Last year, neighborhood and preservation organizations, including the Brooklyn Heights Association, prevailed in lawsuits in both federal and state courts in which they contested the actions of the National Park Service and the city and state governments to transfer the Tobacco Warehouse site from Brooklyn Bridge Park for use as a new home for St. Ann’s Warehouse Theater, as well as the Empire Stores building for possible commercial development. Following the court decisions, BHA and the other successful plaintiffs began negotiations with city and state officials to establish rules governing possible development of these sites. Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg announced that an agreement had been made under which, among other things, additional land will be added to Brooklyn Bridge Park should the Tobacco Warehouse and Empire Stores be made available for non-park use.

According to BHA President Jane McGroarty, the principal provisions of the agreement are:

* There will be 38,000 square feet of new parkland in DUMBO for Brooklyn Bridge Park. This is significant since the initial attempt to develop the Tobacco Warehouse did not include any replacement parkland. If we do not believe that the substitute parkland is properly valued, we will have the right to submit an independent valuation to NPS during the conversion process.

* The agreement states that the National Park Service should decide the conversion issues on the merits, without political considerations.

* The BBPC must hold regular briefings for the community every two weeks during the conversion process, and place any correspondence about the conversion on its website. This is another major victory for us, as it ensures that any conversion process will be transparent.

* BBPC will keep the Tobacco Warehouse open to the public until any development takes place. Any construction plan will protect the historic character of the Tobacco Warehouse. The community will have a role in managing the use of the public space in the Tobacco Warehouse after any construction project is completed.

Ms. McGroarty expressed gratitude to the city and state officials who “graciously came to the table to partner with us.” She thanked Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation President Regina Myer and BHA member Hank Gutman “for their very constructive roles during the negotiation process.” She said “State Senator Daniel Squadron and Senate Assembly Member Joan Millman were also extremely helpful to us in forging the right result.”

It is clear from Ms. McGroarty’s statement that the BHA will not oppose adaptive re-use of the Tobacco Warehouse site, including its use as a space for St. Ann’s Warehouse, provided that it is done within the rules established by the agreement.

Photo: DUMBO NYC.

Deputy Inspector Mark DiPaolo, Commanding Officer of the 84th Precinct, has notified BHB that the Precinct’s Community Council will meet next Tuesday, May 22, at 7 p.m. at St. James’ Cathedral Pavilion, 240 Jay Street (between Cathedral Place and Chapel Street). On the agenda are (1) a presentation on crime prevention on NYC transit (2) the Cop of the Month award (3) a transit police report (4) a community crime report and (5) a Q&A period. All are invited, and refreshments will be served.

Consider this a potential game-changer for Brooklyn Heights: The magnificent Bossert at 98 Montague Street, owned & maintained by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, is apparently returning to its original domain as a hotel. Brownstoner reported Tuesday that according to a Public Hearing notice sent out by Community Board Two, a variance application has been filed to allow “reconversion of the existing community facility hotel back to its original, transient hotel use.”

What remains unclear is whether the flip is a maneuver on the part of Jehovah’s Witnesses to find an interested buyer for the building. It was first put on the market in 2008, just as the economy flatlined. A $90 million bid fell through, and the property has failed to draw serious interest since.

The religious group bought the Bossert in 1988 and meticulously returned the majestic 14-story building to world-class grandeur—restoring its one-time reputation as the “Waldorf Astoria of Brooklyn.” Currently, it is utilized as free lodging for Jehovah’s Witnesses visiting and studying at Brooklyn Heights’ Watchtower. The 200,000-square-foot building is configured into 224 apartments.

The Hotel Bossert was built in 1909 by Louis Bossert, a Brooklyn lumber magnate and opened as an “apartment hotel.” During the 1920s, it was known for its two-level rooftop restaurant that provided panoramic Manhattan views. In the 1950s, the Bossert was home to several Brooklyn Dodger players, and following the team’s win over the New York Yankees in the 1955 World Series, Dodgers fans and players notoriously gathered in the lobby.

