Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Finally, Some Kick From the "Other" Side
So few folks seem to want to believe that fighting new housing is also fighting affordable housing. That's fine, they have their reasons. But economics, history and actual renter's needs should not be primary among them. Planning experts don't buy that homeowner NIMBYism and downzoning are good for prices and rents. Restricting supply is not a viable alternative to rapid gentrification. The Mayor's much-demonized MIH plan REQUIRES that below-market permanent housing be added to new buildings. But that's when you start to realize how selfish it is to fight ALL upzonings. Should be smart changes, for sure. Combined with contextual downzonings. But that ain't the way the winds been blowing. Here's a much-needed alternative perspective from Neighbors for More Neighbors, and a hilarious PSA to boot (thx MikeF)
Monday, March 6, 2017
The Armory Meets the Machine II - You're Being Played The Fool
I'll start with the conclusion then repeat it after the background info. I'd hate for you to miss the crux!
Ex-felon Clarence Norman, Jr. started showing up at CB9 meetings exactly the time that the Armory housing and community center opportunity was coming online. His dad's Local Crown Heights Development Corp (LCHDC) even made a play to be the lead developer, but lost to Slate, which due to its crookedness lost it in turn to BFC. Around the same time, longtime Norman pal BP Eric Adams shook up our Community Board with 18 new members in a single year, more the following year, losing all the people they knew would interfere. NO OTHER CB SAW ANYWHERE NEAR THIS KIND OF TURNOVER. Then the new board ousted its longtime Chair and District Manager, and guess who came out of the fray on top? Longtime Norman followers Carmen Martinez (as DM, out of dozens of qualified applicants) and Musa Moore (as Chair, and Demetrius Lawrence before him and Dwayne Nicholson). The wrench in this audacious plan? One Sterling resident Alicia Boyd, who has continued to thwart the common sense of unaligned locals (um, me, and maybe you) and politicians (every last one). The problem is...even she still doesn't get WHY all this is happening. She's just worried about her precious Empire Blvd. Wanna know the mastermind behind the plan? Check out Ingrid Gordon, the BP's longtime political strategist. The bold names above are longtime friends and neighbors. Once in a position to do so, Gordon saw to it that a singular vision for the nabe was set in motion, and that only loyalists were in place. After a stint in jail for shaking down judges, Stormin' Norman fires back, unseating the man who put him in jail (DA Charles Hynes) and wedging his recently passed dad's baby (LCHDC) into the middle of the neighborhood's renaissance.
Folks, wake up. Your neighborhood is being hijacked - actually it's always been hijacked - by a small group of cronies who don't always have your back. Now to the tune of $500,000 for LCHDC to sway locals to the BFC deal, but rest assured, this is just the beginning. You've even got a State Senator in Jesse Hamilton who thinks he can just opt-out of the Democratic Party days before the election without bothering to explain himself (lame answers here). He has the huevos to call those who disagree with his decision "disingenuous," and bizarre accusations have been leveled that racism is causing the backlash (because white Democrats don't like being played the fool? I dunno, you tell me. I thought shifty politics was shifty politics, regardless of the hue). And don't count on your Council person to come riding to the rescue! It's high time for all of us to engage. We can only blame ourselves for the results if we don't.
The Backdrop:
Okay. Lots of intrigue going on in Washington. I know that what happens in our little parcel of the world is hardly big potatoes. But let me lay out there as clear as I can so there's no mistaking what's happening in local politics. Because this is a pretty big year, and if we're to reform and improve the levers of power, it's always good to start locally. That's where our individual voices are heard loudest.
This year we've got the Mayor's reelection campaign, and our City Councilperson - Mathieu Eugene - is running for a ridiculous 3rd full term, which would be 14 total years since he was "placed" in the job by finishing out Yvette Clarke's term when she was promoted to Congress. If you're new around here, or weren't paying attention, Yvette and her mother before her - Una Clarke - were the Council people before Eugene and continue to be among the most powerful players on the Central Brooklyn scene. You can decide for yourself what you think of these ladies, but you should not underestimate their influence. The "machine" is alive and well, though around these parts. But in a very real sense, the Central Brooklyn machine is broken two. Let's just call it the Clarkes and Normans shall we? Our very own Hatfield and McCoys.
