

The Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street (corner of Clinton) will have another of its tours of the Society’s historic building on Saturday, November 10, starting at 3:00 p.m. Details are here. Looking ahead to Thursday, November 15, starting at 7:00 p.m., BHS will present a lecture by independent scholar and author Andrew Coe, “Spilt Milk: the Bloody Food Rackets of 20th Century New York,” about how gangsters controlled much of food distribution in New York City in the first half of the past century. Details are here.

Know of anything else interesting happening in Brooklyn Heights or nearby this weekend or in the near future? Add a comment to this post.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51642

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51635

The lines at the Shell station on Atlantic Avenue will be getting shorter—but only because Mayor Bloomberg has imposed a “odd and even” emergency rationing plan. Beginning Friday, you’ll only be able to drive into a gas station to fill up if your license plate ends with an odd or even number, depending on the date of the month (if your plate ends with letter, join the “odd” days queue). Unlike New Jersey, the Emergency Order does not provide an option for walking up with a gas canister.

P.S. The Atlantic Shell station is currently out of gasoline, with a sign posted saying it doesn’t know when the next supply is coming in.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51635

Douglas Elliman Realty is sponsoring an ongoing effort to accept donations and organize relief efforts following dastardly Hurricane Sandy at its Brooklyn Heights location, 156 Montague Street, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Its effort in Brooklyn and around NYC include:
· The firm is using social media and online resources to rally and gather volunteers for relief efforts and to distribute information.
· Elliman has organized helicopters and trucks as volunteers go from designated donation centers across NYC, Long Island and the Hamptons, delivering aid to victims in Breezy Point, Rockaway, Long Beach and Staten Island.
· Dottie Herman’s radio show “Eye on Real Estate” on WOR-AM NYC is being utilized to round up volunteers and donations, and has been an important news & info resource.
· All Elliman offices with power have remained open for community relief, including collecting & distributing donations of non-perishable food items and other necessities and to provide local residents with power, charging stations and warmth. A fund is being created to help those in need in these regions.
· ELLIMANRENTALS, the firm’s rental division, is assisting placement companies and insurance adjusters who have reached out for help in finding short- and long-term housing for those whose homes have been damaged or destroyed.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51546

Tim Oltmans, owner & chef of nabe fave Jack the Horse Tavern, tells BHB that the restaurant will be donating 10% of all sales to @RobinHoodNYC, through Thursday, November 9. See more about the organization here. Jack is at 66 Hicks Street @ the corner of Cranberry. If you have yet to stop by one of the Heights’ friendliest eateries—with a wondrous menu—perhaps this is the time, eh? (Photo: Claude Scales)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51372

City Council Member Steve Levin, whose district includes Brooklyn Heights, is fuming that MTA has not yet restored G and L subway service following Hurricane Sandy. He tells The New York Observer, “Commuters along the G-train deserve the same service and respect that other lines get. And the same goes for the L-train.”

MTA has responded that fixing those lines is “our highest priority,” although it does not expect to restore service until some time this coming week, making these the last lines to resume even partial service.

“What I expect them to do is provide the fullest service possible,” Levin adds. “I expect that my constituents are treated the same as subway riders in every other neighborhood. It is a critical part of the city’s economy.” Levin represents Greenpoint and parts of the waterfront stretching from Williamsburg to Brooklyn Heights and into Park Slope. He is calling for shuttle bus service to help replace the absent trains.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz does not fully agree with Levin’s viewpoint. He says in the story, “The MTA has done a remarkable job of restoring more than 80% of the system under very difficult conditions, and making sure Brooklynites have as many transportation options to and from Manhattan, such as the bus bridge,” according to spokesman Mark Zustovich said. “Additionally, while we understand that the L line is heavily used, restoration of the J train provides at least some service close to Williamsburg and other areas served by the L.”

