Open Thread Wednesday

By on April 30, 2024 11:33 pm in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Andrew Porter

    Here’s a 1939 photo of Grace Church by Beecher-Ogden, it says here:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7a59c1efbc0b96607cce8defda436748f0358792ba43e590123e39a931f56187.png

  • Banet

    It is a shame that the interesting and appropriate roof on the building to the south of the church has been replaced with the eyesore additional floor that is there now.

  • LEFTOVER

    Can anything be done about the traffic tie ups on Clinton St. Due to double parkers on Clinton St leading to such noise pollution from sirens from all forms of emergency vehicles. Why are traffic agents not issuing tickets???

  • Angela De Marco

    Curious. I posted a question regarding the Bossert yesterday and it never made it to this forum. My question was whether anyone knew the status of the sale because I saw what happened with Hotel Le Jolie in Williamsburg and my antenna went up. thanks.

  • Jorale-man

    The sirens are extremely overdone – way too loud and often used non-strategically, i.e. when there’s no traffic to speak of.

    The NY Times had an article about a month ago on noise cameras that are being installed in a pilot program around the city. Apparently, they’re going to target obnoxious horn honkers with it. Clinton Street seems like a natural fit if any of our local officials could go to bat for that.

  • Enforce Parking Regs Evenly

    The unticketed are over the place. Pierrepont between Hicks and Clinton is a double parking paradise. Everyone ignores the parking regs and everytime there’s a big truck the horns start to blare as the street is not very wide. You see the same thing on Hicks between Montague and Clark.

  • MaggieO
  • clarknt67

    With the addition of a Blank Street coffee and a Chopt salad shop, One Boreum building at Boreum and Fulton only has one empty storefront left. Nice to see the street level occupied.

  • Angela De Marco

    Yes, I saw that the other day but as I am not a subscriber, I was unable to read the entire article. Thank you.

  • MaggieO

    got it. neither am i. it’s the only article i’ve been able to find since the auction notice in January and i don’t know what it says either. doesn’t seem like anyone here has insider info on this one.
    the shelter possibility has been noted in this forum before but i wonder whether this particular building would be too rich even for the city’s taste.

  • B.

    ” . . . I wonder whether this particular building would be too rich even for the city’s taste.”

    Why should it be? Similarly prestigious Manhattan hotels are used as shelters.

  • MaggieO

    i don’t know this for sure but i think the city made agreements with existing owners of those hotels, whereas this owner seems to be in such deep financial dysfunction at this point that the city would be looking at buying it rather the deals they have at those other hotels. that’s what i mean by “too rich”

  • Peter Scott-Thomas

    Makes you wonder what the deal is with Montague and Court Sts., doesn’t it?

    Our City Councilman tied his many appearances in our neighborhood when campaigning (and racked up high percentages in a primary with a couple of local alternatives) to his promise that he’d pursue things like long-term vacancies taxation – things that might turn a welcome “tax write-off” for a property owner into “Hey, maybe, I’d be better off leasing it.”

    Since elected – “crickets.” It’s clear that Mr. Restler has his sights on higher office, but he’s in a position to address Bklyn Hts’ most intractable problem – each of 8 spaces (STILL) could serve our community and employ some people – and he’s doing zilch.

  • Effective Presenter

    Clinton Street sounds like East 58 street in Manhattan.

    Each day dozens of trucks, cars double parked along the busy street to the Queensborough Bridge.

    We see DOT Ticket Agents; the tickets are issued.

    Most of the recipients of the tickets view them as part of their “cost of doing business” pay them and proceed to rack up more tickets.

  • Effective Presenter

    Media reports (we do not believe everything/anything media reports) say the Manhattan hotels have been trashed, wrecked by migrants, scooters on the elevator to the room, etc.

    The JW organization had restored the Bosset to pristine condition the place is a work of art.

    We would hate to see the Bossert wrecked like the hotels in Manhattan have been reported to be wrecked if converted to a shelter.

    We ponder the impact of a shelter on our valued Heights Casino, neighboring showcase homes, etc.

  • Banet

    That apartment building has a vested interest in having their street level full of useful and compelling retail — it helps them rent the space above and keep rents high. Montague Street is completely different.

    As far as Restler campaigning on taxing empty storefronts — lots of politicians campaign on ideas that prove unworkable once they get in office. Ultimately I think Restler has been more active and more visible and more hands-on than most any city councilperson around.