Google around and you'll see the degree to which Clarence Norman Jr./Sr. and the Yvette/Una Clarkes have spread their influence. It's not inconsequential that the Clarkes hail from the Islands; Norman and his influential pastor father Clarence Norman Senior are African-American. If you're not from around here you might say "so what?" Lordy, you got a lot to learn. There is no simple storyline here, but suffice to say it's not all holding hands and singing Kumbaya when the sun goes down. And this is coming from a white guy who has a deep-seated respect for black culture, not just here but around the world. To much of white America, blacks come in a single package. And it's this monovision that leads to the ignorant garbage we hear from so many well-meaning people, and not just the Trumpies. Anyone who claims they have a policy solution for black Americans is guilty as charged. Which black Americans, exactly? Are Sasha and Malia to be recipients of your policy prescription? (Muslims and Hispanics and Asians too of course get just as much stereotyping. So much easier to make sense of the world when everyone fits their mold. To me this a HUGE problem when it comes to progressing past race as THE definer, the one demographic signifier that's ALWAYS requested on the form. Recognizing the differences withIN groups goes a long way to understanding our own prejudices, and recognizing the humanity common to us all. Frankly if I didn't believe this to the fiber of my being I probably wouldn't be writing this blog at all. If you hadn't noticed, it's kinda at the root of everything I opine about.)
So the Norman/Clarke divide is very much in play at the Bedford/Union Armory and in everything else around here. Need a scorecard? BP Eric Adams, State Senator Jesse Hamilton and his Council-running protege Pia Raymond, CB9 chair Musa Moore , new CB9 District Manager Carmen Martinez - these are clearly in the Norman lineage, The Clarkes will likely (in my opinion) switch allegiance from Mathieu Eugene (their poorly chosen anointed successor) to Council-runner Brian Cunningham. Diana Richardson is a bit of a maverick, but she's got Island roots and sure enough, there were the Clarkes at her victory celebration a couple years back. The dynamic Jumaane Williams is also part of the Clarke world. I don't know where Walter T. Mosley and Laurie Cumbo come down in all this, but I know Laurie and Walter were (somewhat) handpicked by Hakeem Jeffries, a guy who is alarmingly handsome in person by the way. I think that Hakeem/Laurie/Walter thing might be more of a VelmanetteMontgomery/Ed Towns/Major Owens lineage but don't quote me. There's only so much one white boy from Iowa can keep track of, and I've only lived in Brooklyn for 30 years for crying out loud. BOTTOM LINE: the Machine decides your leaders. Your vote is not really respected, as long as the Machine can turn out victories on not election day - primary day.
And let me tell you they're all pretty nice people, the aforementioned, hard-working, smart, well-suited to politics. All except...Mathieu Eugene, a true Boob among Boobs. If he wins another term I will...I will...oh I don't know but it's gonna be gross and unpleasant and you're going to wish you'd never seen me do it.
Yep. There's more. But I felt the need to offer the above backgrounder before launching into my main beef. Which in a nutshell is this. Why on earth is it okay for BFC Partners to cough up $500,000 to a local development group (LCCHD) with deep and direct ties to the Clarence Normans all in a ploy to quiet neighborhood resistance to the deal? You can read more, again, here.
To repeat:
Ex-felon Clarence Norman, Jr. started showing up at CB9 meetings exactly the time that the Armory housing and community center opportunity was coming online. His dad's Local Crown Heights Development Corp (LCHDC) even made a play to be the lead developer, but lost to Slate, which due to its crookedness lost it in turn to BFC. Around the same time, longtime Norman pal BP Eric Adams shook up our Community Board with 18 new members in a single year, more the following year, losing all the people they knew would interfere. NO OTHER CB SAW ANYWHERE NEAR THIS KIND OF TURNOVER. Then the new board ousted its longtime Chair and District Manager, and guess who came out of the fray on top? Longtime Norman followers Carmen Martinez (as DM, out of dozens of qualified applicants) and Musa Moore (as Chair, and Demetrius Lawrence before him and Dwayne Nicholson). The wrench in this audacious plan? One Sterling resident Alicia Boyd, who has continued to thwart the common sense of unaligned locals (um, me, and maybe you) and politicians (every last one). The problem is...even she still doesn't get WHY all this is happening. She's just worried about her precious Empire Blvd. Wanna know the mastermind behind the plan? Check out Ingrid Gordon, the BP's longtime political strategist. Longtime friends and neighbors many of the above. Once in a position to do so, Gordon saw to it that a singular vision for the nabe was set in motion, and that only loyalists were in place.
