More Plaza Pics

Sisyphus just dropped off some of his luggage, and boy are his arms tired!

Here's a Big One

From left: 845 Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush and Harbor Group’s Jordan Slone

From The Real Deal comes news of a major purchase down the Flabenue a piece. This will be 30,000 s/f, a nice chunk for a developer who digs big projects. I suspect you don't pluck down $22 million to leave it as is. Unless Slone really loves working out at Blink Fitness, and this is his way of getting a V.I.P. membership. Or V.I.M. membership if you will. Look for lots of the deals along Flatbush. There are tons of taxpayer buildings to turn into apartments. Some of the old buildings would be nice to retain, but many of them, sadly, are already condemned and unlikely to be salvaged.

Cynical Circulars Send Sinister Signals

The special election for Assembly is but a week away, and rather than focusing on the issues most pressing in our district, we get stuff like the below:

It's true that Geoffrey Davis has a bit of a troubled past, with an order of protection from some eight years ago against Renee Collymore, a former district leader who is now (coincidentally?) the treasurer of his opponent Shirley  Patterson's campaign. Fair enough, that's all for anyone to see online, and might be enough to disqualify him for office in the view of many. But for the Independence Party to spend a bunch of dough to send this big creepy card is a bit over the top. Granted politics is rarely pretty. But then the flyer goes on to note that Geoffrey Davis has been accused again "less than two weeks ago" without any details. That's weird. Accused by whom? In a court of law? Is this information public? And who's the woman in the picture? It doesn't take an Alfred E. Newman to figure out that this is a way to siphon off votes from the Davis camp for Patterson, though I don't know why the I.P. would assume the votes wouldn't just as easily go to Richardson. The Independence Party, btw, is Patterson's party du jour, since the King County Democrats didn't fill the ticket on time, another outcome with a mysterious backstory.

And guess what? Guillermo Philpotts, who was shunned at the altar, is BACK, claiming he was hoodwinked out of his rightful spot atop the ticket. This report from NY1 basically says the Dems conspired to keep his name off the ballot, and that it wasn't a "mistake" at all that led to his missing a deadline. Why on earth Mr. Philpotts would wait til this late date to make mention of it is anyone's guess. Maybe Mrs. Philpotts knows, but I don't get it.

Listen, I've got nothing against Shirley Patterson. I hardly know anything about her. And she seemed thoughtful enough, though a little out of her comfort zone on Monday at the "forum" at Grace Church on Bedford. She could have used some pep, and didn't seem at all interested in responding with zeal to the accusations that she took "tainted" developer money that some say makes her biased in favor of those greedy high-riser types. But then I get the below flyer, also from her campaign, and I really have to say it's pretty pandery. Yes, we all believe that killing of unarmed black men is horrendous. But how is this Shirley Patterson's issue to resolve? I mean, Assembly members don't have any say over the NYPD, do they? It seems like this is a way to grab a few more votes from unsavvy voters. One could safely imagine that both Richardson and Davis would take a similarly dim view of profiling and the outsized use of force by cops. Shock tactics like these don't show good judgment, in my view. Then there's the quote from the awesome Shirley Chisholm - "you make progress by implementing ideas." Which begs the question: what are the ideas to be implemented by this campaign? Or any other campaign, for that matter.

Honey, Your Plaza's Ready

photo Duane J. - Gettin' Close!

Watch For Yourself - Diana & Shirley

Barnabas continues to amaze with his footage of hyper-local stuff. Here's his video coverage of last night's discussion:

The Plaza Is Here!

Some of you maybe noticed a bit of, how shall we say, stuffage happening at the Q at Parkside plaza? Don't forget...this weekend the festivities make it official!

Empire Study

Saw Alicia et al at the forum for candidates to replace Karim Camara for the 43rd Assembly seat. She and her gaggle had the usual disrespectful antagonistic questments (my word for questions really meant to be comments, of which there were a few), but dang if Diana Richardson couldn't keep her in her place. Why weren't YOU in charge of the mic all year, DR? Anyhow, she's safely got my vote, and given that she was the only candidate to show up she's probably got all of Lefferts in her pocket as...wait a second, is that Shirley Patterson? As I live and breathe it's an hour late but there she is! Recap: Instead of a forum, it was a bit more like a job interview - each candidate separately. I suggest that the Director of Human Resources, Rachel Holliday Smith, go with the vibrant candidate with the tiger-shark attitude. Folks, DR ain't taking no prisoners. And she's hilarious and whipsmart. But back to my point...

I could go off on how the below flyer is perhaps one of the best examples of how NOT to do graphic design. But, and this is a big butt, there's absolutely no reason not to support such a meeting. Now that I've backed down from the fight, I don't really have much reason not to want to see people meeting and sharing stories about the Ottoman, Roman, and British Empires, as well as (undoubtedly) the Quing Dynasty, the San Antonio Spurs and the Umayyad Caliphate, among many other Empires to be studied by the aptly named Empire Study group. Though I'm not sure Tom Angotti has any expertise in history. No matter; a good bottle of Muscatel and the gift of gab never hurt no one, no matter the topic.

Perhaps my favorite bit on the sign is the list of "Invited Honary Guests," which, since for the moment I'm still technically on CB9, includes me, though I am not nor have I ever been "Honary." At least not in public. Other honary guests include longtime bosom buddies of Ms. Boyd's Eric Adams, Councilman Eugene Mathieu (sic), Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo, and you might as well throw in Fritz the Cat and Huck Finn because there's not a chance in hell that any of them will show.

