Hey neighbors -
Thank you so much for reading Ward6#1! Based on the response–for what I'm calling my soft launch–I’m eager to get right to W6#2. FYI, because of so much important news this week, this post is longer than I planned.
But first, yes, I’m still tweaking the design of my Beehiiv site (an alternative to Substack, similar to Ghost), experimenting with the layout and things like font sizes and balancing the right mix of stories. Then there is this: “Mom, you need help!” with your social media (@ward6_brooklyn). So true.
Artists Lose Everything in a Red Hook Fire
By now, most of you are aware of the devastating fire in Red Hook at the gorgeous 19th-century warehouse (section #9 of Beard St. Pier) across the street from the old Fairway described by one tenant as an “art studio complex.”
I knew it housed the motorcycle storage and lounge, DisplacedMotoco, LaNoBa Design, the Danish mid-century modern vintage furniture shop, and the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, which are visible on the ground floor. I had no idea how many local businesses like the Red Hook Star-Revue newspaper, NY Printing & Design, LaG Designs, @Tokennyc and small artists' studios (@hotwoodarts /@megansuttleartist, @getstickyglass founded by @graciewhiteside and many more), rented space in the warehouse.
@Miakokatoh, part of @megansuttleartist’s collective
If you want to help, Carly Baker-Rice of the Red Hook Business Alliance set up a general GoFundMe for the tenants, and the website also lists other GoFundMe accounts of individual businesses and studios. If you can’t help right now, please check out their businesses on Instagram or their websites.
More about the storied Red Hook developer who bought the warehouse and his son, who now owns it. One tenant posted on Instagram that she pays subsidized rent, which I imagine is hard to find.
From some of the tenants’ Instagram:
Displaced_motoco posted they were “able to rescue every member’s bike and secure them” down the street @apothekeco.
@hotwoodarts housed 20 resident artists, a gallery, and a performance space, according to Instagram. “I watched our studio of 13+ years burn until the sun came up this morning…”
@miakokatoh, a resident of Hot Wood Arts, said “the fire devastated our community … including all my props collected over the last 25 years.” She goes on to list many of the items she lost.
@dianajensen_art_official posted that “our fashion design neighbors went over and got all of their merch out. And my studio neighbor and I went over at midnight and got some artwork out just in case.”
I could not believe this picture from a friend, taken during a FaceTime call from her apartment next door to the warehouse. The fire started before midnight on Wednesday, and you can see it's still burning late the following night.
More on the fire: NYT - what do you think about the lead paragraph’s reference to Red Hook as the once “crack capital of America?”
The Latest on Waterfront Plan, and My Unabashed Feelings About It
(NYEDC image) This is the view you will see if you were having a meal at Alma if this proposed plan continues as is.
On Monday (Sept. 22nd), the proposal to redevelop the 122-acre Brooklyn waterfront will finally be up for a vote. The area up for grabs spans from Atlantic Ave and Columbia St. all the way down to Pioneer Works and the Mary A. Whalen. Good article from The City.
Mary Whalen - BK Cruise Terminal
The Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force meets for the at 10:30 a.m. on Zoom after five prior delays.
It’s not too late to call, text, or email your opinions, as I’ve heard from residents that the negotiations are still ongoing (see the way bottom of this post for contacts).
Here is a leaked copy of the latest draft (oddly, I could not find it on the City-EDC’s website) that lays out the proposed plan. I can assure you, it’s overwhelming, complicated, and challenging to understand if you don’t have time to hunker down, study, and consult SMEs.
There’s lots to chew on–some good ideas and some not so good. It includes proposed housing for 20,000+ additional residents in a new neighborhood resembling the size and scale of Battery Park City, a modernized port, light industrial space, parks, and promises made, including large sums of money addressing concerns of elected officials and community groups.
I felt compelled to break with my decades-long journalist credo to express my personal opinions about what I witnessed talking to neighbors and attending both city and community meetings for almost a year about this project. This proposed plan is way too complicated and important for Brooklyn, and NYC, to vote on Monday or any time soon. My statement on where I stand is below.
(Source: NYCEDC meeting) View of the towers.
Here are some informative editorials/statements from various residents:
A storied Red Hook developer’s son speaks out (Brooklyn Eagle).
A task force member and president of the Red Hook West and East Residence Associations explains her yes vote (Brooklyn Eagle)
The president of Cobble Hill Association and the past president explain their positions.
And more from community groups representing maritime businesses, and neighborhood coalitions.
Still want more?! CB6 and the Cobble Hill Association have meetings audio and much more.
Source: JHolstein
A New Protected Bike Lane for Court St.
This was the biggest news of the week until Wednesday’s fire. The new bike lanenew bike lane starts at Court St. and Schemerhorn St., down to Hamilton Ave. More soon.