Folks, wake up. Your neighborhood is being hijacked - actually it's always been hijacked - by a small group of cronies who don't always have your back. Now to the tune of $500,000 for LCHDC to sway locals to the BFC deal, but rest assured, this is just the beginning. You've even got a State Senator in Jesse Hamilton who thinks he can just opt-out of the Democratic Party days before the election without bothering to explain himself (lame answers here). He has the huevos to call those who disagree with his decision "disingenuous," and bizarre accusations have been leveled that racism is causing the backlash (because Democrats don't like being played the fool?) And don't count on your Council person to come riding to the rescue! It's high time for all of us to engage. We can only blame ourselves for the results if we don't.
Ex-felon Clarence Norman, Jr. started showing up at CB9 meetings exactly the time that the Armory housing and community center opportunity was coming online. His dad's Local Crown Heights Development Corp (LCHDC) even made a play to be the lead developer, but lost to Slate, which due to its crookedness lost it in turn to BFC. Around the same time, longtime Norman pal BP Eric Adams shook up our Community Board with 18 new members in a single year, more the following year, losing all the people they knew would interfere. NO OTHER CB SAW ANYWHERE NEAR THIS KIND OF TURNOVER. Then the new board ousted its longtime Chair and District Manager, and guess who came out of the fray on top? Longtime Norman followers Carmen Martinez (as DM, out of dozens of qualified applicants) and Musa Moore (as Chair, and Demetrius Lawrence before him and Dwayne Nicholson). The wrench in this audacious plan? One Sterling resident Alicia Boyd, who has continued to thwart the common sense of unaligned locals (um, me, and maybe you) and politicians (every last one). The problem is...even she still doesn't get WHY all this is happening. She's just worried about her precious Empire Blvd. Wanna know the mastermind behind the plan? Check out Ingrid Gordon, the BP's longtime political strategist. The bold names above are longtime friends and neighbors. Once in a position to do so, Gordon saw to it that a singular vision for the nabe was set in motion, and that only loyalists were in place. After a stint in jail for shaking down judges, Stormin' Norman fires back, unseating the man who put him in jail (DA Charles Hynes) and wedging his recently passed dad's baby (LCHDC) into the middle of the neighborhood's renaissance.
Folks, wake up. Your neighborhood is being hijacked - actually it's always been hijacked - by a small group of cronies who don't always have your back. Now to the tune of $500,000 for LCHDC to sway locals to the BFC deal, but rest assured, this is just the beginning. You've even got a State Senator in Jesse Hamilton who thinks he can just opt-out of the Democratic Party days before the election without bothering to explain himself (lame answers here). He has the huevos to call those who disagree with his decision "disingenuous," and bizarre accusations have been leveled that racism is causing the backlash (because white Democrats don't like being played the fool? I dunno, you tell me. I thought shifty politics was shifty politics, regardless of the hue). And don't count on your Council person to come riding to the rescue! It's high time for all of us to engage. We can only blame ourselves for the results if we don't.
The Backdrop:
Okay. Lots of intrigue going on in Washington. I know that what happens in our little parcel of the world is hardly big potatoes. But let me lay out there as clear as I can so there's no mistaking what's happening in local politics. Because this is a pretty big year, and if we're to reform and improve the levers of power, it's always good to start locally. That's where our individual voices are heard loudest.
This year we've got the Mayor's reelection campaign, and our City Councilperson - Mathieu Eugene - is running for a ridiculous 3rd full term, which would be 14 total years since he was "placed" in the job by finishing out Yvette Clarke's term when she was promoted to Congress. If you're new around here, or weren't paying attention, Yvette and her mother before her - Una Clarke - were the Council people before Eugene and continue to be among the most powerful players on the Central Brooklyn scene. You can decide for yourself what you think of these ladies, but you should not underestimate their influence. The "machine" is alive and well, though around these parts. But in a very real sense, the Central Brooklyn machine is broken two. Let's just call it the Clarkes and Normans shall we? Our very own Hatfield and McCoys.
