Community Board 1: It's all about the Equity

This is as close as any of us will get to a Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning Cake

There’s a lot on the agenda at tonight’s Community Board 1 meeting, but little actual substance beyond the board’s cross examination of HPD Deputy Commissioner Holly Leicht over the Greenpoint Hospital project. That should be fun.

Meanwhile, dozens of St. Nick’s staffers and local residents are outside, in matching lime-green GREC shirts. Is there a development-related softball league in Williamsburg that I don’t know about? Tomorrow night on the Keyspan field, it’s GREC v. Domi-Yes! Also, someone should tell Esteban Duran that he’s wearing the wrong shirt.

Speaking of St. Nicks, Michael Rochford and Frank Lang are here with prepared speeches to address the Greenpoint Hospital decision. Michael also wants to update the community on superstar organizer Alison Cordero’s condition. Cordero suffered a stroke several days ago and is in a coma. She has not awakened but her eyelids are moving. There’s a somber mood in the room, as her presence is sorely missed.

CB1 member Julie Lawrence comes by to say hi to Press Row, and wants to talk about Red Gate Garden (aka Nick’s Garden) and the tennis bubble. Unfortunately I don’t know anymore beyond what has already been printed. Perhaps there will be an update from Parks official Stephanie Thayer. Meanwhile, Mieszko Kalita is wearing a bowtie and a snappy blazer. I ask CPCR’s Barbara Baer to take a picture.

6:45 PM: While Chairman Chris tests the mic and kicks the meeting off. Chairman Emeritus Vinny Abate is here. Frank Lang escorts him to the Green Room. District Manager Gerry Esposito takes the roll call. It’s sitting room only tonight.

Chairman Chris turns the mic to HPD Deputy Commissioner Holly Leicht for a presentation about the Greenpoint Hospital. And this is much less a presentation than an intense, hour-long cross-examination period. After last year’s Broadway Triangle decision, HPD might be Community Board 1’s least popular city agency.

Let’s see how Holly explains the city’s decision to award the contract to Queens-based developer TNS Development Group/ Lemle & Wolf:

“We have now designated the site to TNS development and Great American Construction. They have proposed to do 240 units of affordable housing. They will have a senior component as well, and some mixed income. I know we have heard some concern that the company is a for-profit, that they were upstate, but they are not upstate. They are in Queens but have done work in Brooklyn, but not in Greenpoint Williamsburg.

It is extraordinarily difficult right now to get financing to get projects done. Projects being done are with developers with a lot of equity. This is not an ideal situation, one that residents are not happy about, but it is difficult to get financing right now, and this is how this project got done… as a result, we are not issuing many RFPs right now. This one has slowed down considerably.

We went with the one with the most equity, we went with the team that we felt had the best chance to get financing.

GREC is not impressed by Holly's explanation.

Board members have lots of questions and I will include a sample. Land Use Chairman Ward Dennis asks Holly to compare the numbers.

Holly: The selected group got 240 units. Others ranged between 215 and almost 300 units. 300 was Ridgewood Bushwick and Bluestone. 260 was GREC/ St. Nicks.

Karen Leader: Why did this site go through an RFP and other sites did not have to go through an RFP?
Holly: The only times we don’t do an RFP is if the developer asks for a contingent site to apply for state funds. In the Broadway Triangle, the developer [had applied for state funds]. If they hadn’t gotten competitive state funds, their application would expire. This project would be big. My guess, a senior component will go for federal or state competitive funds. TNS did not ask for a lot of competitive sources and some other teams had much more reliance on competitive RFPs.

Karen: I don’t understand, it’s like a slap in the face for the community. You just disregarded what the community asked for, the letters you received from CB1 in support of that plan. I don’t understand how you came to that decision. You disregarded that. I don’t think your decision was clear.

Holly: While the community was not part of the selection process, all the things that came out of the RFP came out of the community’s points of agreement which came out of the Greenpoint Williamsburg rezoning.

6:58 PM: Chairman Chris has a follow-up, admonishing HPD for not considering organizations with long-standing track records in the neighborhood, and asks to why that wasn’t considered in the RFP

Holly: There wasn’t anything in the RFP for preference for local groups.

Chairman Chris: They have already proven they’re worthwhile. Doesn’t that play into a decision by HPD?

Holly: That’s definitely important. This doesn’t mean that St. Nicks couldn’t do this. Their track record in recent years is a very different thing than this project. We’ve seen a lot of projects stall and sit because there isn’t financial capacity to get banks to finance that.

Esteban Duran: In the past, HPD and the city, local preference was important. This GREC plan here has over 20 years in the making. People were bewildered by this decision. Despite the fact that this was a long wait, it just so happened. This decision came on a Friday. Community Board members did not know until Monday. Why isn’t HPD not looking into financing from GREC, which got $500,000 grant for the project. Why aren’t community groups preferred? I think there needs to be some type of answer

Holly: The other bid had considerably more equity. Considerably.

7:04 PM: GREC leader Tish Cianciotta, sitting at the Hasidic table, reads a statement about the bid.

HPD never communicated with our community in Greenpoint and Grec. We fought diligently for 28 years, and nobody was here when we had an issue. Right now, I want this reversed because we live here we fought for this community for years. And to see HPD finally arrive after the decision has been made is kind of insulting. It is an insult to our community, to me and my husband, and to everyone who worked on this plan. We fought for that site. We should have gotten it. It is similar to what we planned for. We wish that decision was turned over. It has to be reversed. What happened her was really bad. You should reverse this decision. It was wrong.

Rob Solano asks about permanent affordability, precedence with Yuco, a Westchester-based development company, on several small buildings in Williamsburg, and why St. Nicks wasn’t considered.

Holly: I’m not here to say bad thins about St. Nicks. It’s about banks and their balance sheet. (on the Greenpoint Hospital). I can’t honestly say what the POA (permanent affordability) is on that project, and that answer receives catcalls.

