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As I mentioned last week, there is way too much local news (including follow up stories), happenings and fascinating neighbors for one person to cover. So I will link to other local newsletters that, luckily, cover slightly different stories than Ward6. This way you won’t miss important restaurant news and much, much more.
I’m slightly behind finishing this week’s post. Between attending two Brooklyn waterfront hearings, preparing my testimony to speak (yikes, my first time, ever), and the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy– a lot was going on in Ward 6—more on all of this below.
And, of course, the magical Halloween that was. My first without a plan to dress up, not even my mini-purple witch hat this year. Still, I crashed a friend’s stoop to watch the parade of trick-or-treaters, though too late to indulge in their candy, roamed the streets to take in more festivities, and sheepishly asked neighbors with well-stocked bowls of candy if they had any Whoppers. Have Whoppers lost their mojo?
Please, I need your feedback! What else should I be writing about? Do you enjoy Ward 6? How can I better serve the neighborhood? Write ([email protected]) or DM me (@ward6_brooklyn)!
Alas, there is much news to report…
In this week’s newsletter, Ward6 #8: Vote! Did you know that our council members are on the Ballot?; Court St. Merchants’ Sue and EV Owners are out of Luck; Will Van Voorhees Park Survive the waterfront development?
(Thank you Dodge YMCA for the artwork)
Expect LONGER lines than usual on Tuesday. I recommend looking up your ELECTION/ASSEMBLY DISTRICT before you go to avoid standing in two lines. You can also bring your VOTENYC card. Check out @nycvotes for surprisingly good information like average wait time at polling places and entertaining updates, plus W6 from last week.
If you live in Ward 6 (and slightly beyond) – Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, the Columbia Waterfront (all in district 39), and Red Hook (D38), your local Councilmembers Shahana Hanif and Alexis Aviles (Red Hook) are up for re-election. According to The City, neither Hanif nor Aviles is in a competitive district.
However, a considerable number of Hanif’s constituents involved in the Brooklyn waterfront redevelopment project say they will not support her re-election because, in September, she switched her vote from a firm NO to a YES. Local community groups argue Hanif should have continued to fight for a more transparent and inclusive process that centered around a development plan that recognizes the actual needs of WARD 6’s communities and NYC.
What did Hanif get in return for her yes vote? Read The City for more information.
Councilmember Alexa Aviles, who represents Red Hook and beyond voted NO, along with seven others. Brooklyn Borough President Reynosa's also flipped his vote at the last minute. BMT updates below.
As you know by now, don’t forget to turn over your ballot! It’s a long one.
I have listened to numerous interviews and public debates about the housing proposals. My take: Too many people are voting on proposals they don’t understand, with ballot language that doesn’t accurately reflect the outcome of these proposals.
Yes, unfortunately, we vote on proposals all the time that we don't understand. What gives me pause this time is these proposals involve potentially massive power shifts that also include deep-pocketed developers and a City that could make better, and more meaningful changes that serve New Yorkers, who need truly affordable housing.
“Strikes me mostly as a mayor v. council power play,” said a neighbor and friend who’s in favor of the housing proposals. I trust him, however, I’m not convinced I want more power in the hands of the mayor.
NY Post: Younger Voters Start to Hit the Polls: The 50-plus crowd kicked the week off strong, accounting for more than 62% of the votes cast on Monday, only to see that lead dwindle to 57% and 54% over each of the next two days.
HEY NEIGHBORS - DON’T LET THE CONFUSING NEWS ABOUT SNAP BENEFITS DETER YOU FROM HELPING OUT!
“Families are stocking up and just worried about the unknown,” says Shanice of CHIPS on 4th Ave in an email to WARD6. If you want/can help today and moving forward:
Host a drive – Collect essential items like pantry staples, eggs, coffee, sandwiches, prepackaged tuna and other needed items.
Donate – Your contributions help us purchase supplies directly from wholesalers, stretching every dollar further (here).
Volunteer – Join us on-site to prepare meals, sort donations, and support our community
“We are prepared for an immediate 25% increase in the number of households availing themselves to our pantry services”
Also, this from the newly formed Columbia Street Waterfront Assoc. : “We are collecting food to be distributed by Food First, Inc, a Brooklyn-based food bank. Please bring your donations to the collection box at House of Pizza Calzone - 132 Union St during regular business hours. If you would like us to arrange a pick up, please text Zoe at 503-956-1284.”
