Brooklyn Heights Blog

BHB Photo Club member JBary writes:

Brooklyn politicians and activists eulogize the death of the M and R train line. Speakers in order are:

Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President
Daniel Squadron, New York State Senator
Michael Burke, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
Paul Nelson, Assemblywoman Joan Millman’s Chief of Staff

Video after the jump. Read more »

Brooklyn Heights Blog will never take an “official” stance on any issue, candidate or public policy - we leave that up to you the BHB Community.

You’ve sounded off on the Dock Street DUMBO Project all over this site.  Now it’s time to go to the polls.

Take the BHB Survey on DSD now

Once we’ve tabulated the votes, we will announce the BHB Community’s “official” endorsement.

Thanks!

More Open Threads mean more chances to plug your events, vent about whatever or just say howdy!

Flickr photo by mtrelaun

BHB tipster Chuck Taylor tells us that ABC’s Ugly Betty will be shooting next Wednesday on  Montague Street from Hicks to Montague Terrace.  The smash hit TV show stars Brooklyn Heights resident Ana Ortiz.

If you’re parked there on Tuesday night, remember to move your car by 7pm or you’ll be towed!

Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC), the New York State government entity charged with designing and constructing the nascent Brooklyn Bridge Park, held a public meeting Wednesday night lasting over two and a half hours at a Polytechnic University auditorium in Metrotech to update the public on the park’s financial model for park construction and operation.

Well over 100 people attended the meeting, including elected officials State Assemblywoman Joan Millman, newly elected State Senator Daniel Squadron, City Councilman Bill DeBlasio, and non-elected City officials including NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. Representatives of local neighborhood associations from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Fulton Ferry were in the audience as well as local individuals and longtime park supporters and activists. David Walentas, founder of Two Trees Management and his wife Jane Walentas were in the audience for most of the presentation. Read more »

BHB tipster “MP” is at tonight’s public hearing on Brooklyn Bridge Park. He sent along some photos of BBPDC prexy Regina Myer, Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, City Councilman Bill DiBlasio and Parks Commission Adrian Benepe. DEVELOPING… Read more »

The Brooklyn Paper’s editorial board is saying “yes” to Two Trees’ controversial Dock Street DUMBO Project. In giving approval for the plan in this week’s edition they write:

What is often forgotten when passions run high is that David Walentas is not a drive-by developer who wants to destroy DUMBO while grabbing a few quick bucks.

He spent the last 30 years, patiently and meticulously, building modern DUMBO from a warehouse district into one of the city’s most-desirable neighborhoods, maintaining its architectural and historic integrity. He still lives on Main Street with his wife, Jane.

He’s made millions, yes, but we hardly think his opponents, many of them well off residents of Brooklyn Heights, want to make the intellectually dishonest argument that risk-taking, responsible investors should be denied a profit.

And lest we forget, all of the buildings that have earned the ire of DUMBO residents and workers — including the ugly Beacon Tower that destroys the view of the Manhattan Bridge and the 33-story J Condo — were the ones NOT built by Walentas.

While Walentas was nurturing arts groups and Mom and Pop stores, someone else brought in the generic Starbucks that DUMBO residents love to hate.

Time and time again, David and Jed Walentas have proven to be responsible stewards of their DUMBO holdings. Their Dock Street project should be approved.

This would be all fine and dandy if the paper hadn’t made such a big deal about its unbiased coverage.   Literally yesterday, Brooklyn Paper publisher Ed Weintrob added a comment to a Dock Street story on its website proclaiming: Read more »

In response to a comment by “ABC” claiming that a Five Guys Burgers and Fries outlet would be moving into the old Busy Chef space at Henry and Cranberry (as opposed to Court Street as previously rumored), Craig Cohen, owner of Brooklyn Five Guys franchises, tells BHB that there is no truth to the Henry Street rumor, but “I think it’s hysterical — I have brokers calling me saying, ‘Oh wow, you’re opening in this space?’” because the [wrong] word keeps traveling.

At any rate, he DID say that he’s considering moving to Remsen Street and expanding.

Update:BHB spoke to a representative at Five Guys’ corporate headquarters, who checked their real estate system and tells us, “[there is not a] Henry Street location [scheduled to open] in Brooklyn.” There is, however, a Five Guys slated to open this summer in Coney Island at 3065 Cropsey Avenue, which is the only Five Guys outpost that will open in Brooklyn currently listed in their system.

Note: BHB welcomes the Brooklyn Paper’s former Brooklyn Heights reporter Sarah Portlock as a new contributor.

The folks at Congregation B’nai Avraham thought they were doing a mitzvah when they lent one of their unique handwritten Torahs to a couple who wanted to have a “kosher vacation” in Turks and Caicos. Unfortunately, the borrowers thought it would be safe to leave the holy scroll overnight last Sunday in the back seat of their car parked in Crown Heights.   A thief broke in and stole the Torah.

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein tells BHB, “Obviously we are shocked and saddened and hope to see our precious torah again soon.”   The Brooklyn Paper reports that Rabbi Simcha and Rabbi Aaron Raskin of B’nai Avraham are offering a $1000 reward for the safe return of the Torah, no questions asked.

If you have information about the whereabouts of the Torah call (718) 866-6815.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation President Regina Meyer tells the Brooklyn Eagle,  Brooklyn Bridge Park will become reality:

Citing updated construction costs and actual data, Ms. Myer said the funds are in hand for the development of Pier 1 (off Fulton Ferry Landing) and Pier 6 (off Atlantic Avenue), as well as part of Pier 5, which will be the major site for sports activities, and that 6½ acres of park will be ready by the time this year ends. Pier 5 is expected to be fully built out by 2013, when the connecting upland stretch will also be finished.

She acknowledged that the development of Piers 2 and 3 would have to wait for further funding when the economy improves. She likened the situation to that of Hudson River Park, which has developed in stages, doing “as much as we can with the available cash.”

What’s left out of that article is that the dream comes with a new price tag according to the Brooklyn Paper:

The price tag for the 1.3-mile strip of waterfront housing and open space along the Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO waterfront is now $347 million — up from an original budget of $150 million in 2002. And the cost for annual upkeep inched to $16.1 million, up from a projected $15.2 million, according to sources briefed after a meeting on Monday of park planners.

The new figures come to light just as development officials were forced to admit that their principal sources of revenue — a hotel and roughly 800 units of luxury housing inside the park’s footprint — had been postponed.

There will be a public hearing tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the Dibner Auditorium of NYU-Polytechnic University, 5 Metrotech Center.