I jest, but what the heck this is a fine project and I hope they make great progress. I'll probably pop in with a fresh batch of my famous lemon drop cookies. Tootles!

Who's That Girl?

Maybe one of you can hip me to the meaning of this:

I must be really unwith it, cuz I can't tell what the heck this is trying to tell me, or sell me. Little help? (Hint: It's on the Parkside side of the Duane Reade).

The Q's Moving On

I have a rock solid belief that working with the Department of City Planning is in the longterm interest of the neighborhood, and the best chance to build affordable housing and to get the City to examine way-outdated zoning that's only creating havoc. Plus, look at infrastructure, height limits - City Planning is even empowered in this new administration to make serious recommendations to other agencies like the DoE and DEP, and with Council and Mayoral approval anything is possible. But...but...but...let's get real, shall we?

This neighborhood has riots for frigs sake in its somewhat recent past. Just under the surface are lingering resentments that have only grown more intense in the last few years. Tensions between orthodox Jews and African-Americans are revealing themselves once again, and now you can throw in a lot of anti-gentrification (anti-white) sentiment as well. The new colonialism is a very real reality for many proud longtime Central Brooklynites, and it's become clear to me that any new move towards change with a capital "C" is going to be perceived as an assault on the locals It may be, and I can't believe I'm saying it, time to let things play out as they may, and not make serious policy choices that will only exacerbate the conspiracy-peddling and fear-mongering. Maybe, since the neighborhood is already being remade at lighting speed, it's time to let the loudest voices win the day. Because they have no plans of toning it down, and will lay the blame for any unwanted changes at the feet of their perceived enemies.

To be clear, I don't think Alicia and her minions should be tolerated, appeased or even listened to. That's not my concern here. My point is that this battle has implications for the relationships that bind a neighborhood together. The good will of neighbor to neighbor is more important, I think, than any particular land use issue. It's probably too late to affect the current development insanity. I think our chance passed, for now. And I don't think that any "victory" for the moment will be anything more than short-lived. Just imagine meeting after meeting after meeting during the planning process, constantly disrupted, with the nasty rhetoric only intensifying as changes become closer to ratification.

When you're in a battle with a rational opponent, you can expect them to concede defeat when presented with a vote against their position. I did my best to articulate a position of working with the current administration and Council and BP to reach modest housing goals. I wish I could say that a simple majority of Community Board members would be enough to set that process in motion. What I'm saying is that it might be in the longterm interest of peace to respond to any zoning change requests on the other end, either accepting or denying the ULURP applications should they come from, say, developers or elected officials or even DCP itself. I would still like to vote on the currently proposed letter to initiate a study, because I have no idea how much support there is and I would like to know. I've been agitating for a vote for nearly a year. I only know what, maybe, a dozen people think.

But sometimes the "adults" have to take one for the team. I believe this is one of those times.

The below is a statement that I hope to read at the CB9 meeting on Tuesday. I've already asked temporary chair Laura Imperiale for the floor to do so. I wrote it as if it's from the Board not because the Board approved it, but to give the Board a sense of what it has the right to do - issue statements and vote on anything it wants. In all the rush to judge, people seemed to have forgotten that not everything needs to come from a committee. The Board can do work on the floor of its monthly meetings AS WELL as in committee. I'm still not sure where that fallacy about process began, but I hope we can start to follow precedent rather than create unnecessary restrictions to getting work done, so long as the community is given a chance to weigh in before the vote of course. Here goes, again, meant as a draft:

In March of 2014, Community Board 9 requested a Planning Study of the Department of City Planning. We began meeting with the Brooklyn DCP office, and seemed to be heading in a positive direction, wherein various neighborhood groups would have a seat at the table as we outlined the parameters for such a study. There was plenty of precedent for such a collaborative approach to strategic planning of a NYC neighborhood - not the "top down" rezonings that have led to complete transformations of neighborhoods. We felt that the outdated Zoning Map of 1961 did not adequately address the needs of modern Crown Heights, Lefferts Gardens and Wingate. We were seeing unwanted construction, greedy displacement of longtime tenants, and the developers were swarming. It seemed to many of us high time we took constructive steps to mitigate the negative affects of such a feeding frenzy, and encourage smart growth and mandate affordable housing set-asides in all new construction.

Soon after, the Borough President approved the replacement of an unprecedented 18 members, and the election in June of 2014 brought new blood to the Executive Committee, including a new chair. It also meant that there was a great deal of inexperience on the Board. Such a scenario was an opportunity for growth and rebirth, but it came with risks. The Planning Resolution that past March meant that Board needed a strong voice and solid infrastructure to perform its duty over the coming months or years. In some ways, it was a perfect storm. Because at the first fall meeting of 2014, a group of activist community members brought the full brunt of its anger to bear. In haste, and without a meeting of the relevant committee to discuss and inform, the Board rescinded its own motion from the previous term. The process with City Planning ground to a halt. This was considered a major victory by the anti-zoning activists. And it started a spiral of chaos from which we have yet to emerge.

In hindsight, it's clear that the Board was not up to the task of dealing with a serious attempt to thwart its authority to conduct meetings, and to observe the rules of democracy and rules of order. The activist group, though admittedly small, was able to disrupt every Board meeting and relevant committee meeting for the rest of the 2014-15 Board calendar. And while no one on the Board saw it coming, we believe it should not have caved to outside pressure so easily. A lack of meaningful precedent and guidelines, coupled with inexperienced leadership, doomed the best efforts of the Board to conduct civil discourse.

