Folks have been asking when the community gets a chance to weigh in on the proposed big apartment building on Lincoln Road (with another entrance on Flatbush due to its peculiar L shape). When I posted about this in early October, there seemed to be some concern about the "affordable housing" aspect of the project (see comments). I think this would be an excellent opportunity to let the powers that be know what you think, after listening to developer Tom Anderson first of course. Also on the agenda, a resident of one of the beautiful townhouses on Ocean (193 Ocean to be exact) seems to have done alterations without Landmarks permits and wants a chance to explain why. To anyone living in a historic district, this will be a familiar issue. Seems like lots of times neighbors are the ones to turn folks in. So East German! Don't know what Kevin Coles did (a pool in the backyard overlooking the train tracks?) but I guess we'll hear all about it. See you on Tuesday!
13 comments:
RE: 193 Ocean, the DOB website list a complaint:
"CALLER STS A DRIVEWAY WAS CUT AT ABOVE LOCATION TO CREATE AN AREA FOR VEHICLES TO DRIVE UP ONTO THE PROPERTY"
IF that's the LPC violation, it's a pretty big no no!
And no, I'm not the person who dropped a dime on the owner, but I probably would have done so if I lived on that block.
Huge no-no. And this was Charles Ebbets's house - he bought it from the developer in 1910. And it's not only a landmarks violation - if there's no approved curb cut, they're no supposed to be driving over the curb at all (although I see it around here all the time, just no in the landmarked areas.
*not and not - between the autocorrect & the Captcha I am having a very hard time commenting!
And actually that's only a complaint - no violation has yet been issued it looks like. However, there is an existing LPC violation from 2011, but the DoB BIS doesn't say what for. Considering the Crown Heights South community's resistance to land marking (unlike CHN, which will soon have 3 HDs) I'd recommend any landmarks supporters to turn up and speak here - think the LPC will need all the help it can get.
Oh and PS both of these items were already taken up at the ULURP Committee's meeting in October, although the minutes have not been posted. I would love to know what was said there.
FWIW people from Crown heights South were quite supportive of the effort to landmark the Ocean on the Park row during my brief time as a CB 9 member, as long as I made it clear that I had no interest in landmarking any part of their neighborhood.
Exactly - hands off our nabe and our FAR specialist architect, who just happens to head the ULURP committe on CB9!
But CB 9 is NOT one neighborhood. Personally I don't much care what happens north of Empire Blvd. as long as our concerns here in PLG are met. Of course we DO sometimes seem like an afterthought to "our" Community Planning Board.
It's a bit hilarious that someone thinks they can get away with an illegal curb cut these days, especially in a historic district - crack downs on them been all over the news! I am excited for a recap of his defense LOL.
I hope that the building on Lincoln receives approval easily. Our neighborhood needs the development, and given that it will be an HPD building, it will be a great addition to PLG.
I have obtained some inside information on the alleged curb-cutter, or rather curb-cut user and landmark property defacer, and it's a whopper of a tale. Should be a rousing discussion.
And to Mr. Marvin I would respectfully submit that the definitions of neighborhood are, like time itself, relative. If I lived on Montgomery, for instance, walked to the Prospect Park Q/B, lunched at De Hot Pot, took my kids to PS 375, washed my clothes at the massive laundry on the north side of Empire, took night classes at Medgar Evers, and attended synagogue on the south side of Eastern Parkway, I'd not only be a well-rounded individual but also have a broader sense of my "neighborhood" than you employ. Those of us who live on the edge of arbitrarily defined neighborhoods like PLG, and who live along the boundaries of various political and police districts, are less inclined to identify with strict adherence to metaphorical geographical fences. In other words, we live in Flatbush, or in deference to our north-of-the-Empire brethren, Crownbush.
I still vote for the all-inclusive Pigtown.
In general I agree with you Tim, but the northern boundary of PLG seems far more definite to me than our neighborhood's boundaries to the south and east. YRMV.
I'd have to agree with Bob on that one - Empire Boulevard is a major dividing line, and in terms of the "well-rounded" person you discuss, considering that all but the subway and Da Hot Pot are firmly in Crown Heights, I'd say he's more entrenched than most of us in his own neighborhood - I'm in Park Slope, Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, etc., several times a week each, and know them all very well, but don't consider them part of my neighborhood, even if my destination is only a short walk away.
And I walked by for a look at 193 Ocean - thankfully it doesn't look irreparable, and it needs to be corrected - a major significant feature of these homes, mentioned specifically in the decision to landmark them, is the 150' lots on which they were built, allowing for front gardens and porticos - not Lexus parking.
Excuse my architectural slip-up there - those aren't porticoes, which have roofs, but "terraces with balustrades or parapets," according to the LPC designation report.
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