Google around and you'll see the degree to which Clarence Norman Jr./Sr. and the Yvette/Una Clarkes have spread their influence. It's not inconsequential that the Clarkes hail from the Islands; Norman and his influential pastor father Clarence Norman Senior are African-American. If you're not from around here you might say "so what?" Lordy, you got a lot to learn. There is no simple storyline here, but suffice to say it's not all holding hands and singing Kumbaya when the sun goes down. And this is coming from a white guy who has a deep-seated respect for black culture, not just here but around the world. To much of white America, blacks come in a single package. And it's this monovision that leads to the ignorant garbage we hear from so many well-meaning people, and not just the Trumpies. Anyone who claims they have a policy solution for black Americans is guilty as charged. Which black Americans, exactly? Are Sasha and Malia to be recipients of your policy prescription? (Muslims and Hispanics and Asians too of course get just as much stereotyping. So much easier to make sense of the world when everyone fits their mold. To me this a HUGE problem when it comes to progressing past race as THE definer, the one demographic signifier that's ALWAYS requested on the form. Recognizing the differences withIN groups goes a long way to understanding our own prejudices, and recognizing the humanity common to us all. Frankly if I didn't believe this to the fiber of my being I probably wouldn't be writing this blog at all. If you hadn't noticed, it's kinda at the root of everything I opine about.)
So the Norman/Clarke divide is very much in play at the Bedford/Union Armory and in everything else around here. Need a scorecard? BP Eric Adams, State Senator Jesse Hamilton and his Council-running protege Pia Raymond, CB9 chair Musa Moore , new CB9 District Manager Carmen Martinez - these are clearly in the Norman lineage, The Clarkes will likely (in my opinion) switch allegiance from Mathieu Eugene (their poorly chosen anointed successor) to Council-runner Brian Cunningham. Diana Richardson is a bit of a maverick, but she's got Island roots and sure enough, there were the Clarkes at her victory celebration a couple years back. The dynamic Jumaane Williams is also part of the Clarke world. I don't know where Walter T. Mosley and Laurie Cumbo come down in all this, but I know Laurie and Walter were (somewhat) handpicked by Hakeem Jeffries, a guy who is alarmingly handsome in person by the way. I think that Hakeem/Laurie/Walter thing might be more of a VelmanetteMontgomery/Ed Towns/Major Owens lineage but don't quote me. There's only so much one white boy from Iowa can keep track of, and I've only lived in Brooklyn for 30 years for crying out loud. BOTTOM LINE: the Machine decides your leaders. Your vote is not really respected, as long as the Machine can turn out victories on not election day - primary day.
And let me tell you they're all pretty nice people, the aforementioned, hard-working, smart, well-suited to politics. All except...Mathieu Eugene, a true Boob among Boobs. If he wins another term I will...I will...oh I don't know but it's gonna be gross and unpleasant and you're going to wish you'd never seen me do it.
Yep. There's more. But I felt the need to offer the above backgrounder before launching into my main beef. Which in a nutshell is this. Why on earth is it okay for BFC Partners to cough up $500,000 to a local development group (LCCHD) with deep and direct ties to the Clarence Normans all in a ploy to quiet neighborhood resistance to the deal? You can read more, again, here.
To repeat:
Ex-felon Clarence Norman, Jr. started showing up at CB9 meetings exactly the time that the Armory housing and community center opportunity was coming online. His dad's Local Crown Heights Development Corp (LCHDC) even made a play to be the lead developer, but lost to Slate, which due to its crookedness lost it in turn to BFC. Around the same time, longtime Norman pal BP Eric Adams shook up our Community Board with 18 new members in a single year, more the following year, losing all the people they knew would interfere. NO OTHER CB SAW ANYWHERE NEAR THIS KIND OF TURNOVER. Then the new board ousted its longtime Chair and District Manager, and guess who came out of the fray on top? Longtime Norman followers Carmen Martinez (as DM, out of dozens of qualified applicants) and Musa Moore (as Chair, and Demetrius Lawrence before him and Dwayne Nicholson). The wrench in this audacious plan? One Sterling resident Alicia Boyd, who has continued to thwart the common sense of unaligned locals (um, me, and maybe you) and politicians (every last one). The problem is...even she still doesn't get WHY all this is happening. She's just worried about her precious Empire Blvd. Wanna know the mastermind behind the plan? Check out Ingrid Gordon, the BP's longtime political strategist. Longtime friends and neighbors many of the above. Once in a position to do so, Gordon saw to it that a singular vision for the nabe was set in motion, and that only loyalists were in place.