    Finally, I wish it was only 8 empty storefronts on Montague. I haven’t counted lately but it’s gotta be higher than that. What’s just as bad to me is that when they do fill up they tend to be with businesses that are useless to me.

  • Peter Scott-Thomas

    You sound knowledgeable – and you may be just that – but my guess is that they are in a position to ask (& get) a higher p.s.f. # than on Montague. Maybe, those vacancies are simply 3-5 “players” standing united but just plain out of line. I agree about who goes in, but I’m guessing all those empties turn off folks who are trying to balance caution with growth.

    But no-butcher (or fish or cheese or etc.)-on-that-block can only be explained by unrealistic asking prices re space empty too long now.

    Maybe, the next rezoning will encourage some conversion to housing.

  • Andrew Porter
  • MaggieO

    an even older link than mine…

  • Andrew Porter
  • Commenter

    People (as do I) love the idea of a butcher or fish place but I would bet that most people wont frequent the location enough for them to turn a profit… there are the local shoppers who would not be able to afford the prices and those who can afford it will likely only make a purchase for special occasions when they are in the area and not in their “non city” hime… just my two cents.

  • Peter Scott-Thomas

    In the “2 cents” department, I simply have to respond. Fish Tales & Paisano’s [the latter, a butcher] are enough out of the way so that I doubt most Hts people frequent them regularly, but there’s a line coming out of each OFTEN – not just Sat. at Noon, either.

    I’m guessing you don’t have a grasp on just how food-conscious AND comfortable the average Hts, DUMBO & DOBRO household is in 2024.

    Want even better (more sure fire) evidence/proof?

    L’Appartement 4F.

    Maybe, Books Are Magic got lucky with their lease, but I’ll bet your “not enough for them to turn a profit” hunch would have them doubled up, laughing.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    An excellent butcher on the Brooklyn Heights side of Atlantic I reviewed a decade ago. Damn time flies.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e4aeoe4cyE

  • Banet

    Agreed. We cook for our family of four about 6 nights per week. Our meat comes from Dellapietra’s. We’re loyal to them (and their excellent service) but if a butcher shop opened up on Montague it would thrive. A fish market would do even better as Fish Tales is further away.

    It’s shocking to me that Union Market didn’t open where the Food Town is opening on Joralemon.

  • AEB

    Being loyal to Dellapietra’s means having the wherewithal to pay about $30 for two pork chops, for example. The price of beef is simply out of sight. I remember fondly the butcher on Clark, just the sort of local amenity the neighborhood needs. NB: the space it occupied has been vacant since it’s demise years ago.

  • Andrew Porter

    Many mornings someone in the north Heights walks their dog at about 7:30am; the (apparently) little dog barks continuously, waking me up.

    I can’t tell you how many times this has happened.

    Is there anything I can do about this which won’t get me imprisoned for homi- or dogicide?

  • Andrew Porter

    I shop there often (was in most recently on May 2nd, bought some meatballs).

    Their prepared foods are excellent. The lunch and dinner platters are good value, too.

  • RickP

    When I moved to the Heights around 1969, there was an excellent butcher shop right on the southwest corner of Henry and Montague. Anyone recall when it left?

  • Banet

    I’d be shocked if they have higher rents in that building than Montague. The foot traffic past that building is fairly low. And their facade is angled away from Joralemon/Fulton Mall where 90% of the traffic is.

    And the Fulton Mall traffic isn’t much benefit, There’s a Mighty Quinn’s BBQ towards the southern end of the western facade. I noticed in last week and went in and asked when they opened. Apparently they’ve been open since August! And I walk east on Joralemon onto Willoughby pretty much weekly!

    And it’s not the residents above creating such overwhelming demand that rents would be high. I don’t have to look any higher than the struggling Iris Market in 1 BBP to see even with a massive building of tenants upstairs (and two more next door in the Quay and the rental building) that even relatively captive audiences don’t bring a ton of traffic.

  • Banet

    Yep. Their pork and poultry is all organic, and for that you pay a premium. Most their beef is either grass fed, dry aged, or both. Again – a premium.

    I’m lucky to be able to afford expensive meat. I recognize that. But we also, as a country bemoan the cost of food, when as a country food has never been a smaller slice of our overall budget. It’s just that now we spend money on more expensive cars, ever higher car insurance to account for repairs to these ever more complex cars, plane tickets, cell phone plans, cable TV bills, and god knows what else…

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