E I D BROOKLYN S PLUS I N Nightlife Where to FITNESS SPECIAL CALENDAR OF EVENTS BROOKLYN’S REAL NEWSPAPERS Including Windsor Terrace, Sunset Park, Midwood, Kensington, Ocean Parkway Papers Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 18 pages •Vol. 28, No. 12 BWN • Saturday, March 19, 2005 • FREE REC-U-U-USE ME! Dolly sits out Atlantic Yards review, keeps Nets investment, leaving Brooklyn with no voice By Jess Wisloski est development proposal because, interest, although the city’s Con- each borough president is repre- The Brooklyn Papers as first reported by The Brooklyn flicts of Interest Board has yet to sented, along with an appointee of Brooklyn’s sole appointee Papers last August, she owns a render a determination one way the public advocate and seven to the City Planning Com- stake in the New Jersey Nets, a or the other. mayoral appointees. Markowitz’s planning commission spokes- A City Planning Commission 2003 appointment of Williams to mission, one of only two city woman said this week. spokeswoman told The Papers the powerful planning commis- agencies with an official role Nets principal owner Bruce this week that while the commis- sion made her a key player in the in the proposed Atlantic Yards Ratner wants to move the basket- sion would have a minor role in city’s land use approval process. arena, housing and office ball team to an arena he would review of the Ratner plan, prima- The City Planning Commis- complex will have no voice, build at the intersection of Flat- rily ratifying the state’s right to sion is the only city authority oth- the city said this week. bush and Atlantic avenues as part supercede local zoning and other er than the Economic Develop- Dolly Williams, Borough Pres- of the Atlantic Yards plan. development regulations, Willi- ment Corporation mentioned as ident Marty Markowitz’s sole ap- Williams’ co-ownership with ams will not be allowed to take having any possible oversight role pointee to the planning commis- her husband, Adonijah Williams, part in those discussions because in the Atlantic Yards planning sion, will have to recuse herself of a more than $1 million stake in of her Nets holdings. process in an agreement on public from any review or other official the team, puts her in the position On the 13-member commis- funding and the use of public land City Planning Commisioner Dolly Williams discussion of the borough’s larg- of having a potential conflict of sion, only one appointee from See BYE DOLLY on page 5 Ratner begins drilling at Yards By Jess Wisloski to the project. That memorandum of Dean St. at Sixth Avenue, where he build the arena?” he asked. ronmental Impact Statement] is pre- The Brooklyn Papers understanding also calls for the con- rents an apartment, said he was awak- James Stuckey, an executive vice pared,” said Stuckey, who confirmed To the surprise of many Prospect demnation of property within the pro- ened by the ruckus on Feb 28. president of Forest City Ratner, said that the company has hired an environ- Heights residents, enormous drills have ject’s footprint for use by Forest City “People were knocking my fence the company wasn’t readying the en- mental investigation firm, CMI Investi- begun test borings of the earth below Ratner — the developer’s company. down and drilling in my backyard at tire six-square-block site — only gations, to conduct the ground surveys. several sites within the 24-acre swath With that agreement signed, neigh- 7:30 am,” he said. Sheets first noticed properties upon which the company When asked if he had either sold the upon which developer Bruce Ratner bors of the 24-acre site, most of who the massive equipment in the last had permission to test or that they had property or made an agreement with plans to build his Atlantic Yards arena are protesting the development, knew week of February, and said he only already purchased. That includes 479 Forest City Ratner to test on his land, and high-rise development. to expect signs of the elephant next recognized it as a drill “from having Dean, 816 Pacific, and the city- the Rev. Paul Hamilton, who owns the / Jess Wisloski The borings, in preparation of a po- door soon enough. But when bushes watched them put on many drilling owned streets and sidewalks. building in which Sheets lives, said, tential environmental cleanup of por- were torn out of backyards and con- attachments.” “All that’s being done now is testing “I’m sorry, I have nothing to say.” tions of the site, began almost concur- struction cones set out to accommodate Sheets was miffed, he said, be- that would allow us — in the proper- Aspokesman for