A public hearing will be held Wednesday, May 16 at 6 p.m. at the Dibner Library at 5 Metrotech Center.

(Top photo: Josh Derr; Below: BHB)

Are Brooklyn Heights residents too haughty to share the neighborhood? That’s the tenor of a New York Post article today, which reports the melodramatic account of Tuesday night’s Brooklyn Park Planning meeting. Apparently, several civic leaders groused that the record-setting $40 million donation for a planned 115,000sf athletic facility would be “devastating” for the nabe.

The proposed year-round Fieldhouse near Pier 5 at the edge of Joralemon Street in Willowtown, received a full funding offer in April from Manhattan philanthropist Joshua Rechnitz, which would include an inclined bike track, sports playing areas, 2,500 seats and on-site parking. Rechnitz also agreed to underwrite any operating revenue shortfalls during the first decade of a 20-year city lease agreement.

But some activists Tuesday complained, saying the BBP attraction would draw crowds of unwanted pedestrians and traffic to the quiet streets of the neighborhood. Community Board 2 parks committee member Mary Goodman, who lives a few blocks away, protested, “This would be devastating to the southern Heights. [Joralemon] would become the secret way to get there faster, and in a street full of babies, dogs and people, it would be disastrous.”

Brooklyn Heights Assn. President Jane McGroarty and Linda DeRosa, VP of the Willowtown Assn., also bemoaned the influx of park-goers, according to the Post. Both groups intend to lobby the city to fence off Joralemon Street at the corner of Furman Street, preventing access to the park there. “It’s a very exciting project,” McGroarty said. “But if [the field house is] going to have 2,500 people, where are they going to come from?”

Addressing the concerns, Kate Collingnan, a rep for the nonprofit New York City Fieldhouse, stressed, “Certainly access and traffic will be things we look at” during the city’s environmental review process. In addition, Judi Francis, who has led a fight to keep high-rise condos out of the park, said the plan should be hailed, not lambasted, because it “finally fills the park’s biggest void,” a lack of year-round recreation: “The focus should be how fantastic this will be for all New Yorkers.”

The Brooklyn flag was lowered at Borough Hall today in memory of Greg “Jocko” Jackson, who died yesterday of an apparent heart attack at age 60. Jackson, a Brownsville native who played in the NBA for the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns, became director of the Brownsville Recreation Center in 1997, turning the Parks Department facility into a neighborhood hub where he mentored countless young people.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz called him “a true Brooklynite and angel of mercy. I looked up to him both in stature and in admiration.”

(Photo: Kathryn Kirk)

As terms limits usher Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz out of Borough Hall in 2013 (after 11 years in office), State Sen. Eric Adams appears poised to have his name carved in gold lettering on the front door. The ex-cop—best known for his “Stop the Sag” campaign to get kids to pull up their britches, and for suggesting transit workers carry Tasers to zap bad guys—is now in the lead, after his primary competitor, fellow Democrat Carlo Scissura, dropped out of the race Thursday to accept a post as President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

The New York Post reports that no other candidates are seriously challenging Adams on the Democratic ticket for the race—although State Sen. Daniel Squadron, whose 25th Senate District includes Brooklyn Heights, was rumored in mid-February to be considering a run. Republicans, meanwhile, historically pay little mind to the seat, because the party lacks enough borough-wide support to win the $160,000-a-year job.

Since 2007, Adams has represented the 20th Senate District, which includes Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Prospect Heights. During his 22 years at the NYPD, he co-founded the advocacy group “100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care.”

A primary election will be held in September 2013 for the Democratic nomination for Borough Presidency. A win there would give Adams a near-certain victory in the general election, since Democrats have a five to one edge in registration over all other political parties combined in Brooklyn. Adams would become the first African American Borough President in history.