And so after many failed attempts to restate the intentions of the Board as it engages with City Planning, we find ourselves fighting lawsuits, personal attacks, and deeply troubling accusations of impropriety and misconduct. The Board, made up entirely of volunteers who wish to serve the community in which they live and work, have been made to feel attacked at every juncture. It has been humbling and it has been extremely aggravating. But it has also brought out a certain animosity between individuals and groups, as angry residents continue to pummel members of the Board and each other with vitriol, even stooping to baiting various groups within our diverse community, seeking, it would seem, to provoke confrontation and tear us apart.

We are better than this, both as a Board, and as a wider community. We've let individuals and specific opinions gain outsized influence. We have seen many resignations come as a result of the chaos and animosity. And so, we've come to the following conclusion.

In this environment of hostility and mean-spiritedness, we believe it is in the best interest of all for CB9 to step back from this debate and focus on our internal workings, by-laws and structure. Development is taking place all around us at a breakneck speed. But we risk doing great harm to our sense of dignity and civility if we begin to strategically plan under unhealthy conditions. Over the next few months, we will strengthen the Board, hold new elections, and develop deeper committee commitments to all the issues that must be addressed by an effective Community Board.

To some this will seem like a capitulation. To us, it is necessary to take one step back to take two steps forward. Many of us individually would have wished for a different outcome, but we realize that maturity means admitting one's shortcomings, even when the urge might be to win a fight. Had the Board moved ahead with this effort at this time, the victory would have been short-lived. The anger and resentment has presented itself, and we are living through trying times, in the borough and in the nation. We want to be remembered for having helped the neighborhood survive its growing pains. We want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

With an overwhelming commitment to the neighborhoods we serve,

CB9

RSVP For Sunday's Big Beautification Day

From the indefatigable Amy Musick comes an event that you simply MUST attend. But it helps to RSVP to Amy directly. See the below note about Volunteering to beautify the Lincoln Road entrance to the Park. Note from Amy below:

Hi Neighbors -

Do you love Prospect Park?  Do you enter and exit the park at Lincoln Road?  Do you spend hours at Lincoln or Imagination Playground?  Do you live or work in PLG?  If you have answered yes to any of these questions, PLEASE COME SUNDAY, APRIL 26th at 10am to help us spruce up the Lincoln Road entrance to Prospect Park and surrounding areas!

I have worked the Prospect Park Volunteer Corps (http://www.prospectpark.org/get-involved/volunteer/) to set up this special event, and I guaranteed AT LEAST 15 ADULT (age 18+) VOLUNTEERS - but honestly, I think together we can far surpass that number if our neighborhood can come out in full-force to show how much we care about our park and our streets!  If you can make this event please E-MAIL ME DIRECTLY at alvmusick@gmail.com so I can get a preliminary headcount and register you for the event.  Kids are welcome, but must be with an adult who will be with them at all times (come on parents - all those hours we spend at the playgrounds - let's make them even more welcoming and show our kids how to help beautify our neighborhood).  Maybe you can even get a group together from your block, school or business and volunteer together?  That would be awesome.

Below are more details about the event provided to me by the Volunteer Corps.

Date and Time:Sunday, April 26^th 2015—10am-1pm

Timeline: 10am- Volunteers Arrive and sign-in10:15am- Project Begins12:45pm- Wrap-up Project and Pack up Tools1:00pm- Volunteers Depart

Meeting Place:Lincoln Road & Ocean Ave- Lincoln Road Entrance

Keep in Mind:1.  Wear clothes that you do not mind getting dirty2.  Wear long pants, not shorts3.  Do not wear open-toed shoes or sandals4.  Do not bring a lot of baggage- there won’t be anywhere to lock it up5.  All necessary tools and materials will be provided6.  RAIN OR SHINE

LET'S DO THIS!

Monday's Crime Meeting Makes Gothamist

For those who'd like an outsider's wrap-up of Monday night's neighborhood meeting on crime and solutions, set up by Rebecca and yours truly for the Clarkson Avenue Block Association, read on:

Gothamist on Meeting

Look, Eric Adams, as an ex-cop and someone who lived through the worst of the Crack Years (I give it capitals now), the guy has an inspirational message about dealing with quality of life issues. Which essentially boils down to, get off your ass and organize. Hold Brooklyn South, the D.A., the elected officials and the various precincts feet to the fire. Identify problem spots and buildings and even apartments. Keep at it, hounding if necessary. Show up at Precinct Council meetings. I couldn't agree more. We need your help. Sign up by sending me an email, and we'll alert you to meetings, strategies etc. I know I say this every time we meet, like once a year it seems when a string of incidents inspires people, but we need to meet quarterly and continue the collaboration between residents living in the 70th, 67th and 71st. That was perhaps the nicest thing to come out of the meeting - a willingness to tackle the problems holistically.

We Need Bold Leadership - Come Hear the Candidates Apr 27

The Q endorses...the debate! Okay, it's a "forum," but this is a special election on May 5th, when turnout tends to be light, light, light. And your vote will count triple. Let's make a solid choice, because whomever it is, you'll see a lot more of them over the years.

Race For Student Council President Marred By Hijinx

In a bizarre turn of events, much-endorsed candidate for your 43rd NY State Assembly seat Diana Richardson, made this statement this afternoon:

"Several shop owners started calling me around 4pm today.

A man who identified himself as working for Diana Richardson's campaign was storming into businesses and ripping the posters out of the window.

I was given a description of the man and was told he was going north on Nostrand Avenue with a black  garbage bag full of my posters. I grabbed a friend and headed in that direction. After walking several blocks, I caught up the person described. The video is bad but the audio is clear.

