INSIDE: GET THE RIGHT RESULTS WITH OUR CLASSIFIEDS SECTION Yo u r World — Yo u r News BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2017 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn, Williamsburg & Greenpoint AWP/12 pages • Vol. 40, No. 13 • March 31–April 6, 2017 • FREE LICH REBRANDED Developer renames not-very-green complex ‘River Park’ By Lauren Gill back the extra bulk , the builder de- Brooklyn Paper cided to plow ahead under current Well, it’s better than “Tidal zoning, and hasn’t announced any Strait Park.” additional park plans since. The developer of the old Long Is- Tenants will still be able to visit land College Hospital is rebranding Van Vorhees Park by crossing the the area as “River Park,” the com- Brooklyn–Queens Expressway, or pany revealed last Thursday. Brooklyn Bridge Park on the ac- The controversial Cobble Hill tual waterfront. residential mega-development will Locals found the name more un- actually be several blocks from the inspiring than inaccurate. banks of the East River — which “How common a name!” said is, in fact, a salt-water tidal estu- Cobble Hill resident Judi Francis. ary — and short on grassy mead- “It shows no imagination or rec- ows, but Fortis Property Group ar- ognition of its unique, historic lo- gues the moniker is still apt since cation, nor of the majesty of this residents will enjoy views of the special harbor — it could be Kan- waterway from their towers and sas City or Rochester or any place the park space that is there will along any river anywhere.” be really nice. The new name recalls developer “The name River Park is a nat- Forest City Ratner’s rebranding ural and fitting evolution for this Fortis of the Atlantic Yards mega-proj- idyllic location in Cobble Hill,” A look at the park space (shown in green) under Fortis’s ect in Prospect Heights as “Pacific said spokeswoman Dale Laplace. most recent plan for “River Park.” Park” — although critics say the Photo by Stefano Giovannini “Given the existing park space sur- privately-run “park” planned there rounding and within the site, which fill the blocks bounded by Atlan- plazas already at Henry and Pa- is more like a fancy front yard for Fortis will only enhance and beau- tic Avenue and Hicks, Columbia, cific streets — unless the commu- the new buildings than true pub- Mermaids of honor tify, and with the serene river-adja- and Pacific streets — but has so far nity supported a rezoning to allow lic green space. cent location and spectacular East filed plans for 17, 28, and 30-story for more units. The news of the rebranding was Gemini Blitz, Tiger Bay, and Mia Julep celebrate Coney Island USA’s annual Spring River views, the name is simply luxury residential towers. When neighbors — who were first reported by Curbed . Gala ahead of the 35th anniversary of the Mermaid Parade this summer. More than 200 descriptive.” Fortis’s honchos had previously furious the hospital was sold to a In other River Park news, Fortis people showed up for festivities, which included burlesque dancers, magicians, and a The builder still hasn’t revealed vowed that they wouldn’t add any developer in the first place, and also recently filed preliminary ap- mini–Mermaid Parade that marched through the building. The real parade is only a few its final designs for the sprawling more parkland to the site — be- even more outraged once they saw plications for condominiums in all months away — it will be held June 17 this year. new high-rise hub — which will yond the small playgrounds and Fortis’s towering designs — didn’t three of its planned towers. Canal cleanup coffers run dry EPA: We’re broke — and President Trump isn’t coughing up the cash! By Lauren Gill The organizations responsible for be- said he hasn’t heard anything back. Brooklyn Paper fouling the waterway in the first place are With no money, the six-person team The Trump Administration is a threat Cleaning the supposed to foot the bill, but the money in charge of evaluating and approving to the federal cleanup of the Gowanus they’ve supplied so far has dwindled over the designs for the cleanup’s next phase Canal after all, environmental honchos the past year, according to the project’s — which includes installing giant sew- now say. Gowanus lawyer Brian Carr — who told the room age tanks next to the waterway — will The federal Environmental Protec- that he had been forbidden from attend- be slashed to just one: Tsiamis. He is an expert in chemical engineering but tion Agency’s funds for running the nox- Group. “We have made a request for ing the group’s meetings for the last cou- ious waterway’s detox will dry up by