Community Meeting with State Senator Daniel Squadron Cancelled

The Cobble Hill Association Community Roundtable Meeting Meeting to have been held

on November 23rd with State Senator Daniel Squadron at Christ Church 

HAS BEEN CANCELLED!

No new date has been provided yet.

CORD 

An English Literature class from: H.S. 419, the Science Skills Center High School for Science, Technology, and the Creative Arts on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn recently visited the "Brooklyn Utopias?" show at the Brooklyn Historical Society.  The students of teacher, Ms. Sharon Wexler, met with artist and community activist, Triada Samaras, who is also a CORD Co-Founder, where they learned first-hand about the creative process behind Ms. Samaras's interdisciplinary artwork in this exhibition commemorating the Democracy Wall in Carroll Gardens and the Protect Our Homes Petition.

In addition, the students were given a general overview of the entire "Brooklyn Utopias?" show by Brooklyn Historical Society staff educators.  Later Ms. Samaras conducted a hands-on workshop with the students.  Students learned how to look in depth at the art works and how to critique them in their own words. At the end of the workshop, students presented their art critiques to their classmates and to Ms. Wexler and Ms. Samaras.  Ms. Wexler will be following up on the theme of a utopia/dystopia back at H.S. 419 by having the students read and critique literature exploring  the same topic such as the novel, Fahrenheit 451, (which is a dystopian novel authored by Ray Bradbury and first published in 1953).

333 CARROLL STREET IS TOO BIG! The project that became a symbol for overdevelopment in Carroll Gardens faces news zoning regulations

Remember 333 Carroll Street?  That is the building with the steel on top on the small house on
Carroll Street.  (See pics below taken from the PMFA blog)
The original plans were for something completely out of context and character.
CORD is very gratified that the 333 Carroll Street building site will have to conform to the new
contextual zoning.

See the Brooklyn Eagle for the story on the new contextual re-zoning laws here in Carroll
Gardens.  http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=5&id=31603

Please see the Mike Mclaughlin  Daily News article yesterday
http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2009/11/18/2009-11-18_eyesore_in_the_sky.html

A controversial Carroll Gardens luxury condo development that's been stalled for more than two years has been blocked from moving forward - but the eyesore may continue to loom over the area.

City Buildings Dept. officials stopped the owner of the building on Carroll St. from converting the 19th-century warehouse into a five-story luxury tower last week, but the unfinished rooftop steel girder skeleton could remain indefinitely. See more at the Daily News

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2009/11/18/2009-11-18_eyesore_in_the_sky.html#ixzz0XHT80MWp

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2009/11/18/2009-11-18_eyesore_in_the_sky.html#ixzz0XHRxGRnx

and the Pardon Me for Asking Blog.
http://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2009/11/333-carroll-street-gets-stop-work-order.html

for much more on the 333 Carroll Street saga.




From PMFA:

STOP WORK ORDER EXISTS ON THIS PROPERTY

Project Not Vested Under Current Zoning

That did not take long. Just days ago, I wrote about the new building permit, which has been issued for 333-335 Carroll Street, the old manufacturing building with the monstrous steel addition.
The owner, Isaac Fleischman, had given the boot to his condo conversion project's original architect, Robert Scarano, when the NYC Department of Building realized that Scarano had lied on the original application and had exceeded the allowable Floor-Area-Ratio or F.A.R.
Scarano had claiming that the cellar was a basement. Scarano intended to use the "habitable" basement for parking and had transferred the square footage onto the roof.

Fleischman just recently brought in Ken Fischer, the architect behind the 100 Luquer 'Finger'.
Just before the neighborhood's down-zoning went into effect on October 28th, 2009, D.O.B. issued new building permits. Apparently, the original issues were resolved. How exactly Fischer has been able to reconfigure the F.A.R. to get the project re-approved is still unclear.

However, the project still should have been stopped on October 28th by the DOB, when the Carroll Gardens re-zoning passed unanimously by the City Council on October 28th.
When new zoning laws are passed, all projects are served a stop-work-order and must be re-visited by DOB to see if they are vested, or far enough along, to receive an exemption, from the new zoning law......

See PMFA for the rest of this story

If you had a flood in your home which became toxic would you call a city politician to fix it?

YESTERDAY, A CG RESIDENT ASKED A VERY PENETRATING QUESTION TO REP. CLARKE:

"Deanna, if you had a flood in your home which became toxic would you call a city politician to fix it?

Congress Member Clarke is either not fully informed or doesn't understand the issues or if she does, has chosen to disregard them. " (SEE http://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2009/11/another-one-of-your-neighbors-speaks.html

HERE IS THE VOICE OF ANOTHER CARROLL GARDENS RESIDENT. THIS PERSON HAS BOTH LIVED IN, AND GENEROUSLY GIVEN MUCH OF HIS TIME TO THE BETTERMENT OF CG, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.