The man states that he is "heading back to the campaign office on Montgomery & Nostrand" "they told me to rip it down...so they can put up new ones......I don't know...I'm doing what they paid me to do"

Whose campaign is on Nostrand & Montgomery? Shirley Patterson.  (Address 418 Montgomery Street). See attached pictures

Attached is a copy of the video.  I  will send a picture of her campaign office on Montgomery as well."

If this is true, and I don't know Diana to be a liar, nor would she gain anything by making it up (it is just flyers after all), well, 'nuff said. Ms. Patterson's campaign has also been dogged by concerns about her relationship with developers, in particular Glenwood Management's infamous Leonard Litwin, utilizing a loophole to take more than the legal limit from a single donor.

News at 11.

A New Low

The Q's heart is heavy today. It's time for soul-searching I guess. As much as I'm certain the neighborhood needs a long-overdue opportunity to strategically plan for the future, I don't have the stomach for the latest batch of invective. I'll let you read the latest outburst to MTOPP's list; sometimes it's just best to let Ms. Boyd say it in her own words. This one put me in a reflective state, particularly since it's readily clear she ain't going anywhere, and the rhetoric is only becoming more incendiary. Imagine if we DID pass the motion to start the planning process? What then? One can only imagine that every meeting, every proposal, every aspect of the study will have to contend with this behavior.

She continues to make what should be a conversation about how to build and protect affordable housing and limit the negative effects of a wildfire of new development into a heated fight over race, gender, class, wealth and even religion. Following on the heels of painting herself as a Gentrification Freedom Fighter (GFF), now there's this diatribe, clearly meant to elicit more anger at everyone on the other side of her argument. Given the number of people of color, religious Jews and yes even respectful white men (and women) involved in the process, this stuff is so unnecessarily incendiary. The suggestion is...oh just read it. You'll see where she's going, and why I'm nearly certain it will be impossible to hold frank and fruitful discussions.

Black Women:  BE SEEN but NOT HEARD!

At the Police Precinct meeting with the community,

 on April 16, 2015, a Black woman stood up

and described an incident that occurred

At the last CB9 ULURP meeting,

where there were [White] board members

calling [Black] women residents “Cunts” and “Fuck You”.

In response Stuart Balberg, [White male],

Precinct Board member

stood up and admonished this woman,

because he felt that stating the curse words

or even describing them with an abbreviated letter

 such as the “F”, was offensive

and goes against the bible.

Now he wasn’t upset about this incident;

that women were being verbally abused by

CB9 board members

 just the reporting of it!

How dare he admonish this woman for describing

abusive behavior being done

towards the black women in this community! 

That is why there is the Precinct meeting

with the community so that we can voice our concerns

and let the Police know what is transpiring. 

But this isn’t the first time Black women in public

have been admonished for speaking their mind,

stating facts or even asking questions.

 At the last CB9 meeting, March 24, 2015. 

Twice during the meeting

 Rabbi Goldstein, CB9 member,

requested that events be circumvented

and postponed because they would either occur

during the Jewish Saturday observance or

the 2 week long Jewish Holiday. 

In the latter case, a ULURP meeting was trying to be scheduled,

because an immediate response was required by this committee

and the 2 week long holiday, might prevent it from happening.

As a result of this a Black Woman board member stood up

and asked how many Jewish people were on the ULURP committee,

because if the ULURP committee can still have a quorum

(enough members present to have a legal vote)

it should still meet.  The answer was 1.

In response, however, Rabbi Goldstein, CB9 member stood up

and stated that this question was anti-Semitic

and she shouldn’t be asking this type of question etc…

Again it shows that Black women are not allowed to ask questions,

to report issues and to state offensive behaviors being displayed

 because they are seen as anti-Semitic or violating the bible.

Our Community is made up of many diverse ethnic groups,

cultures and religious beliefs,

being respectful is the understanding that everyone has the right

to ask questions and to present facts.

The Board members of these community organizations need to understand

It is their job to hear and not to curtail the voices of the community!

The Black women of this community have a right to stand up

and speak, to voice their opinions, to state the facts

 (no matter how offensive it might be to others),

to ask questions, without White male board members

on these various community organizations admonishing them.

These are the behaviors that are racist and sexist!

We will not be silenced!

We will continue to call out behaviors

That are abusive, divisive, separatist, and racist

Our voices will not be silenced!

We will be SEEN and HEARD!

Alicia,
www.mtopp.org
(718) 703-3086

White male Board members calling Black women "cunts?" Believe me, I would have remembered THAT. The word doesn't even cross my lips - I learned that lesson a long, long time ago - ask my wife! Jake, the rabbi, wouldn't say that. Warren Berke? No way. What other white male members are there? Quest Fanning? What a sweet and gentle soul. Seriously, who are they talking about? I'll give you a "fuck you" here and there. That's been uttered many times on all sides. In NYC it's practically a greeting, especially if you're being disrespected. It's also used as a synonym for "oh, c'mon!"

The baiting of the Jewish community is unconscionable. And not to quibble, but Passover is not TWO WEEKS, especially this year falling as it did on the Sabbath. I mean, seriously? And since when has POSTPONEMENT been a big issue for MTOPP? They've been pushing back, and pushing back, I don't even know how long it's been since the Board even held a vote. Look, you can't say "how many Jews are on the committee - why not just hold the meeting without them?" and expect everyone to say "oh yeah, that's a good point you have there." Fortunately there a lot of Christians and agnostics on the committee, so it's pretty certain a quorum can be reached. Forget the secular Jews. Even if they do celebrate Passover they'll bounce right back on day three. Oy, and thank god there's no Amish or Muslims!

