Find Them on Bumble the MOST INSPIRING NEW YORKERS
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
INSIDE: MAYOR, HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION BATTLE OVER PROMENADE Yo u r World — Yo u r News BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2018 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn, Sunset Park, Williamsburg & Greenpoint Vol. 41, No. 42 • October 19–25, 2018 Really New Yorkers. Really Inspiring. Really on Bumble. Find Them on Bumble THE MOST INSPIRING NEW YORKERS @FindThemOnBumble Really New Yorkers. Find Them Really Inspiring. on Bumble Really on Bumble. THE MOST INSPIRING NEW YORKERS INSIDE: GET THE RIGHT RESULTS WITH OUR CLASSIFIEDS SECTION Yo u r World — Yo u r News BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2018 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn, Sunset Park, Williamsburg & Greenpoint 18 pages • Vol. 41, No. 42 • October 19–25, 2018 PROMENADE IN PERIL! Mayor says replacing walkway with highway is the better option for fi xing BQE ON THE RADIO: By Julianne Cuba Brooklyn Paper Heights locals Mayor DeBlasio would prefer to turn the Brooklyn Heights Promenade into a fighting back speedway for thousands of vehicles to zip through the neighborhood instead Brooklyn Paper of sending that The leaders of the Brooklyn traffic down lo- Heights Association pleaded their cal streets dur- case to save the Brooklyn Heights ing the loom- Promenade from destruction on ing repairs to the latest edition of Brooklyn the Brooklyn– Paper Radio, telling hosts Vince Queens Ex- DiMiceli and Anthony Rotunno pressway, he there are alternatives to closing FIXING announced on the beloved walkway for almost Oct. 12. a decade, and that they couldn’t “It will defi- the BQE understand why Mayor DeBla- nitely have a big sio on Oct. 12 endorsed a plan impact, but I think it’s the way to ad- dress the bigger problem once and for that would turn it into a six-lane speedway. all, and as quickly as we can,” Hizzoner Mayor DeBlasio would rather told WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer “The community was blind- replace the Brooklyn Heights sided by the mayor’s comments,” during an episode of the journalist’s Promenade with a speedway for eponymous show. “It’s a painful ap- said Heights Association exec- vehicles traveling the Brooklyn- utive director Peter Bray on the proach, it will definitely create a lot Queens Expressway when it of inconvenience for people — I don’t show. “I think it was extraordi- comes time to repair its triple narily unfortunate and inappro- want to underestimate what impact it cantilever, rather than fixing the would have.” priate for him to comment at a Last month, the city’s Department of three-tiered structure lane-by- point when the Department of Transportation unveiled two options for lane and sending the traffic down Transportation has told the com- repairing the 70-year-old triple-canti- local streets, he said on Oct. 12. munity that this is part of a length- levered portion of the expressway be- Photo by Julianne Cuba ier community-engagement pro- tween Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street: however, overwhelmingly opposed the ready made the choice to turn the walk- ciation’s president. turies-old buildings.” cess.” Both Bray and Heights Asso- Either close the fabled walkway above plan to replace the walkway with a six- way into a speedway shortly after an- “At a time when the BHA has been The piecemeal approach to repairing it for no less than six years to make ciation president Martha Bakos lane highway — not least because they nouncing the two repair options under trying to meet again with the DOT to the triple cantilever could take nearly Dietz said they would rather the way for a six-lane highway , or recon- claimed the cars, trucks, and busses consideration, the executive director urge serious consideration of alterna- a decade to complete once workers be- See RADIO on page 13 struct the three-tiered roadway lane- that would travel it would rush past of civic group the Brooklyn Heights tives to its two proposals, the mayor gin the job sometime in 2020 or 2021 by-lane, causing traffic jams that of- some area apartments at eye-level — Association told transit officials last makes it clear that the city does not — making it virtually impossible to ficials warned could stretch for up to 12 miles. and demanded Transportation Depart- month . care to hear our community’s opinion,” finish before 2026, the year experts “One would cause a huge number Both options would cost more than ment bigwigs go back to the drawing And the mayor coming out in fa- said Martha Bakos Dietz. “His refer- predict the expressway will start to of vehicles to go through the streets of $3 billion, nearly double what agency board