Folks, wake up. Your neighborhood is being hijacked - actually it's always been hijacked - by a small group of cronies who don't always have your back. Now to the tune of $500,000 for LCHDC to sway locals to the BFC deal, but rest assured, this is just the beginning. You've even got a State Senator in Jesse Hamilton who thinks he can just opt-out of the Democratic Party days before the election without bothering to explain himself (lame answers here). He has the huevos to call those who disagree with his decision "disingenuous," and bizarre accusations have been leveled that racism is causing the backlash (because Democrats don't like being played the fool?) And don't count on your Council person to come riding to the rescue! It's high time for all of us to engage. We can only blame ourselves for the results if we don't.
Safety For Franklin - Be There Wednesday!
Hmm. Is this what's become of the languishing proposal to rejigger Franklin Ave near Empire? One can only hope. Please come out in record numbers for this one. Transportation issues have been shoved aside in the neighborhood ever since yours truly got canned from CB9. You can talk about what's on your mind, and throw a bit of alternative energy at the proceedings. In other words - you're sane counsel is needed.
Friday, March 3, 2017
The Armory Meets "The Machine" Part I
For all its pro-biz posture, Crains NY has done a fairly decent job framing the ongoing debate over the future of the Bedford-Union Armory project. In its January editorial, it defined the struggle as one of conventional development strategy for community amenities and affordable housing VS. calls for truly affordable housing - 100% affordable housing. Let the record state that the Q has always felt that 100% truly affordable is the appropriate response to a low-income housing shortage in this historic and desirable neighborhood. The Armory is city-owned land now for chrisakes! If you can't build all-affordable on City land, you're not gonna build it anywhere.
Sure it'll be costly. The market-rate part of the equation (via RFP winners BFC partners) was supposed to pay for the creation of rec center and affordable units. But that's happening all over town, wherever City Planning can convince locals to allow upzoning (which is not as often as they'd like, given unsurprising NIMBYism).
What are we really talking about when we say 100% affordable? There is no reason to mince words or hide behind euphemism. We are talking about PUBLIC HOUSING. That's right. Housing where the rent is based on the family's income. And what do people typically call such reasonably priced housing? They call it "the Projects." No fair really, but there it is. Truly affordable housing in NYC is called The Projects. And there is nothing, let me repeat NOTHING wrong with that.
Imagine if you will an opportunity created specifically for current residents of Crown Heights to move into newly created apartments along beautiful Eastern Parkway. If we are truly committed to keeping Crown Heights diverse, we would jump at the chance. It's expensive yes, but in the form of subsidies, not out-and-out freebie. You still get rent at the Projects. Some people forget that people actually pay out of pocket for these places, though for some it comes primarily in the form of Section 8 vouchers. Which, it must be added, they are ENTITLED TO by law. Folks like to call S8 recipients all kinds of names - "ghetto," "moochers," "welfare moms." Hey if that's your attitude then maybe NYC is not the place for you, read me? We try, albeit imperfectly, to take care of our own.
So elected officials with a conscience took a stand. This is our chance to build (and again, I'm using the correct term here) "Public Housing."
And now comes word that a local nonprofit - The Local Crown Heights Development Corporation - will provide the developer with some cover, or as LCHDC would prefer you call it, some legitimacy, in the neighborhood. And who exactly is LCHDC? If you're a follower of Central Brooklyn machine politics, the answer is obvious. And it all leads back to Clarence Norman, Jr., the disgraced once former king-maker who has roared back to life in a remarkable behind-the-scenes series of power moves. This time, the move involves money.
And as Deep Throat once said (no the other Deep Throat), follow the money.
more to follow.
Sure it'll be costly. The market-rate part of the equation (via RFP winners BFC partners) was supposed to pay for the creation of rec center and affordable units. But that's happening all over town, wherever City Planning can convince locals to allow upzoning (which is not as often as they'd like, given unsurprising NIMBYism).
What are we really talking about when we say 100% affordable? There is no reason to mince words or hide behind euphemism. We are talking about PUBLIC HOUSING. That's right. Housing where the rent is based on the family's income. And what do people typically call such reasonably priced housing? They call it "the Projects." No fair really, but there it is. Truly affordable housing in NYC is called The Projects. And there is nothing, let me repeat NOTHING wrong with that.