But rather than dig into that fight, I want to suggest another option. Nothing. That's right, nothing. In this one email, Alicia made it clear this can only get uglier, and uglier. She will not allow consensus on ANYthing, and she might just drag us down into a 1990 pre-riot sensibility. Her followers are getting angrier and angrier. The whole City has gone anti-rezoning crazy, as if THAT's the real problem causing rents to rise. Ugh. This is such intense ignorance of how capitalism works, how the City charter works, how the DEVELOPERS work, what as-of-right means, how little the City has in its tool kit to prevent neighborhoods from completely changing complexion and wealth.

But if the "leader" for the opposition to a study stoops to such lows, and considers the Community Board the problem...maybe it's time to remove the "problem" from the conversation. A bunch of members have resigned. Most don't speak up at meetings. There's no sense at all that people realize what's at stake, save maybe a dozen concerned Board members. So...maybe it's time to take one for the team. There's simply no winning, even if we "win."

All I know is, there's a meeting Rebecca F and I are hosting on Monday night, same time as the ULURP, since it was rescheduled, again, at the last possible minute. And for the first time since this whole thing started, I don't seem to care that I won't be there. The well has been poisoned, and even my friends and allies stay mostly silent, unable to counter the strength and volume of a few very, very angry residents. 

I'm going to be at my block's meeting at 40 Clarkson Monday night. We'll be talking crime. You're all invited. Hope to see you there.

I just hope all these negative voices realize that the worst excesses of developers, and the lack of affordable options, will be on their hands. They claim they're fighting for no more unwanted buildings like 626. I wonder how much they'll be able to deliver? Remains to be seen, I suppose.

Bar Coming to Mid-Lefferts on the Flabenue

Flatbushed.com strikes again! From the excellent upstart blog comes news that a saloon will be coming to the previous Compere & Compere tax and accounting shop, that was also a temporary DOT center during the examination of Flatbush traffic patterns. That is, 653 Flatbush. I note the Compere & Compere connection primarily because Wilfrid Compere was involved for many years with FECMA, the merchant's association that predates the Parkside Empire, group that's really come on like gangbusters after years of lackluster merchant organizing. And Flatbushed has the below astounding picture of Flatbush at Hawthorne to give the really, really longview:

And put July 26 on your calendar! The Parkside Empire association is planning its first street fair, a modest chunk in the middle of the Flabenue that will include tons of local vendors and a stage for local musicians. Yeeeeehawww! Will there be horse and carriage rides to celebrate ye olde Flatbush experience per above? How Brooklyn would THAT be?

The effect of 626 Flatbush will most definitely speed the process of commercial turnover. And clearly, the early birds expect to get the worms. Though I'd never describe new movers to the neighborhood as worms!

Clarkson and Vicinity - Meeting With D.A. on Monday

Psssst. It's gonna be Mexican...

Do you like burritos? Tacos? Beans? Well, have I got a neighborhood for YOU! Nope, not in Mexico. Central Brooklyn! NY!! USA!!! And Oaxaca is its name-o.

From Flatbushed comes news that no, it won't be Japanese, but rather Mexican. Rogers at Sterling. Next to the Inkwell. As we rumored here, they were thinking of going to Flatbush but chose Rogers instead. The inside word is that its cheaper and "up and coming" in a way that Flatbush is thriving, packed and bit chaotic. Its landlords are notoriously "closed" as well, though with all the buildings changing hands and 626 that's all likely to change in a big, big way. New owners will have a very different "aesthetic" when it comes to commerce. This is precisely the thing that many mom & pops have long feared, though the short leases and higher rents have pretty much been a shot across the bow.

The one on Smith St. Wow! And an ATM!!

A Pinnacle of Propaganda

The Q was trying so hard to ignore her. But this poster really got my goat. (My goat is getting got way too often for my own good these days).When you see it, it's outrageous isn't it? These poor protesters, surrounded by surly cops. So gruesome! So inhumane! So...so...mean!

Pretty much everything about this propaganda schlock is complete bull. So what actually happened? After disrupting the meeting for about 20 minutes, keeping an important government meeting with a serious agenda from taking place, the cops were asked by the chair to have her removed. She refused. With an extraordinary amount of delicacy, they managed to get her out of there. It took about 10 minutes just to remove her without hurting her, since she was basically foaming at the mouth and kicking and flailing. Then the text - she claims a draft was created in secret, when I happen to know for a fact that the draft was collectively written and reviewed by the committee, then the draft was brought before the public, and we went over it line by line to discuss it and hear dissent. Hell, we might have heard more if she hadn't been disrupting the damn meeting.This is one whole year after a near-identical letter to DCP was overwhelmingly voted for. And she claims the point of the draft is to create luxury high rise buildings, when in fact it's a request for DCP to study the neighborhood in RESPONSE to an accelerated level of displacement and real estate development and speculation. The document asks for contextual zoning, maximum affordable housing requirements, height limits and a look at all possible unwanted outcomes and consider remedies where appropriate. It's all much to sane and reasonable for Ms. Boyd, who's real objective, it seems, is for status quo. She has no rationale vision of her own. And so, in order to be super clear, let me give it it's own paragraph:

The whole point of doing a study is to minimize the insane explosion of ill-conceived luxury (market) housing at the expense of affordable housing and to create decent sized buildings that don't dwarf what's around them. Clear enough? And while we're at it, maybe we can look at the effect of 30+ new projects already going up, with many more to follow.

