Get tickets to Brooklyn’s ‘Best’ fest at BESTOFBROOKLYNFESTIVAL.COM BROOKLYNPAPER.COM Since 1978 • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2019 Serving Brownstonee BrookBrooklyn,lyn, Sunset Park, WilliamsburgW & Greenpoint 16 pages • Vol. 42, No. 3 • January 18–24, 2019 L ON WHEELS Cyclists fear Grand Street bike lanes stuck in purgatory By Julianne Cuba Brooklyn Paper It’s a wheel concern. The city must finish install- ing new bike lanes it began lay- ing along Grand Street ahead of the long-promised L-train clo- sure that Gov. Cuomo abruptly called off this month, demanded cyclists, who worried the change in plans will jeopardize the com- pletion of long-sought-after infra- structure. RIVER OF TEARS “I’m absolutely concerned that all sorts of stuff could fall Transportation Department assur- through the cracks,” said pedal ing him in a November tweet that pusher Philip Leff, a Williams- work on the lanes would continue burger and member of the pro- through the winter. cycling group Transportation Al- “There’s really no effort be- ternatives. ing made to actually finish,” said Department of Transportation Eric Helms, who lives just beyond workers last fall began work on the Photo by Julianne Cuba Bushwick in Queens, and rides two so-called protected bike lanes Chunks of the green Grand Street bike lanes, which the city through Williamsburg nearly ev- on Grand Street between Morgan started installing last fall, are still not in place. eryday. “No one is taking it se- Avenue and Rodney Street, months riously, someone likely will get after agency honchos revealed their those 250,000 daily L-train riders “It’s problematic because cars hurt because of it.” redesign of the commercial strip whom officials expected to pedal just park there, and I have to go Last week, the in-the-works where three cyclists died in fatal across the East River once sub- around them into traffic on Grand lanes on Grand Street between crashes since 2016. way service to Manhattan stopped Street, which is used by a lot of Manhattan and Graham avenues The redesign calls for removing — where a hit-and-run driver fa- Photo by Caroline Ourso during the shutdown. trucks going to and from indus- one of two parking lanes on that tally smashed into cyclist Mat- stretch to make room for the green But now the job is seemingly trial areas,” said Yehuda Pollack, thew Von Ohlen in 2016 — were bike paths — one of which is sep- in limbo, according to cyclists, a Queens resident who regularly only semi-complete when this re- Beautiful boy arated from traffic by the remain- who said swaths of the green bike cycles through Williamsburg. porter paid a visit on Jan. 8. There ing parking lane, while the other lanes are still not in place, caus- Another bicyclist who fre- was no green paint on the pave- Young Brooklynite Desmond Napoles — seen here in full drag as Desmond is Amazing runs behind a painted buffer and ing chaos because motorists con- quently pedals along Grand Street ment to identify the paths, and — is not letting a bout of outrage from some conservative and other critics over a recent plastic poles — which transit lead- tinue to park on the incomplete echoed Pollack’s complaints, ac- plastic Con Edison barriers sat performance stop his passion for performing, because he says his shows bring many ers said would allow Grand Street pedalers’ paths, forcing bicyclists cusing the city of abandoning the in the middle of the Bushwick- others sheer joy. Read more on page 3. to better accommodate some of to swerve into traffic. in-the-works project despite the See GRAND on page 3 Thrown back to square one? City: Willoughby Square Park project might have to start from scratch By Julianne Cuba and deliver this long-awaited project that lic at a Jan. 9 meeting. And it’s not the first time doubts Brooklyn Paper will benefit the community.” But American Development Group’s swirled around the future of Willoughby Willoughby Square Park may be head- The rep told this newspaper the dead- head ensured his firm will proceed with Square Park and the garage, which will ing back to square one. line for the deal — which agency leaders the long in-the-works project, claiming park cars using a system equipped with A years-in-the-making plan to build previously said would close in 2018 — he’s set to sign on the dotted line days light sensors, machines, and other tech- a new green space above a vending- days after the local Community Board before the city’s deadline, and that he’ll nology that automatically moves vehi- machine-style parking facility on Wil- 2 circulated documents suggesting the break ground weeks later. cles from an