SATURDAY • FEBRUARY 14, 2004
Serving New York’s original Historic District since 1978
Published every Saturday by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington Street, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2004 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 18 pages including GO BROOKLYN • Vol. 27, No. 6 BWN • Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004 • FREE Just for frills Ratner site is Valentine’s gift ideas for the guy with THIS WEEKEND love in his heart –- and sex on his mind! ‘up for grabs’ Councilwoman says MTA may seek proposals for Nets arena rail yards
By Deborah Kolben The Brooklyn Papers Developer Bruce Ratner may have some competition for his planned Nets arena site, a city
/ Greg Mango / Greg councilwoman told Prospect Heights property owners this week. “The MTA is considering putting out a request for proposals,” said Councilwoman Letitia James, referring to development over the 11-acre The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn stretch of Long Island Rail Road stor- Bullets fly: A 1950s “bullet bra,” on display at Olive’s Very Vintage boutique in Carroll Gar- age yards running along Atlantic Av- dens, will knock him dead. enue east of Flatbush Avenue. James was speaking before a group By Lisa J. Curtis flannel pajama type (now 50 percent off!) or a dar- of about 100 residents meeting Wed- GO Brooklyn Editor ing diva — the G-strings by Gossard with nesday night to discuss a potential law- sparkling crystal accents are a MUST ($27-$36). suit to block the arena plan. “Your husband called … he said to buy We suspect the “G” is short for your predictable re- anything you want.” She cited a “government source” as action when she tries it on: “Goodness gracious!” providing her the information. That’s the message on a discreet sign inside “And they’re comfortable, because they lay flat The rail yards are the key compo- Bella Lingerie, a lavish boutique in Bay Ridge, on the skin,” points out practical Carla. nent of Ratner’s sweeping Atlantic but as Valentine’s Day is here, it’s also a reminder The Catanzaro gals are glad to help guide you Yards project, a $2.5 billion, Frank to those husbands, boyfriends — and girlfriends through the array of temptations in silk, lace and Gehry-designed professional basket- — who waited until the very last minute to run ribbons: the Loungewear Betty marabou-bedecked ball arena flanked by soaring office (don’t walk) and buy some sexy underthings for baby doll sets (y’know, what the Fembots were towers and 4,500 residential units. the ladies they love. wearing in “Austin Powers”?) are fun in demure The arena would house Ratner’s re- Papers File The Brooklyn To further cut to the lace, let us guide you pink or femme fatale black ($100 for set); the Mary cently purchased New Jersey Nets. Brooklyn’s historic Gage & Tollner restaurant, located on Fulton Mall, could not draw enough through the frilly labyrinth of choices available in Green red silk chemise is flatteringly trimmed in Questions as to who owns the rights Metrotech business people, says its owner, Joe Chirico, who will close for good Saturday night. Brooklyn. black lace, with matching robe ($63, $127 respec- to build over the yards first surfaced At year-old Bella Lingerie, owners and sisters- tively); and the delightfully ruffled, mischievously last summer when newspapers learned in-law Carla and Jessica Catanzaro maintain a revealing, black Arianne camisole ($40), em- of Ratner’s plans to purchase the bas- gift registry — or database — of their customers’ broidered with hearts, can be paired with ketball team. sizes and wish lists. So if your Juliet is already a matching thong boy short ($22), and it’s Tom Kelly, a Metropolitan Trans- FOR WHOM THE Bella customer, they may already know what both gorgeous and affordable. portation Authority (MTA) spokes- she’s secretly hoping for. “We try to carry all the lines man, denied on Thursday that the If you’d like your gift to be a complete surprise, found in Manhattan stores,” ex- agency had issued a request for pro- Bella Lingerie is brimming with every possible in- plains Carla. “We have a lot posals from developers and said the carnation of boudoir-wear, whether your lady’s the See LINGERIE on page 13 agency had no plans to do so. There’s more to BELL TOLLNERS INSIDE The MTA is not required to request other proposals, he said, adding that once Ratner submits his Atlantic Yards proposal, it would have to go before Downtown restaurant closes the full MTA board for a vote. By Deborah Kolben the famed restaurant just blocks that Joe has been forced to close But James, a vocal opponent of the The Brooklyn Papers away, Markowitz said it was un- the restaurant just on the cusp of all arena, said asking for proposals would likely. the development in the area,” said DOUBLE TRAGEDY “open up the process.” Farewell, Gage & Tollner. “Things change,” Markowitz Kenneth Adams, president of the “A couple of developers have contact- After 125 years, one of New said. “That type of dining has re- Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. City warned a year ago of deadly corner ed me and expressed interest in develop- York City’s oldest restaurants, dec- grettably passed.” “It’s a reminder that Down- ing commercial, residential and retail orated with red velvet wallpaper When Chirico, who also owns town Brooklyn is a work in space for local residents and wanted to and gas-lit chandeliers, is closing the Marco Polo Ristorante, at progress and we need more peo- for good. where two youths were crushed by truck know what the process was,” she said. Court and Union streets in Car- ple on the street, especially at James declined to name the devel- On Valentine’s Day, the last or- roll Gardens, bought Gage & night, and a more lively, inviting opers but said they had “a record of ders of crab cakes and sirloin steak Tollner in 1995, he thought the streetscape,” added Adams. By Jotham Sederstrom building affordable housing in Brook- will be dished out as many cus- The Brooklyn Papers lyn and throughout the city.” tomers no doubt wax nostalgic new office buildings in the area, On most days, Gage & Tollner Two Park Slope boys on Westchester Assemblyman Richard about the passing of a longtime especially at the nearby Metro- serves anywhere from 40 to 80 their way home from school Brodsky, who chairs the Committee on Brooklyn institution. tech campus, would beef up the diners during lunch and another 60 Corporations, Authorities and Com- Unable to attract enough cus- lunchtime crowd. during dinnertime, Chirico said. were run over and killed by a So he invested $1.2 million to The restaurant seats 195. landscaping truck at Third missions, said it was too early to dis- tomers to the pricey restaurant, cuss a request for proposals. known for its solid mahogany ta- restore the place to its original Part of the problem, too, has Avenue and Ninth Street this grandeur. been that the restaurant’s location, week. “I don’t think that the decision-mak- bles and mirrored walls, owner ing process is yet understood,” said Joe Chirco sold the building, in But instead of patronizing the nestled on Fulton Mall among And compounding the tragedy Brodsky who has aggressively cam- which the restaurant occupies neighboring restaurants, office discount shops and fast food for the families of the fifth-graders paigned for MTA reform. two stories. He hopes to open the workers stuck to their buildings, he restaurants, does not draw diners came word that the city Depart- In addition to the LIRR tracks, Rat- restaurant again somewhere else. said, noting the cafeterias that many willing to fork over $14 to $29 ment of Transportation ignored the ner’s plan would need the state to con- News of Gage & Tollner’s clos- Metrotech businesses have set up. for a lunchtime entree. recommendations of a study it demn more than two square blocks of ing came just as Borough President “It’s very disappointing, be- The first restaurant in the city commissioned a year ago that private property. It is not clear what role Marty Markowitz — an avid sup- cause we thought with all this to receive landmark status for its called for traffic-calming measures the city would play. porter of all things gastronomic — business going on in Downtown interior, Gage & Tollner first at the deadly intersection. “The question is will the governor and a group of elected officials we would get much more cus- opened at 302 Fulton St., in 1879. The 130-page Downtown open the process for other developers to marked the opening of a new, state- tomers,” Chirico said. “But in The restaurant moved down the Brooklyn Traffic Calming study bid on the air rights or will he grant fa- of-the-art Brooklyn tourism center Metrotech everybody has their block to its current location, at warned that the intersection of / Jori Klein voritism to his law school class mate?” at Borough Hall. own cafeteria in each building.” 