Meanwhile Alicia deserves an Oscar for her memorable performance as aggrieved citizen number one. She's admitted that it's all a show, overheard laughing to a friend about how she really turns it on for the public. Meanwhile, half the Community Board she so reviles is up for reappointment or not. One would hope that good people are retained and dead-weight let go - without regard to political orientation or allegiance, so that the board could continue (yes, I said continue) to reflect the diversity of the neighborhood. A few dedicated souls are trying to right the ship and one can only hope they're allowed to continue in the right direction. Let them keep at it. A number of folks have already turned in their resignations or chosen not to reapply. It could be yet another fresh crop of faces by May. I obviously crave the mayhem or I would have joined the exodus. I'm still asking questions, being curious, being amused. I never intended to get this close to the action. But it's sure entertaining - no cable subscription required. I'll know in a week or two whether I'm back on or not. Don't hold your breath...I know I won't. I need all the brain cells I have left!

I still have faith that a lot of folks really DO have the needs of the citizenry at heart, and are working to create a better future. But it's hard to feel that way, when everyone's talking over each other. Fear, anger, disappointment...they're powerful intoxicants. And you should never try to assume reasonableness in a roomful of drunks.

I.M. Pastry Opening on Nostrand

Been looking forward to this one (read here)!  I've always been more of a Cupcake Cowboy than a Muffin Man. Be one of the first 33 people to show up on Friday after 8 am and get a free mini cupcake! I'm guessing however that if you're number 34 you won't be shown the door. Score!

And you KNOW the Q approves of the pun in their name. Sweet, indeed.

Roomies for Toomey's

MikeF at Brooklynian has his antenna out. Here's his latest: 

Looks like the old Toomey's diner at the corner of Empire and Rogers is about to be sold again. The zoning is R5 with an overlay of C1-3, so look for a buyer who can build a fairly squat building of up to 9,000 buildable square feet. The lots not that big. It's all about whether you can make a profit of course. Look at that crazy tiny triangle lot on Washington Avenue next to the S train if you need proof.

Note, the lot hasn't sold yet, but these lines from the prospectus say it all about the neighborhood's current advantages. At $3.2 million for the land, the price has increased threefold in two years. And as the Q's refrain goes, it is highly unlikely that any means-tested units will be built. 

•Rising rents, one of the highest rent increases in any neighborhood in Brooklyn. 
•The property is located two blocks from the Sterling St [2,5] train station. - See more at: http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/44783/341epw-folks-to-develop-toomey039s-old-spot#Item_2

Building Right Next To 626 Flatbush? $14 Million Later, Jonas Owns It.

15 Crooke & 620 Flatbush, from Real Deal

The Q's discussed Jonas Equities before, a relative newcomer to the scene that seems willing to pay crazy prices for rent stabilized apartments - like 620 Flatbush, the building that not incidentally happens to lease to local Ital destination sensation Scoops. Jonas also scooped up 15 Crooke Ave over in Caledonia for about the same , and for that price Real Deal calls it $265,000 per apartment. 15 Crooke, for you northerners, is over by the Parade Ground, and the Q is confident that all of Caledonia will one day fetch a pretty penny. Maybe that one day is...tomorrow?

Think about it. Were it coops or condos, 15 Crooke would be $265,000 per apartment. But they're NOT coops or condos. They're stabilized apartments, perhaps fetching (currently) on average $1,000 a month, in Brooklyn's densest sub-neighborhood (Caledonia) that until oh so recently wasn't on any investor's map. All this money! I mean, the math don't figure. I know something is happening here, but I'm simply not clue in enough to understand it. Yes, yes, they'll force or buy out as many tenants as they can. We've seen that strategy many times before. But will another buyer actually top $15 million bucks for either of these modest sized buildings? On what valuation is this sort of price warranted? And remember, this is the same company that bought longtime slumlord hellhole 115 Ocean Avenue for TWENTY SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS, or $290,000 per apartment. Hey, it's on the park, but...what the HELL GIVES?

Are we witnessing the influx of "sheltered money" from someplace else, or has the whole world gone absolutely mad and started buying hamburgers for fifty bucks without batting a french fry? Actually, an article in the Old Gray Lady about how hedge fund Blackstone has accumulated an enormous portfolio of real estate seems well-timed to provide one possible answer. With the world's deepest pockets putting their largesse into big ticket houses, buildings etc. one wonders whether it's all a Ponzi Scheme in process. God knows we've been through it before, and Big Finance has short memories. Musical chairs, and the last one with their pants down loses. Actually, that's not how musical chairs is played, nor in my opinion should it be. Pants stay on. Mixed metaphor, sorry.

All the details of the above from Real Deal.

Parkside Plaza: Your Time Has Come

The poster says it all. For a trip down memory lane, to the moment when it all began, almost exactly 4 years ago, read here.

The Artful Rogers

Lest you think it's another April Fool's joke, here's the proof at Sterling and Rogers:

thx Thomas B for the pic

Blue Sky Bakery has been confirmed. Japanese restaurant...anyone got the 411?

No Cat Calls

Taken on Ocean. Nice.

Rainbows, Blue Skies and Sushi

On a day of renewal, a day of open windows, a day of coat-questioning, word came through of more changes afoot. Do you like muffins? Well apparently so do lots and lots of people, to the point where they can't shut up about those Blue Sky Bakery muffins over on the Yelp. As someone who keeps a jaundiced eye on his waistline, the muffin is generally considered verboten, one of the few items that rarely pass the Q's lips, lest they spend a lifetime on the hips. Hence the fabulous deep resonance of the phrase "muffin tops." Which in the sexist dialect of the species becomes "love handles" when speaking of men's middle-fat. While the obvious answer to the muffin top is to wear more appropriate clothing, the love handle on the other hand is most often affectionately invoked during a playful embrace, or to share in a chortle about getting older or office work. Plumber's Butt on the other hand is just plain mean, though it sure comes in handy to describe a much too often seen tragedy. If you're relating a story, the image lands neatly in the cranium. This is not really what I'm trying to relate.

