Open Thread Wednesday

By on June 11, 2024 11:24 pm in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • fultonferryres

    Anchorage Plaza concession announced.
    https://nyc.streetsblog.org…

  • Peter Scott-Thomas

    It's time for some or all of our Boro President, the former B.B.Pres., who now is Mayor of NYC, BHA and others with sway to stop doing the "easy thing" and demonstrate that they're capable of at least a smidgen of VISION.

    Just as Gov. Hochul may have made lots of drivers happy by doing something dastardly, whoever came up with 12 pickleball courts – a meh idea, at best, but one which steals more than half the space – must have been thinking, "Well, SOMEbody will appreciate this."

    Those of us of a certain age can count our blessings that the BQE did NOT run through a trench in Brooklyn Heights. AND THAT Mayor Mike made Brooklyn Bridge Park happen. (And that nearby DUMBO is mostly alluring.) But too many civic things are being done badly these days, and it doesn't have to be that way.

    We can do better with public space than park a million cars and/or put thousands of restaurant sheds on it. And we can do better – next time, presumably – than 12 PB courts that serve 100 New Yorkers while being a total waste for hundreds of thousands of citizens & tourists.

    Was there community input here? Was our City Councilman involved? It seems very unlikely. There was room enough for a useful, well-designed building, something that would have given this precious space YEAR ROUND value.

    It's nuts that we care more about NYC's treasures from the 1800's than we do about its present & future.

  • MaggieO

    Looking for more info on upcoming developments at St. Francis property?

  • MaggieO

    sorry, not sure what happened there… there is a CB2 land use committee meeting on Wednesday 6/26 where Rockrose will be presenting plans for changes to the landmark structure that's part of the St. Francis property. Postings are up in the neighborhood but I couldn't get the photo to upload.

  • Banet

    Peter, I'm curious — what do you envision would be a better use of that space?

    (Personally, I think $50 to $80 an hour to play pickleball there is a joke. The Brooklyn Bridge Park courts used to be jammed but lately there's a free court or two most times. I think the operator will be in for a rude awakening.)

  • Karl Junkersfeld
  • Peter Scott-Thomas

    Good question! As you say, PB could easily be the 2020's bowling. But start with the basics that this prime r.e. lies between the first Bklyn street literally millions of tourists step on – the dystopian one at the foot of the flight down from the Brooklyn Br. pedestrian path – and the MOST selfied spot in the world – 2 blocks down Washington St.

    Why not Photoville 365-24 or something similar?! BBP has some sculpture. Some of that plus some shade trees, maybe. Yes, my proposed building SHOULD have some restrooms – how obvious is THAT? – but it could also house something the BPL could pull from the white elephant it purchased. The article @fultonferryres posted above points out the awfulness of this being walled off most months and at least 10 hours a day.

    True, ANYTHING would be better than the current parking for NYC trucks, but since when is "Parks" a vehicle to steer money to private operators? The skating rink nearby had obscene prices. This is public space that should benefit we the public!

  • Banet

    I was half expecting you to not answer (as it's generally easy to pick apart an idea but much harder to give superior alternatives)… but this a great response.

    I don't recall how loud it is in that stretch but a shady grove of trees, with a public bathroom, and a variety of Photoville-style displays (maybe sources solely from Brooklyn photographers… or only showing photos of Brooklyn) would be a much more welcome option for those who just made the long trek over the bridge.

  • End Jew Hatred

    Disgusting. But, sadly, not all that surprising given the rise in antisemitism and the loss of moral compasses.

    While the mayor says all of the right things, perhaps he will start to take some action to protect Jews.

  • North BK Heights Couple

    The smoke shop on Henry was shuttered by law enforcement a few weeks ago and I've seen it open again the last few days. Anyone have any updates?

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

    Ironically, The Mansion House didn't allow Jewish residents when it first opened…

  • AEB

    A question: what is the name, if any, of the restaurant on the SW corner of Cranberry and Hicks? I pass it regularly, it seems to have a clientele but–it has no identity. How can a business, any business but particularly a restaurant, not have a name? How does one refer to it without giving an address? What is it ABOUT?

  • fultonferryres

    Are you referring to Inga’s Bar?