On Thursday, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Forest City Ratner Cos. Chairman/CEO Bruce Ratner to rally around the 2,000 jobs they insist will be created by the fall opening of Downtown Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Markowitz said, “Bringing the Nets to Brooklyn means more than exciting in-your-face basketball with a Brooklyn attitude: It will create 2,000 sorely needed full- and part-time opportunities for jobseekers, with priority placement for Brooklynites in the neighborhoods and NYCHA housing surrounding Barclays Center.”

Scheduled to open September 28, the Barclays sports and entertainment venue across from Atlantic Terminal will offer 18,200 seats for basketball and 19,000 seats for concerts. It also boasts 100 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, three clubs and a restaurant.

Pictured from left: Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Robert W. Walsh, Markowitz, (a typically grim) Bloomberg, NYC Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea and Ratner.

(Photo: Kathryn Kirk)

Today, April 24, is the date for New York’s presidential primary election—but only Brooklyn Heights Republicans need apply. Because Democrat Barack Obama has no primary competition, there’s only a Republican race on the ballot. Registered Republicans have a choice between Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and the recently dropped-out Rick Santorum. Polls are open, as usual, until 9 p.m.

Fortunately, Democrats will have plenty of chances to vote this year. A Court-ordered primary election for House and Senate seats will be held June 26 (Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez is being challenged by City Councilman Erik Dilan on the Democratic ballot, and three Republicans, including Congressman Bob Turner, who won election to the seat vacated by Anthony Weiner, are competing for the right to challenge incumbent Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand).

There may be a separate primary for State Senate and Assembly seats on September 11, although there are as yet no announced primary challengers to incumbent Sen. Daniel Squadron or Assemblywoman Joan Millman (Sen. Squadron is expected to run for re-election despite his announced plan to seek the Public Advocate office next year). The general election will be held on November 6.

Senator Squadron’s Community Convention is Sunday afternoon. MTA head Joseph Lhota will discuss transit issues, you can learn more about new plans for Brooklyn Bridge Park and there will be discussion groups on many other topics of community interest. More details & RSVP here.

Learn about local bird life Sunday morning at Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Anytime you want, head to Brooklyn Bridge Park and take photos (see your correspondent’s contribution above) for BBP’s Bluebell photo contest.

Alas, Homer Fink’s Hidden Heights Walking Tour tomorrow morning is sold out. Watch BHB for announcement of the next tour.

For anyone that’s felt like the Invisible (Wo)Man trying to convince a taxi driver to come to Brooklyn from Manhattan, there’s good news from the Taxi & Limousine Commission. Despite fierce opposition from Yellow Cab drivers, rules were passed in a 7-2 vote by the commission Thursday, allowing New Yorkers to legally hail livery cabs in the four boroughs and northern Manhattan, starting this summer.

The mandate from Albany, approved last summer and signed in December by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, allows the city to sell licenses for up to 6,000 livery cabs in June, with a total of 18,000 over three years. New Yorkers will be able to hail these cars as they do traditional taxis.

However, the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, a lobbying group, sued the commission Wednesday, claiming the new rules violate Yellow Taxi medallion owners. Commission officials weren’t having it: City lawyers say they’re confident the plan meets legal requirements. At the commission meeting Thursday, hundreds of taxi and livery drivers on both sides of the fence packed an auditorium at Brooklyn Borough Hall to boo and applaud 40 speakers.

The livery cabs will have a light on top and could possibly be green in color. What remains unclear from news reports is whether they will be metered or continue to be negotiated fares between driver and passenger. In addition, the rules do not apply to livery vehicles south of East 96th Street, West 96th Street or at local airports.

(Photo: Flickr, digitally manipulated by Chuck Taylor)

At last, some positively spectacular news about the progress of Brooklyn Bridge Park. First, Park President Regina Myer announced Thursday that Joshua Rechnitz, Founder & Chairman of the non-profit New York City Fieldhouse, has offered $40 million for the design & construction of a year-round, multi-use recreation facility near Pier 5. This represents one of the largest donations ever made to a New York City park. The center will be vetted through community dialogue before being built.

