On the Market
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INSIDE BROOKLYN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER Including The Downtown News, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper and Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Paper Rosie Perez comes home to Brooklyn Published weekly by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 26 Court St., Brooklyn 11242 Phone 718-834-9350 AD fax 718-834-1713 • NEWS fax 718-834-9278 © 2003 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 16 pages including GO BROOKLYN • Vol.26, No. 23 BWN • June 9, 2003 • FREE ON THE MARKET Witnesses put waterfront tower up for sale By Patrick Gallahue turing and Design Center, a collec- The Brooklyn Papers tion of businesses and artist studios now operating in a former rope fac- TA set to The Watchtower Bible and tory, would be compatible with Tract Society of New York, also Brooklyn Bridge Park. shaft the known as the Jehovah’s Wit- “It’s a million square feet and it nesses, announced this week has absolutely spectacular views of Heights their interest in selling their 1- the harbor and Lower Manhattan,” million-square-foot building at Koval said. “I think we’re enor- PAGE 2 360 Furman St between Jora- mously interested in the possibility lemon Street and Atlantic that this wouldn’t be a shipping and Avenue. printing operation of any organiza- there is compatible with the park “We have a number of options tion, religious or otherwise. The and traffic.” out there that we are exploring,” truck traffic and the volume of traf- She declined, however, to voice said Watchtower spokesman fic has always been an issue not opinions or concerns about the Robert Alexander. “We’re waiting just for the park but the surround- project until a specific proposal is ing community.” to see what … will come back.” Mango / Greg made. Nancy Bowe, president of the Built in 1928 and acquired by the “That’s something new to every- Watchtower Society in 1983, the 12- Brooklyn Heights Association, also expressed a desire for park-com- body,” said Chip Place, the director story building had been used for the of planning and design for the Watchtower’s printing and distribu- patible uses for the building. “Its certainly very interesting,” Brooklyn Bridge Park Develop- tion operations. The organization Papers The Brooklyn said Nancy Bowe, president of the ment Corporation. will redistribute its printing plants to The Watchtower Society-owned building at 360 Furman St., as various international facilities and to Brooklyn Heights Association. “It’s something to keep in mind, / Tom Callan / Tom a printing plant in upstate Wallkill, “And we hope that whatever goes seen from the promenade at Remsen Street, is up for sale. See MARKET on page 4 New York. “Our building at 360 Furman St. has served us well for many years, but we’re relocating much of that The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn work that was done there,” Alexan- der said. “Perhaps this building will be used by others in a way that is Carrie & Co. compatible with the Brooklyn wa- Pier 6’s new park role terfront development.” Sarah Jessica Parker and Ron Livingstone on the steps of Bor- The Furman Street announce- ough Hall last Wednesday filming an episode of HBO’s “Sex ment sparked the interest of local By Patrick Gallahue Activists who have lobbied to and the City.” The series is entering its final season. activists due to its proximity to and The Brooklyn Papers have the pier included in the park saw the study as a promising indi- potential impact on the planned The Brooklyn Bridge Park Brooklyn Bridge Park, a 1.3-mile cation that it could become part of planners have released a re- the development. commercial and recreational devel- fined “concept plan” for the opment that is to be built between “We think Pier 6 is extremely Jay and Joralemon streets. commercial and recreational important for the park site, espe- The park, as currently envi- development along the water- cially for access from Atlantic Av- sioned, would extend to Pier 5 at front, making some major enue, which is the natural gate- Waterfront changes along the way. way,” said Sharon Soons, a Joralemon Street but would have an Atlantic Avenue gateway en- The updated plan now includes member of the Brooklyn Bridge trance, meaning pedestrians would Pier 6 at Atlantic Avenue and calls Park Coalition. have to traverse around the Watch- for the demolition of the Purchase Activists have sought to create a tower building at Furman and At- Building on Water Street. It also re- major gateway from Atlantic Av- lantic to get to the park. [Updated places an amphitheater on Pier 3 enue to relieve pedestrian traffic Ikea in for Mango / Greg plans for the park reveal the poten- with a grassy hill. from the much narrower Joralemon tial inclusion of Pier 