Holly answers a question whether an RFP could be reversed and she says “yes”. Her answer gets cheers from the GREC softball team.

Del Teague: I am very distressed that this project did not go to a local group and urged that the developer make the affordable housing permanent.

Holly: It is certainly a goal and we’re trying to figure that out.

7:14 PM Chairman Chris denies entertaining a community board motion to dunk Holly in the East River to see if she floats, resolving that the river is too far away from the meeting and that there is other business on the agenda.

7:15 PM: Council Chief of Staff Antonio Reynoso has a comment on behalf of Councilwoman Diana Reyna:

We too are appalled at the decision that HPD has made and we are going to fight with the community to make sure that the decision that was supposed to be made will be made. (Applause)

To choose another organization completely turns its backs against the community and we will not accept that.

It’s just that we seem to be facing constant neglect from HPD and the city of New York. We’re talking about a local organization that has a long track record. Now it seems like its all politics and we can’t stand for that.

HPD has come here after the fact.

Even The Chairman Emeritus wants to pile on:

I was shocked at the decision that HPD did on this wonderful plan that St. Nicholas had and completely just threw it out to complete strangers. To people that never knew this neighborhood. I’ve been here for 92 years practically. I was born in the hospital. I was chairman of the advisory board for Greenpoint hospital. I played ball next to the lots. Every time we got hurt, we went to the Greenpoint hospital to get treated. Seeing what has happened now…

I just want some community to come up with a plan for the people in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood, no place else. Whether a senior center or housing, people in this neighborhood shouldn’t have to travel to see their friends. They’ll be right here.

What did happen? I resent the fact that complete strangers are coming in and preempted one of the best organizations in our community. This is a complete slap in the face. We want to take over this building. You can rest assure its in good hands.

Finally, GREC leader Jan Peterson adds her two cents:

If we’re at a place where people are talking about money. We have thousands of hours of community people working on the redevelopment of this building for the past 28 years That’s worth something. Going to institutions where you know the people who are there, that’s worth something. It’s all about the money and they can’t even prove that St. Nick’s cant’ get the money.

We’re down to a fact of governance. If the community board cannot be heard. If the CDC, St. Nicholas, is acted as if it is just one of any number of competitors and they don’t matter, how can that not undermine democratic practice and community. If this mayor does not understand that communities are what makes most things work.

If we’re talking about delivering, that is not going to move really quickly.

How do you give public land to a private developer, then this is it.

Why is a private developer there, when we don’t even know if they are going to keep it permanently affordable. We’re here in Swinging Sixites Center. Who’s going to listen to the seniors? They can build the building, but they can’t operate the building without Swinging Sixties or Cooper Park Houses.

Are you actually going to say or do anything based on what you are hearing here? We want a dialogue now and we’d rather dialogue now rather than take the next step.

Holly: I’d be happy to hear the conversation well before ULURP

Chairman Chris: I think the deputy commissioner has heard that this community would like the agency to seriously consider this decision and reverse it.

7:30 PM: The GREC trial is over and Bill Carbine, Assistant Commissioner HPD talks about the 27 Hooper Street office relocating. Instead they will be providing mobile units, helping people out in a library, and in other locations at a regular basis. Team GREC, nearly all of it, files out of the room into the hallway.

7:37 PM: There’s a motion for a sidewalk café for a new thai restaurant on Bedford Ave between N. Fifth and N. Sixth Street. Ward says this stretch of Bedford is very crowded and there isn’t enough sidewalk to begin with.

7:40: Who likes zoning text amendments more than A Short Story? Answer: No one. Facial Hair All Star and City Planning liaison Steve Lenard mentions the City Planning’s Comprehensive Waterfront Plan (nyc.gov/waterfront), while also mentioning a new zoning text amendment about car-sharing. This is going to be riveting. I can feel it.

Lenard explains that car sharing is like car rentals but with two big differences. You can rent a car by an hour. The car sharing organization can take care of gas, insurance, and all the aspects of owning a car.

Rich Mazur: Is this a car rental? You rent by the hour?
No, Rich. It’s car sharing.

Lenard: This is a private operator. This is not a city program. Currently there are three companies operating in New York City…

This sounds like a commercial for Zipcar. In fact, let’s just run a commercial for Zipcar while Rich tries to open a window because it is 80 degrees inside.

Steve sums up: We’re basically fixing up the zoning to recognize it and clarify when it is appropriate in off-street parking facilities.

Heather asks the benefits of this zoning text amendment and the limits that they are placing. Steve answers that some buildings consider it an amenity and explains that zoning does not make it clear where car sharing is permitted while Rabbi David Niederman stands up to squint at Steve’s Powerpoint slide.

I ask Frank Lang what he thinks and he says the amendment will allow City Planning to move away from requiring so much onsite parking in new developments.

8:00 PM: Time for some internal business. Chairman Chris takes nominations for the board’s executive committee. Yes it’s that time again. Everyone is re-nominated for their positions, except Land Use Chairman Ward Dennis, who declines. Yes, Ward decided to step down from the Land Use Committee since he has become Co-Chair of NAG.

8:08 PM: After District Manager Gerry Esposito asks for a moment of silence for Marie’s husband, St. Nick’s Frank Lang, on behalf of Michael Rochford, gives a presentation about an idea to deck the Brooklyn Queens Expressway to create a park on the south side.

“I am the guy that HPD said doesn’t have any money to develop the Greenpoint Hospital site,” says Frank.

Frank explains that St. Nicks Alliance and El Puente will be working on a project called the Green Light district. Councilmember Diana Reyna will support a study to look at the BQE north of Broadway to S. 3rd Street, particularly the South Third-Fourth Street block.

There’s a community meeting at May 20 and May 26 at PS 19 235 S. Third Street to talk about improving and expanding parks on the site while looking at a pilot on what it would take to deck.

Rob Solano: I applaud you for coming way way early with this and not after the fact. Ballpark this. When do you think this could happen?