additional funds to continue oversight ple months. still needs help with other subjects like April 18, and the scrub could slow to a and the silence has been deafening. We The polluters have been paying con- structural engineering and general pa- crawl for years if Washington doesn’t haven’t heard anything yet.” tractors directly for their work but owe per pushing. loosen its purse strings and cough up The news stands in stark contrast to the Feds about $15 million, according “Without the funds to fund my team, some cash soon, the man in charge of statements from an agency’s official in to Carr. He is confident he can secure the project is going to slow down signif- the cleanse told a community meeting January that the cleanup will not be jeop- the dough from them in the next six to icantly, there’s no other way,” he said. on Tuesday. ardized by President Trump’s election, 12 months, but not quickly enough to “Instead of taking six months, it will “There’s need of money and without but bolsters recent warnings by state At- cover costs after April. take two years or something like that that money nothing can be done, that is torney General Eric Schneiderman that “In the interim we’re not really in a to complete the design.” the truth,” said project manager Chris- Trump’s plan to cut $330 million from particularly good position,” he said. Tsiamis still stands by his colleague’s tos Tsiamis at a monthly meeting of the the agency’s Superfund program threat- Tsiamis has asked the Feds for previous statement that The Donald won’t Photo by Stefano Giovannini Gowanus Canal Community Advisory ens to hold up the project. $400,000–$500,000 in the meantime, but See CANAL on page 4 Crews started pulling up junk from the Gowanus Canal last year. High tree-son The Slopers are coming! Even planters can’t stop S’Parkers worry bike lane will bring yuppies By Caroline Spivack illegal parking on Jay Street Brooklyn Paper It is a slippery slope from By Lauren Gill the Slope! Brooklyn Paper MEAN A Sunset Park panel slammed Trees a crowd! the brakes on the city’s plan to Illegal parking along Jay Street Streets paint a bike lane on Seventh has become so rampant that the Brooklyn’s boulevard Avenue last Wednesday, with city is using big tree-filled plant- battle lines some arguing that it will roll ers to block drivers from stashing Community News Group / Lauren Gill out the red carpet for Park Slope their rides in illicit locations — commuters say the oversized potted yuppies to invade the neighbor- but scofflaws are apparently so (Above) Some scoundrel plants are the best alternative — moved the Jay Street plant- hood while failing in its actual intent on doing the wrong thing, goal of filling gaps in the bike- and are far superior to the bendy ers into the bus lane. (Left) someone rolled the service shrub- plastic poles called “bollards” the lane grid. bery into a bus lane just days later The trees are now back in city has installed elsewhere on the “It serves no purpose,” said and motorists resumed their pro- their proper place. street, which warn drivers away but Community Board 7 member hibited parking. Tom Murphy, who voted against don’t physically stop them. Transportation Department of The Department of Transporta- of the cycling path, bike boost- “The physical barriers are the the lane. “It was sold as a con- tion put in six of the planters be- ers say. Sunset Parkers backpedaled on the city’s plan to install a only things that are going to keep nection to the bike network but it Seventh Avenue bike lane from 15th to 23rd streets. tween the bike and bus lane in the “The planters seem so far to dead-ends at Green-Wood Cem- Manhattan Bridge–bound channel cars from parking,” said Prospect be preventing people from park- Heights cyclist Paul Vogel, who etery — so one-stop-shopping from Willoughby Street to Metro- ing in the bike lane,” said Luke if you’re worried about safety ically separating the two. tween cyclists and motorists, won’t rides along the stretch to work Tech last Friday, but some sneak Ohlson, who is the Brooklyn or- risks.” Community Board 6 approved do enough to protect riders wind- each weekday. “The planters are had toppled the topiary by Mon- ganizer for pro-bike group Trans- The board ultimately didn’t its part of the lane — to 15th Street ing in and out of the obstacle course day morning, somehow moving way better than those things the Community News Group / Ruth Brown portation Alternatives. “It seems reject the addition, but also — with a 23–8 vote in January, but city put in — people drive all over that is Seventh Avenue — fears it into the red bus zone.