Gen X Indie Band with Gen Z Appeal
I’m excited to report I had a breakthrough in a story this week that I’ve been ruminating on for months. Hint: it involves a local actor, a favorite Gen X indie band with Gen Z appeal, and a funny story from my early journalist days.
As a Brooklynite, I respect the privacy of the celebrities who live amongst us, and, at a minimum, exchange smiles as I would with any neighbor. However, Ward6 was on my mind earlier this week, when I was in line at Swallow and couldn’t believe who was barely a foot in front of me ordering his breakfast. I don’t want to seem like a stalker, but I am reasonably sure he was away all summer, as I often see him walking in the neighborhood. Like any good journalist pursuing a story, I jumped at my chance to introduce myself, knowing I only had him for a few minutes as we both waited for our coffee. Fighting my discomfort as I broke my celebrity SOP, I introduced myself and pitched my idea. More to come soon. Wish me luck.
Brooklyn newsletters I caught up with this week:
The Strong Buzz: writes about the not-yet-opened restaurant (will it be Trudie’s or Rad Tavern?) replacing the beloved Buttermilk Channel, the reopening or not of Bar Lumiere on the Columbia Waterfront, and a big announcement from Mazzola Bakery on Henry St.
* I’m way behind in my restaurant gossip, so apologies if this is not news to you!
Court Street Journal writes about “A New App Maps the Arts in Carroll Gardens and Beyond.” CSJ has great artwork, BTW, and a good calendar of events.
Reality Blurred: (wait for the BK connection)“A Survivor Fantasy Expert Ranks Survivor 49.” Two insane items to point out. 1) Who knew Survivor was up to 49?! 2) As someone who knows plenty of Brooklyn fantasy soccer players, I’m floored to learn there are Survivor fantasy players as well!
Podcast I liked this week: As States Adopt Phone Bans: A Debate Emerges about What to do Next? (Tangle)
Articles of interest:
'Good Trade-Off': Rat-Hating Mayor Adams Puts Trash Cans Over Parking As Bins Come to Brooklyn (Streetblogs)
Long-Awaited Red Hook Coastal Resiliency Project Kicks Off (Brownstoner)
Calendar of events:
Until the 29th, catch the ‘99 Snapshots exhibit at the 14 St Y by Carroll Gardens, photographer and documentary filmmaker Michael Berman (and a friend)
Tuesday, Sept. 23rd: Drink and Draft with Little Nights: Liz’s Book Bar writing group from 7-9P. RSVP required. $
Wednesday, Sept. 24th: Personal Finance Workshop also at Liz’s Book Bar. $
Now! Join the waitlist to get free Daffodils from the Daffodil Project. If you’re lucky, pick up on Sept. 27th in Far Rockaway.
Sept. 28th: The Tunnel to Towers 5K run or walk. It’s worth it!
Sept. 30th: Center for BK History: Life and Times of Octavia Butler
Oct. 5th: “Walk with Us to Prevent Suicide,” Cadman Plaza @ 10A
Oct. 7: BK Heights PL Hettie Lui McKinnon talking about her book Linger with Emma Straub, author and owner of Books Are Magic.
Personal note from me, the founder of Ward6.
I can relate to what Stephen Colbert said recently at the Emmys, “Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it.” Part of the reason I decided to launch Ward6 was listening to our neighbors express their concerns and support for this waterfront redevelopment proposal at some of the first meetings NYC organized last year in our communities. I started to think about all the reasons “I fell madly in love, head over heels” for our corner of Brooklyn decades ago, and what could happen to our communities if this plan moves forward.
For complete transparency, I have closely followed the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT) redevelopment debate, both as a journalist and a resident who has lived blocks from the waterfront for over two decades. I’ve attended almost every community meeting in Cobble Hill, Columbia St, and Red Hook, as well as all but one organized by the organization (NYCEDC) in charge of the project on behalf of the City.
I give a lot of credit to the coalition of community groups that have been deeply engaged in this process, part-time, and for many, full-time, while also working their actual jobs. I’ve never done any community organizing; it’s been eye-opening to watch and listen in real time. It requires a near-impossible amount of patience and cooperation, and yet our neighbors have been doing just this for more than a year.
Our local elected officials have also given an enormous amount of their time while juggling other critical issues impacting their constituents. I have seen many of them show up for countless community and city meetings about this redevelopment proposal, have heard about their responses to late night and early morning calls and texts.
As a producer/reporter for NBC News and 60 Minutes, I have never covered NYC or the state for any extended period of time. NYC is not my area of expertise. But as an investigative journalist, I have covered countless complex stories, and I can tell you that even a superficial understanding of the intricacies of this project is challenging.