6, which “We’re assuming that Pier 6 Street, which feeds into Pier 5. would lessen the impact of the could come to us and because The city owns Pier 6 and leases building on the Atlantic Avenue we’re assuming that we said, ‘Let’s it to the Port Authority of New tough fight gateway, see story this page.] study it in the EIS,’” said James York and New Jersey, but that lease “I think this creates a sense of Moogan, executive director of the will expire in 2008. great possibility,” said Marianna Brooklyn Bridge Park Develop- While the pier currently appears Papers File The Brooklyn By Patrick Gallahue Koval, executive director of the ment Corporation, a subsidiary of on the old Illustrative Master Plan The Purchase Building in Fulton Ferry will be knocked down to make room for more park space. The Brooklyn Papers Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition, an the Empire State Development for the park as “potential for future advocacy group for the waterfront Corporation charged with imple- recreational/cultural programming,” The fight hasn’t even plan. menting the plan for the 1.3-mile its ownership has been anything but possible uses” of the area’s water- recreational uses for Pier 6, current- been sanctioned — She said housing and possibly development, which would stretch guaranteed. front. ly a working pier leased by Ameri- the official public other uses such as the model pre- from just past the Manhattan The city recently commissioned Last April, the lead consultant on can Stevedoring, were among the review is months sented by the Greenpoint Manufac- Bridge to Atlantic Avenue. a study on Piers 6-12 for the “best the study, John Alschuler, said See PIER 6 on page 7 away — yet the parti- sans are already head- ing to their respective corners. John McGettrick, co- chair of the Red Hook Civic Association, and Beep rants over Klein’s school plan representatives from Ikea — both leading their own lobbying campaigns over By Deborah Kolben The invitation to address the overcrowding in Brooklyn schools. Just this week, Markowitz sent a In response, Klein on Tuesday the future of a proposed The Brooklyn Papers Borough Board, comprised of com- “This was not a system that was letter to Klein outlining some of said he had freed up 8,000 seats by munity board chairs and council failing all children. We had many Brooklyn’s worst school problems, eliminating bureaucrats in the old store in Red Hook — had Schools Chancellor Joel a spirited standoff Mon- members came from Borough Pres- children that were succeeding,” said including the most severely over- Board of Education. Klein came to Brooklyn this ident Marty Markowtiz, who took Markowtiz, referring to the sweeping crowded high schools in the city, Criticizing the Education Depart- day night before the First week to address the concerns of Place Tri-Block and advantage of Tuesday night’s meet- education reforms that put the re- which he also detailed in a report ment for squeezing Brooklyn out of Summit Street Block As- Brooklyn’s council members ing at Borough Hall to berate Klein sponsibility for the city’s schools delivered in front of Midwood High its fair share, Markowitz said in a sociation. and community boards over the for everything from being short- back into the hands of the mayor for School. At 185 percent capacity, written statement that while Brook- McGettrick and Ikea new centralized school system. changed on the Department of Edu- the first time since 1969 and elimi- Midwood is among the most over- lyn had more severe overcrowding have led furious lobbying He walked right into an ambush. cation’s capital commitment plan to nated the current school districts. crowded high schools in the city. See SCHOOLS on page 7 campaigns in Red Hook and the surrounding neighborhoods in recent A response card mailed to residents months, and on Monday night McGettrick accused regarding the planned Red Hook Ikea. Ikea of “sugar-coating” the impacts of its proposed store at Columbia and Halleck streets. An Ticket blitz hurting Slope merchants Ikea representative, meanwhile, accused McGettrick of leading a “mis- information campaign.” By Patrick Gallahue the building line. You might also want to watch is out of the ordinary, claiming that summonses One of the most staggering incidents oc- The scope of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the The Brooklyn Papers where you park, buckle up and if you’ve got a overall are down compared to last year. And the curred in Park Slope, where Harbor Fitness Ikea project has not been presented yet and the project is still months few weeks to burn, read up on every law on the Independent Budget Office recently asserted was hit with penalties that could have away from being certified to begin its official public review. Note to Park Slope merchants, books that can possibly result in a summons.