Imagine if you will an opportunity created specifically for current residents of Crown Heights to move into newly created apartments along beautiful Eastern Parkway. If we are truly committed to keeping Crown Heights diverse, we would jump at the chance. It's expensive yes, but in the form of subsidies, not out-and-out freebie. You still get rent at the Projects. Some people forget that people actually pay out of pocket for these places, though for some it comes primarily in the form of Section 8 vouchers. Which, it must be added, they are ENTITLED TO by law. Folks like to call S8 recipients all kinds of names - "ghetto," "moochers," "welfare moms." Hey if that's your attitude then maybe NYC is not the place for you, read me? We try, albeit imperfectly, to take care of our own.
So elected officials with a conscience took a stand. This is our chance to build (and again, I'm using the correct term here) "Public Housing."
And now comes word that a local nonprofit - The Local Crown Heights Development Corporation - will provide the developer with some cover, or as LCHDC would prefer you call it, some legitimacy, in the neighborhood. And who exactly is LCHDC? If you're a follower of Central Brooklyn machine politics, the answer is obvious. And it all leads back to Clarence Norman, Jr., the disgraced once former king-maker who has roared back to life in a remarkable behind-the-scenes series of power moves. This time, the move involves money.
And as Deep Throat once said (no the other Deep Throat), follow the money.
more to follow.
Errol's Gains New Lease
The article in Amsterdam News claims the organizing work of Equality for Flatbush led to the reconsideration of the lease of Errol's Bakery, the 15-year old institution at the corner of Hawthorne and Flatbush. Well done. Rothstein Management wanted them out; for now, they're here after a battle to renew back in December.
To those involved in the struggle to keep Dorothy and Errol Miller in their place of business, the Q salutes you.
To those involved in the struggle to keep Dorothy and Errol Miller in their place of business, the Q salutes you.
 |
| Don't let the word "bakery" throw you off. Breakfast, lunch and dinner's on the menu too! |
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
It's the Whole Building For Sale - To Be Delivered Vacant
Not just Nelson's I'm afraid. Say goodbye to the Driving School/MoneyPlace/NotaryPublic as well. So say sources, so even a teensy bit of hunting came up with this listing, showing the whole 242-250 Parkside for sale.
I think it's quite unlikely they're looking to tear this down, though I suppose they could. For under $3 million, you get 2 apartments and commercial. I suspect that could cover your mortgage plus quite a bit. Heck we just learned that a townhouse in the Manor is on the market for just under $3 million. Sheesh.
Personally I think it should be possible to convince the new owners to let the bizzes stay, at least until permanent replacements are found. Oddly, Nelson's is even mentioned in the listing, stating that he's STAYING. I can't make heads or tails of it.
I think it's quite unlikely they're looking to tear this down, though I suppose they could. For under $3 million, you get 2 apartments and commercial. I suspect that could cover your mortgage plus quite a bit. Heck we just learned that a townhouse in the Manor is on the market for just under $3 million. Sheesh.
Personally I think it should be possible to convince the new owners to let the bizzes stay, at least until permanent replacements are found. Oddly, Nelson's is even mentioned in the listing, stating that he's STAYING. I can't make heads or tails of it.
As exclusive sales agent, Eastern Consolidated is pleased to present 242-250 Parkside Avenue (a.k.a. 715 Flatbush Avenue), a ±4,915 square foot, three-story corner mixed-use building. The Property is located on the southeast corner of Parkside Avenue and Flatbush Avenue in the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens neighborhood of Central Brooklyn.
The building is classified as an S9 Multiple Dwelling with Stores by the New York City Department of Buildings and is currently configured as ground floor corner retail space, a rear extension with a second retail store and two full-floor apartments on floors 2 and 3. With the exception of the ground floor extension retail space with frontage along Parkside Avenue, the corner retail space and two apartments will be delivered vacant at the time of sale.
The Property is located one block from Prospect Park and also within close proximity to several major Central Brooklyn employment centers including Kings County Medical Center, SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Brooklyn College. The building is also located within close proximity to subway service one block from the Q Parkside Avenue station and three blocks to the 2, 5 Winthrop Street station.