That is to say that we have read right here on this blog by a commenter that an actual human being at the corner of Sterling and Rogers said that the latest outpost of Blue Sky Bakery is a-comin'.  And another near-confirmed rumor says that just cross the street will be a Japanese restaurant, next to the Inkwell, I believe. If neither happens I'll be a monkey's uncle, and if both happen I'll be giving myself high-fives, which is also known as clapping.

The Q was certain his "Etaly" spoof on April Fool's Day would fool no one but the culinary-desperate, but boy was he wrong. Not only have most folks I know 'fessed to believing its veracity, at least briefly, but more than 4,000 eyes viewed it. Folks this is hardly ordinary. A well-considered lengthy essay on issues pertaining to race will garner 600 viewers. A dull post on the opening of a new upscale business will get 750-1000. If Brownstoner links to me it's not uncommon to top 1,000 no matter what jive I'm spouting. But 4,000! Not since I shamed ex District 17 school superintendent Buffie Simmons have I seen such numbers.

So that begs the question...what WILL take the place of the GEM discount store? Why Rainbow of course. You know, ladies fashions and accessories. It might just do quite well in that location...we'll see. The Q still believes that that building is sure to be a goner if current real estate trends continue. The land is simply much to valuable as apartments.

ahoy! is that a GEM I see to the left?

Not to mention the fact that the replacement for Lincoln Park Tavern and early reports say the place is super. Welcome, El Patron. May your experience with Rong Ge be...be...gee, I dunno. Wheeeee? Twee? Free!

Help Reduce Feral Cat Population

Fat Cats. Phat Katz.

Each gift, no matter how small, helps

It's been nearly a decade since Mrs. Q and I trapped 11 cats and had them spayed and neutered. The effect on the backyard cat population was tremendous. After returning 9 of them (two were adoptable non-wild cats), they were quiet and sweet, requiring only a bit of food. They were happy, we didn't have to deal with the noise and the smell of spray during heat. All was well in backyard cat-land. Bootsy. Baby Bootsie. Grandbaby Bootsie. Negroponte. Scrabbles. Nichols & May, Picnic Basket, Mohamed, Chili Dog...the program Trap Neuter and Return (TNR) had an enormously beneficial effect on the whole block's quality of life.

Then we had kids. And the cats became...cats. Michael Showalter, three doors down, took over cat duties about five years ago, and with our help managed to capture a half dozen or so of the newbies. Well done. But now MS is on sabbatical in Smell A., and what great fortune, a new neighborhood group has sprung up to capture, neuter then release dozens of cats in the area! Fat Cats. They need just a wee bit of money to make it all happen. There are costs, after all. But the benefits will be HUGE, and it will be enormously helpful to have a little organization that you can reach out to when the felines get out of hand.

Give a little? Here's their GoFundMe. Go Fund Them!

Thank you so much for all of our new donations! Let's keep them coming, please share this link wherever you can and help us reach our goal before we have to begin trapping in less than a month!

Subscribe to Updates

Here Come the FAT Cats!

Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Flatbush cat colony caretakers in Brooklyn are pooling resources to get 30+ local feral cats spayed, neutered, vetted and released in a mass project on April 28, 2015. Our new collaboration deserves a name: we’re the Flatbush Area Team for Cats, a.k.a. FAT Cats!

While the ASPCA does provide spay and neuter services, there is much more needed in order to trap the cats safely and to care for the colonies year-round.

We are currently caring for over sixty cats in colonies throughout the neighborhood and expect the numbers to increase as new kittens are born. Whether you love or hate cats, they are a big part of this city. When people unlawfully kill or remove cats, new ones will take their place. There is no way to get rid of them permanently, but there is a way to limit their numbers, which is to cease their reproduction and to provide them with a safe place to live.

Reasons to Spay and Neuter Feral Cats:

- Cats will not allow large numbers to live in their colonies, which naturally keeps numbers at a minium.
- Cats keep rats and mice at bay.
- Neutered and spayed cats make less noise and won't "perfume" your outdoor spaces.
- Spaying and neutering is good for cat health and ultimately results in less stress on their bodies.

If you love cats, know that these ferals are happier outdoors and just need the care that some very good-hearted individuals are happy to provide. For the friendly abandoned cats outside who are not feral and who crave human companionship, we find loving adoptive homes once they are spayed/ neutered, tested, and vaccinated.

All of this is not free! If you can offer just a few dollars it will help us to move toward our goal of being able to afford appropriate care for our community's local ferals. Your money will contribute to the purchase of:

Colony Care:
- Weather-proof shelters (using low-cost or recycled materials)
- Cat food (wet and dry)
- Feeding/water stations
- Medication and vitamins as needed
- Veterinary care for emergencies

Spay/Neuter Care:
- Cat and kitten food for up to 2 days prior to trapping and 3 days after, and longer for cats who need extra care
- Medication
- Additional veterinary care for sick cats
- Laundry (for sheets to cover traps)
- Tarps (to protect recovery space)
- Sanitizing wipes
- Bleach
- Paper towels
- Disposable gloves
- Garbage bags
- Flyers for publicity and education
- Some of these supplies can be found on our Amazon Wish List .

Other ways to help if you live nearby:

- Volunteer to help with this Trap/Neuter/Release project in late April, even for just an hour. Contact Naomi at nsinger@email.com.
- Consider adopting a friendly kitten or cat! Contact us for more info.