Second, State Senator Daniel Squadron says the BBP Board has secured the $66.5 million commitment funding from New York City that was promised via Squadron’s and Assemblymember Millman’s agreement with the city last summer. The Senator notes, “The funding means real progress on the path to complete Brooklyn Bridge Park and is great news for all of us who have been fighting to make a real world-class park a reality.”

State Senator Daniel Squadron will host his fourth annual Community Convention this Sunday, April 22, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., at the High School of Economics and Finance, 100 Trinity Place (one block west of Broadway, between Cedar and Thames Streets), in downtown Manhattan. The keynote speaker will be MTA chair and Brooklyn Heights resident Joseph Lhota. After the opening ceremonies and keynote speech, you’ll be invited to participate in discussion groups on issues of community concern. If you’d like to attend, please RSVP here, where you’ll also find a list of topics for discussion groups, or call 212-298-5565.

This in from Community Board 2:

Ever wonder why your favorite watering hole doesn’t use its outdoor space or why they won’t let you dance on the bar? Also, why is the trash pick-up always late at night and how does a liquor license get approved? These questions and more will be answered at the community meeting hosted by Community Boards 2 & 6 on April 12, 2012; at 6 p.m.
250 Baltic Street, (Court & Clinton Streets) Auditorium

This is a neutral forum designed to clarify questions, and will be conducted as an informal questions and answer session.

Representatives from State Liquor Authority, city agencies and local precincts will be on hand to answer questions in respect to noise, smoking, outdoor usage, garbage and other related issues.

Unfortunately, drinks will not be served.

State Senator Daniel Squadron, whose district includes Brooklyn Heights, has announced he is strongly considering a run for Public Advocate, perhaps the third most powerful city office after Mayor and City Council Speaker, in the 2013 city wide election. The incumbent Public Advocate, Park Slope resident Bill de Blasio, is expected to run for Mayor.

According to the Wall Street Journal, others considering running for Public Advocate are City Council Member Letitia James, whose district includes Clinton Hill and Fort Greene, along with parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford Stuyvesant; and Manhattan resident Reshma Saujani, who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney in 2010, and now works for de Blasio.

Squadron’s term as a state senator expires in January 2013; he will run for re-election to that office this year.

State Senator Daniel Squadron, City Council Member Steve Levin, and other elected officials and community leaders will hold a rally tomorrow (Monday, April 2) at 1:45 p.m. to demand that Macy’s restore its annual Fourth of July fireworks display to the East River, where it can be enjoyed by more New Yorkers, including Brooklynites. The rally will be held at the northwest corner of Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park (enter from Old Fulton Street).

Senator Squadron’s office issued the following statement:

In 2009, Macy’s moved the fireworks to the Hudson River to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s journey up the river. There have not been Fourth of July fireworks displays on the East River for the last three summers, limiting the number of New Yorkers who can enjoy the fireworks and sending visitors and business to New Jersey instead of into more New York City communities.

Senator Squadron and his colleagues will also propose a plan to create a consistent process for notifying communities about planned fireworks shows. This would ensure that community boards receive an annual Fireworks Community Outreach Plan (F-COP) from the FDNY that outlines the number of planned permits to be issued per month per community board; the specific hours in which fireworks shows may take place; blackout dates for fireworks permits; and the process through which communities will be notified of approved permits.

Photo: New York Daily News

State Senator Daniel Squadron, whose district includes Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens (where he lives), DUMBO and much of lower Manhattan, will hold his fourth annual Community Convention on Sunday April 22, from 2-5:00 p.m. He has alternated the site of the conventions between Brooklyn and Manhattan; this year it’s Manhattan’s turn, so it will be at the High School of Economics and Finance, 100 Trinity Place (one block west of Broadway, between Cedar and Thames Streets).