HEY NEIGHBORS - EXPRESS YOURSELF & TELL CB6 WHAT YOU WANT!
Our FY27 District Needs Assessment Survey is open. Each fall, community boards submit a District Needs Statement to help shape next year’s city budget. Your input helps us set priorities for housing, climate resilience, transportation, parks, and more. You can take the survey at bit.ly/cb6survfy27.
COURT STREET CHAOS: MERCHANTS’ SUE & EV OWNERS ARE OUT OF LUCK
Source: DOT Plan / safefy data
Just a reminder of how we got here - the DOT presented this safety data to Community Board 6 and 2 in June as part of its plan to redesign Court St. with a goal of reducing accidents and double-parkers, who contribute to traffic and safety issues.
Without notifying community boards or elected officials when construction would begin, the DOT got to work in mid-September to everyone’s surprise.
Here’s the latest, including MY PERSONAL TAKE at the bottom:
Update: The newly invigorated Court Street Merchants Association attempted but failed to obtain a judge's order to halt the DOT's completion of the Court Street redesign project (aka the Corridor Safety Improvement Project). Legal action is still ongoing. (Read Streetblog’s Kevin Duggin and Mary Frost’s coverage in the Brooklyn Eagle)
If you want to help the Association, they’ve set up a GoFundMe-type account.
What the DOT told the BK Eagle: “Court Street is actively being redesigned, with much more work to come to repaint the road, retime signals, and add loading zones for businesses,” DOT spokesperson Vincent Barone said. “It’s far too soon to judge a half-finished design, and we expect traffic to flow smoothly on Court—protecting New Yorkers from dangerous crashes and supporting local businesses—when it’s completed, as we’ve seen with countless projects across the city.” (Brooklyn Eagle)
Where can I charge my EV? A question from a CG’s subscriber, who points out the EV chargers–perfectly located in front of Dunkin’ Donuts–are now inaccessible due to the new bike lane.
It turns out CB6 was wondering the same thing, and when I called their office, I learned they had already started pestering the DOT for an answer. Unfortunately, DOT didn’t have much of an answer and asked CB6 for ideas instead of the other way around. I will continue to follow up.
I can’t think of anything in my 20+ years that impacts everyone in our community + our visitors like the Court St redesign.
MY PERSONAL TAKE: I can’t think of anything in my 20+ years that impacts everyone in our community + our visitors like the Court St redesign. Is it possible that neither DOT or CB6 realized the repercussions of such radical changes? I understand the DOT and CB6’s legal obligations to have public meetings communicated via social media and newsletters, etc… but why didn’t they go beyond and get out in front of this and to engage the businesses and residents? Not everyone reads newsletters about public meetings or about anything (hoping to help change this!) and today, when so much is competiting for our attention, we need a better way to communicate with our neighbors (hint: Ward6!).
This is one of the biggest complaints (and there are many). Businesses along Court Street and residents say they weren’t give the opportunity to hear about the proposed changes before construction started. DOT said they did engage businesses, the Merchants Association said they didn’t.
I wonder if this is what DOT is talking about from pg 18 of its redesign plan: “In March, DOT Street Ambassadors surveyed businesses on Court Street to understand their loading needs.” Or, perhaps, DOT is referring to a CB6 public meeting?
What do you think? Write ([email protected]) or DM me (@ward6_brooklyn)!
HEY NEIGHBORS - ONE CG SUBSCRIBER’S TAKE
Last week, I included a link to The Miracle of Court Street, a love letter by CG’s resident and Ward 6 reader, Mark Healy. As he explains, the problem with so much love is that parking is challenging and double parking has become the norm. And with double parking comes traffic and safety issues. This week, Healy revisits our beloved Court St. with his cleverly titled post, Street Fight, which lends credence to some of the complaints that Healy initially dismissed as peoples’ overall dislike of change.
“Not everyone hates the new Court Street, and not everyone who hates it, hates it in the same way. But very few of the people Karen spoke with have no opinion at all. Not one person said, “Eh. What do I know? Seems okay to me.” This is not an exhaustive survey of everyone who walks, bikes, drives, or works on Court Street. It is merely a cross section of voices, all valid, some less modulated than others.”
