Open Thread Wednesday

By on January 24, 2024 12:18 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Nomcebo Manzini

    In an unscientific survey, methinks that readership here peaks on Wednesday … and drifts down to some low number of “visits” by the following Tuesday. To the extent that that’s true, I very much hope that some will read the interesting piece that Claude posted in the last couple of days. B.H. as a landmarked district will probably outlive us all, but one certainly CAN question whether that’s entirely a good thing – or has some serious side effects.

    Following either or both of the 2 links in Claude’s piece – one to another (longer) blog entry of his 7 years back and the other to a very recent NY Times article (by Vishaan Chakrabarti)

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/30/opinion/new-york-housing-solution.html

    will give you even more to think about. There’s a graphic in the latter that’s fascinating. As I read it, it says or implies that there really is no “low hanging fruit” left in Brooklyn Heights in terms of development opportunities. It’s largely computer-driven, and I have to think that the empty building at Clinton & Aitken Pl. was missed for no reason I can come up with – ditto CVS & Fortune House on Henry St. – but it does suggest that the core of our neighborhood might as well be “in amber” for the next 20+ years. (For better and worse!)

  • JaneonOrange

    The other issue is, of course, availability of schools. We already have overcrowding that requires many residents to take their kids elsewhere…

  • Cranberry Beret

    FYI, NYPD ticketed, booted and towed several cars up & down Hicks Street today. Their owners didn’t move to the other side for the Wednesday street cleaning.

  • Karen and Chad

    So, while we are talking Historic District as a hot topic, allow me to spur some more conversation.

    Let me begin by saying I’m all for the community fridge on Henry Street – it’s a great public service for those in need. And, let’s put aside aside for a second whether the structure and the fridge have gone through landmarks review. (they probably should have but I’m guessing they did not and frankly I don’t care).

    My real question is not about the structure, it’s about the recent repainting in garish spray paint style. This to me is a bridge too far and fully out of character with BK Heights. Let’s keep the fridge, but can we have it look more in character with the surroundings?

    The historic district designation is here for a reason – – to maintain character. This type of paint would not be allowed on my building — where the color of the bricks have to be approved by the landmarks provision when we do maintenance. Why is this allowed here?

    What say you?

    Sincerely,

    Karen and Chad

  • Red Leader

    When is the old Starbucks place going to be rented? How many years has it been vacant now? The owners should be fined if spaces sit empty for over a year.

  • Andrew Porter

    Manhattan from the St. George Hotel, Jan. 12, 1933 in a photo by S.H. Gottscho:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/21d9e25d774b7fe2f8170c55bec5f09edb755b41c52e6a562a6b1b0e24e00f0a.png

  • Andrew Porter

    Another view of Manhattan from the Heights in 1927, before the construction of several of the Deco towers:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/994498a954a78493cd30fadcfd31595020dfca96b0f0f88a6a63bfcc18718af1.png

  • A Neighbor

    Yes, other cities have had good success with charging substantial fees to owners of empty storefronts. Turns them over. California, in particular. Suggest you email our council person Lincoln Ressler. I think he would like the idea.

  • AEB

    Absolutely. At the very least the fridge should be redone in Federal or Greek revival style. Clapboard would also be nice. Failing these redo’s–it seems to me that certain exceptions to the mandate to be homogeneously historical can be countenanced. A public fridge offering the needy food they might otherwise lack would be one.

  • Nomcebo Manzini

    Council person Restler was full of good ideas re the problems relating to Montague Street’s serious number of vacancies WHEN he was a candidate initially.

    Crickets since election. I’m not whispering “betrayal,” as much as I suspect that anything meaningful – like taxing vacant-for-a-decade locations, an EXCELLENT idea – he found to lack the votes needed.

    Remember, real estate IS NYC’s major industry that’s both identifiable and routinely helps candidates gain office. Too often, the interests of the community – almost ANY community – butt heads with those of builders, realtors, etc.

    No surprise, then, at a miserable pandemic cratering not getting corrected yet. Lovely as it is to have the Women’s Exchange and Bklyn Poets “in residence,” I have to wonder if either would have happened in the absence of a 20% vacancy rate.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    “mandate to be homogeneously historical can be countenanced”

    AEB, you are surely a skilled wordsmith.

  • Bossert Foreclosure

    Looks like the Bossert is in foreclosure and up for auction:

    https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2024/01/19/foreclosure-auction-on-tap-for-chetri-groups-hotel-bossert/

    Anyone of our real estate focused neighbors have any insight on who the bidders are?

  • Banet

    Ouch. This should serve as a good (and costly) reminder to co-ops to check the functionality of their water shut-offs. I’m not sure they would have helped as the service line from the main to the building is under the street and sidewalk and the shutoffs are usually closer to where the line enters the building – but it can’t hurt.

    https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2024/01/23/burst-water-pipe-causes-havoc-at-brooklyn-heights-co-op/

  • Kit

    The Real Deal link above twice took me to a 401 not found error. I had to call up the website’s home page, click the News menu item, and scroll down to the 1/19 listing of articles in order to read the referenced article.

  • Karen and Chad

    Yeah, there was one in the Brooklyn Eagle that has also disappeared. Very mysterious. Mary Frost, any insight?

  • Effective Presenter

    New York City Department of Education Public Schools?

    Most residents of Brooklyn Heights enroll their children in local private schools that are highly rated not the DOE schools.

  • Effective Presenter

    New York City Department of Education schools?

    Most residents of Brooklyn Heights enroll their children in local private schools that are highly rated and NOT the DOE schools/

  • MaggieO

    Source?

  • Banet

    Not accurate in my opinion. Packer and Saint Ann’s each have ~80 kids per grade. But the vast majority live outside Brooklyn Heights – at least at Saint Ann’s. Maybe 3 to 5 kids per grade live in the neighborhood. (It used to be much higher but the neighborhood has become too expensive for people to move to once their kid gets in.)

    P.S. 8 on the other hand has over 100 kids per grade and they ALL live in the neighborhood.

    There are other private schools of course but at best the split is 50/50 between private and public. I’d guess it’s more like 70% public, 30% private.

  • Andrew Porter

    I had the same problem. Finally got the information in that post from someone else.

  • Nomcebo Manzini

    Can’t believe that nobody points out that Elem. school & Middle School decisions in this connection are one of those Mars/Venus situations – maybe, even more disparate.

    Just as location is #1 or #2 in everything related to real estate, it also is that re schools. If somebody at DOE doesn’t just plain hate the Heights, I’d be surprised. Maybe, the BHA *does* align with whatever percent of Hts people opt for private ed. (in terms of membership & priorities), because the recent decision to have PS 8 “feed” a middle school near Barclay’s is [pick 1] (a) insane; (b) hateful.

  • Mark C

    I noticed there was a sign for an izakaya in the second floor Montague location once slated for BK Lobster. Not sure how long that sign has been there TBH. Anyone have any details of what’s going in there?

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    I hope this is sarcasm…

  • Effective Presenter

    We were NOT impressed with PS 8

  • Effective Presenter

    A and B

  • Cranberry Beret

    LOL, a double-whammy of conspiracy theory targets in one post. Impressive.

  • Knight

    A few weeks ago I heard a rumor that Han’s Market at the Clark Street subway station was being sold. I went in today and didn’t recognize any of the four people working there. Does anyone know if the sale took place?

  • Banet

    What is your objection specifically? That it’s far away? It’s just a few subway stops and lots of 6th graders take the subway themselves.

  • Andrew Porter

    Posting a comment on an almost 2-week old Open Thread…