372 Fulton St., in 1882. Third Avenue and Ninth Street, and James said, noting that Gov. George Asked if the center could have “It’s sad to see Gage & Tollner “I’m very, very sad and disap- dozens of other hotspots, needed to Pataki and Ratner attended Columbia helped bring the needed traffic to close, but it’s especially frustrating pointed,” Chirico said. be re-engineered with extended Law School at the same time. sidewalk corners, or neck-downs. Additionally, it called for some of the traffic signals to be changed so Papers The Brooklyn that pedestrians would have a head Victoria Flores listens to Hail Marys recited for her son, Vic- start before trucks got the green tor, 11, while being comforted by family members at Tues- light. day’s vigil. In July, the DOT released a list of short-term, relatively low-cost Arena foes mull suit solutions that were to be carried out within a year. On that list, accord- ing to a review of that study, was Former civil liberties big Siegel hits eminent domain the implementation of delayed traf- fic signals on Third Avenue at By Deborah Kolben blocks into Prospect Heights. The plan includes 17 Ninth Street, which, unlike neck- The Brooklyn Papers NOT JUST NETS buildings reaching as high as 620 feet, dwarfing downs, cost absolutely nothing, ac- A group of Prospect Heights residents THE NEW BROOKLYN the nearby Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower. cording to transportation experts. A number of neighborhood groups and resi- “The cost estimate on that item fighting to save their homes from condem- More coverage on pages 4-5 dents are seeking to block the plan, which would was zero,” said Noah Budnick, nations that would make way for Bruce feature a 19,000-seat basketball arena to house projects director of Transportation Ratner’s Nets arena development have from the audience. his newly purchased New Jersey Nets. Alternatives, a watchdog group that interviewed a noted civil liberties attorney “The arena is the gimmick in his development To build his complex, Ratner would also likely believes the accident could have to take up their cause. plan for something larger,” Siegel said, explain- ask the state to use its powers of eminent domain been avoided had the traffic-calm- Norman Siegel, the former executive director ing that building the arena was merely a means to seize the homes of approximately 850 people, ing measures been implemented. of the New York Civil Liberties Union, who has for Ratner to get the state to condemn adjoining including 400 residents of a homeless shelter, two “They just haven’t gotten around to championed victims of police brutality and de- land. recently converted luxury condominium buildings doing this one yet,” he said. fended the right of the Ku Klux Klan to protest in The battle could take several years and the and one co-operative building. Last June, DOT representatives / Jori Klein the city, may be gearing up to take on real estate community must decide if it’s in it for the long But neighbors are not willing to go that easy or said in a meeting at Borough Hall mogul Ratner next. haul, cautioned Siegel, who said he could possi- that fast. that the recommendations included “We’ve just begun,” Siegel told a group of bly challenge the constitutionality of eminent do- A group of homeowners have already hired in the five-year, $1.2 million traffic- nearly 100 Prospect Heights residents who came main. Manhattan attorney Jack Lester. If Siegel were to calming report would not be imple- out for a meet-and-greet with the lawyer at an Ratner is proposing to construct a 22-acre, come on board, he would represent the whole mented until 2009, because of the Papers The Brooklyn artist’s studio on Dean Street Wednesday night. Frank Gehry-designed arena, office tower and resi- community, he said. city’s budget crisis. Family members hold pictures of Flores (left), and his friend “It’s not just about basketball and it’s not just dential village starting at the intersection of At- A neighborhood decision on whether to hire See TRUCK on page 14 Juan (Angel) Estrada, 10, who were killed by a truck Monday. about the arena,” said Siegel, fielding questions lantic and Flatbush avenues and stretching six Siegel was scheduled for the weekend.
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This offer is valid for new clients only. February 14, 2004 THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM AWP 3 Park Slope ‘brothel’ no longer ill-reputed Better Scores. Better Schools. By Deborah Kolben The Brooklyn Papers For the past decade, James Ripley West- moreland has been watching the comings and goings at a small hotel on his Park Slope street. With On warm summer nights, the attorney would sit on his stoop and cast an inquisitive eye at the couples and single men who would arrive at all ClassSize-8 hours. The reason for his attention was that unlike the neighborhood bed and breakfasts hosting out-of- you’ll town grandparents, the Lincoln Plaza Hotel, at 153 Lincoln Place, catered to a different crowd — namely the kind that pays by the hour. never For about $50 a pop, amorous couples could rent a shabby room in the 19th-century, red-brick, Romanesque Revival-style townhouse. have And rumor has it that single men looking for a little — ahem — company, could also find it at the Lincoln Plaza — for a price. more But those days are now over. Since Jan. 1, couples arriving for libidinous * * * ventures have been met with closed doors. After than GRE GMAT LSAT 30 years, Park Slope’s one and only reputed house of ill-repute has packed up and moved out. Classroom, Online, Tutoring A new owner bought the property last year and eight intends to turn it into an 11-units of either rentals or condominiums.
Just before the New Year, the green awning Callan / Tom students in a came down and love-seekers made way for con- struction workers starting on a gut renovation of the house. class. “It really was a house of ill-repute,” said Bernard Graham, president of the Park Slope The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn The Civic Council, who took a tour of the facility The former hotel and alleged brothel at 153 Lincoln Place in Park Slope along with local legislators just before it closed. has been sold and will be renovated. “I always heard the rumors that it was a broth- el,” Graham said, adding that he didn’t ultimate in believe it until he saw the place with his and structures. “They had very nice people working own eyes. “I went through with the devel- In a report issued at a Landmarks there,” said Westmoreland, son of retired personal oper at night — it’s just naked people run- Preservation Commission hearing in No- Gen. William Westmoreland, commander ning around, dingy, not an upscale type of vember, Bankoff called the Lincoln Place of U.S. forces in Vietnam from 1964 to thing.” proposal “appalling,” claiming the 1968, who is serving as unofficial attention. Advocating for a more appropriate use, changes to the building would be harmful spokesman for several homeowners along Councilman David Yassky worked with to its architectural character. the block between Sixth and Seventh av- the new developers, identified by the city “Their proposal was not appropriate for enues. Department of Buildings as the Foster the site,” Bankoff told The Brooklyn Pa- Despite the relatively hospitable rela- Family Trust, to help guide them through pers this week. tionship between the brothel and its neigh- the land use review process. Alain Kodsi, a spokesman for the de- bors, an incident five years ago sent a chill In order to convert the landmarked veloper, declined to comment for this arti- through the block. structure from a hotel to an apartment cle. In April, 1999, a woman was found building, the developers have sought var- While neighbors are anxious to pre- hanging by a belt in a shower of the hotel. ious city approvals to raise the copper- serve the house, and generally welcome Water seeping through the floor led police and-slate roof so that floors can be the conversion, some are also concerned to the discovery of the 44-year-old wom- Seats are limited. Call now to enroll. added, install a ramp, and add a rear ad- about the empty lot adjacent to the site an’s body. dition, according to Landmarks Preserva- and hope the developer does not build on Since then, things have been fairly qui- tion Commission spokeswoman Diane it. et at the hotel, tucked away next to the Jackier. “It’s a spot to watch,” said Graham. Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. RAISE YOUR SCORE WITH PROVEN TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES. Those changes were approved in No- Over the years, many neighbors turned “Oddly enough, the hotel was sort of vember, much to the chagrin of Simeon a blind eye to the hotel, annoyed mostly interesting,” said Westmoreland. www.PrincetonReview.com • 800-2Review Bankoff, executive director of the His- by the line of car services beeping their “I don’t think I will miss it, but it cer- *GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). LSAT is a registered trademark of the Law School Admission Council, Inc. (LSAC). toric Districts Council, a non-profit or- horns at all hours. tainly was fun to sit on my stoop and see MCAT is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). GRE is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS). The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University, GMAC, LSAC, ETS, or AAMC. ganization advocating for the preserva- But for the most part, there was little the activity — it’s a slice of New York tion of the city’s historic neighborhoods police activity at the site. that is gone forever.”