Frank Lang says this is preliminary and can’t give a figure, but says that the study will cost $100,000 after Simon Weiser asks.

Lincoln Restler joins Press Row, notices the blog and mentions that he used to get the Fred Savage look-alike comments when he was a kid. As opposed to Ben Savage. Is this because his face is shaped like an upside-down Hershey’s kiss drop?

8:18 PM: Councilman Steve Levin arrives and shakes hands with City Planning’s Steve Lenard. Chairman Chris calls the roll and public session ends with, 30 members are present. Steve Levin has the floor:

Last month has been a busy one, particularly CB1. I want to thank everyone for coming out to testify on Domino for the City Planning Commission. I encourage everyone to come out and make their opinions known. That’s the best way to influence public debate.

Levin notes several pubic forums his office will organize in the neighborhood, including one on McGuiness Avenue.

“McGuinness is a impossible, dangerous place from one end to the other. DOT needs to seriously reconsider how to do safety there,” says Levin.

Levin also notes a construction worker killed on a site on Meserole Street in Greenpoint and says his office will look into the site. He mentions tomorrow’s Council meeting, which will address day care, and future budget meetings where a number of city services could potentially get cut. Also… Car Sharing!

8:26 PM: Chairman Chris gives his report, noting that funding for community boards is pending.

“The last voice of people living in our communities is the community board process. Because boards are so important, we need to have good people taking on leadership positions. One committee that still needs to be filled is the environmental committee. We need people to step up to the plate here. I’m looking for someone to think this through.”

Gerry Esposito pipes in that Community Boards have not had an increase in their budgets in 20 years.

“When I started in the 1970s, I had five employees. Now I have two. But I have the power of fifty. The wind beneath our wings." It's official. Gerry is the Bette Midler of Community Boards.

8:36 PM: Committee Reports! Sylvia from the Historic Preservation Committee, a Land Use Subcommittee, is addressing the renovation of a church. The motion is approved.

Transportation Committee’s Karen Nieves actually tap dances during her report and mentions the blog. This is getting weird.

Karen mentions the Sparta Cycling road race proposal on Bedford Avenue for September and the Brooklyn Greenway meeting which happened last week. For the record, this report is not as long as her first report.

Public Safety Committee Chiarman Mieszko Kalita takes the floor.

“Last meeting of the Public Safety was the most crowded, 56 people, more than there are here right now. Apparently people do need a drink in this neighborhood.”

Mieszko reads off the list for sidewalk cafes and those are approvals. Approved.

Now we’re into liquor licenses. There’s a lot of them and this report beginning to drag

Mieszko explains that the committee will not consider any property where there are two

He also explains The Woods’ expansion efforts to open a bar in the rear of a property, for a community group to distribute a CSA.

Del Teague quietly slips out of the building. Both Rob Solano and Esteban Duran are gone, and I don’t even see Ward anywhere. Everyone is checking out. This is the longest board meeting in recent memory where absolutely nothing happened.

9:04 PM: Public Session! We’re almost done. Let’s just stick to the highlights.

*Joseph Garber is pissed at everyone. First he lambasts Chairman Chris for cutting public session speakers from 3 minutes to 2 min. Then he lambasts Rabbi David Niederman for being selected to the attendance committee even though he showed up late tonight. Then he tells everyone who all the new Deputy Mayors are and he has copies of two hardcover books that the former Deputy Mayors wrote.

“A lot of stuff is happening!... I attended two of the charter revision meetings!...”

The bell rings, but Mr. Garber continues anyway and he insults Jan Peterson for speaking for ten minutes about GREC and the board again for not letting him talk for three minutes.

Someone shouts, “Now you’re turning everybody off.”

Garber: “What’s an extra minute! That is not democracy!”

*Guido Cianciotta: “We know just what HPD is trying to do. They were disgraceful. After 28 years of fighting, they came along to give to somebody upstate.

Nobody paid attention. They look at you and play you for a fool. It is up to this community board, to make sure that this person who wants this property should not get this property. He destroyed the things that people believe in. There are some people who stab you in the back, that you’re not going to get this, we know him, or we want the mayor. We want Greenpoint hospital for GREC and this board needs to make sure that it goes that way.”

*Michael Rochford has some remarks:

Thank you all very much and thank you on behalf of Alison Cordero who is in the hospital recovering from a stroke. I want to thank the board for saying so many kind things about St. Nicks.

We faced so many challenges when people said we couldn’t do things. We have people fighting to change redlining. When we had garbage, we went and fought garbage…

That’s the part of the dividends given to the community.

When a developer has been put in more equity. When they put in more equity, they’re going to be looking for more return and that means more risk.

Not only have we had a benefactor come forward with half a million dollars, a gift to the project. We also found two developers, private developers, we have built over 10,000 units of housing in the city. If there is any question about the financial viability of our organization I think we are ready to answer every question from HPD.

Stephanie Thayer offers updates for Transmitter Park, and a comfort station on Greenpoint Playground. She thanks NCMC and Barge Park Pals for the playground. Also, on India Street, the planters are in and a pier could be built soon. On McCarren Park, OSA has hired workers to supplement their work to keep the park clean. Also the McCarren Tennis association held its own fundraiser and resurfaced one of the courts. There’s also a fundraiser on Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday.

That’s pretty much it. Next month’s meeting is on June 3 and there will likely be a two month summer break. Maybe by then, we’ll have a rezoning cake.

Community Board 1 preview, lots of small plates

Mieszko Kalita, Ward Dennis and Heather Roslund remember a time before the Williamsburg-Greenpoint Rezoning called... The Wonder Years.

Tonight, HPD's Holly "Go" Leicht and City Planning's Steve Lenard will be on the agenda giving updates on two projects in the neighborhood. Leicht will touch on the RFP process for the Greenpoint Hospital while Lenard will talk about car sharing. I predict a muted catcall or two, as St. Nicks is still smarting over the decision to award the RFP to Great American Construction.

