And we’re back! Happy belated Labor Day, and welcome to this September 3, 2019 edition of East & Creek, the Greenpoint newsletter. We’ll properly dive into the fall hyper-local news season on Friday; today, let’s catch ourselves up on the past couple weeks.
What’s been up in Greenpoint?
The latest iteration of the Kosciuszko Bridge opened. Planners learned (or did not learn) lessons about bike lane connectivity and induced demand. Assemblymember Joseph Lentol announced funding for the completion of park space under the bridge. Late-night light shows and helicopters woke up several locals, including this newsletter.
Residents and locals pols rallied against the owner of 196 Huron St, who has allegedly delayed repairs and created an inhospitable (and occasionally dangerous) living space, and who is hoping to sell the six-unit building for $3.5 million. (NY1’s Dan Rivoli)
e&c learned that the Dept. of Buildings (DOB) placed a partial stop-work order on construction at 51 Ash St on Aug. 13; the site is expected to eventually include facilities for the North Brooklyn Boat Club. NBBC president Dewey Thompson told e&c:
“Broadway Stages is building the facility that will include our new community boathouse and they had DOB permits to begin but, because of the proximity of the Pulaski Bridge, DOT requested a review of the construction plans. [Broadway Stages] is hoping to get the results of the review very soon, re-establish the building permit and break ground.”
Broadway Stages, which owns filming studios on Greenpoint’s east side, did not respond to e&c’s request for comment.
New Yorkers began submitting their ideas for the latest round of “participatory budgeting.” A City Council website shows only one idea submitted so far in Greenpoint; submissions are due by Oct. 11.
The North Brooklyn Parks Alliance announced a 5K featuring Greenpoint’s green spaces on Sept. 21. Some of those parks were subject of an excellent Curbed piece on park space development along Newtown Creek. (Curbed’s Nathan Kensinger)
Local blogger Heather Letzkus revived her Greenpoint-centric blog, New York Shitty, documenting an up-close, frustrating experience with the neighborhood’s NYPD precinct. (New York Shitty)
(The 94th Precinct will host its monthly community meeting tomorrow at 7 p.m. at St. John’s, on Milton St.)
And finally, yesterday, according to the city government’s proprietary (and highly advanced) predictive models, Too Much Rain caused raw sewage to overflow into Newtown Creek.
Thus concludes this September 3, 2019 edition of East & Creek, the twice-weekly newsletter about Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Read the full archives here.
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See ya around the neighb,
Jon Hanrahan
Author, e&c