Broken clouds, 78.8 °F
Submitted by Homer Fink on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 1:45pm
The Future of Fourth Avenue
By: Will Yakowicz
What’s in store for Fourth Avenue’s future?
A tough, but good, question. Now, nearly 20 new high-rise residential towers dot the six-lane thoroughfare notorious for low-rise auto repair shops. With new residents and new buildings (and a NBA stadium looming down the street in the future), a new neighborhood is under way and the Park Slope Civic Council will address the avenue’s changes in its upcoming annual meeting.
“The goal is to make holistic changes with balanced social and economic growth,” said
Craig Hammerman, district manager of Community Board 6, who will be a speaker at the public forum on Thursday, March 4, 7:00 P.M at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street.
Hammerman said that since the 2003 rezoning of Park Slope, which allowed the construction of 12-story buildings along 30 blocks of Fourth Avenue, new buildings have drawn new residents and with new residents the community will need new restaurants, stores, and services.
“I think the excitement is what this opportunity creates for us. The avenue has been here for the whole time, and now the attention is here and the potential is endless,” said Hammerman.
Hammerman is not the only one excited for the gritty avenue’s facelift. Earlier this month, Borough President Marty Markowitz, spoke about the avenue’s endless potential during his State of the Borough Address.
“I have long imagined this bleak stretch of road transformed into something reminiscent of the beautiful, tree-lined portion of Park Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side… reaching from Atlantic Avenue to the Atlantic Ocean and worthy of the name ‘Brooklyn Boulevard,’” Markowitz said.
It may be long before the Avenue can be donned a Boulevard, but Markowitz revealed that help is on its way with the partnership of a team of New York University urban planning graduate students who will submit designs this April for a greener, safer, and pedestrian-friendly revitalization.
But grad students do not have all the ideas for revitalizing. The Park Slope Civic Council has supported projects to create a better community on Fourth Avenue for years. Last year, with help from Assembly Woman Joan Millman, the PSCC pushed the Department of Transportation to transform the northbound left turn lane on Fourth Avenue to Union Street into a pedestrian refuge for crossing the intersection.
The PSCC will also address its proposals at the public forum for a public garden and create access to the City’s water tunnel in the vacant lot at Fourth Avenue and Sackett Street, fund tree planting along the thoroughfare, reopen the F train subway entrance on the east side of Fourth Avenue between Ninth and Tenth streets, and reopen retail spaces adjacent to the subway station.
“I’m not quite sure what the vision is, but Fourth Avenue is changing and becoming more residential. We need to agree to keep the businesses that employ local residents,” said Michael Cairl, chairman of the livable streets committee of PSCC. “Fourth Avenue is a blank slate at the moment and people have different ideas and opinions, this is what the forum is all about.”
Submitted by Homer Fink on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 3:15pm
Snap Out of It! Brooklyn Deserves Its Own Major League Baseball Franchise
Rays' Evan Longoria already lookin' Brooklyn to us!
Josh Alper writes today at NBC New York that the Tampa Bay Rays may be looking for a new home in the Northeast. Right now, the team is having problems drawing flies on regular basis much less actual human fans. That's despite the fact that the team ain't so bad according to pundit Peter Gammons.
Alper cites Gammons assertion that some MLB suits are contemplating New Jersey or Southern Connecticut as possible new stomping grounds for the Rays.
Brooklyn may be too much of a hot spot Alper believes due to the Atlantic Yards quagmire. However, we say in the words of Cher in Moonstruck -- SNAP OUT OF IT!
Sure the Mets will complain and try to block. Naturally the Yankees will try to block it as well. But ladies and gentlemen don't tell us that you don't get a little misty when the possibility of BROOKLYN facing the Yankees or Mets in the World Series.
The team? The time? We say the Rays move to Brooklyn, change their name to something far less lame and start kicking ass and taking names. Are you with us?
Here's some 1955 World Series highlights to get your BROOKLYN blood pumpin':
Submitted by Homer Fink on Sat, 01/16/2010 - 5:34pm
This Week in Brooklyn 1/16/10
Brooklyn In Flight from adele pham on Vimeo.