We thank you from the bottoms of our furry hearts!!

- FAT Cats

Burger Mexicano

As reported here a few weeks ago, Burger Mexicano is ready for its closeup:

That's the old Meytex space on Flatbush. 545 to be exact.

Yes, it's true, we're getting TWO count them wine stores on Flatbush, one at the current Garden Deli across from Planet Fitness. The other will most likely take a space near Playkids.

And yes, LPT is becoming Mexican as well.

And now I hear a Japanese joint is opening on Rogers at the old funeral parlor, c/o neighborhood info-source Barbara Rogers, whose ancestors must have been friends with the Lefferts' given how up on things she is! (Though they were likely perpendicular friends, the Rogers' and the Lefferts', if the streets are any indication.)

Let the complaining before the place even opens begin!!

Empire Boulevard Is Developing, Like It Or Not

How many of you have seen the news that the lot on the NE corner of Empire and Bedford is going to be...drum roll...another Self-Storage Building! We've got more storage space on Empire now than in ALL of Hackensack and Elizabeth!

Bring Your Architect and Your Own Zoning Variance Expeditor

More remarkably, as pointed out by Mr. No-Sleep-Til-Brooklynian Mike F. WhyNot, the nightclub The Buzz will soon be playing its last dancehall jam, because the 16,000 square feet that it sits on is for sale for a staggering $10,000,000, or more thane $600 s/f. As Mike points out, by sitting on more than one zoning slab it might be a shoe-in for a variance, in which case all this nonsense at CB9 becomes monstrously moot. Will MTOPP be able to count on Eric Adams to save them? Not now that they've created an enemy for life in the BP slot, and who knows, next Mayor in 2019?

Mike estimates they could go 13 stories as is. The residential variance could come with incentives to build some affordable, so, given Cumbo/Adams/deBlasio's stated goals of more affordable units, we could end up with 20 or even 30 percent more height. Won't get as tall as Ebbets though, which along with Tivoli towers, will likely continue to dominate the skyline, regardless of any rezoning efforts. Still, this is a predictable turn of events, and suggests that if the elected officials want to see some true affordable housing get built, they're going to have to make it happen over some (very vocal) opposition. Granted, this can all disappear in a heartbeat with a change in the financial world. But for now, the very best chance to build affordability into the development equation is passing us by. I'd never in my wildest dreams imagined that a diverse coalition would conspire to kill reasoned and considered growth with maximum affordable set-asides.

Even yesterday, MTOPP was sending out emails talking all about "height." Since when has a couple stories here or there even been THE POINT? We, the reasonable people, wanted 626 to be lower, not to go away. That was a PARKING LOT for gods sakes. And we certainly didn't want the 50 or so affordable units to go away! We want seniors and low income working people to have a place to live, but we don't want the City to plan for it? I'm beginning to think that Alicia is ONLY about density, or her own ego. The negative nellies seem blithely unaware that they're getting the increased density anyway, without an affordable component. Plus, while most concerned homeowners elsewhere actually WANT contextual zoning designations, apparently here we do NOT. Because of some ridiculous planning consultant renegades who are convincing our most gullible neighbors that there is another way. There is no other way than to sit down and discuss, and get elected officials on our side, whatever side that is. Who knows? It seems to change every day.

Let's be super clear about something. There is NOTHING stopping development as-of-right. There is NOTHING preventing a landowner from requesting variances or doing their own planning studies. There is NOTHING that sets height limits, and this idea that developers won't be able to acquire enough land to build tall is ridiculous. Who has the money and the connections? Who has the muscle and the lawyers and history on their side? Who is actually crunching numbers and seeing what will and won't be profitable? Until the City starts buying and creating its own housing (a la its relationship with CAMBA, but for regular folks), we are stuck in a rut, and the NIMBYists are trying to sell a broken idea about how the forces of capitalism can be stopped in their tracks.

Come to think of it, without that variance they could do a pretty tall hotel. Keep the name. Call it "The Buzz." And why not? It's right on the Garden and Prospect Park. And from the trendy roof bar rich German Tourists could look down at those gorgeous storage facilities and laugh at the schlocky use of a grandly named boulevard. But the many former residents of Lefferts and Crown Heights will at least have a place to put their stuff until they hear about the affordable housing lottery...in Cleveland, where they actually build the stuff.

Can't make it up. Can only live it.

Blood Drive This Friday!

BLOOD DRIVE

HELP SAVE A LIFE

71 PRECINCT

FRIDAY

APRIL 10, 2015

2PM TO 8PM

It really is important folks. Take a little time out of your day? The precinct's at the corner of Empire and NY Avenue.

Neighborhood Development Map Updated

Please do keep sending us info as you discover it. This fascinating map, courtesy of reader Jacob Garchik, helps visualize the historic transformation that has come to our neck of the borough of Kings.

Coalition of Community Groups to Fight 421a Tax Breaks

You know things are getting fierce when the activists start attacking specific parts of the tax code! In the case of 421-a, the outdated property tax breaks that give developers added incentives to build, most people would agree that it's time to consider whether it hinders rather than encourages the growth of affordable housing, or whether it's basically a give-away. If you believe it's a travesty, you'd do worse than to join the Crown Heights Tenants Union, Flatbush Tenants Coalition and the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board at the hard-to-miss 626 Flatbush, an address that will undoubtedly outlive the current crisis, yet galvanizes the outrage felt by many about the cruel circus of change that's come to town and put down stakes. The pink elephant in the tent? We've been over that one many, many times here.