Previous conventions have seen productive discussions on topics of interest to Heights’ residents, like traffic, helicopter noise, schools, Brooklyn Bridge Park (Sen. Squadron is represented on its board of directors) and neighborhood preservation.

There’s more information and a list of topics for this year’s convention, and you can RSVP if you would like to attend, here. You can also RSVP by calling 212-298-5565 or by e-mail to squadron@nysenate.gov.

Brooklyn Heights Association President Jane McGroarty has alerted us to a change the BHA was able to effect in the redrawing of Congressional district lines that has just been made final. As proposed, the new map will put all of Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens in the 7th Congressional District, now represented by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.

However, as proposed by the Federal District Court that drew the new district boundaries, the area west of Furman Street, including Brooklyn Bridge Park, the proposed hotel and condo complex next to Pier 1, and the existing One Brooklyn Bridge Park condo and retail building, would have been in the district of Congressman Jerrold Nadler, which runs down the west side of Manhattan, then crosses the water to take in shoreline areas of Red Hook and part of Sunset Park.

At the urging of the BHA, which argued that the park and adjoining buildings are part of a community of interest with Brooklyn Heights, the three judge panel reviewing the redistricting plan agreed to redraw the boundary so that the area west of Furman out to the ends of the piers is now in the 7th District. You can see the final district maps on Politicker.

The 84th Precinct Community Council will meet this coming Tuesday, March 20, starting at 7:00 p.m., at the Hopkins Center, 155 Dean Street (between Hoyt and Bond streets), in Boerum Hill. On the agenda are: a special guest presentation by the NYPD Gang Division; presentation of the Cop of the Month award; a Transit Police report; a precinct crime report; and a question and answer period. All are invited, and refreshments will be served.

BHB offers a collective community round of applause to Brooklyn Heights resident Michele Kirschbaum, who was commemorated Tuesday March 6, as one of Brooklyn’s Extraordinary Women by the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, in honor of Women’s History Month. The 31 awards—one for each day of this month—acknowledge “outstanding women for their accomplishment and service to their communities.”

Kirschbaum received the DA’s Choice Award, as Director of Programs for the New York Peach Institute, a not-for-profit that provides free mediation services in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Its programs have assisted numerous families and neighbors through underlying conflicts that escalated to criminal actions.

Prior to her current position, Kirschbaum was Coordinator of Special Education Mediation for more than 10 years, during which she mediated hundreds of cases assisting parents of children with disabilities and guiding the NYC school system in resolving disagreements about students’ special needs. In recognition of that work, she received the Lawrence Cooke Peace Innovator Award from the New York State Dispute Resolution Assn.

The 84th Precinct Community Council will meet this coming Tuesday, February 21, starting at 7:00 p.m., at the St. James Cathedral Pavillion, 240 Jay Street, between Cathedral Place and Chapel Street, in Concord Village. On agenda are: a special guest presentation on the topic, “Common Ground Homeless Solutions”; presentation of the Cop of the Month award; a Transit Police report; a precinct crime report; and a question and answer period. All are invited, and refreshments will be served.

State Senator Daniel Squadron is co-sponsoring, along with Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh, a bill in the state legislature that would increase the power of police to bring charges in cases where it is believed that careless driving has caused injury or death.

The legislators introduced VTL 1146 after the tragic deaths of Hayley Ng, 4, and Diego Martinez, 3, who were killed in 2009 in Chinatown when a delivery van that was left in reverse jumped the curb and hit the children. The law became effective in October 2010 and imposes stiffer penalties on drivers whose failure to exercise due care results in the injury or death of pedestrians or bicyclists. The penalties for the first offense include a $750 fine, 15 days of jail time, participation in a driver safety course, suspension or revocation of the driver’s license or registration, or any combination of these penalties, and a misdemeanor charge on a second offense.