Here are some headlines from this week Around Brooklyn:
Jewels of the Rooftop [NY Times The Local]
Waterfront Restaurant Being Pondered for Pier 6 [Boccoaland]
Construction on Barclay's Arena Commences [No Land Grab]
At Tomo Japanese Simple is Best [Bushwick BK]
Garbage Piles Up Living in the Old Old Section [Gerritsen Beach.ne
Submitted by Homer Fink on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 10:22pm
Joe Rollino, Brooklyn's 104 Year Old Strongman, Dies
Joe Rollino could bend coins with his teeth and lift over 600 pounds with one finger. He was known by many names including "The World's Strongest Man". He rubbed shoulders with Greta Garbo and Houdini.
He walked five miles every day eventhough he was 104 years old. It was on one of those walks Monday that his long and fascinating life came to an end when an SUV struck and killed him as he crossed a street near his home.
New York Times writers Manny Fernandez and Michael S. Schmidt have written an obituary of Rollino that all Brooklynites - past and present - should read. Mr. Rollino personified the spunk, determination and stamina all of us aspire to have.
Submitted by Homer Fink on Tue, 01/05/2010 - 7:12pm
Atlantic Terminal Opens
The new Atlantic Terminal, one of the major cogs in the Atlantic Yards project, opened today.
NY1: After six years of construction, the Long Island Rail Road's new Atlantic Terminal Pavilion opened in Brooklyn Tuesday.
The three-story limestone, granite and glass structure at Flatbush Avenue and Hanson Place, which cost $108 million to build, features new amenities, including a customer waiting area, ticket offices and restrooms.
The existing transit hub connects the LIRR to five bus lines and 10 subway lines – the B, D, M, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains. About 57,000 commuters come through the station daily.
Photo: by Kathryn Kirk via Brooklyn Borough President's Office In photo, cutting ribbon (left to right): BP Markowitz; MTA Chairman Jay Walder; Council Member Letitia James; LIRR President Helena Williams; and former interim LIRR president Raymond Kenny
Submitted by Homer Fink on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 8:46pm
This Week in Brooklyn 1/2/10
Some interesting links from this week in Brooklyn:
Is Gowanus Spongeworthy? [The Boerum Hill Blog]
George Will: A Blight Grows in Brooklyn [No Land Grab]
Vox Rises Again [Ditmas Park Blog]
Local Gal Joins Food Network Ranks [Your Nabe]
Finally Made it to Cafe Mei Mei [Bococaland]
Submitted by Homer Fink on Mon, 12/28/2009 - 1:10pm
Fish 'n' Chip Paper 12/28/09
Here are some of last week's headlines from the Brooklyn Bugle, Cobble Hill Blog and Brooklyn Heights Blog in case you missed 'em:
Larry Weiss Named Head of School at Brooklyn Friends
Park Progress: Thirty Fifth Report: Winter Wonderland
Basketball Diaries: If Nets are Inevitable, Relax and Enjoy It
Submitted by Homer Fink on Mon, 12/28/2009 - 1:03pm
This Week in Brooklyn 12/28/09
Here are some recent highlights from Around Brooklyn:
Maggie Gyllenhaal Says Park Slope is Sesame Street... [Brokelyn]
A Walk Around the Arena Block Footprint... [No Land Grab]
Another Freddy's Media Event [Atlantic Yards Report]
Please Gawd Let It Be True, A Rapper Named Park Slope [FIPS]
Sheepshead Bay Starbucks Opening Delayed [Sheepshead Bites]
Submitted by Homer Fink on Sun, 12/27/2009 - 6:44pm
Basketball Diaries: If Nets Move is Inevitable, Relax and Enjoy It
It's looking like the Barclay Center and the Nets will be a reality "in our lifetime".
If you were the Nets GM, what moves would you make, what players would you pray to have in your starting 5 when the arena opens for businesses? Yes, we can only pray that a player like the legendary Dr. J is on the hardwood that night.
Comment away!
Submitted by Homer Fink on Sun, 12/20/2009 - 11:39pm
Freddy's Not Dead, Angry Santa Rattles Chain
As promised, Freddy's, which is basically the ground zero for the proposed Atlantic Yards project, added a chain to its bar this afternoon. The owners say patrons will use it to tether themselves to the bar in the event the beloved watering hole falls victim to an Eminent Domain ruling to clear way for the controversial development project. On hand at the "ceremony" was Angry Santa. [via Around Brooklyn via No Land Grab]