the Department rently with the announcement last equipment the size of a backhoe, the cause his building had not yet, to his ties that we either control or in street- of Transportation, Craig Chin, said Friday of an agreement signed by Rat- neighborhood alarms — in this case knowledge, been sold to Ratner. beds or in sidewalks — that would al- CMI was issued four permits, valid 7 Papers The Brooklyn ner and government officials that com- ringing telephones — started sounding. “Shouldn’t he have decided if the low that information to subsequently am to 6 pm on weekdays from Feb. Environmental test-borings began this week on Fifth Av- mits city and state property and money David Sheets, who lives at 479 land was good before he asked to be turned over for when the EIS [Envi- See RATNER on page 5 enue at Pacific Street, in the Atlantic Yards site. FIGHTING IRISH Sun’Park Early Easter seeks new forces boro’s zoning law 2 parades By Ariella Cohen into 1 Sunday for The Brooklyn Papers If plans for new residential development in By Jotham Sederstrom northern Sunset Park proceed under the neigh- The Brooklyn Papers borhood’s current zoning code, the Goddess of Minerva at Green-Wood Cemetery risks losing a As the luck of the Irish would have it, flirtation nearly 90 years old. two separate St. Patrick’s Day parades will wend their way through streets in Separated by New York Harbor and about six av- enue blocks of low-rise Brooklyn real-estate sloping Bay Ridge and Park Slope on Sunday / Tom Callan / Tom down toward the harbor, the Minerva statue and the afternoon, a scheduling gaffe that has Statue of Liberty have spent the better part of the last injected new life into the term “fighting century locked in a stone-eyed stare. Irish.” But a new residential development planned for the Thanks to an unusually early Easter, corner of Seventh Avenue and 23rd Street, where the which this year falls on March 27, the annu- Papers The Brooklyn National Produce Warehouse stood until last year, al Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade is on The statue of Minerva atop Green-Wood cemetery’s Battle Hill will lose her intended view of gigantic threatens the sight line between the two historic monu- March 20, a week ahead of schedule and on gal-pal the Statue of Liberty (inset), if a high-rise condo development in Sunset Park goes forward. the same day as the Brooklyn Irish-Ameri- See SUNSET on page 16 can Parade in Park Slope, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Kathleen McDonagh, who has organized the Park Slope parade since its inception in 1975, initially declined to comment on the dueling events, but later conceded that she believed the Bay Ridge parade, itself only 11 Callan / Tom Coney rides given once-over years old, should have been rescheduled. “Yes I do,” said McDonagh. “Ours has al- ways been on the third Sunday of March. Al- Some 82 rides at Astroland Park ways.” City: Parks and Deno’s Wonder Wheel were Jerry Callahan, president of the Bay Ridge deemed safe for the hundreds, or per- parade committee, said that his organization Papers File The Brooklyn haps thousands of revelers expected — which normally hosts the parade on the A bagpiper marches in the Brooklyn ready to roll to spill into the neighborhood on fourth Sunday of March — began planning Irish-American Parade in 2003. March 20, when the attractions open for this year’s event as early as 2003, know- By Jotham Sederstrom for business for the first time since ing far in advance that Easter Sunday would The Brooklyn Papers September. 15th Street at Prospect Park West, following be off limits and the week after that would As much a sign of the coming Save for a loose nut there, and a wig- push it into April, nearly three weeks after St. an assembly at noon and a rededication cere- gly bolt there — all of which were cor- Patrick’s Day, March 17. mony for 9-11 victims at 12:30 pm, said Mc- of spring as pitchers and catchers rected before being given the green light Callan / Tom He noted that Irish heritage parades were Donagh. The route then traces 15th Street reporting to Florida, city officials by Department of Buildings inspectors held in the Rockaways and on Staten Island west to Seventh Avenue, where green-clad this week descended upon Coney — each of the rides passed inspection. last week. revelers will march north to Union Street. Island for last-minute safety ins- “We’re just making sure they’re “You hear rumors,” Callahan said of From there, the crowd will head back to pections before throngs of thrill ready for riders,” said Buildings Depart- grumbling in Park Slope.