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CAM.0204.005-BSrrbc_bkpaprs 4 AWP THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM February 14, 2004 NOT JUST NETS LETTERS: READERS REACT TO COVERAGE IN THE BROOKLYN PAPERS CB2 chair slams The Paper To the editor: other ill-informed individuals. LAST WEEK’S FRONT PAGE gent timelines in order to eval- nents that will ultimately deter- It is unfortunate and a dis- Not withstanding your foot- uate the Downtown Brooklyn mine whether the Downtown service to the members of ball metaphor, each board Plan and to come up with rec- Brooklyn Plan will come to Community Board 2 (CB2) member is responsible for his ommendations to the Land Use fruition. Those individuals and and your readers that you were or her own respective vote on committee. agencies responsible for imple- so ill prepared to write the edi- this and every other issue that It is the Land Use commit- mentation must incorporate the torial, “Neil Sloane/ CB2 is brought to the full board of tee’s responsibility to submit concerns of the community blows it bigtime,” that ap- Community Board 2 for vote. ULURP land use recommenda- and the recommendations peared in the Feb. 7 edition of All community board mem- tions to the full board. Many of made by the board if the imple- The Brooklyn Papers. Your bers were well aware of the the concerns raised by the com- mentation is to be successful. fact-less and irresponsible re- Downtown Brooklyn Plan and mittees were considered helpful While the outcome of the porting further adds to the mis- its importance on setting the di- builds to the Downtown CB2 vote did not proceed as THE NEW BROOKLYN information disseminated by rectional future for Downtown Brooklyn Plan and were ad- was preferred by many, our Brooklyn, the entire borough dressed accordingly in follow voices have been heard. And and indeed, the entire city. up correspondence from the in- will not be discounted! Community Board 2’s game volved city agencies. In regards to your comments plan for the Downtown Brook- At the public hearing some related to Mr. Diamondstone’s lyn Plan (DBP) began in No- of our local elected representa- proposal, if you were at the vember 2002 with the first of tives commented on their dis- meeting you would know that I ‘Absent’ member TWENTY MEETINGS relat- satisfaction with the plan and actually helped Mr. Diamond- ing to the DBP. To the credit of urged the community board to stone in his attempt to make his the city agencies, representa- vote against the plan in its en- motion by informing him that tives of the Department of City tirety. Clearly, that recommen- he was seeking a motion to di- Planning, Economic Develop- dation does come with sub- vide to which his response was says it wasn’t so ment Corporation and Housing stantial impact. “yes” and he returned to his Preservation and Development, There were board members seat. In Mr. Diamondstone’s To the editor: well. Rather that “duck” challenges, I have as well as representatives from for whom those recommenda- motion he did not specify how Your Feb. 7 editorial [“Neil Sloane/CB2 spent my entire professional life advocating for the Downtown Brooklyn Coun- tions weighed heavily. Add to the division was to take place! blows it bigtime”] and Deborah Kolben’s article those most in need, regardless of the popularity cil were always on hand to an- that the substantial opposition Although others from your [“Mum’s the word”] grossly mischaracterize the of my position. As a legal services attorney, a swer questions and deliver pre- from the community, albeit some paper have attended some of circumstances of my participation in the Com- counselor working with battered women, com- sentations whenever requested. based on misinformation, and the the meetings sponsored by the munity Board 2 vote on the Brooklyn develop- munity organizer and children’s rights advocate, These meetings and/or presen- equivocation of the board vote community board I don’t re- ment Plan. I am well accustomed to dealing head-on with tations were all informative and becomes more obvious. call that you were present and In fact, both pieces are patently untrue. You adversarial and contentious matters. Further, I delivered to community board The vote of the board does if you were how your report- owe your readers and me a front-page retraction applaud the right of dissenters to have been committee chairpersons, com- not negate the many positive ing on this project could be so and an accurate accounting of the events. present an admire peaceful protest. I fully antic- munity board members and recommendations made by the erroneous. You might consider Contrary to your irresponsible assertion, I ipated the presence of many protestors at the community-based organizations committees. Most reasonable reading the Brooklyn Heights was present in the auditorium for the vote and meeting. They did not deter me from being in many different forums. At- people would agree that this Courier’s Feb. 9 cover story Ms. Kolben was informed of this in writing. I present or from my duty to vote. tached to this letter is a list of plan, if implemented, must on this issue. was also fully prepared to vote and requested Your reporter had a duty to accurately report these meetings (I am sure I have proceed while strongly consid- Your apology to this board that I be permitted to do so after my name had the events, which she failed to do. Regarding omitted a few). Last week’s front page features commentary by Neil Sloane ering these recommendations. is anticipated. been mistakenly omitted from the roll call. Ms. Ms. Kolben’s attempt to contact me only on my The Downtown Brooklyn and Vince DiMiceli and reporting by Deborah Kolbin. The ar- What is interesting is that —Shirley Ann McRae, Blackshear, CB2’s secretary, informed Chair- cell phone, her generic message merely stated Plan Uniform Land Use Re- ticles are the subject of letters appearing in this week’s Paper. you define the many compo- Chairperson, CB2 person Shirley McRae publicly via the micro- that she was contacting all the members of the view Procedure (ULURP) phone of my request to vote. Ms. Kolben should board for general comments on he vote. It did was certified on Dec. 3, 2003 have known these facts if she was in attendance not seek any specific response to all the un- and received at the communi- and responsibly covering the proceeding. founded allegations she intended to assert. Giv- ty board office on Dec. 5. You would have learned these facts had you en that I was neither in the hallway during the Community board comment made the most minimal inquiry with the board vote nor “intimidated” by the protestors, Ms. was due Feb. 9, 2004. All office. Kolben’s source was entirely unreliable. Board members were encour- ‘Character assassination’ Your baseless assertions are particularly I believe that your paper’s willingness to ma- aged to attend the many com- galling since, as the mother of three young chil- lign me without any factual accuracy not only mittee meetings and the public dren, ages 5, 3 and four months, I went to great severely undermines your credibility and that of hearing at which representa- lengths to attend the meeting. Indeed, recogniz- your paper, but also trivializes the important tives from EDC and City ing the importance of the vote, I even left home matters at issue. Planning were present to hear by Paper spurs reader’s ire an ill child — something no mother relishes. Again, I demand that you act responsibly and community concerns. Your malicious and uninformed attack not print a prominent retraction and correction. Each committee met over To the editor: Foster’s resignation), much of what Sloane accuse Ms. Foster of Downtown vote only got the facts wrong, but my character as — Rachel Foster, Community Board 2 member the last two months under strin- The type of character assassi- you reported was unsubstantiated. “hid[ing] in the hallway” and nation you have engaged in with- You accuse Ms. Foster of “ducking” the vote because she a ‘clique’ call out checking your facts or the re- “ducking” the vote because she “felt pressured” and “intimidated” This letter is in response to liability of your “source” makes “felt pressured” and “intimidat- by certain plan protestors. In addi- Editor Neil Sloane’s column, it difficult to take The Brooklyn ed” by the protestors. You base tion, Mr. Sloane called for Ms. “CB2 blows it bigtime.” Papers seriously. The Communi- this information on one anony- Foster’s resignation on the front To the editor: ty Board 2 member, Rachel Fos- mous source. One single, anony- page of your newspaper. Neither The Executive Board the and ter, who you describe as “intimi- mous source does not good jour- reporter offers any reliable support Land Use committee of Commu- Readers cheer Paper, say dated” and “cowering” [CB2 nalism make. If you and your for such serious accusations and nity Board 2 recognized from the blows it bigtime,” Feb. 7] is not reporters had engaged in stan- demands. Instead, they fall back outset that only a “yes” vote on the same Community Board 2 dard, journalistic procedures of on the most questionable and un- overall up-zoning, the first item in member Rachel Foster whom I fact checking, you would have supportable of journalistic tricks, the proposed Brooklyn Down- have known both personally and avoided such outlandish claims. the alleged, hearsay statements of town Plan, would permit a modi- CB2 ‘betrayed public trust’ professionally for 17 years. Having known Ms. Foster per- a single anonymous source. fication, or “no” vote, on any oth- Ms. Foster has never been one sonally since our college days at To anyone familiar with Ms. er item in the plan, so it structured To the editor: would leave all of us short- ing into our streets that they are portation study that will tell the to avoid difficult situations or Cornell University in the late Foster’s professional background, its recommendation as a package I find the inability