However, police officers in some jurisdictions believe that the law does not permit them to issue a VTL 1146 violation unless they personally witness the accident. This drastically limits the ability of an officer to issue a violation in accidents that are clearly the result of careless driving. The new Squadron-Kavanagh legislation – S6416 / A9219 – makes the authority to enforce the law explicit, even if the officer was not present at the time of the crash, as long as the officer has reasonable cause to believe the violation was committed by the driver.

Meanwhile, reader “Boop” has given us (see this week’s OTW) a harrowing description of careless driving in our own neighborhood, in which, thanks to her quick response, tragedy was narrowly averted. Tuesday morning, she tells us, she was at the intersection of Pineapple and Henry when a woman driving a grey Audi Q7, who was looking down (texting?) and not at the road as she crossed the intersection, nearly struck a blind man whom Boop, who is in the late stages of pregnancy, was able to pull out of the way. Gothamist also has a piece on this issue.

A few weeks ago Ben Petok, the communications director for City Council Member Steve Levin, whose district includes Brooklyn Heights, contacted us to set up a get-acquainted meeting. This past Friday morning, your correspondent went to Levin’s district office at 410 Atlantic Avenue and conversed with him for about an hour. Here are some of his thoughts on various topics he thought were of interest to our readers:

Education: Levin considers this his primary interest, and he sits on the Council’s Education Committee. He is proud, he said, of his role in bringing about the addition of a middle school to P.S. 8. As a general observation, he said that he believes the pendulum on education policy has swung too far. Where there was once an out-of-control, too often corrupt bureaucracy running the schools, there is now a monolithic technocracy that is unresponsive to the concerns of parents and others with a stake in the system.

He said he had seen too many instances of meetings called to solicit parent and community views on issues like school siting, at which public opinion had been almost solidly against what the DOE proposed, but the result was always, “The ayes have it.” As an example, he mentioned the controversy over the siting of a charter school in an existing school building on Baltic Street. He believes this situation will change after the 2013 mayoral election. I asked if he was supporting any potential candidate, and he replied that it’s too early to make a decision, but that he’s on good terms with all the likely candidates.

Brooklyn Bridge Park: He is watching the build-out of the Park with great interest, but said he is disappointed by the City’s lack of jurisdiction over it. He sits on the Park’s board of directors, but still would like to see more oversight by elected officials and the City’s Parks Department. On the related issue of the Watchtower properties, I noted recent reports that Watchtower officials would prefer that, after the properties’ sale, they be put to uses such as not-for-profit or educational institutions that would keep them off the City’s tax rolls and would, as a side effect, prevent them from being able to contribute to funding for the Park. Levin said that, in his experience, the Watchtower leaders were very straightforward, and could be trusted to do what they said they would.

He said the future of LICH was a critical issue for the community. While the takeover by SUNY Downstate has stabilized the situation, it’s vital that LICH’s future be secured. I noted that the future of the BQE was also an important issue for Heights residents. He agreed, mentioning constituents who had complained of their homes shaking when trucks hit surface irregularities. I said our readers had made similar complaints. However, he said, there is little that the City can do. It was the State’s Department of Transportation that cancelled funding for the environmental study, and funding for repair or reconstruction would have to come from the federal government.

According to the Brooklyn Paper State Senator Daniel Squadron (D), whose 25th Senate District encompasses Brooklyn Heights and much of Brooklyn along the East River, from Williamsburg south to Carroll Gardens, where he lives, as well as lower Manhattan, is rumored to be considering a run for Brooklyn Borough President in 2013. That’s when incumbent Marty Markowitz’s term ends, and he’s barred from running again by term limits.