Also, several liquor licenses are up for grabs, including The Woods, which is looking to expand its S. Fourth Street bar. So far, the plan which was brought up at last week's public safety committee meeting, has gotten mixed reviews.

Finally, so you've heard, today is Williamsburg Rezoning Day! Apparently NAG is having its own Rezoning Day celebration without cake but with a new song at tonight's board meeting from the Broadway musical, Promises Promises. Can I make a suggestion? How about "Knowing When to Leave?"

Happy Rezoning Williamsburg Waterfront!

All we need to do is change the frosting!

Today, as Ward Dennis the Land Use Menace observes, is the birthday of the Greenpoint Williamsburg waterfront rezoning. Your rezoning is five years old today! (City Council voted on the rezoning on May 11th in 2005).

So what has changed? Let's go to 11211!

Things have slowly improved on the open space side of the equation in the past year. The first phase of Bushwick Inlet Park is now open as a soccer field (and a rather nice one at that). 0.28 acres down, 28 to go. Unfortunately, no headway has been made on the acquisition of the rest of the future Bushwick Inlet Park, so there is no waterfront access, no picnic area, no dog run, no bosque, no gardens and no great lawn. A waterfront pier opened last year at Northside Piers, the first taste of the publicly-accessible waterfront that one day is to run from North 3rd Street to Newtown Creek. That day is still far off, even for the Northside - the esplanades at 184 Kent, Northside Piers and the Edge are still not publicly accessible, and construction activity on land has rendered the pier a part-time amenity.

Up in Greenpoint, waterfront access is farther out on the horizon - there can be no waterfront esplanade until there is waterfront development. Work is soon to be underway at Transmitter Park, so maybe the public will have a real park to enjoy by the time we get to the 6th anniversary. But that's the good news for Greenpoint. The bad news is that sludge tank is still where it has been for the past five years - smack dab in the middle of a proposed waterfront park. And 65 Commercial Street is still in the hands of the MTA, which means that it too is still not a park

Here's to the next five years of waterfront rezoning. Take it away David Bowie...

Eric Peterson is Williamsburg's only Yalie worth writing about

Budding Parks Department star Eric Peterson, above, reacts to the New York Observer article about Yalies living in Brooklyn. (Eric runs Parks operations at Randall's Island, a hell of a commute.) Quoth the Yalie:

I thought it was pretty funny, and true in some cases. I even posted it to my Facebook profile. Another of the quotees is from my high school, and the little brother of one of my best friends growing up.

For a host of reasons, NYC does seem to be Yale South. Not that we don't settle in DC, New Haven, Louisville, the Bay Area or Kigali, but New York's energy level and diversity of pursuits is especially attractive to Yalies.

We do love Yale and feel a big connection to other Yalies. Over 1000 alumni came to the four "Feb Club Emeritus" parties held in NYC in February, and several hundred local youngish alumni volunteer in NYC with the Admissions office, staffing college fairs and interviewing applicants. Then there are the more established outlets like the Yale Club on Vanderbilt Ave and the recently reinvigorated Yale Alumni Association of Metropolitan NY.

And it helps that Yale is only $28 round trip and less than two hours from Grand Central, which makes it easier for us to make it up to New Haven often for football games/tailgate parties, lectures, performances, symposia and other such attractions.

Mother's Day Monday Links

Makin your way in the world today takes everything you've got... wait, that's the wrong lyric.

Brooklyn was awash with windy Mother's Day brunches straight outta the Golden Girls, as families could be seen at restaurants throughout the borough squabbling over who should pay the bill.
As for the news-o-sphere it was more like Law & Order. Let's go to some links.

*A tip of the newscap to The Village Voice and Graham Rayman for its blockbuster report about fudging crime statistics at the 81st Precinct. There's a follow-up about the 90th too.

*People may have feared a security threat when the J train shut down operation on the bridge last week, but the long-term story is overcrowding on the line.

*Is Hotel Toshi legal? Is it illegal? According to a well-placed administration source, the city won't know until it sees it for itself. Hotel Toshi's Robert Chan thinks he's right, but the state legislature may pass a new bill clarifying what makes a legal hotel and this one may go to the courts eventually.

*In the blotters, if you see a snorkel-masked man walking around Williamsburg, he will probably rob you.

*The Sucuzhañay attacker got manslaughter, but was not convicted of a hate crime. BushwickBK has a nice summary to get you caught up

*Finally, Saturday's gun buyback program was apparently a success, as 287 guns were brought in, though it was a little hard to get one rifle into police custody.

The Short List; Big Momma's Day Edition

Happy Mother's Day everyone! A weekly list of links returns on Monday morning. And a special shout-out for the District Attorney's Mother's Day special gun buyback program at eight churches throughout Brooklyn.

Hope article arrives

Did you know that Hope Reichbach won her first Oscar for her role in The Piano?

The Brooklyn Paper looks at the Fightin' 52nd District Leader race, featuring the headliner fight between Jo Anne Simon and Hope Reichbach, followed by the four-way competition for male district leader (Alan Fleishman, Steve Williamson, Jesse Strauss, and Mystery well-known candidate X who is not Doug Biviano).

Check out Fleishman's bemused reaction to the interest in the position. For Alan, the race is all about Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman Vito Lopez:


“Actually, he considers us ‘Public Enemy number 1,’ ” said Fleishman, a 27-year resident of the district who has held the post for eight years. “We didn’t support his candidates for Surrogate Court. We fought him when he tried to get an unqualified person on the Board of Elections. And we bucked him when he tried to put Noach Dear on the bench without a judicial screening panel.

“Bottom line? He’s gunning for us because we’re not willing to go along with everything he wants because he’s the county leader,” added Fleishman.
Hope deserves a song for jumping into the District Leader race. How about a little Lee Ann...

HPD responds to its own Domino Report

"Does anyone have John Cusack's number? We need that hot tub!