The offering presents investors and developers with the opportunity to acquire and reposition a corner mixed-use building along the vibrant Flatbush Avenue commercial corridor in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. While there are no long-term or regulated leases in place, the building will be delivered with tenant Nelson’s Barber Shop, who operates out the ground floor extension retail space along the Parkside Avenue side of the building, in occupancy. This will allow the purchaser to collect income and offset expenses during the main structure’s renovation and repositioning. The Property is a protected tax class 2A building, which results in comparatively low annual tax bills and this classification limits increases to no more than 8% from the prior year or 30% over five years.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Word On the Street: Nelson's Gotta Go
Here's the Q's first write up on the place a few years ago. I've been a happy customer at least three or four times a year ever since.
As anyone living in Lefferts knows well, the Barbershop is a place of community. It's a clubhouse and a therapy session and a place for advice and empathy, soul and sympathy. This is true at the small town "white" cutters too, but nothing can compare to the ecumenical church that is the "curly" hair barbershop. It's a fixture of black-cast movies, and at 9 Clarkson I've watched as a true family has developed in just four years, the tiny shop packed noon and night with laughs and sports.
The Q will keep you updated on the real deal. Let's hope Nelson can work something out, or at the very least, find a spot nearby. I know his mom lives on Flatbush around the corner, so it's been good to be so near. Feeling a little weepy about it, though I do know shit happens, nothing lasts forever, change is inevitable. Still, this one hurts.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Town Halls and Catcalls
I was in Cuba with the family. Whaddya want, a substitute? I suppose I could have left an "Out of Blogosphere" message, but I do appreciate your concern, really. Now that Americans can easily go to Cuba you'll hear tons of people saying (nasally whine) "oh, I just got back from Cuba and I'll bet you want to hear ALL about it." Yuck. So...let me tell you all about it! Next post. Hint - don't expect culinary genius or inexpensivity. And pretty much everything you take for granted is out the window.
The Town Hall Meeting. In some towns, a Town Hall Meeting takes place in the Town Hall. Typically, however, it's in a public school auditorium or similar non-threatening meeting place. Just about any elected official might call one, book the date, choose the topic, look like they're doing something. Most of the time it's a quiet, thumb-twiddling affair whose most notable features are bad sound and poor ventilation. Not so in the roaring Tea Party 10's, and not now neither. Boy howdy, the Left's on the loose. Do they have the stuff to go the distance? More on that in a sec...
While I was trying vainly to find an internet hotspot in Old Havana, y'all were not attending the local CB9 meeting, a sort of monthly ongoing mini-Town Hall where since 2013 that familiar "disrupt and dismantle" playbook has been followed ferociously by MTOPP. Once again, common sense and compromise were wrestled to a choke-hold by the misguided, misinformed and thoroughly unhinged Ms. Alicia Boyd. Get a load of this terrific footage from DNA Info's write-up on fiery NY Assembly member Diana Richardson's attempt to talk sense:
Then came an ACTUAL Town Hall, also not at a Town Hall but at a just-south-of-secular Reform Synagogue on Eastern Parkway, hosted by your suddenly awakened Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. A bit of vid can be found here. I gotta be honest here. I don't find her to be terribly inspiring. She seems a solid C+, the plus for voting the right way. But she's been damn near nowhere for YEARS, and trust me I've actively sought her out. She's not particularly well-respected or even well-known in D.C. She's not much of an orator or interviewee. But you know how this game goes. Reps in NYC tend to be there a long, long time. At least until they move on to higher office or get indicted. Only once in a blue moon does a Rep even get close to losing their gig. But I do hope that the political moment will bring out the best in her, and I was glad to hear positive reports on this week's shindig. The "town hall" was overflowing, quite literally, since many folks were unable to breach the official fire code capacity figure.
What's to become of all this angst and chutzpah?
Take away the absurdity of DJT himself, there is a certain symmetry in this political moment just 7 years on. What were they claiming about Obama? Socialism, communism, even Islamism. Yes, tons of folks still think he's a Muslim. What are we claiming of Trump? Fascism, Racism, Nationalism. Tons of people still think he's an Asshole. Symmetry. (Difference being reality vs fiction. Right?)
Obviously, America's got some issues to resolve, or it only gets uglier from here. We have yet to shut the back door on our ugliest past, or open the front door to a more egalitarian future. As far as I can tell, no neatly defined "group" has offered itself up to be the last through that front door. You never know who's going to slam it shut in your face, right?
Say this for the Donald. If we weren't watching closely enough before, he certainly got our attention.