Squadron’s term as Senator ends this year. It’s doubtful that he will face a serious primary challenge and, in this district, the Democratic nomination is practically tantamount to election. It therefore seems almost certain that he will run for re-election to the Senate and win. The Brooklyn Paper article reports that State Senator Eric Adams (D-Prospect Heights), who has already announced his candidacy for Borough President, will run for re-election to the Senate this year. Our guess is that Squadron’s decision on a run for Beep will hinge on whether the Democrats regain control of the State Senate this coming November. If they do, he will be in a position to do much more as a Senator than he will if his party continues to be in the minority.

Besides Adams, the only other announced candidate for Beep is Markowitz protege Carlo Scissura. Others who, according to the Brooklyn Paper, are considering the run are “Assemblyman Nick Perry (D–Flatbush) and City Councilmembers Dominic Recchia (D–Coney Island) and Letitia James (D–Fort Greene).”

Yesterday evening, the City Department of Education’s Panel on Education Policy approved the creation of a middle school extension of P.S. 8, to be located at Tillary Street and Tech Place in downtown Brooklyn. State Senator Daniel Squadron, who supported the proposal, said this:

Tonight’s vote to approve the new P.S. 8 middle school is great news for Brooklyn! By heeding our calls and formalizing the new middle school, DOE is helping to ensure the continued success of P.S. 8 and creating better options for all District 13 students. Now we must work to get the new P.S. 8 middle school ready to go for next school year and continue to work for more options for District 13 students.

Today the City Council approved the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District by a vote of 46-1, with two abstentions.

The Brooklyn Paper: Preservationists hailed the city for protecting a slew of Romanesque Revival and Beaux-Arts structures, including the tiered co-op 75 Livingston St., which housed some of the designation’s most vocal opponents.

“We’re thrilled,” said Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, the powerful community group that helped push for the district. “The opposition exaggerated the negatives. This is going to be good for Brooklyn as a whole and very good for Downtown and Court Street.”

According to the Brooklyn Paper story, Council Members Steve Levin and Brad Lander, both of whom voted for the designation, received assurances that proposed changes to buildings within the district would be given expedited consideration by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and that the LPC will “be flexible” with requests from residents of 75 Livingston.

Despite vehement opposition from segments of the local real estate community, the downtown Brooklyn “Borough Hall Skyscraper District” is on track for approval by the New York City Council. On Tuesday, January 24, the plan offering landmark protection to 21 buildings that abut Brooklyn Heights, was given a go by the Council’s landmarks subcommittee, all but ensuring the entire Council will ratify it Feb. 1. (See BHB’s previous Jan. 19 post here.)

Key endorsements for the landmark designation—which runs along Court Street, from Montague four blocks south to Livingston—were voiced by the council’s Subcommittee on Planning, along with Councilman Stephen Levin, who represents the area.

In a joint statement with Councilman Brad Lander, who heads the subcommittee, Levin said, “After close consideration, we believe this new historic district will strengthen the character of Downtown Brooklyn, allowing for new development and growth like the new retail space planned for the Municipal Building [next to Borough Hall] while preserving the graceful, historic, early-generation skyscrapers that make it Brooklyn’s civic center.”

Lander and Levin added that they intend to ask the city to ease rules for storefronts and work with Livingston Street residents “without imposing hardships on co-operators.”

The district was first proposed to the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2010 by the Brooklyn Heights Assn. and other preservation groups and since, has fostered snarky opposition from the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Brooklyn Law School, Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn Business Improvement District and similar groups.

Once again, REBNY president Steven Spinola tore the initiative to pieces in a New York Post article today: “Not only is this an inappropriate use of landmark designation, but it will end up costing the city much-needed tax revenue and jobs. This is another case of the city landmarking away its economic future.” As well, in a direct mail campaign blanketing the neighborhood, REBNY claimed, “In these economic times, when every dollar counts, landmarking threatens to send Court Street back to the ‘bad old days’ of empty storefronts and dirty streets.”

City officials refute that the designation only sets guidelines overseen by Landmarks to ensure that construction blends with the neighborhood.