See more from the Observer story here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51294

Monday morning, Halstead Realty at 150 Montague Street collected a gargantuan amount of donations for those affected locally by Hurricane Sandy. The office’s Meryl Blackman calls the response “a huge success, with Heights residents’ response overwhelming! We have sent 12 fully loaded SUVs/cars to donation centers and this morning at 11, we had a professional moving van to load out a huge amount of donated supplies from our neighborhood. Police community affairs helped us, too.”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51275

From BHA Executive Director Judy Stanton: Please do NOT put your recyclables on the curb because they are not going to be picked up tomorrow. No exception is being made for Brooklyn Heights. Recylable paper is clean enough to be safely stored indoors as are bottles and cans, if rinsed. I hope that all will do their part to contain the accumulation until the city announces the DSNY will resume collection of recyclables. Meanwhile, regular garbage should be on the curb because trucks will be coming around to get that tomorrow.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51266

Patricia Ageheim from Chez Moi [135 Atlantic Avenue] tells BHB that all profits from Monday’s (11/5) service will be donated to The Red Hook Initiative. They’ll be open from 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Read more about Sandy Relief efforts and how you can help here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51248

The Chocolate Room in Cobble Hill and Park Slope will be donating 20% of its sales to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City to benefit the hurricane relief effort this Wednesday, November 7th. This includes locations in Park Slope (86 Fifth Ave between St. Marks Pl and Warren St) and Cobble Hill (269 Court St between Butler St and Douglass St) as well as its online store. The stores are open from noon to 11 p.m. on Wednesday. More info is here. Or you may contact owners Naomi Josepher and Jon Payson at 718-246-2600.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8010

Brooklyn Bridge Park reopened to the public Saturday morning, after floodwaters impacted several areas of the park, including play surfaces in the Swing Valley playground at Pier 6 and the playgrounds at Main Street and Pier 1. Electrical and irrigation equipment were also affected by flooding, as were lawns and horticulture.

Here’s the official update from BBP: All pathways will be open from dawn to dusk, including the Main Street dog run, Tobacco Warehouse and Picnic Grove at Empire Fulton Ferry, East River Ferry at Pier 1 and Sandbox Village, Slide Mountain and the dog run at Pier 6.

The following areas of the park will be closed until further notice: Main Street playground, Jane’s Carousel at Empire Fulton Ferry, Pier 1 playground, Sand Volleyball Courts at Pier 6 and Swing Valley at Pier 6. All lawns will be closed temporarily as damage from the storm is repaired. Check back with the Park’s Facebook page for updates. (Photo: Claude Scales)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51215

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51080

Grocery stores in Brooklyn Heights were restocking perishable items as of Friday morning, as trucks began making their way back to the neighborhood at 7 a.m. Key Food management at 102 Montague Street told BHB early this morning that fresh fruits, milk, bread and meat are returning to the shelves, with night crews working overtime to stock. The biggest challenge, he said, remains trucks being able to find gas to deliver groceries to the neighborhood. For the time being, the store’s hours remain 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Atlantic Avenue’s Key Food was also fairly well stocked Thursday night, although those same perishable items remained AWOL. Ditto for Trader Joe’s, where the lines were—for once—almost non-existent. A stop by Garden of Eden at 180 Montague Friday morning reveals a similar situation. We haven’t made it to Gristedes yet. (CT)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51018

Brooklyn Bridge Park is closed until further notice. The Brooklyn Historical Society will be closed through Tuesday, November 6. Fortunately, Bargemusic didn’t sustain any serious damage, but repairs to an outside sprinkler pipe will keep it closed through this weekend. However, Brooklyn Heights Cinema, 70 Henry Street (corner of Orange), which remained open through Sandy’s ravages thanks to the dedication of owner Kenn Lowy, will have its normal schedule of shows. Looking ahead to this coming Wednesday, November 7, the Cinema will present songs and a reading by Steve Witt from his new novel, The Street Singer. And there’s more…

The Troupers of St. Francis College will present three performances (Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday at 2:00 p.m.) of Yasmina Reza’s award winning play God of Carnage, about inter-domestic strife in Cobble Hill (image, taken from the Broadway production, from The New York Times. The performances will be at the College’s auditorium, 180 Remsen Street.

If you want to to help people who were affected badly by Sandy, our neighbors in Red Hook are taking donations of food and other essentials at 767 Hicks Street; for more information see here. Brooklyn Bridge Park may need additional cleanup help; watch the Park’s Facebook page for announcements. The Red Cross has other volunteer opportunities.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50980

The MTA and New York City Department of Transportation have established three routes for bus bridge service and bus priority lanes from three Brooklyn locations to Midtown Manhattan. Starting at 6 a.m., and operating 24 hours a day until further notice, shuttle buses will travel to and from subway stations at Atlantic Avenue, Jay Street and Hewes Street.