While I was trying vainly to find an internet hotspot in Old Havana, y'all were not attending the local CB9 meeting, a sort of monthly ongoing mini-Town Hall where since 2013 that familiar "disrupt and dismantle" playbook has been followed ferociously by MTOPP. Once again, common sense and compromise were wrestled to a choke-hold by the misguided, misinformed and thoroughly unhinged Ms. Alicia Boyd. Get a load of this terrific footage from DNA Info's write-up on fiery NY Assembly member Diana Richardson's attempt to talk sense:
Then came an ACTUAL Town Hall, also not at a Town Hall but at a just-south-of-secular Reform Synagogue on Eastern Parkway, hosted by your suddenly awakened Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. A bit of vid can be found here. I gotta be honest here. I don't find her to be terribly inspiring. She seems a solid C+, the plus for voting the right way. But she's been damn near nowhere for YEARS, and trust me I've actively sought her out. She's not particularly well-respected or even well-known in D.C. She's not much of an orator or interviewee. But you know how this game goes. Reps in NYC tend to be there a long, long time. At least until they move on to higher office or get indicted. Only once in a blue moon does a Rep even get close to losing their gig. But I do hope that the political moment will bring out the best in her, and I was glad to hear positive reports on this week's shindig. The "town hall" was overflowing, quite literally, since many folks were unable to breach the official fire code capacity figure.
What's to become of all this angst and chutzpah?
Take away the absurdity of DJT himself, there is a certain symmetry in this political moment just 7 years on. What were they claiming about Obama? Socialism, communism, even Islamism. Yes, tons of folks still think he's a Muslim. What are we claiming of Trump? Fascism, Racism, Nationalism. Tons of people still think he's an Asshole. Symmetry. (Difference being reality vs fiction. Right?)
Obviously, America's got some issues to resolve, or it only gets uglier from here. We have yet to shut the back door on our ugliest past, or open the front door to a more egalitarian future. As far as I can tell, no neatly defined "group" has offered itself up to be the last through that front door. You never know who's going to slam it shut in your face, right?
Say this for the Donald. If we weren't watching closely enough before, he certainly got our attention.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
The Townsfolk Are Restless, Jesse!
Seems the awakened electorate has grabbed its pitchforks! The oft-ignored State Senate has become the latest fault line. Jesse Hamilton is beginning to feel the heat from angry constituents (he's got a chunk of Crown Heights, Lefferts, Park Slope, Sunset Park) who are not amused that he's been spotted holding hands with the Upstate Senate Republicans. You can read and/or sign the petition that's going around if you like. Do remember though that the IDC is a bit of a parliamentary ploy, and not as simple to pigeonhole as Democrats Gone Bad (DGB). Still, anyone who hears about his caucusing with Republicans instantly breaks out in hives. It's a condition, and with the current allergens in the air, it's only gonna get worse.
The text of the petition is pasted below:
Sen. Hamilton was voted in as a Democrat and he needs to act like one! In November 2016, he joined the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group of NY State Senators elected as Democrats but aligned with Republicans. They allow Republicans to BLOCK:
- DREAM Act to provide tuition assistance to children of undocumented immigrants
- Women’s Equality Act to codify Roe v. Wade in New York law
- GENDA to protect LGBT New Yorkers from discrimination
- Voting Reform including early voting and automatic voter registration
- Criminal Justice Reform including “Raise the Age"
- Campaign Finance Reform and Ethics Reform to clean up Albany corruption
- Single payer health insurance
- Tenant protections to keep housing affordable and reversing Vacancy Deregulation, which has removed tens of thousands of rent-controlled and rent-stabilized apartments necessary for working class families and seniors
As voters in his district, we demand that Jesse Hamilton immediately return to the Democratic Caucus or resign from office to allow for a special election.
Party Off, Wayne
Could be a major bumsky coming for the Pop-Up Discotheque Sonic Jungle planned for the as-of-yet unoccupied building on Flatbush at Lefferts.
Un-Safety Dance
Let the record state that the Q is all for these parties, so long as they happen but a few times. I hope they get the permits, and I hope there's not an upper age limit. And all the Old Fogeys need to remember the freedom of youth fondly, and let the kids dance on.
Un-Safety Dance
Let the record state that the Q is all for these parties, so long as they happen but a few times. I hope they get the permits, and I hope there's not an upper age limit. And all the Old Fogeys need to remember the freedom of youth fondly, and let the kids dance on.
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