of Commu- changed. Where was the quality unable to mitigate the problems EDC what is possible in the area. shirk responsibilities. In fact, quite 1980s, I can attest to her character. the claims that she was “intimi- to approve the up-zoning first nity Board 2 to make an effective vision for the nation’s fourth- the plan would cause. This is un- The end result will be some- the opposite is true. She consis- She is a person who is deeply dated” by, or “cowered” at, last then selectively approve, modify statement on the Downtown Brook- largest city? Not in this tele- fortunate because we need more thing that we, as Brooklynites, tently shows strength and resolve committed to the social good. As week’s community board meeting or disapprove with recommenda- lyn rezoning proposals [“Mum’s phone book-sized snow job. jobs in this city, and there is will have to live with for the rest in meeting challenges head on, a Legal Services attorney who has is preposterous. As a Legal Ser- tions the attendant proposals. the word,” Feb. 7] to be an ap- Last week the CB2 members some room in the downtown of our lives. —Kenn Lowy, and is not afraid to make her voice done her share of trial work, she is vices attorney, Ms. Foster has At the Land Use committee palling betrayal of the public trust. were invited to a game of Russ- area for new office and residen- CB2 member, Brooklyn Heights known, no matter who or how not one to “cower” in adversarial spent many years fighting for the meeting of Jan. 21, the proposal The community board struc- ian roulette presented in the form tial space. ‘Not Just Nets’ many people may disagree. situations. A few protestors would rights of the poor, the victimized was discussed item by item with ture is meant to ensure that our of a dinner. The entire menu was But the current plan just does- I know that Ms. Foster ap- certainly not have deterred her. and the voiceless. Throughout her the chairperson of the Traffic and neighborhood’s non-elected lead- whole, underdone turkey and the n’t work. As you have reported, — Great issue! proaches her role as community I strongly urge you to investi- entire career, she has consistently Transportation committee, which board member both seriously gate this matter further and ac- ers have an actual voice in the unappetizing and only choice for last week Community Board 2 To the editor: stood up to the powerful on be- had voted “no” on the entire pro- and conscientiously. As a dec- knowledge in your next edition city’s processes. To hold only a us was this: eat the whole thing voted against the Land Use com- I am writing to thank you for half of the powerless. This is not posal, along with representatives ade-long resident of the Brook- of The Brooklyn Papers that single vote, producing a defeated — feet, feathers and all — or go mittee’s recommendation but your Jan. 31 issue that clearly a woman who would “cower” in of the Brooklyn Heights and lyn Heights-Cobble Hill commu- your pointed attack of Ms. Foster resolution, is not the kind of atten- hungry. Some of us would like to failed to pass a resolution voting lays out the massive changes the face of a few protesters. Boerum Hill associations. All of nity, I am proud to have Ms. was simply unsubstantiated and tion an issue this size deserves. It have had more of a choice than either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the plan as taking place in Brooklyn. I work We call on The Brooklyn Pa- their requests were incorporated Foster represent me, and my unwarranted. tells me that our community lead- this, maybe a wing or a drum- a whole. In my opinion, the vote with an organization named pers to investigate this matter. We in the Land Use committee’s rec- ers are instead too scared, too un- stick. As it happened, most of us was a strong condemnation of neighbors. —Elizabeth Plowe, —Jeneve Brooks-Klinger, have no doubt such an investiga- ommendations for the 'yes” vote Brooklyn Vision, founded to fa- Cobble Hill Manhattan willing or too uninformed to take preferred to pass up dinner. the plan as being inadequate for cilitate communication between tion will show the paper’s so- on the Brooklyn Downtown Plan. a stand on this issue. Unsatisfied — but hardly di- Brooklyn and for being poorly community organizations and in- Friend’s defense Shocking called reporting regarding Ms. It should be noted that [board What should have happened? vided — we now pass the thought out. Neil Sloane correct- crease the input that residents To the editor: To the editor: Foster’s conduct to be wholly in- member] Ken Diamondstone When the committee’s recom- Downtown Plan to Borough ly pointed out that 10 members have in planning developments In the last issue, I read your edi- We were shocked to read your accurate. And we can only pre- had been advocating for a “no” vote on the entire plan for some mendation was defeated, another President Marty Markowitz for of the community board failed to that will directly impact their torial account of the Community paper’s alleged “coverage” of sume that, having called for Ms. time. His request for an item-by- motion should have been made scrutiny. Marty, we invite you to show up for this important vote, lives, and the lives of their chil- Board 2 vote on the proposed plans the recent vote of Community Foster’s resignation, Mr. Sloane item vote at the board meeting and carried to vote on each of the look across the river to Lower and one “hid in the hallway.” dren and grandchildren. for Downtown Brooklyn. I was Board 2 on the proposed plans will himself resign when it is es- followed his plea to the board to committee’s points individually. Manhattan where this adminis- However, he neglected to men- The current planning process deeply disturbed at your overly per- for Downtown Brooklyn and, in tablished that he has violated his Then each recommendation of tration is spreading out a cordon tion that at last months general sonal and vitriolic attack on board particular, the severe criticism of core professional duty and re- vote “no” on the overall up-zon- doesn’t serve the interests of devel- ing. He knew that a “no” vote on the committee, made for or bleu banquet while we in Down- meeting CB2 Chairwoman opers or the public. The public per- member Rachel Foster. Not only board member Rachel Foster. sponsibility — reporting the truth. against points of the city’s plan, town Brooklyn are treated to … Shirley McRae told the board were your remarks intentionally Both the report by Deborah — Eileen Minnefor and the up-zoning would effectively ceives secret, backroom planning foreclose the possibility of vot- would be presented and voted fast food. We admire you for members who were present (no, that is suddenly revealed as a com- defamatory (i.e., calling for Ms. Kolben and commentary by Neil William S. Dixon, Brooklyn Heights standing up for Brooklyn past ing “yes” on any other aspect of on. At the end of the meeting, they weren’t all there then either) pleted project, leaving the public and present. You are a friend to the proposed Brooklyn Down- you would have had a much how important the upcoming feeling victimized and motivating clearer picture of CB2’s senti- all of us in this great borough. town Plan. vote was. She asked the mem- them to distrust and resist all de- ments about the plan in its parts Now the tough choices fall on After Diamondstone and his bers present to attend not only velopment. The developers expect and as a whole. you. We know you will add to clique orchestrated the ‘no’ vote on the meeting last week, but she this resistance, and so feel they I blame [CB2 Chairwoman] your laurels by becoming the the entire plan, including the pro- also encouraged them to show have to plan in secret and push for Shirley McRae for her utter indif- champion of a great Brooklyn of up for all of the committee meet- posed library adjacent to BAM, a more than they want in order to Says D’town Plan fails coalition of the same community ference and procedural inflexibil- the future, one that our children ings that month. She emphasized ity, and I cannot believe members and their children will be proud get the project they really want in groups that supported him is plan- that every committee would be the face of public resistance. abstained or hid: they all should to call home. discussing the Downtown Plan. ning to ask the city for the same lose their appointments. I am Oh, just one final thought: When there’s no communica- modifications that were included A few weeks ago the Land tion, there’s no trust, and without speechless that members of the let’s do the birth control planning Use committee spent over three in the positive Action Report of the trust the whole process is destined to view big picture Land Use committee. board found the vote confusing: now, not after the baby is born. hours trying to rewrite the draft any reasonably intelligent group —William Harris, CB2 member to result in destructive, costly If any person is to be blamed EIS, which is commendable. The struggles. There are better ways. of adults, especially those who meeting room was packed with To the editor: no vision, the people perish” yet rather than with vi- for the failure of CB2, it is Ken have dealt with committees and Redraw the Currently there is no coordi- Diamondstone and his clique of community board members. The nation in the planning process The Feb. 7 article headlined “Mum’s The Word” sion, we’re going into this with blinders on. subcommittees before (like all D’town plan real problem, however, is with rightly notes that the Downtown Brooklyn Plan is Critically absent are calculations of cumulative neighborhood groups that sur- CBers!) should have understood for all the developments going round the downtown area. To the editor: the plan itself. It should not be on, and the public is right to be “the most complex rezoning plan in city history.” Un- neighborhood impacts of those 14,000,000 square what was going on. Thank you for your coverage the job of the