The Real Estate Board of New York is amping its drive to derail the still-tentative landmarking of 21 buildings in downtown Brooklyn, by sending out a mailing to thousands of area residents urging them to bend City Council’s ear against the newly proposed historic district. In addition, on Friday, REBNY sent a letter to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn urging the Council to rethink the decision.

All landmarked districts require final approval from the City Council and mayor within 120 days. The Council vote is slated for Feb. 1, with two hearings scheduled next week.

Preservationists had claimed victory last September when the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the “Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District,” a cluster of highrises built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries along Court Street and the corners of Joralemon, Remsen and Montague Streets around the already landmarked Borough Hall. Commission Chairman Robert B. Tierney noted then that “the buildings had a central role in Brooklyn’s development and illustrate an important chapter of New York City’s history.”

But a number of property owners, local landlords and developers were vehemently opposed, claiming it would drive up costs and impede retail redevelopment. Mike Slattery, SVP of the Real Estate Board of New York, sneered in September that the buildings “have little architectural and historic significance and distinction.”

In an article published in Crain’s Business New York January 18, Steve Spinola, president of REBNY, further belittled the district: “The city continues to landmark away its economic future. We want the people in the area to know landmarking will cause a lack of investment in buildings.”

Detractors argue that the designation puts a financial burden on landlords, who have to obtain additional permits and pay extra fees for any changes or upgrades on their properties. REBNY surveyed owners of roughly 750,000 square feet of space within the proposed historic district, and predicted property owners and retail tenants will incur $4.7 million in additional costs over the next several years as a result of landmark regulations and rules, according to the letter obtained by Crain’s.

“Some owners were prepared to make an investment in their buildings, but now they have a noose around their neck because it will cost them more money,” added Spinola.

Brooklyn Heights Assn. president Judy Stanton has stated that the landmark designation “is necessary to protect those buildings from being torn down—it does not prevent redevelopment. It has been a longstanding regret we did not get a district sooner.”

According to Brownstoner, the Landmarks Preservation Commission has approved a new design for the five story residential building to replace the Eagle at 30 Henry Street, at the corner of Middagh. NOTE: the picture on the linked Brownstoner post is of a bank building in Williamsburg, not a rendering of the new 30 Henry design. For an earlier version of the 30 Henry design, see here. There is, as yet, no rendering of the new design available. As we noted earlier, the revisions required by the LPC at its previous hearing were “minor”, so it’s safe to guess that the approved design will not differ greatly from the earlier one.

There will be a meeting of the 84th Precinct community Council this Tuesday evening, January 17, starting at 7:00, at Borough Hall, entrance at 209 Joralemon Street (between Court and Adams streets). All are invited, and refreshments will be served. The agenda includes a presentation by the New York Peace Institute on mediation, the Cop of the Year award, a precinct crime report, a transit police report, and time for questions and answers.

Linda Collins reports on the discussion at Monday’s Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing on the design of the building proposed to replace the old Eagle headquarters at 30 Henry Street, corner of Middagh, which is the first Brooklyn Heights building many people see after taking the exit from the Brooklyn Bridge (see a rendering of the proposed design here).

Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Following what one person described as “an exhilarating” discussion on the value of contextual vs. contemporary architecture in a historic district, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) yesterday asked the design team of a proposed new five-story, five-unit building at 30 Henry St. in Brooklyn Heights to consider making some additional changes.

The story notes that Brooklyn Heights preservationist Otis Pratt Pearsall and Brooklyn Heights Association President Jane McGroarty and Executive Director Judy Stanton all urged the Commission to reject the proposed design and require something contemporary and distinctive. BHA member and architect Jonathan Marvel is quoted as saying, ““We implore you to inspire, to delight, to raise the bar on originality.” But Park Slope resident and preservationist Clem Labine said the site doesn’t need a “starchitect” building that would be “dissonant and disruptive.”

The Commission’s legal counsel said it didn’t have the power to require “a particular style.”