The city is blasting its own 2006 internal analysis for how much profit a developer could rake in if the Domino sugar refinery were transformed into a housing complex.
Both HPD and developers at Community Preservation Resources have called the profit numbers fictitious and the study wildly out of date. An HPD official further explained that it was not connected to the Domino proposal was purely hypothetical based on the market at that time.

“This was a rough analysis done by the City in 2006 strictly to look at the potential impact of preserving the refinery building rather than building another tower on that site. It was based on assumptions that would have been aggressive even at the height of the real estate market and are a complete fiction today. It wasn’t done in conjunction with CPC and was not reflective of their proposal then, much less today" – Holly Leicht, Deputy Commissioner for Development.

CPCR Vice President Susan Pollock chimed in as well, calling the report irrelevant. Here's here quote:
“It’s wrong,” said Susan Pollock, vice president of the development company. “It’s wrong as to construction costs, sales prices, market price, fixed cost, land and pre-development costs, taxes and finance costs.
“There is absolutely no resemblance to the project we are proposing [and the report],” she added.

Yet those are the numbers which are being evaluated at this point, and Land Use Chairman Ward Dennis doesn't think they should be so easily dismissed. Here's his post on 11211.

The thing is that CPCR decided early on that what every other waterfront developer got in 2005 was not good enough for them. They need more - specifically, more market-rate density. A lot more market-rate density. And in order to justify that more, CPCR is saying that their project is different. They have to pay to rebuild the wharf for the waterfront esplanade. They have to pay to preserve the refinery. They have to cross-subsidize the additional affordable units with additional market-rate units. (None of these expenses are necessarily extraordinary or unexpected - every waterfront developer has costs associated with constructing bulkheads, piers and esplanades; CPCR is not the only developer on the waterfront with historic preservation costs; HPD assumes that there will be up to $70 million in housing subsidies available for the waterfront portion of the project. But I digress.)

In order to account for all of these unique factors, CPCR says that it has to have more market-rate units and a series of special permits to allow greater height, reallocation of floor area throughout the site and a huge number of parking spots. All of these permits and extra density come at a cost to the community and the city. Increased market-rate density means accelerated secondary displacement on Williamsburg - Southside and Northside. It means that the amount of available open space per capita drops throughout Williamsburg. It means thousand more people on Williamsburg's buses and subways. It means thousands more cars on Williamsburg's streets.

Speculation regarding how much profit CPCR could bring in has been intense, even in 2007, when Norman Oder weighed in on Atlantic Yards Report:

But with affordable housing, the devil is in the details. Where’s the money coming from? “CPCR's intention is to finance the affordable units using widely available subsidies and incentives,” Pollock stated.
CPC has also said it would build the affordable housing first--another contrast to Atlantic Yards, where the bulk would come later in the project, and could face significant delays.
But the fundamental question, one city regulators have been loath to examine, is this: how much subsidy would be provided for each affordable unit, and how does that compare to other projects? What's the bang for the buck?

and
Whether or not the criticism of Katan is deserved, it’s interesting, at least, that CPCR has allied with Katan. I asked what percentage of the money Katan put up. Pollock responded with a non-answer: “The Katan Group is an equity partner in Refinery LLC. CPCR has sole decision making responsibility.”
Still, it raises an issue: a for-profit subsidiary of a nonprofit, like CPCR, may have lower profit goals than an investor trying to maximize return. So there may be pressure to build more units and build taller to deliver the (unannounced) return the investor needs, even if the decisions are being made by CPCR.
“Community Preservation Corporation doesn’t care about this community,” Eisenberg told the Brooklyn Rail. “I believe they are using their non-profit status to further their for-profit venture.” That's unclear, but the CPC/Katan deal deserves more scrutiny.

So, will we ever see the numbers? Probably not, according to Susan Pollock. It's about as likely as Susan and Holly taking a dip in the Hot Tub Time Machine to 2006 to fix that report.

Cirque de Soleil

Perennial candidate Andre Soleil will once again launch a campaign against Joe Lentol, City Hall News announces. Few surprises here. Soleil, a long-shot, was kicked off the ballot last year for having invalid signatures on his petition. He also filed a lawsuit against Lentol and his press warrior Amy Cleary for violating his civil rights after they challenged his petitions. The whole thing was short, nasty and strange and Soleil was eventually bumped off the ballot.

Now, Soleil was trying to win the endorsement of Vito Lopez, by trying to meet with the very same lawyer that represented Lentol in the petition challenge case. City Hall News suggests, but doesn't really prove, that Vito was trying to run Soleil, or even some other candidate, against Lentol because of an alleged beef that they had. So are Vito and Joe feudin' fussin' and a fightin'?
Here's Joe "The Legislation" Lentol, from City Hall News:
“Vito and I may have our difficulties,” Lentol said. “But I know he supports me whole-heartedly.”

We better drop this one too because the last video was too weird.

Five things I learned on District Leader Tuesday

My name is Lincoln Restler and I am running for an office my parents didn't even know existed.

For those of you who didn't secure Yeasayer tickets at Webster Hall last night, you had the option of attending one of several District Leader fundraisers instead as well as Manhattan Beep Scott Stringer's 5oth birthday fundraiser (Happy Big Hawaiian 5-0 Scott!)