community board fortunately, the lead agencies, City Planning and the feet combined with those from Forest City Ratner’s — Lawrence Whiteside, CB2 As a Prospect Heights resi- concerned. Communicating the Land Use committee member of the Downtown Brooklyn Plan. to write or in this case, correct scale of the problem has been a Economic Development Corporation, selected the proposed arena, the associated 4,500 Atlantic Yards dent, looking forward to the con- Your map clearly shows how the plan. That job belongs to the plan’s submission date just prior to Christmas and housing units, the 2,500 apartments already being A letter by Ken Diamondstone sideration of the arena project by central effort for Brooklyn Vi- appears to the left on this page. much is going on in such a small EDC. It is the EDC that has sion. Thank you for making our New Year’s, effectively abbreviating the already scant built or approved within five blocks of the “core,” CBs 2, 6 and 8 (my board), I can area of our borough. As a mem- failed because they submitted a 60 days available for community board evaluation. the new Federal Courthouse, the several-million- Don’t like? Then only hope CB2 gets it act togeth- point. —Jim Vogel, Secretary, ber of the Traffic & Transporta- plan that is so flawed that it Brooklyn Vision Foundation If ultimately approved, the 22 proposals that con- square-foot proposed expansion at New York City er, for the sake of all Brooklyn tion committee of Community needs to go back to the drawing stitute the Downtown Brooklyn Plan may forever Tech, Forest City’s 1,000,000 square feet of com- just don’t go residents. —Robert Witherwax, Board 2, I was saddened to see board and be redone. Manhattanizing transform the character of Brooklyn Heights, mercial space at Atlantic Terminal, etc. To the editor: Prospect Heights the Draft EIS for Downtown The bottom line is that Brook- Brooklyn Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Concord Village and The upshot is that Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, on I can assure your readers that D’town plan Brooklyn, submitted by the Eco- lyn deserves a real plan for the DUMBO/Vinegar Hill as the unintended conse- Jan. 23, confirmed that the Department of Transporta- just about all the development now nomic Development Corporation. Downtown area. A plan that will To the editor: quence of the 14,000,000 square feet of new devel- tion Economic development Corporation would “initi- under discussion for Downtown one big turkey They have submitted a plan work for new businesses, already I loved your editorial on opment they permit. ate a comprehensive transportation analysis, or ‘blue- Brooklyn and the vicinity will be To the editor: that is flawed in more ways than established businesses, residents Brooklyn’s identity [“Brooklyn’s Noise, stress, traffic congestion, increased densi- print’ study, of Downtown Brooklyn. The scope of built. The only question is whether Perfectly timed for the winter I have the time or space to write. and commuters. Downtown Brook- identity safe without the ‘Jersey ty and angry competition for scarce parking could work … is being finalized and details will be made it will be built in Downtown holiday season, EDC and co- It projects so much traffic flow- lyn needs and deserves a trans- Nets,” Jan. 31]. I love Brooklyn dampen the strong sense of community, which so available to the local community by early February. Al- Brooklyn and the vicinity — acces- sponsors sent to this board a pret- for what it is and what it’s not (i.e. characterize our neighborhoods. The big losers though the ‘blueprint’ study will not be completed be- sible by mass transit to tens of thou- tily packaged cluster bomb of 22 Manhattan). I don’t want to see it could be us. fore the Downtown Plan finishes ULURP, its findings sands of working people in need of complex proposals. To their sur- become Midtown Manhattan — Not reassuringly, the draft environmental impact will encompass all current traffic conditions as well as employment, with any tax revenues prise, this board swept aside much filled with cars, pollution, and statement (DEIS) of the plan considers impacts traffic impacts of future planned development.” going to New York City’s schools other business, both personal and high-rises buildings. At the same from just half the potential build out (6,700,000 Far better to have had this new study’s conclu- and other services — or on a green- civic, to render its study. Send us a letter time, I realize the need to im- square feet). Yet even this impoverished study con- sions before being asked to consider these massive field site on the suburban fringe. At the end of this hurry-up By mail: Letters Editor, Brooklyn Papers, prove some parts of Brooklyn. tains warnings of unmitigable congestion, and no zoning changes. And shouldn’t those who represent Suburban sprawl, and subur- process the board and the com- The questions is, ‘Who gets to de- evaluation of mass transit (the predominant mode of us urge the temporary withdrawal of these 22 zon- ban exclusionary zoning, is the munity did not like what it saw. 55 Washington St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 cide what is best for Brooklyn?’ transportation for the thousands of potential new ing applications and their resubmission only after real suburban nightmare for peo- Much as Downtown Brooklyn Does Bruce Ratner really workers and visitors) except to oddly suggest the study’s conclusions are public? ple who are less affluent than the needs renewal we also don’t Fax: (718) 834-9278. want to make Brooklyn better, or widening one subway staircase. Often, those who urge caution are labeled as op- Brooklyn Papers readers worried want to be worse off than we are By e-mail: [email protected] does he just want to make mon- The study concludes, “that the changes would not ponents of progress. Personally, I have consistently about style [“Ratner’s suburban right now. In the end, that now ey? Does he think that his mall result in significant adverse impact in neighborhood supported appropriate, contextual development and nightmare,” Vince DiMiceli, Feb. looks dubious. All letters must be signed and include on Atlantic was an improve- character” (page S-23 of the Executive Summary, DEIS). strongly encouraged economic growth as a CB2 7]. Those concerned that, even in We had hoped for some solid ment? I don’t think so and I Unfortunately, this assertion only applies to the member. Nevertheless, I also support the notion that Downtown Brooklyn, some peo- planning to emerge from this the writer’s home address and phone think most feel the same way. Downtown “core” study area containing just 1,200 meaningful planing requires that stakeholders un- ple will drive (as they do) and DEIS. Instead we were deceived number (only the writer’s neighborhood Do you believe anything can residents (many of whom the plan removes through derstand and accept the consequences of proposed compete for their parking spaces by the pretty wrapping — it be done to stop this or do you eminent domain, along with existing shops, school plans rather than a priori adopting them only to later are living in the wrong place. turned out that everything about and street name are published with the think that Brooklyn will become, and historic buildings). But no mention of the poten- learn the consequence. I see the re-development of this proposal, from the bite-sized as you put it, “a half-baked ver- tial change of the character of the neighborhoods of The borough president’s hearing on the Down- Downtown, in addition to the city investment to the half-baked letter). Letters may be edited and will sion of Manhattan”? the 150,000 who live adjacent to the “core.” town Brooklyn Plan is Feb. 18. slow turnaround of many resi- traffic and transit forecasts, not be returned. —Ian Crowley, Park Slope Biblically, we are admonished, “Where there is —Ken Diamondstone, CB2 member See LETTERS on page 16 February 14, 2004 THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM BWN 5 NOT JUST NETS 6 MONTHS OF ‘NOT JUST NETS’ COVERAGE AT WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM ‘Dribble-down’ theorist set to back Ratner’s Nets arena plan
By Deborah Kolben arena study to Ratner, made play in midtown Manhattan, — would attract many more The Brooklyn Papers several broad assumptions Zimbalist said vaguely that he people to live in New York. about the Nets coming to NEWS ANALYSIS was working with “various Neil DeMause, author of Call it the “dribble- Brooklyn — namely that a numbers” and would have to “Field of Schemes: How the down” theory, the founda- significant number of New “make an estimate as to what Great Stadium Swindle Turns tion of “Ratneromics.” Jersey fans would follow their at the intersection of Flatbush revenue in New Jersey and share [of New Jersey fans] Public Money Into Private Just as President Ronald team to Brooklyn, that a large and Atlantic avenues. moving it to New York.” would go to Brooklyn.” Profit,” has his doubts about Reagan had David Stockman number of New Yorkers at- “In normal circumstances, New Jersey fans, he added, Further asked how tax rev- Zimbalist’s Nets arena eco- THE NEW BROOKLYN to sell his “trickle-down” theo- tend the Nets games now and arenas do not have a positive and New Yorkers who spend enues could be factored in nomic forecast. ry, developer Brice Ratner has that the housing component of effect, but a tremendousness their dollars at the Continental given that most of the tax rev- “Do you really think that hired a noted sports economist Ratner’s development would fiscal drain,” Zimbalist told Airlines Arena will now travel enue generated by the arena anybody form Jersey will go to Zimbalist told The Papers tour the proposed arena site in — one who has regularly de- draw more people to New The Papers this week. and spend their money in will go to pay for its construc- games in Brooklyn?” asked De- he was still calculating the Prospect Heights and offered to