Other local newsletters to read: Court Street Journal and Strong Buzz.
HEY NEIGHBORS - CAN YOU BELIEVE IT’S BEEN 13 YEARS SINCE SUPERSTORM SANDY?
It’s fitting that the day after the 13th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, a record rainstorm hits NYC.
“The rain had been predicted to fall over a period of eight hours. Instead, much of it arrived in an intense, 20-minute downpour that began at about 3:50 p.m., said Aries Dela Cruz, a spokesman for the city’s Emergency Management agency (NYT VIA HellGate).”
I bet you were also surprised to read the FDNY’s scuba team was dispatched to rescue a Brooklyn man, who was trying to save his dogs from drowning in his flooded basement (The City). He was one of two New Yorkers who died on Thursday.
I asked for Ward 6 readers for photos from the 2012 storm, and a Red Hook neighbor sent me this one from the inside her house:
Until I started Ward6, I had no idea how frequently it floods during regular rainstorms in Red Hook, the Columbia St. Waterfront, and Gowanus. I see videos from time to time, but I wrongly assumed flooding mainly occurs during rain events like Tuesday’s.
Source: Jose Julian + Ward 6
On Wednesday, residents of Red Hook and beyond were out en masse at the annual Barnacle Parade (more on its history) that celebrates Red Hook’s resiliency during and after Sandy, which left their community, primarily on its own to clean up, and rebuild. Luckily, the deluge arrived a day later.
Thank you to Steve’s Key Lime Pies for the free mini’s they kindly handed out at the parade. Later Wednesday night, by coincidence, a friend sent me a NYT Cooking link that raved about another Steve’s offering called the Blondie Swindle (see pic below). A mix of frozen key lime and raspberry puree, dipped in white chocolate. What?! I also read Steve sells a Belgian chocolate version, as well.
Source: NYT Cooking Reels
HEY NEIGHBORS - A RESIDENT OF COLUMBIA ST. WATERFRONT QUESTIONS THE CITY ABOUT THE FUTURE OF VAN VOORHEES PARK
You can see Van Voorees Park across from the proposed 20 towers seen in the odd colors.
Good question! And yes, dear reader, there is still opportunities to ask questions like this one, which I heard at the second public meeting this week about the current proposed waterfront development plan. I emphasize PROPOSED because there is still a lot that will change, especially if we participate in the process, by asking questions and demanding nesessary studies.
Meeting 1 of 3: LaDawn Haglund, CUNY
Read about this week’s two hearings and please join WARD 6 on Dec. 1st at 6P where you can ask the City to study anything related to their proposal. We are trying to get the City/EDC to agree to postpone this period of public hearing to give everyone a chance to participate, including on the weekends when more of us have free time.
Here are some of many issues that came up this week:
Will Van Voorhees Park survive and if it does, how will construction impact families and residents who use the park?
Traffic studies! I discovered that every redevelopment plan since the 1960s, and there are many, mention traffic and parking problems.
Flooding, sewage problems, and an already overwhelmed F train and B61 bus must be studied.
Many neighbors pointed out that the City must extend its study boundaries way beyond a block or so from the waterfront footprint into Cobble Hill, Boreum Hill and deep inside Red Hook.
I’ve been reading thousands of pages of chemical spills reports and hazardous material investigations over the last decade or so at the waterfront and in the surrounding neighborhoods. I’ve asked the City to study this issue further.
What about incorporating a THERMAL ENERGY campus to power our neighborhoods and beyond that will also provide green jobs, tons of them.
These community organizations are also a great resource and a way to get involved: Columbia St Waterfront Association, Voices of the Waterfront, PortsideNY-newsletter and NYC/EDC. In addition to the CHA, there might be an additional n’hood group starting in Cobble Hill that will focus exclusively on the waterfront proposed development.
HEY NEIGHBORS - WHAT I READ THIS WEEK
404 Media: Libraries Scramble for Books after Giant Distributor Shuts Down. Is there any business that private equity is not in?
Tech worth Trying - I heard this CUNY professor speak at a journalism conference.
Gothamist: Time is Running out for Mayor Adams and the Broken BQE Is this a case of legacy fever as some have suggested or is there hope in the more than a dozen redesigns the Mayor’s office has kept secret.
See you next week!