and come up with more options vor of the plan to temporarily destroy ence to the DOT’s alternative plan as suffer irreparable damage under the Brooklyn and clog up residential areas leaders originally predicted, and recon- that wouldn’t require ripping out the the Promenade, which officials prom- a band-aid approach is condescending weight of the thousands of trucks that and business areas, and I think that’s structing the expressway lane-by-lane Promenade, including potentially pav- ised to rebuild if they demolish it to fix and dismissive of the very real conse- travel it daily. extraordinarily problematic. It would would still require closing the Prome- ing over parts of Brooklyn Bridge Park the expressway, has only stoked those quences to Brooklyn Heights of an ap- And that’s why getting the job done as also take longer – several years longer nade, but likely only for up to two years, in order to reroute vehicles along the fears — and came as a slap in the face proach that would place six lanes of fast as possible by paving over the Prom- — to achieve the change in the BQE,” according to transit officials. green space. to residents advocating for another so- highway traffic in close proximity to enade is the better of the two “painful” he said. “The other is kind of the pull- Brooklyn Heights residents and pols, But many locals worried the city al- lution, according to the Heights Asso- a historic district, and its almost 2-cen- options, according to DeBlasio. the-band-aid off approach.” Hocus Scotus A split decision! Bushwick witches will hex Vote on yet another huge Downtown tower Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday galvanizes board before majority pans project By Julianne Cuba hex, to get revenge for his alleged By Julianne Cuba conditions, instead of simply tell- Brooklyn Paper victims, and the second will be a Brooklyn Paper ing the firm to take a hike. A group of self-proclaimed service that transforms partici- It’s an “aye” toward compro- “We have the opportunity to witches will gather in Bushwick pants’ outrage over the accusa- mise. support affordable housing. Num- on Saturday to perform what they tions against Kavanaugh into Community Board 2’s full board ber two, there’s a constant conver- described as a “punitive” hex on strength, which they called the last week outright rejected a de- sation about jobs, and this is an op- Supreme Court Justice Brett Ka- “Rites of the Scorned One.” veloper’s request to rezone Ful- portunity to say we want jobs,” he vanaugh, weeks after 50 United “It’s harnessing righteous rage ton Street land in order to erect a said. “What I recommend is that States senators voted to confirm and using it as a tool of resilience 40-story tower — but not before the we take the full comments that are him to the nation’s highest court and survival,” Bracciale said. civic guru who cast the lone vote inclusive both of the development despite multiple women accusing And the magic won’t solely in favor of the 80 Flatbush mega- and the community.” be directed toward the Supreme the judge of sexual assault. development when the full board In January, CB2’s Land Use Court’s newest lifetime appoin- “We want to get retributive voted against it earlier this year Committee voted to approve, with tee — sexual-assault survivors urged his colleagues to follow suit conditions, a Fort Greene church’s justice,” said Dakota Bracciale, will quietly say, or scream, the who is spearheading the super- this time around, arguing doing so rezoning request in order to erect names of their own assailants dur- would at least give the panel a seat a new 13-story building with be- natural soirée. ing the ritual, for which partici- Bracciale, a co-owner of Flush- at the table for discussions should low-market-rate housing on S. Port- pants are encouraged to conjure land Avenue. ing Avenue occult bookstore Cat- the project move forward. up any ill-will they’ve received, The full board, however, unani- land, and their colleagues will Clinton Hiller Lenny Singletary, the host said. CB2’s second vice chairman, told mously cast its purely advisory vote cast the curse in an attempt to “They can also compound it against the proposal a month later . seek justice for Kavanaugh’s al- the panel that by not flat out oppos- to add anyone that’s assaulted or ing the proposed high-rise, it may But that did not stop the Council leged victims, and give the judge hurt them,” they said. from green-lighting the project in a dose of the pain and suffering be in a better position to negotiate Candles, oils, effigies, dirt some changes to the project in or- July, a decision that led leaders of the women claim his actions from graveyards, and nails from der to make it as beneficial as pos- anti-development group Preserve caused them.