If I put on my journalist hat, it would have taken weeks of nonstop reporting about NYC politics, real estate development, housing, port economics, NYC budgeting, the history of the EDC, in charge of the BMT, maritime economics and benefits, public housing, transportation, climate resiliency, environmental contamination specific to ports and industrial Brooklyn, the pros and cons of rezoning options, the types of rezoning, and so on. You get what I’m saying.
For example, the other day I listened to an interview with a prominent elected official deeply involved in this redevelopment project, whom I respect. Even this person stumbled when asked to define an acronym frequently discussed in relation to the BMT project. My point isn’t to criticize him, I’m just pointing out how complicated this has been.
This is why I remain skeptical that this massive project had to be tied up in such a short time span. Why can’t we proceed slowly and deliberately and wait to vote?
I remember thinking when I attended some of the initial meetings, “Where are my neighbors? Do our communities even know this is happening?” What I learned is that community engagement for a project of this magnitude takes a long time. People are busy (this is NYC, after all), and as I pointed out, the issues are complicated.
It took months before the meetings started to fill up, and communities began to organize and identify the subject matter experts to get up to speed on the various components of the plan. This is why I scratch my head when the project overseers and elected officials talk about the thousands of community engagement meetings that took place as if their jobs are finished.
I’ve been saddened to watch the discussion get distilled to a simple yes or no on housing. This is way more nuanced and important than a catchy tagline that only divides our communities. I’m not naive about the world we currently live in, but we live in NYC, for heaven’s sake. We know how to do hard things, every day, all day. We can do better than make uninformed accusations.
Let’s utilize local resources. Our neighborhoods include an astonishing brain trust of artists, developers, urban planners, maritime experts, teachers, nurses, C-Suite executives, housing advocates, union workers, architects, electricians, landscapers, professors, scientists, environmentalists, lawyers, writers, musicians, small and large business owners, interior designers, transportation experts, and on and on.
Why not give the community time to present an alternative plan that’s forward-thinking, that reflects the magnificent city where we all live? Yes, there were advisory committees made up of different “stakeholders,” but many people involved said they felt like window dressing rather than legitimate participants. I could be wrong; I wasn’t part of the task force.
If you want to know my opinion beyond what I already shared, I will tell you.
I do not want a Brooklyn version of Battery Park City in size and scale on our waterfront.
It seems unwise and shortsighted to build 20+ towers and add 20,000+ more residents, many with cars, who will overwhelm our streets and sidewalks, impacting our already stressed infrastructure and increasingly unsafe roads. This is not code for people are unwelcome in our corner of Brooklyn if they don’t live here already.
I do want our neighborhoods to contribute to the housing shortage in NYC, preferably, affordable housing (for teachers, nurses, sanitation workers, artists, caregivers, etc…) that also preserves, as best we can, the uniqueness of our communities and why we live here. I will leave it up to urban planners with no stake in this project to determine a number that makes sense, is sustainable and also financially viable.
I want a working port; I want to utilize our rivers to grow a Blue Highway and get more trucks off our roads. I want light industrial and affordable space for artists and small businesses.
I want a permenant home, in Brooklyn, for the Mary A. Whalen and the staff at PortsideNYC
Carolina Siguero, founder and director of PortsideNYC, former photojournalist, who grew up on 2nd Pl. in Carroll Gardens. (Michael Berman)
I want safer streets for when I jog or walk alongside other residents and visitors. I don’t want to risk my life crossing an intersection where cars/trucks regularly run red lights (I’ve collected plenty of videos), block intersections (ditto), and rage at one another with no feasible plan in place to solve this current problem. The BQE construction project only makes this worse.
I want infrastructure upgrades so sewage doesn’t drain into the East River or onto our streets when it rains; I want reliable buses and/or electric shuttles for Red Hook residents TODAY, not in five or six years when Luxury/affordable apartments are scheduled to be built
I don’t understand why transportation improvements can only happen when more people move to our neighborhoods, when residents need to get to work on time, drop their children off, or commute to a subway station at all times of the day and night TODAY.
I understand that politics is a give-and-take, and the City has made promises to our elected officials to support this redevelopment plan. I even agreed when our Congressman Dan Goldman gave an impassioned speech at the Cobble Hill Association meeting about wanting to show his constituents that government isn’t broken and it can do hard things like get this project across the finish line. I observed him (and many others) sit through almost an entire community meeting in Red Hook as he listened to an endless Q&A.
I also want our government to work and do hard things. But for our community, this project is about so much more than campaign promises or re-elections or alledged city budget deadlines. It’s about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop and revitalize 122 acres of Brooklyn waterfront that we love and have personally invested in for decades. We should set an example to the rest of the country, or heck, the rest of the world, on how New Yorkers can do hard things, collaborate from our communities on up, and build better, more creatively than anyone else, and leave something truly special behind for the next generations.