entry room, where drivers loughby Street Downtown will start city might sever ties with Long Island– “We’re scheduled to close with EDC drop them off, to one of its below-ground from scratch at the end of the month, based American Development Group, on Jan. 22,” said Perry Finkelman. “The parking bays. if the city and its chosen developer can’t which it tapped to build both Willoughby work will commence on March 1.” Last year, city officials doubted that wrap up their deal for the project, ac- Square Park and the garage beneath it In October, Economic Development Finkleman could come up with enough cording to a rep for the agency over- back in 2013. Corporation bigwigs said they would cash to fund the job, leading him to scale seeing the job. “Learned by phone from the (city) break ground on the job this month — back the underground facility in order to “The developer has until Jan. 27 to that it is going to default the developer 15 years after the city promised to build secure the necessary financing. close on an agreement to develop the of the Willoughby Square garage and the new meadow in exchange for upzon- That downsizing included cutting site,” said an Economic Development issue a fourth (Request For Proposals), ing much of Downtown, and a decade af- the garage’s original 700 spots to 467, Corporation Development Economic Corporation spokesman, who admitted possibly for a garage no larger than is ter officials controversially kicked some and shrinking it from three to two lev- Documents shared by the local community board suggest the city “it’s possible” another builder may be permissible as-of-right,” CB2 District residents out of their homes in the area, els, which cut the project’s budget from may be looking for a new developer for its long-awaited Willoughby chosen. “EDC is working diligently to Manager Rob Perris wrote in notes dated some of which were rent-stabilized, to roughly $97 to $82 million, Finkleman Square Park and garage project Downtown, which if true would bring find a path forward with the developer, Dec. 4, which he shared with the pub- make way for construction. told this newspaper at the time. the years-in-the-making project back to square one. Condos in Heights library start at over $1M By Julianne Cuba cluding a 24-hour attended lobby, Brooklyn Paper children’s center, bicycle storage, Buyers will need to drop bar and outdoor terrace, and out- stacks of cash to live above these door lounge areas with grills and stacks. play equipment. The developer erecting the lux- It will also house two retailers: ury condo building whose bot- an outpost of java joint the Brook- tom floors will include the new lyn Roasting Company and an- Brooklyn Heights Library is now other spot featuring rotating ven- hawking units inside the swanky dors curated by the operators of tower, where one-bedroom resi- beloved local food-and-drink fest dences start at more than $1 mil- Smorgasburg . lion. The library system raked in $52 Builder Hudson Companies on million from the sale of the old A Batton Lash cartoon in this paper in 1985. Jan. 8 unveiled a new sales website branch, which some book-lovers for its 38-story high-rise dubbed rallied against, despite the local One Clinton, which is rising at the community board , civic group, and Batton Lash, 65 Cadman Plaza West site of the for- Borough President Adams ulti- mer Heights branch that Brook- mately lending their support to lyn Public Library sold off back the redevelopment project. Illustrator got his start here in 2014. The condos and new stacks are Part of the tower’s bottom three slated to open in the summer of rine Park, joined the Paper’s By Colin Mixson floors will include the newly built Noe and Associates / The Boundary 2020, according to reps for the Brooklyn Paper staff as a young delivery man, library, as well as a new lab run The in-the-works Brooklyn Heights Library will occupy parts of the new One Clinton tow- developer, which must also build A legendary Brooklyn- dropping issues off at Court by the Department of Education er’s bottom three floors. 114 units of so-called affordable born comic artist — who Street law offices shortly af- where local students can perfect housing as part of the deal. ter it debuted in 1978. got his start doodling strips their science, technology, engi- But bigwigs of Hudson Com- The characters and archi- neering, and math skills. reps for the developer, who said Ann’s Warehouse in Dumbo — is appliances, the reps for Hudson panies in 2015 announced those for the Brooklyn Paper — tecture Lash encountered on prices for the tower’s five-bed- creating the high-rise itself, with Companies said.