scribed arenas and stadiums as York City. So what makes Ratner’s Brooklyn, generating more tax tion as well as the construc- Mause, who lives in Flatbush. numbers and couldn’t release hire him as a consultant. having no direct economic Ratner hired Zimbalist, a project different? revenue for the state and city. tion of surrounding office and “He is assuming that half a specific figure. “Mr. Zimbalist is one of the benefits on local economies, professor of economics at “This project will be differ- Asked what evidence he residential towers, Zimbalist the people who currently at- While DeMause said it was most respected experts on the no less — to help sell his plan Smith College, in Massachu- ent because tax revenue from had to show that large num- said simply, “Some of that tend Nets games would be a bit “offbeat” for Zimbalist to economics of arenas and to for a Downtown Brooklyn are- setts, who has written several the Nets that currently go to bers of New Jerseyans were money will come back to fi- coming to Brooklyn,” said work on a project like this, he have his input and support is na for the New Jersey Nets. books on sports economics, to New Jersey will go to New likely to follow the team that nance the project but not all of DeMause, who has discussed is eager to see the final results. extremely helpful,” said Rat- In a discussion with The conduct a study of the fiscal York,” he said. “You’re not deserted them across the river it.” the study with Zimbalist, and After seeing Zimbalist’s ner spokesman Barry Baum. Brooklyn Papers this week, impacts of the 19,000-seat creating a new team out of or, for that matter, how many Zimbalist also said the believes there are, and will be, name splashed across magazine Zimbalist is expected to de- Andrew Zimbalist, who next arena and office and residen- thin air, you’re moving a team New Yorkers currently schlep housing portion of the plan — far fewer interstate fans than and newspaper articles about liver his study to Ratner by mid- month will hand over his Nets tial complex he wants to build that currently generates a lot of to Jersey when the Knicks some 4,500 units are projected Zimbalist is assuming. the plan, Ratner invited him to March. — with Neil Sloane Real estate brokers expect Tour center opens arena will up property values in Borough Hall By Deborah Kolben chewing gum, baseball caps and teddy bears. By Deborah Kolben ton Hill and Fort Greene, where three-story houses would not change if the project goes ahead. The Brooklyn Papers But while visitors may soon flock to the site, The Brooklyn Papers already sell for upwards of $1.5 million, the new When Ratner constructed both the Atlantic those arriving on the weekend will be disap- project could jack up prices even higher. Center mall and nearby Metrotech office campus Forget Bloomindales and the Empire pointed — the center is closed on Saturdays and As the controversy heats up over the con- In Park Slope, the colossal project will likely in Downtown Brooklyn, agents predicted they State Building. Sundays. That’s because it’s inside a city build- struction of a Frank Gehry-designed village drive prices up, said John Rutter, managing direc- would drive up property values. Tourists flocking to New York City will soon be ing, a Markowitz spokeswoman said, noting and professional basketball arena in Prospect tor for the Corcoran Group Park Slope — just as But Daniels said they ultimately had almost no crossing the East River in droves to discover the many of the details are still being worked out. Heights, there is one group that apparently the development on, and up-zoning of, Fourth effect. brownstones, boutiques and bistros of Brooklyn. Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, most stands to benefit — property owners. Avenue has driven up prices of apartments on the “It’s like crystal ball gazing,” said Nancy A new, state-of-the-art tourism center at the foot attendees headed over to the first-ever NYC & “The long-term impact will be positive for mar- side streets between Fourth and Fifth avenues, McKieren, who runs her own real estate office in of Borough Hall — the first of its kind outside of Co. annual luncheon held outside Manhattan. ket values,” said Christopher Thomas, president of where a two-bedroom luxury apartment on Sackett Boerum Hill. “It all depends how the city plans it Manhattan — opened up for business Thursday. At the luncheon at the Brooklyn Marriott, William B. May Brooklyn, a large real estate firm Street is now selling for $955,000. — if the traffic is worked out, the subway station Packed with pamphlets detailing walks through Empire State Development Corporation Presi- with offices on Montague Street and Seventh Avenue. “This will increase values in Park Slope,” said planned out.” historic Fort Greene, shopping at the unique shops dent Charles Gargano announced plans for an Developer Bruce Ratner, who recently pur- Rutter, “as long as the infrastructure improves in While most agents agreed the project — espe- of Atlantic Avenue and galleries in hipster expansion of the Jacob Javits Convention Cen- chased the New Jersey Nets for $300 million, relation to what happens there.” cially with Gehry’s name attached to it — could Williamsburg, the new center will hopefully help ter on Manhattan’s west side and NYC &Co. wants to build 17 residential and commercial As part of the plan, Ratner intends to construct only send prices up, they also worried about the pull more of the 21 billion tourist dollars currently officials promised to promote tourism in the buildings centered around a professional basketball 4,500 units of housing, mostly near Vanderbilt increased traffic. spent citywide into the Borough of Kings. boroughs outside of Manhattan. arena at the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenue. So far there has not been any talk about “Traffic is already horrendous,” said McKieren. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Bor- But just as attention turned to boosting the avenues and extending into Prospect Heights. the addition of schools or traffic mitigation to han- Asked if the project could adversely affect qual- ough President Marty Markowitz, a driving borough, one of its great institutions is closing While it is not a done deal — Ratner still needs dle the tens of thousands of new residents and ity of life and thus drive prices down, Thomas force behind the tourism center, bragged about for good. a litany of approvals and faces a potential hurdle of commuters who would be brought to the area. pointed to the Manhattan neighborhoods of his beloved borough, touting the borough’s Joe Chirico, owner of Gage & Tollner, a lawsuits — property owners are busy speculating Eva Daniels has been selling real estate in Fort Greenwich Village and Chelsea. churches, cheesecake and Coney Island Cy- landmarked restaurant at 372 Fulton St., three on how the 22-acre project with office towers Greene for more than 20 years and says she doubts “Those are 19th-century period neighborhoods clones, Brooklyn’s minor-league baseball team. blocks from the tourism center, announced he reaching almost 60 stories tall might affect the sell- the project will have an adverse effect on property that coexist in the largest city in the country with “Brooklyn is the next great frontier for tourism would close the famed restaurant on Valentine’s ing prices of their homes. values, which started rising in the late 1990s when high-rise, non-contextual developments,” said expansion,” said Jonathan Tisch, chairman of the Day, after 125 years in business. Real estate agents say that at least in this respect, Manhattanites “discovered” the area. Thomas. city’s official tourism promoters, NYC & Co. The Brooklyn Tourism and Visitors Center, at the forecast is bright. Many residents are attracted to Fort Greene by “Yet neighborhoods maintain a character and I Staffed by volunteers trained by the con- 209 Joralemon St. near Court Street, is open In the already booming surrounding brownstone its relatively quiet, tree-lined streets, diversity and think that will continue to be true with Fort Greene, cierge at the New York Marriott Brooklyn, on Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm. neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Park Slope, Clin- sense of community, Daniels said, all things she Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights.” Adams Street, the center sells Brooklyn T-shirts, For more information call (718) 802-3846. Beep’s ‘State of Boro’ focuses on Nets plan By Jotham Sederstrom The Brooklyn Papers During his State of the Borough address Sunday Borough President Marty Markowitz touted Brooklyn’s cultural renaissance and future as a tourism hotspot while reminding an audience of about 500 that its schools are among the city’s most crowded and its auto-insurance rates among the nation’s highest. But last month’s $300 million purchase of the New Jersey Nets by developer Bruce Ratner was clearly the centerpiece of his two-hour address, although the sub- ject wasn’t raised until halftime, when re- tired Knicks and Nets star forward Bernard King joined Markowitz for a staged pickup game before continuing on with his stump speech. Markowitz scored a layup against the 6-foot-7 King in the Joseph Anzalone Theater at Edward R. Murrow High School in Midwood. But a handful of Borough President Marty Markowitz (left) greets Sen. Charles Schumer of Park those in attendance, who stand to be dis- Slope during Markowitz State of the Borough address on Sunday. placed by Ratner’s arena plan, booed every mention of the Nets and said Mark- intermittently waved a yellow, 8-inch by Prospect Heights Action Coalition was owitz was shooting from foul territory. 