the Q at Parkside: Last Notice: BIG ULURP Meeting Tomorrow Night at Botanic Garden

The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Were the name of the 'hood Prospect-Lefferts Garden (singular), tomorrow's meeting at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Washington Ave entrance - 7PM) would have special relevance for an issue very much in the minds of many Leffertsonians. Though I guess it's true there are a number of sub-gardens in the Garden. Maybe that's what they meant! Bob?

O.K., time to stop dicking around. As the last post should make clear, the neighborhood has been sleeping for years and it's time to wake up and take what little control of our destiny the City's Charter allows. Each Community District is allowed a say in the Universal Land Use Review Process (ULURP), and rather than let developers usurp our ULURP, it's worth coming out and expressing your opinions on the matter of zoning. While most folks don't care too whits about whether R6 or R6b is appropriate for, say, YOUR block, come on out and say what you like or don't like about buildings in the area in plain English. It's not that hard for the folks at City Planning to translate, since they're bilingual English/Zonish.

Even though I express myself forcefully sometimes, I don't want to tell you what to think, truly I've been trying to take the pulse of the neighborhood myself. But I do hope you WILL think. Because in five years you'll barely recognize this neighborhood, and it will be too late to have our itty bitty say along the way.

See you tomorrow night!