The Atlantic Avenue and Jay Street routes will operate via a new, two-way bus lane across the Manhattan Bridge and into Manhattan via bus-priority lanes on Bowery and 3rd Avenue, making stops at major cross streets up to 55th Street in the inbound direction, and via bus-priority lanes on Lexington Avenue, 23rd Street, and 3rd Avenue and Bowery in the outbound direction.

The shuttle bus from Hewes Street will operate over the Williamsburg Bridge and Delancey Street, then via Bowery and 3rd Avenue up to 55th Street before returning downtown via Lexington Avenue, 23rd Street, 3rd Avenue and Bowery.

Thursday’s limited service at the Barclays Center location was apparently a grand fiasco, according to Gothamist, as seen in the pic above and below. Read more here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50978

As we know at this point, residents of Brooklyn Heights were fortunate as Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc over many other regions of the borough. If you’d like to help out those in neighborhoods that suffered great impact, info is below:

Shelter at Brooklyn Tech (entrance on South Elliott off DeKalb): To volunteer, please sign up on a daily basis. Meal times and overnight hours are most needed. Those housed there need the basics: toiletries, batteries, flashlights, papers towels, toilet paper and regular bath towels of any size. The shelter at John Jay High School needs socks and underwear.

Donations are being collected for Occupy Sandy Relief NYC for distribution to storm victims throughout NYC. See Facebook page here.

Several DUMBO retailers have suffered devastating damage, including Governor, One Girl Cookies, Aegir Board Work, PowerHouse, Galapagos Art Space, Almondine, SmackMellon, 66 Water Street Restaurant, The River Cafe and Punto Bianco. A number of residential buildings also had significant flooding and other complications from the storm, including 30 Main, 66 Water, 1 Main, 25 Washington. Many will have to rebuild substantial parts of their lobbies, basements, utilities and storage areas.

Some office buildings in DUMBO are open with full power, some with partial power and others, like 10 and 20 Jay remain closed. 10 Jay is dry but without power. 20 Jay’s the garage was flooded and is being cleaned up. Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Carousel took on a lot of water, as you saw in previous reports. To donate time or supplies, see Rebuilding DUMBO website here. Additional details on the recovery in DUMBO can be found at Rebuilding.DUMBO.is. Email Sandy@dumbonyc.org.

The DUMBO Improvement District is in the process of locating spaces for companies in Brooklyn and Manhattan that are currently displaced. Contact DUMBO Startup Lab at contact@dumbostartuplab.com; and Small Planet at info@smallplanet.com.

Borough President Marty Markowitz is offering space to displaced businesses at Borough Hall (seats, power and WiFi) for the next two weeks. To book, email cgreer@brooklynbp.nyc.gov. Please tweet @DUMBOBID if you have space available with #sandycoworking. (Photo: doorsixteen/Instagram)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50966

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50958

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50747

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50747

Gothamist has posted five time-lapse videos showing the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the city, including the one below taken in Brooklyn Heights as Lower Manhattan goes dark within seconds at the :08 mark. Prepare to feel your insides tighten up a bit while watching. All videos are here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50924

The Montague Street Business Improvement District filed a Wednesday evening update for businesses and local residents in the wake of all things storm-related. Highlights follow:
* Sanitation Collection: “Although not formally confirmed, it is expected garbage collections will resume either tonight or tomorrow morning along Montague Street. Recycling collections are suspended until further notice.”
* Aside from a few damaged parking and storefront signs and greater than average garbage and debris on the sidewalks, Montague Street suffered little damage from Hurricane Sandy.
* BID’s sanitation clean team began bagging trash and sweeping up leaves and other debris Wednesday. Services will continue throughout the week.
* No BID street furniture (including banners, hanging baskets and trash receptacles) was damaged.
* For retailers that suffered interruptions because of the storm, NYC’s Department of Small Business Services & the Economic Development Corp. are coordinating emergency loans and other services. Relevant info is here.
* For any business displaced, short-term “swing” office space is available at Brooklyn Army Terminal. Info here. (Photo: CT)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50882