10-inch placard emblazoned with the posted to an e-mail group, telling people “I will do everything in my power to words “Don’t Destroy our Homes.” A res- to restrain themselves. He estimated that make sure that as few people as possible ident of the Newswalk condominium, one about a dozen people from the coalition will be displaced, that any negative im- of the buildings surrounded by Ratner’s and other organizations attended the pacts are minimized and, most important- plan that will not be taken by eminent do- event. Downtown rising ly, that they are treated with dignity and main, Puca said that some of the arena’s “They had decided not to have a loud, respect,” Markowitz said to applause most vocal opponents had planned to rally noisy protest,” said Vogel. “They had de- Skyscrapers that could top 60 stories would line Flatbush Avenue Extension (above, looking south from Tillary Street). Dwarfing the sprinkled with a few boos. cided to marshal their forces elsewhere. I Williamsburgh Savings Bank building (seen in background on left), they would form perimeters of fortress-like mega blocks envisioned at the event, but decided against it in favor by the Downtown Plan, a massive urban renewal project that includes property condemnations under the state’s power of eminent “For 26 years, I have kept my promises of future endeavors. He declined to elabo- think they might have wanted to give their to Brooklynites. And I will keep this one, domain. A public hearing on the plan is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 6 pm in Borough Hall. Below, a model of Bruce Rat- rate. people a day off.” ner’s proposed Atlantic Yards site, an assemblage of high-rise mega blocks formed by street closings and the use of eminent domain. too,” he said. “I don’t think this would have been the Save for the entertainment, which in- Despite rumors that arena-plan protes- right way to go about it,” Puca said, cluded the Jackie Robinson Steppers — a tors would be out in full force, a small adding that protesting at the event would 100-piece marching band that conspicu- holding pen outside of the school at 1600 have been disrespectful to some of ously played the Aretha Franklin hit, “R- Ave. L remained empty for the entirety of Markowitz’s other talking points. E-S-P-E-C-T,” twice during the day — the event. Inside, activist Robert Puca and The smattering of vocal opposition was the event offered few surprises. members of the Prospect Heights Action first unleashed when Sen. Charles Rather, much of the afternoon was a re- Coalition and Brooklyn Vision were seat- Schumer, of Park Slope, praised Ratner hash of last year’s address, including the ed throughout the theater, adding to the and Markowitz for the $2.5 billion arena tagline, “Respect, it’s the Brooklyn atti- small chorus of boos. and residential and commercial village tude.” And much like last year, Markowitz “We prepared for it, certainly, and we plan. peppered his speech with the word “re- had a couple people” said Sharon Toomer, “They say, ‘Can one person change the spect,” which this year was uttered 26 the borough president’s new director of world?’ Well, one person is going to times. communications. “But we didn’t expect change Brooklyn — that’s Marty Mar- The difference this time around was too much.” kowitz.” that many of Markowitz’s dreams are When King began speaking about the “I know some people might have a lit- inching closer to reality — from a plan to Nets’ anticipated move to his hometown, tle dissention,” Schumer said, but added dock Carnival Cruise Lines ships on the a woman sitting near the front of the audi- that the development would create Brooklyn waterfront to snagging the bor- torium yelled, “U.S. Constitution.” When “10,000 jobs” and “3,000 to 4,000 units of ough’s first professional sports team since King politely replied, “I’m sorry, didn’t housing.” the Dodgers left after the 1957 season. hear you,” the woman repeated herself. James Vogel, a secretary for Brooklyn “The theme was respect for Brooklyn, “U.S. Constitution,” she said again. Vision, which serves as an umbrella or- but there was an undertone of ‘have re- A mystified King continued with his ganization for block associations in the spect for Marty,’” said Vogel, who lives speech. Downtown Brooklyn area, said that days on Pacific Street between Fourth and Flat- The opposition could have been worse, before the State of the Borough address, bush avenues, where, he said, Ratner said Puca, who sat in the fourth row, and an e-mail from someone within the plans to build a skyscraper. 6 BWN THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM February 14, 2004 FIGHT COLDS & FLU THIS SEASON
New chiefs for HEALTH AND WELLNESS Strengthen your immune system with tonics, teas & treatments 76 and 78 pcts. Visit our apothcary for remedies and Dr. Hauschka’s skin care products. By Deborah Kolben and Carroll Gardens. the Police Academy, will take The Brooklyn Papers “I’m happy and excited over at the 76th Precinct. STACEY BROSNAN, C.N.M., N.P., M.S. “Everyone seems to have After almost three years about the challenge,” said 79 Atlantic Avenue • Bklyn Hts (bet. Henry & Hicks Sts.) Harris, who already knows made a great step,” added as commanding officer of www.femsurge.com • (718) 797-8797 DUMBO Great office space✮ Great Neighborhood✮ Great Price many of the community mem- Woods. www.dumbo-newyork.com Park Slope’s 78th Precinct, bers through his work with Deputy Inspector Edward Community Board 6, which Great Office Space Mullen is moving on. • Modern Move-in Condition • High Speed Telecommunications includes neighborhoods from • Prebuilt offices from 1,300 sf to 9,900 sf• Panoramic Views, New Lobbies and Stepping in to take the both precincts. • Flexible Lease Terms, Affordable Rents Elevators precinct’s helm is Capt. For the first time in more our and Room to Grow Thomas Harris, commanding than 30 years, the 76th Ask CHRIS HAVENS , Director of Leasing718.222.2505 officer of the neighboring 76th Precinct went an entire year email: [email protected] TWO TREES Precinct, which covers the without a murder. Management Co. LLC neighborhoods of Red Hook “Captain Harris did such a great job we figured we’d bring on site daily from 4-9pm him in to the 7-8, which has the Nutritionist addition of Prospect Park — • Which vitamin supplements Natural Foods he’ll have even greater respon- are right for your family sibilities,” said Lt. James • grocery items Woods, a spokesman for Patrol • health & beauty products members Borough Brooklyn South, • organic fruits, grains, vegetables which includes both the 76th Herbs & Vitamins • Which herbal remedies will and 78th precincts. • herbal extracts Mullen will be moving on aid the various health • bulk, loose herbs BDMNQRW to the 113th Precinct, in Ja- issues your family faces • herbalist on site maica, Queens, a bigger geo- • vitamins / supplements graphic area with more calls • Which of our organic to service, said Woods. Health-Oriented Items grocery items are right Capt. Joseph Cassidy, of the • books & magazines citywide Community Affairs • gift baskets for you Division at police headquarters, • nutrition, sports who was also an instructor at & health consultations Gourmet Vegetarian Foods ALL ORGANIC: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Good News! • Bakery – homemade pastries • Juice Bar – fruit, vegetable, and wheat grass Court juices, shakes & smoothies • Salads & Sandwiches scandal • Entrées & Desserts New Subway 11 Flatbush Ave (Fulton/Livingston) • (718) 624-6290 • Open 7 days plea (at Nevins St. subway - 2, 3, 4, 5 trains and DeKalb Ave. - N, Q, R, M trains) • Associated Press GAY FRIENDLY BROOKLYN MEDICAL PRACTICE A Brooklyn rabbi and his Service. daughter have pleaded guilty to • General Male Health Issues charges they conspired to bribe a judge at the center of Brook- COMPREHENSIVE HIV CARE INCLUDING: lyn’s court corruption scandal. • Hormone Replacement • Nutritional and District Attorney Charles • Lipodystrophy Psychological Support Effective February 22. Hynes called the fifth-degree conspiracy pleas of Rabbi Ezra • Wasting Syndrome • Case Management Zifrani, 67, and his daughter, Es- • Salvage Therapy • Legal Aide Now that work on the Manhattan Bridge is complete, we have more tracks to run more trains ther Weitzner, 37, the first step to- ward convictions of more central IMMEDIATE APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE between Brooklyn and Manhattan at all times – rush hours, middays, evenings and weekends. More figures in the scandal. service means a reduction in crowding. And because the N train is returning to express service, The rabbi and his daughter travelling will be faster for many people. said they gave an alleged court- house fixer $5,000 to influence For complete details on your subway line, please pick up a brochure today. Here are some highlights: Weitzner’s child custody case be- fore state Supreme Court Justice PRIMARY MEDICAL CARE • BOARD CERTIFIED PHYSICIAN • In Brooklyn, the B train will replace the Q Diamond and run over the Manhattan Bridge to Gerald Garson. Garson has been AGGRESSIVE ADVOCACY FOR OVER 15 YEARS accused of taking bribes to fix di- Sixth Ave. express stations. It will stop at Grand St. In Manhattan, the N train will replace vorce cases in a scandal that has JOSEPH G. OLIVIERI, M.D., A.A.F.P. the Q Diamond, which has been discontinued. led to seven arrests and calls for reforms and closer scrutiny of 313-43rd Street – SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN Monday to Friday • The D train will replace the W train in Brooklyn. It will run on 4th Ave. then over the Brooklyn’s courts. 3rd Avenue and 43rd Street 10am to 6pm Manhattan Bridge to Sixth Ave. express stations. The D will stop at Grand St. • The N train will run over the Manhattan Bridge to Broadway stations. It will run express from 59 St., Brooklyn to 34 St.-Herald Square on weekdays. • The Q train will run over the Manhattan Bridge to Broadway stations. It will run local in Brooklyn and express in Manhattan. • The W train will make all local stops between Astoria, Queens and Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan, weekdays only. For additional travel information, call 718-330-1234 or visit www.mta.info.