  • fultonferryres

    The article explains that nothing permanent can be built there. That is because (someday) the reconstruction of the BQE from Atlantic to Sands will take place, and it’s likely that the space will be used, perhaps for staging equipment. No shady grove of trees. That’s why they are putting in a tree nursery, trees in planter pots. No bathroom building, just trailer bathrooms.

  • Karl Junkersfeld
  • clarknt67

    The retail level of new building at One Boreum is all leased aside from one spot. Impressive. I wonder how they managed that. Affordable rent?

  • clarknt67

    A couple things is my understanding is that space is only temporarily available and DOT is planning to reclaim it later for BQE construction staging. So, if true, that rather limits what can be done with it. For now at least, until it is permanently relinquished.

    Another point is it’s proximity exactly beneath the Bridge ramp and BQE makes it very noisy. So in terms of what goes in, it might be good for noisy activities like dog runs and pickle ball. At least no one can complain they disrupt the peace.

  • Peter Scott-Thomas

    'Course I'm not attacking you – just the seeming City idiots who can't tell up from down.

    Every Mayor ever has kicked the can down the road re the BQE, but "nothing permanent" – what – within 100 yards of the existing route?

    Have 10 buildings broken ground or begun demolition in NYC just today?!

    What does "permanent" even mean? Did the 3-5 destructive hurricanes since 2000 teach fail to teach us THAT?

    How can one not suspect real or as-good-as BRIBERY here? But even more benches and/or something as nomadic as Smorgasbord or the Brooklyn Flea have it all over yet another "This space reserved for people willing to pay $20/hour to occupy it!" giveaway to those who understand pay-to-play! (And I'm not talking pickleball.)

  • Alex

    Calm down, lady. You can use Google to easily find this out. It's a restaurant called Ingas Bar.

  • AEB

    Yes, Inga's Bar, I see. Thank you both.

  • clarknt67

    Overall I feel pretty positive about this. There will be art and seating and trees. And given DOT’s plan to recapture the space in 3-6 years, it’s understandable no one public or private wants to invest big bucks into permanent hardscaping and landscaping.

    The article notes pickleball operator is investing $2M into the space. I share concerns about the space being unavailable outside hours of operation. But there is still time to negotiate on that.

    I don’t play pickleball but I don’t have a problem with the craze. Anything that gets people away from screens, exercising is a win for communities imo. And I wouldn’t mind sitting under the trees and watching play.

    I can’t take seriously complaints about the noise. On the west the lot is bordered by Bridge approach and on the north the BQE. There is peace to be found in DUMBO but it will never be found there.

    And just steps away there is a very similar park space at York and Jay where you can enjoy the sound of BQE traffic without pickleball.

    And it’s a good precedent. Once people take the space, there will be inertia working against DOT taking it back.

  • fultonferryres

    As soon as someone goes down the “it must be bribery” rabbit hole, I cannot engage further with them.

  • Andrew Porter

    Plans call for a dog-run there, although there's a perfectly good one a few blocks away, just up the hill.

  • Andrew Porter

    When I walked by Tuesday evening, a guy was buying what looked like edibles from the clerk behind the partition.

  • Andrew Porter

    In honor of Mansion House, here's an image from the sales brochure for the building:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/04055782084b93ac72e142887808df8a943aa8db5a31bbbeec6cbee12adfd874.png

  • Andrew Porter

    "Careful restricted selection of tenants," said the sales brochure. Click to enlarge:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d293bf3628b200d7e752192c60dc7c8f658e7ea53dae6cc5bf87615c7aa11db6.png

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

    That's exactly what I was referring to! Thanks for posting.

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

    Classic NIMBYism. I'll bet you never once suggested a plan to do anything with those areas, much less given them a thought, before this development was proposed.

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

    Doubt anyone will be able to prevent the DOT reclamation of that space. Though it may be quite some time until they do. The BQE will eventually need to be rebuilt and it's not only the part beneath the Promenade. The entire stretch from the "Pit" in Cobble Hill to the Elevated section beginning at the Navy Yard is in need of various levels of rehabilitation. This was made evident at the DOTs first (?) public meeting about 6 or so years ago.

  • Bobby Fulton

    It’s a great location. Tens of thousands of city employees have to cross that intersection to get to work.

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