Now, District Leader, or State Committeeman, might be a few steps above municipal dog catcher, but it is still important enough to inspire county-wide interest in this little-known seat. Lincoln Restler launched his campaign at Oulu in Williamsburg last night, vowing to change the way elected officials and judicial nominees are chosen and endorsed for office in Brooklyn. He's running against former Council candidate Steve Cohn and here's more from the release:

As a founding member of the New Kinds Democrats, Lincoln is running to clean up the Brooklyn party which has seen three of the past four party bosses indicted on corruption charges. Lincoln will stand up to the machine and fight for transparency and accountability in our local Democratic Party. "The era of the political clubhouse is long gone, but the Brooklyn machine is alive and well. Brooklyn needs an infusion of bold leadership, progressive ideals, and a commitment to grassroots organizing. I'm running because we deserve a better brand of politics," said Lincoln. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Lincoln is a strong advocate for our community, active across the 50th AD as an elected officer of Community Board 2, a board member of the Pratt Area Community Council, the Fort Greene Association, and Brooklyn for Peace. Lincoln is also a founding member of Brooklyn Vanguard - a group focused on increasing engagement and support of the Brooklyn Public Library. As a Program Officer in the NYC Office of Financial Empowerment, Lincoln develops basic banking products for low and moderate income New Yorkers. Lincoln will bring his expertise and commitment to his native borough to fight for more open space, affordable housing, and the real needs of our community.

Not to be outdone, Hope Reichbach launched her own campaign for District Leader in Boerum Hill last night, where she will face former Council candidate Jo Anne Simon, who is already complaining about the race. Here's an excerpt from Hope's release:
“I am excited to announce that I am running for Female District Leader in the 52nd Assembly District. As a lifetime Boerum Hill Resident and daughter of local activists and organizers, I know I can be a powerful voice for the entire community. Growing up, I was inspired by generations that came before me; their dedication and commitment to change through grassroots political participation is truly inspiring. Over the past few years, I have seen my generation’s potential to be a strong voice and I will help our community unite behind progressive ideals. As a young activist with deep ties to the progressive movement, I can reenergize and unite the Democratic Party in our community and return our focus to our core values,” Reichbach said.

Now we're all learning a lot about these races and this position in particular this week. Did you know that a District Leader hires poll workers on election day? And that a DL has a say in who can be a civil court judge in Brooklyn? And that the DL ultimately chooses the party's county chair, which is the main reason why Kings County Chairman Vito Lopez wants to have as many Lopez-friendly officials as possible?

You did? Fair enough. Let's get onto some new things we learned last night.

1. Lincoln Restler's parents had no idea what a District Leader was until he began running for it.
That was the running joke from last night, but here's something else to consider. Restler, who grew up in Brooklyn Heights, attending Packer, enjoys some entrenched support of his own, right in Steve Cohn's backyard. It could even split their synagogue where both families are members. It was evident at the fundraiser, which drew about 100 people, and earned a positive nod from De Blasio staffer Matt "Chicken" Wing for the turnout.

2. Hope Reichbach's roots in Boerum Hill can't be dismissed either.
While Reichbach did not attend Gallatin (settle down Juliet) or room with Lady Gaga as an earlier post suggested, she has been active in politics practically her entire life. Some of that is due to volunteering with her father, Judge Gustin Reichbach, but she also worked all last summer on Steve Levin's council campaign and sued Donald Rumsfeld while she was still in high school.

3. Nick Rizzo, former Evan Thies staffer, is contributing political news with Gawker
Nice to see Nick landing on his feet with a decent gig and hopefully he gets to contribute national news on the site more often after Alex Pareene left. Here's a sample of his latest work.

4. The Observer's Reid Pillifant gets paid to party with David Axelrod
How the f#ck did I miss this? Reid and the Observer's media guy John Koblin hitched a ride to Washington and name dropped as many people as they could in an epic running party diary during White House Correspondent's Dinner weekend. F#ck District Leader Tuesday. Nice job guys. Who knew Bruce Ratner got to Tracy Morgan? Hey, Reid, did you get Tony Romo's autograph or did you settle for Chace Crawford's?

Reid's dream came true this weekend. He got to meet Nate.

5. NAG Action also happens. Action jeans? More like mom jeans!
So the main result from last night's brainstorming meeting is that there will be a Domino-related speak out on May 23. Also, Lacey Tauber's dad looks like a Jewish Chuck Norris.

From a town called Hope (actually Boerum Hill)

Not to be outdone, Steve Levin's spokeswoman (aka The Spokeslevin) Hope Reichbach, above left, is launching her own campaign for District leader tonight in Boerum Hill. She will be taking on Jo Anne Simon who threw a $45 a head fundraiser about a month ago.
This is as good a time as any to start some rumors. Did you know that Hope's music lab partner at Gallatin was Lady Gaga. Hope also appears briefly in Ms. Gaga's video Just Dance. Try to find pick her out.

It's District Leader Tuesday! On A Short Story.

NAG-ing Tonight and The Restler

The neighborhood's fiestiest community activists will be heading down to 110 Kent Avenue at 7 PM tonight for the first-ever NAG Action. Action jeans will not be provided.
So what is a NAG Action? Let's let Neighbors Allied for Good Growth's Emily Gallagher answer it for you:

NAG ACTION is a once-a-month collaborative meeting between concerned citizens looking to learn more and do more.
NAG ACTION brings the issues of our Organizing Agenda: Open Space, Transportation, Affordable Housing, and Community Character, under one umbrella. The goal is to address them in a proactive way and to support the larger goals of progressive, intelligent community growth. NAG ACTION will meet the first Tuesday of every month to have a "teach-in" on a selected topic that is concerning our community with immediacy. We will be looking to local experts on each topic to help us teach, so by asking you to attend we are also asking you to participate
The best part of NAG ACTION is that we welcome you to join us at any level of community knowledge. Whether you've been in the 'hood your entire life, or just arrived last week, there are things that we can all learn and share and do together. To fully tap into our potential power, we must learn and share in a safe community-oriented environment first.
Superkick!

In this scenario, Community Preservation Corporation Resources is the guy driving the car and Ward Dennis is Chuck Norris.

Unfortunately, NAG will be competing with Lincoln Restler (Member of the Jack Hammer Brooklyn Great Names All-Stars, 2nd Team) for his campaign launch party tonight at 6:30 pm at Oulu, named after the next Icelandic volcano to spew ash over Europe.
Restler, 26, will oppose Steve Cohn in an epic District Leader smackdown for the 50th Assembly District. Here's an excerpt of his release from Restler's campaign committee, aka the Karaoke Mafia:

BROOKLYN, NY- Brooklyn native Lincoln Restler will kick off his candidacy for State Committeeman/District Leader in the 50th Assembly District, which covers Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint.
Joined by dozens of friends, supporters, special guests, and local activists the New Kings backed Democrat will lay out his reform platform. Refreshments served.