I am very disappointed in the response from Deanna from Rep. Clarke's office. We all know Deanna very well and we know she is very competent. But in a matter that has to do with the health and well being of her immediate constituents, those who voted to put her in office I believe we expect more than an a bread and butter letter from her office help. This matter is serious and deserves her direct and immediate attention. We need her direct intervention with the EPA Administrator. There is nothing more important to us than the Superfund Issue.
I am insulted by Congress Member Clarke's lack of sense of urgency in this matter. Given the fact that this toxic condition in the Gowanus Canal has existed for more than 100 years and more importantly the fact that we have the economic climate and opportunity for development by well funded builders like Toll Bros.Rep. Clarke should be demanding top prioity and not merely requesting it.
We expect Rep Clarke to cut through the Washington Red Tape and move this project now.
We need not remind her that her 2 year term passes quickly and she will be shortly seeking our support and votes.again. We need our Congress Member to show some steel in her spine. If she doesn't the opposition will make short work of her and her tenure maybe a short one.

Respectfully submitted;

V. Favorito

Carroll Gardens Resident
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your latest comments to our Congressional Representative keep coming in...

(SEE our LINK at http://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2009/11/superfund-designation-letter-writing.html

Remember, you can always write to us at cgcord@gmail.com

THANK YOU! CORD

Another One of Your Neighbors SPEAKS OUT to Rep. Clarke!

HELLO FROM CORD

Your latest comments to our Congressional Representative keep coming in...here is another one of your neighbors speaking out...

(SEE our LINK at http://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2009/11/superfund-designation-letter-writing.html

Remember, you can always write to us at cgcord@gmail.com



"Dear Deanna

While I was not able to attend the meeting I felt the response that you proffered was mostly rhetoric and reads as if Congress Member Clarke is myopically focused on procrastinating by asking questions of the EPA that actually support the arguments of the Bloomberg Administration and in no way reflects the voice or concerns of CORD and all other community organizations which is to keep politics out and to let the science speak for itself. EPA is the logical choice to address this clean-up because they are experts in the business of cleaning up toxic sites, not the city or state. We support the EPA based on science and a proven record.

Our consistent call to be added to the Superfund list is based on facts that have been explained over and over again and remain undisputed by the impartial and non political experts in this field. It appears as if Congress Member Clarke is falling right in line with all the city politicians who are attempting to drag out this process based on irrelevant information and disregard our community filled with people who actually live and work in this area. The city only began to take an interest in the Gowanus after they made their behind the scenes development deals and the Superfund investigation became public.

Even if it took the EPA 10 years, that is 10 better than it has been for the past 100 years. It is not the time frame but rather who is best suited and equipped to complete this job properly. The Superfund Project was established specifically to address sites such as the Gowanus and the issues surrounding this project could not be more on point with what the EPA's sole purpose. Let them do their job. Deanna, if you had a flood in your home which became toxic would you call a city politician to fix it?

Congress Member Clarke is either not fully informed or doesn't understand the issues or if she does, has chosen to disregard them.

Thank you,

R. S.,
Carroll Gardens Resident"

A Poignant Comment to Rep. Clarke's Superfund Response

Hello from CORD!

You have been sending us your comments......(SEE our LINK at http://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2009/11/superfund-designation-letter-writing.html

Please read on!
What follows is a particularly thoughtful comment from one of your neighbors.
.
Remember, you can always write to us at cgcord@gmail.com


"Deanna,

I did not attend the meeting with my House Representative, Yvette Clarke, but I am concerned about her understanding of the issues as expressed in her focus on the Superfund time-frame.

The real concern that Representative Clarke should be raising is how long would an environmental cleanup take should the EPA Superfund process not be engaged now to address all the conditions here in the Gowanus?

Representative Clarke should take the time to question how long it would take the city to run a cleanup which would achieve the same level of environmental remediation as the EPA plan. To state that something will take too long requires a comparison--too long compared to what? Twenty years compared to the current course of doing nothing about the contamination in the Gowanus might be considered a brief time--especially considering that the community has been calling for action for more than a hundred years. And if the work was done in ten years, as the EPA projects, what a drop-in-the-bucket!

It has also become evident by now, to all those who have taken the time to understand what the City is offering under the city's alternative-alternative cleanup plan, that this plan is untested and riddled with processes and programs that are open to endless delays--if they were ever to get off the ground at all. There is great uncertainty that any remediation actions would ever take place under the City Plan which lacks a dedicated funding process, experience, and legal authority.

If Representative Clarke is sincerely concerned about the time-line for a Gowanus cleanup she should do all that she can to get the Superfund effort off the ground and not play along with the delay tactics that have been put into place by the city. She should do all that she can to call for full cooperation between the City and the EPA to ensure the shortest time line to get to our common goal.

Thank you,
M. Donnelly

Response to Rep. Clarke: "Frustrated Brooklynite on Third Street"‏

HELLO FROM CORD!

On Friday October 30, 2009, several pro-Superfund community residents met with legislative staff members of our Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, regarding her position (?) on the nomination of the Gowanus Canal to the National Priorities list as a Superfund site. On Friday November 6 we received a response from Rep. Clarke’s office. We were expecting more and asked you for your opinion.

Over the next days, we will be posting your comments…(Please feel free to continue to send in your comments to
cgcord@gmail.com)

Here is a response to Rep. Clarke from “Frustrated Brooklynite on Third Street”:

"I expected more from Rep. Clarke. First of all at the EPA presentation the EPA estimated that it would take 10 years from start to finish not 20. A timeline is fine. Too bad she didn't have anyone from her office at the presentation."

Frustrated Brooklynite on Third Street