www.mta.info St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Look Ahead Study ©2004 Metropolitan Transportation Authority (212) 523-8037
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BOOKS That’s amore Whether you’re looking for a last-minute Valen- tine’s Day gift for that special guy, or just looking for a few laughs, actor Steve Schirripa’s latest book, “AGoomba’s Book of Love” fits the bill. To write “Book of Love,” Schirripa teamed up again with co-author Charles Fleming, who as- sisted him with his best- selling first book, “A Goomba’s Guide to Life,” also published by Clarkson Potter. “Book of Love” has more be- hind-the-scenes anec- dotes from Schirripa’s work on HBO’s “The Sopranos” series and (718) 834-9350 The Brooklyn Papers’ essential guide to the Borough of Kings February 14, 2004 loving recollections of his time served as a rabble-rousing youth in Benson- hurst. “AGoomba’s Book of Love” ($23) is available in local bookstores now. — Lisa J. Curtis
THEATER ‘Head’s up The National Theater of the United States of America has extended its run of “What’s That on My Head!?!” at DUMBO’s NEST Arts complex until Feb. 29. “We have been turning people away every
/ Jori Klein night,” founding member Yehuda Duenyaf told GO Brooklyn. The seating capacity of the ride designed by the company is 30, and because of the nature of the show, there’s no standing room. Duenyaf believes the show’s popularity is mostly
The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn due to “word of mouth.” “We’ve had a couple of reviews,” he said, including one in the Jan. 24 edition of GO Brooklyn. “People are walking away from the show very provoked, and they want their friends to see it.” The show pro- Bawdy in vokes, said Duen- yaf, because it stimulates on dif- ferent levels. “It’s a spectacle and there’s a strong intellectual concept, as well. There are many different points of view.” After February, NTUSA may extend the play again, Brooklyn all the way to July; that’s how long the company has the space. (And there is only one actor who would have to leave because of previous commitments.) “Everyone that’s involved is very dedicated,” said Duenyaf. “That’s another thing audiences like. Burlesque is back, and it may They’re seeing a group of people that’s very excited about what they’re doing. That’s refreshing.” “What’s That on My Head!?!” plays through Feb. be what saves dance from itself 29, Thursdays through Sundays, at 8 pm. Tickets are $15. The NEST arts complex is located at 88 Front By Ed Beeson blows out its candle and goes offstage. The St. at Washington Street in DUMBO. For reserva- for The Brooklyn Papers woman is left frozen in the mirror as the cur- tions, call (212) 615-6607. — Paulanne Simmons tains close. ime to dust off grandma’s old pasties, While cosmopolitan audiences across the darling. That bawdy and ribald men’s city have settled into the revival of burlesque, Tentertainment called burlesque is back Brooklyn crowds are the ones who see the THEATER … in Brooklyn. genre’s cutting edge. For more than two But the rules have changed this time years, burlesque has had a consistent home at around. Galapagos, a performing arts space in
No longer is burlesque the domain of un- Williamsburg, and until recently, at Low, a / Jori Klein desired old men who drool over the young lounge below the restaurant Rice in DUM- Just ducky lasses bedecked with glitter, mascara and BO. Promoters at both venues say they want feathers. Now it’s to give burlesquers a The Impact Theatre’s newest production is Hen- women who run the space in which to toy rik Ibsen’s “The Wild Duck,” directed by David
show and catcall from NIGHTLIFE with their creativity Papers The Brooklyn Greenwood. the audience. It’s and explore the (Top Left) Dancer Harvest Moon demonstrates her admirable flexibility during a perform- Considered one of Ibsen’s most complex dramas, women who found Galapagos Art Space presents free Mon- medium’s potential. the play is about two old school friends, Hjalmar day Evening Burlesque with Polly Peabody, Miss ance at Williamsburg’s Galapagos on Feb. 9. (Above) Backstage, performer Veronika Sweet the medium languish- Saturn and others on Feb. 16 at 9:30 pm and “It’s more experi- adjusts her costume. Ekdal, who believes he is about to make a great in- ing on dusty film Galapagos Floating Vaudeville, with host Von mental in Brooklyn,” vention, and Gregers Werle, who is determined to reels at cult video Von Von, on Feb. 20, from 10 pm to 1 am. says Robert Elmes, free his friend from all such illusions. Vaudeville admission is $5. Galapagos is located stores, and it’s women at 70 North Sixth St. at Wythe Avenue in founder and director called “The Cello.” golden era, the mid-20th century. Miss Dirty Greenwood, who was assistant director of who reinvented it as a Williamsburg. For more information, call (718) of Galapagos, which “Brooklyn audiences are a lot more so- Martini’s best known piece is her fan dance. Boerum Hill Arts postmodern perform- 782-5188 or visit www.galapagosartspace.com. hosts a burlesque phisticated than any of the ones you see in The World Famous *BOB*, of Greenpoint, Center’s production Boudoir Bar presents burlesque weekly. ance art. Upcoming schedules were not available at show on Monday Manhattan,” says Hourihan, a Williamsburg who calls herself “a female female-imperson- of “Steel Magnolias” It’s women, and press time. Boudoir Bar is located at 273 nights, regularly star- resident. “The Manhattan audience, I don’t ator,” performs a classic act in which she in May 2002, told one or two men, who Smith St. at Sackett Street in Carroll Gardens. ring the Bombshell! know where they’re from. Maybe from Jer- plays a drag queen. GO Brooklyn, “[‘The For more information, call (718) 624-8878 or use its hyperactive visit www.eastendensemble.com. Girls, Selena Vixen sey, I don’t know.” For Lady Ace, it’s something more hard Wild Duck’] mixes and short format not Coney Island U.S.A. will present “Bur- and others, and on Not that burlesque has grown elite or pre- rock. As layers of her gaudy green outfit kitchen sink realism just to show some lesque at the Beach” on most Fridays from Friday nights, a tentious with age. Fun is still its operative slunk off her body during a recent solo show mid-May to mid-September. Schedules to be with a fair amount of skin, but to tell a tale, announced. For more information, call (718) vaudeville revue that word — fun for the audience, and fun for the in the East Village, Lady Ace winked and symbolic language act out a post-feminist 372-5159 or visit www.coneyisland.com. also features bur- performers to dress-up in homemade haute snapped Polaroid photos of herself and flung and references. It critique of sexuality lesque. Because of couture and fun to take it off. them into the audience with audacious doesn’t really have a or do something so Brooklyn’s lower “It’s fun,” concurs Jo Weldon, who began pomp. In the background boomed the hero or a villain, just absurd that it stuns and amuses the audience. rents, venues are more laid back, Elmes says, to perform as Jo Boobs in 1998, after she trance-like “Press Darlings,” by ’80s New a bunch of human This is “neo-burlesque,” says one of its and they don’t have to cram people in for saw friends take up burlesque. Waver Adam Ant. beings doing the best stars, Selena Vixen, aka Catherine Hourihan. two performances a night. “I thought, ‘Oh, they’re amusing them- “She’s gregarious, outgoing, funny, likes thing they can with For example, there’s the Bombshell! Girls, “In the city, you’re going to see something selves. I want to do that.’” to make fun of herself, overtly sexual, clever the world view they have acquired.” the burlesque duo of Lady Ace and Ms. Tick- that’s right down the middle, not offending After 15 years as a stripper, Weldon says — hopefully,” Anna Curtis says of her on- The production will try to keep the period flavor, le. Their signature piece, called “Mirror,” anybody, not stepping on anybody’s toes, she found something therapeutic in the less stage Lady Ace alter-ego. said Greenwood. which can be seen on their Web site leaving a grin instead of a smile,” says Elmes. serious and less lonely world of striptease. “Really, really, she’s just me,” says Curtis. “We want the audience to feel that they are back in (www.thebombshellgirls.com), is a jarring, Galapagos, with its somber atmosphere lit “There’s no money stare in burlesque,” “Although normally I don’t take my clothes 19th century Norway, even though many of the themes but memorable act. In it, a young woman by a tapestry of reds, black cherry and blood she says, referring to that salacious stare off in front of my friends when I’m talking to are totally current: the way truth is perceived different- dressed in old-fashioned pajamas holds a vo- orange with the occasional sapphire sewn in, strippers wear to coax bigger tips from their them.” ly by different people and the issue of how to help peo- tive candle on a darkened stage. She’s admir- seeks more to inspire. Because Galapagos’ patrons. “And if it’s there, then it’s a joke.” Ariana Smart, a former Low manager, ple without hurting them at the same time.” ing her reflection in a full-length mirror and audiences are more likely artists themselves, But the key to a successful burlesquer lies tapped that energy to drive her weekly bur- “The Wild Duck” opens Feb. 19 and continues her reflection admires her back. She presents they seem to respond to the more nuanced in her personality. Although there’s no boo- lesque shows, at which Curtis and more than through Feb. 29, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 it a rose and then slowly strips to pasties and and imaginative burlesque, Elmes says. ing in New York burlesque — that’s just im- a dozen others regularly performed. pm, and Sundays at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $15, $12 a bikini bottom spun from flowers. Her re- They’re the only audience for whom polite — it’s clear that the best acts are the “I wanted the burlesque at Low to kind of seniors and students. The Impact Theatre is located flection copies every move. But once she Hourihan performs her most conceptual ones in which the star ladles on the presence, erupt out of the general hubbub,” Smart at 190 Underhill Ave. between Sterling Place and turns her back, the reflection claws her shoul- piece, “Instrument,” which was inspired by the wit, the elan. writes in an e-mail from India. “I wanted a St. Johns Place in Prospect Heights. For reserva- der and pulls the woman through the frame, Man Ray’s photograph of a female nude Some draw inspiration from burlesque’s See BURLESQUE on page 13 tions, call (718) 390-7163. — Paulanne Simmons