Wait, that's it? Where's the stump speech? The moving biopic? The celebrity campaign appearance from Ben Stiller? Oh wait, I have one:

Taco Tour de Williamsburg

Looking for somewhere to grab a bite during Cinco de Mayo tomorrow? How about dining at Williamsburg's most authentic Mexican establishments? Here's an excerpt of quite possibly the best place to get tacos in the neighborhood:

Antojitos Mexicanos

Striped acrylic tablecloths. Felt and straw sombreros hanging on the wall. An old-fashioned jukebox playing Mexican pop rock. Welcome to a Williamsburg that few hipsters know about.

Tucked in the middle of a busy commercial street, Antojitos Mexicanos is worth the trip, offering the most flavorful tacos, tortas, and tamales in our survey. Its huaraches, which is made from scratch, contain black beans embedded in the masa, and is piled high with lettuce, sour cream and generous portions of meat and cheese.

Practically anything you order will leave you smiling and nodding to your group of friends, while a Spanish-language version of Hotel California plays in the background.

Fair warning. Our intern, Liz, took a bite of a chalupa and described the experience as a “spicy lightheadedness,” before being reduced to the brink of tears because of its spiciness.

Salsas: Red is hot and green is very hot. We’re not kidding.

Our Lady of Guadelupe shrine: One is next to the security camera and another is near the store’s front window.

Rating: 4 sombreros

Antojitos Mexicanos [107 Graham Ave. near Boerum Street, (718) 384-9076]

Things to do in Bushwick this Spring!

Nadine Whitted and Martha Brown are excited about Anna D'Agrosa's spring list... in addition to Administrative Professionals Day.

Check out Anna D'Agrosa's list of forty things to do in Bushwick. I didn't even know there were forty things to do in the neighborhood, but D'Agrosa picks up a few things. My favorites?

#5 the Ridgewood Reservoir
#12 Bushwick Open Studios!
#15 Taco tours!
#19 Moviehouse and 3rd Ward's anniversary
#36 the Linden-Bushwick garden

And I'll have to add Community Board 4 meetings, 83rd Precinct District meetings, Brooklyn Unidos Meetings, and watching the new campaign posters go up at the Bushwick Democratic Club. It's like watching the leaves change.

GateGate continues at McCarren Park

The fence has been up for a week now, but what's next?

GateGate continues at The Brooklyn Paper this morning, where an email sent by a parks official to several community leaders has surfaced explaining why the fence surrounding Nick's Garden was torn down last Saturday to the ire of local gardeners.
The garden's permits lapsed in 2007 and in all likelihood the gardeners will be able to renew their permits with Green Thumb. Yet the root of this story is about the difference between public versus private, and what community means.
A friend of Nick's Garden emailed me with a more detailed explanation before a correction was noted regarding the parks email:

That the Parks Department was merely reclaiming the land for the public when it tore down the section of snow fence at the west end of the garden from citizens that had "privately" cultivated it, is untrue. While I can understand the Parks point of view that community accessibility is an important goal, it needs to be clear that the fence is merely there to protect the ground plantings from careless foot traffic, and illegal activity. Just yesterday morning we were greeted by the vile remains of human excrement complete with toilet paper inside the garden. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence. The garden has been repeatedly the victim of thefts of plants and tools throughout the years.

Stepahanie Thayer , Administrator for North Brooklyn Parks - NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation and the Executive Director - Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA) statement regarding the situation is disingenuous, at best. Most community gardens, and all GreenThumb gardens are closed off and locked up the majority of the week. A GreenThumb is contractually obligated to be open 10 hours a week, according to their website. Red Gate garden exceeds that by 2-3 times in the growing season.

The Brooklyn Paper article quoted an email from Stephanie Thayer , however it was not addressed to either Walid, Gina or myself; but to other parties perhaps interested in the occurrence of the fence being removed. The first time any one of us garden volunteers read her statement was several days after the fence removing incident, and via a forwarding of that email to me. In fact, even though Ms Thayer has the email addresses and/or phone numbers of the garden volunteers, she nor anyone else, from parks has tried to contact the gardeners directly since the fence was removed.

The only phone communications with the garden and Ms Thayer were limited to the discussion of new plantings to be put in the garden by the Boy Scouts on Saturday April 24, 2010. The offer was graciously declined, because all of the garden's spring plantings were in place and there are numerous trees already in the garden. There was no discussion of opening of the fence. This incident speaks volumes about the Parks department doing what they want to do, when and however they see fit and without input from the community they serve. This, as you know, is a major issue regarding the PLANYC's Million Tree s NYC program.

As for the lapse in Red Gate's registration with GreenThumb NYC, that was an oversight and a miscommunication between the woman that used to register the garden who moved overseas, and the current team of volunteers. We are in the process of correcting the oversight with GreenThumb and look forward to utilizing all of the opportunities and requirements that the affiliation both benefits and obligates us to. I hope that the upside of this unfortunate "misunderstanding" between the garden and McCarren Park administrators is that more people will get involved in the community garden.

Mr Abramson , the Parks Department spokesperson statements are particularly egregious and contradictory to their actions. Removing the fence without any warning only made the garden vulnerable to destruction.

That the fact that it is already a community garden runs counter to his statement that “There must be opportunity for the public to become involved if they wish to be a community garden...They are allowed to garden, but there must be public access to it. That was the goal over the weekend.” I can only interpret that as, let's allow this garden to be trampled down , so that the community can have access to space to become a community garden. That this wholly nonsensical.

Most importantly, for 15 years Red Gate Garden aka Nick's Garden has been open to the local community to enjoy and participate in. To be very clear Red Gate Garden has nothing to do with privatization of public space , and in fact is the opposite. Anyone who has any interaction with the garden knows that it is a public garden that is absolutely open to community input, help, and the garden's enjoyment for anyone that may want to participate.

Dan Bush's Domino story

Now this is a good story.
Dan Bush at the Brooklyn Star finds that a report prepared by HPD in 2006 shows that the developers of the Domino site could earn a net profit between $382 and $447 million (with a return of cost at 42 to 50 percent) if they develop along the scale as planned.
The foiled report, an internal analysis by the city's housing department, estimated how much money a plan to develop the former sugar refinery would bring in.
HPD actually modeled four scenarios for development of between 2000 and 2400 units of housing on the site. The Star averaged out the numbers, which look a lot like the
Could this be a wedge issue? Joe Lentol thinks so. Here's his quote, as interviewed by Mr. Bush:

“By the time this project is finished, the real estate market could be higher than it was in 2006,” Lentol said in an interview. The developer “might make even more money.”

Now, about the numbers. In Bush's article, the report calibrated based on market rates for square footage ($800 to $900) back in 2006 whereas prices have bottomed out considerably since then. Still, they will rise, as CB1's Ward Dennis argues as well as several realtors have attested.
What may be in dispute are the costs of redeveloping the site (restoring and gutting the landmarked refinery main building, fixing the pier, etc.) and how much developer CPCR will gain in profits in 2010 numbers.

CPCR's argument all along was that it takes two market rate units to support one below-market rate unit. Two additional questions here: What is the updated profit estimate for the site? And if the plan is adjusted to 1600 units (what Councilman Steve Levin wants), can the estimated profit from the market rate units still support 660 affordable units on this site?

A Short Rebuttal

Ward's Island goes into more depth about Marty Markowitz's Domino recommendation, which is being closely scrutinized by the City Planning Commission this week and next before being sent to City Council.
Ward, a Community Board 1 member, is arguing that Marty's recommendation was more of a yes, but- with the conditions or modifications being that the site's developers eliminate a substantial amount of parking spaces, trimming the project's bulk and density on the upland parcel, and make the commitment for affordable housing binding.
Why is Marty's recommendation an "enthusiastic approval?" Because he said it was. Let's go to Marty's statement...

“It has certainly been a goal of mine as borough president to ensure that Brooklyn’s gorgeous yet under-utilized waterfront be reclaimed for a vibrant mix of contemporary uses—from recreational to industrial, commercial and residential. Though I am attaching some conditions to my support of this project, I want to commend Refinery LLC for its ambition and for submitting a plan I feel both appropriately celebrates our waterfront and understands the need for affordable housing in Brooklyn .

In my land use role, I always seek significant community benefits from developers asking permission to begin lucrative projects—like more affordable housing, access to public space, the inclusion of amenities like supermarkets, the creation of jobs, use of local labor and construction supply companies and the improvement of residents’ quality of life—and this project is no different.

The modifications I am seeking from the developer as conditions to my overall support are:

• Trimming the overall bulk and density, particularly on the upland parcel, though it would be also beneficial to trim the bulk adjacent to Grand Ferry Park
• Making documented, binding commitments for permanent affordable housing, including for the elderly, with eligibility for community preference extended to those displaced
• Making commitments to provide the space for a supermarket, school and possible artisan establishments
• Public transit improvements, including increased bus service to the L and G and J/M/Z subway lines, and increased trains on the L line

Of course, as this development proceeds, the City and relevant State agencies have a responsibility as well to ensure its success, by guaranteeing requisite traffic management and the adequacy of schools and public transportation. Regarding the latter two, I have alerted MTA Chairman Jay Walder and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein to my concerns and wishes regarding needed changes and resources.

Also, given the ambitious scope of the affordable housing commitment, the costly adaptive reuse of the Refinery Building and the more than double amount of publicly-accessible open space with a quarter mile of waterfront esplanade, a scaled-down project can only achieve this ambitious development with the addition of public funding. I believe this development deserves a direct infusion of City funds, and would encourage the developer to seek Brooklyn Housing Development funds as well as funds from City, State and local public officials.

Regarding parking needs, I defer to the community board in that it is premature to know if the project would need as much parking as proposed, therefore I would prefer that the applicant withdraw the request for more parking as part of the final phase.

These are my recommendations, and I am confident that those of City Planning and City Council will make the project even better. Should my conditions be adopted, and the commitments to public-private partnership that I believe are possible here be achieved for the community, I will proudly say to Domino, ‘Domi-yes

I read the recommendation. It was a much more positive recommendation on waterfront development than Rose Plaza, which he disapproved its special permits. Marty also asked about the project's creation of local jobs during his public hearing at Borough Hall, which he highlighted as critical for the project's success.

Now, there's a lot of spinning going on with this $1.2 billion project on all sides. The community board has voted against large-scale development on the waterfront twice in the past year now, but in favor of large scale development further inland (Broadway Triangle). The vote on Domino comes in the context of board members seeing the effect of added development east of Bedford Avenue and its effect on local streets and subway lines.
These are big problems that the city has been slow to address while green-lighting development after the 2005 rezoning.

But back to Marty for a second. Let's look at how Marty's City Planning appointees vote on Domino. If they vote no, I'll buy the CB1 executive board a box of cookies from Fortunato Brothers. If they vote yes, Ward, how about you buy a box for Press Row?

Witt Week kicks off!

The notorious Steve Witt returns this week as we countdown his American Moses book reading at KGB in Manhattan on Thursday. Witt promises a night filled with music, laughter, tears, more laughter, sweating, tears, and maybe a little... romance?

An interview with Mr. Witt will follow later this week. Here are the details:

Music/Arts - Performance

Date:	Thursday, May 6, 2010
Time:	7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:	KGB Bar
Street:	86 East 4th Street
City/Town:	New York, NY

Free!