LOOK FOR BREAKING NEWS EVERY WEEKDAY AT BROOKLYNPAPER.COM Yo u r Neighborhood — Yo u r News® BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2012 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn and Williamsburg AWP/12 pages • Vol. 35, No. 47 • November 23–29, 2012 • FREE THERE WILL BE FLOOD Councilman warns of storm dangers to Gowanus condo plan By Natalie Musumeci Brad Lander (D–Gowanus). tial development at the site would The Brooklyn Paper “The Lightstone Group is fully put future tenants in danger. The development company committed to the development of “It would be a serious mistake Lightstone Group won’t let Hurri- its Gowanus Canal project in the for you to proceed as though noth- cane Sandy — or an angry coun- Carroll Gardens neighborhood ing had happened, without recon- cilman — stand in the way of its and will move forward to build sidering or altering your plans, plan to construct a massive hous- a high-quality, environmentally and putting over 1,000 new resi- ing complex on the banks of the sound residential complex,” the dents in harm’s way the next time Gowanus Canal. company said in a statement re- an event of this magnitude oc- The real estate firm is marching leased to The Brooklyn Paper. curs,” Lander wrote. ahead with its proposal to build a News that the project will ad- Lightstone Group spokesman controversial 700-unit development vance comes after Lander penned Ethan Geto said his company “vi- on Bond Street between Carroll an open letter to Lightstone Group File photo by Stefano Giovannini olently objects” to the suggestion and Second streets despite severe CEO David Lichtenstein last week The Lightstone Group isn’t backing down from its plan the development would put pro- flooding in the neighborhood and urging the company to drop its to build a 700-unit housing complex on the banks of the spective residents in jeopardy and the vocal opposition of Councilman plans — and claiming a residen- Gowanus Canal. See GOWANUS on page 3 Photo by Stefano Giovannini Under a-taxi! Maren Harper saves money at the Bedford Hill Coffee Bar thanks to her son Rowan, whose existence guaran- Neighbors: Barclays Center’s black tees her a dollar off beer on Saturday nights. cabs turn streets into parking lot By Eli Rosenberg dium VIPs call it a night. spaces near the arena until Happy hour The Brooklyn Paper “Residents are trying to do clients are ready to leave. Read their lips: no more everything they can to park, Neighbors claim cops do taxis! and they’re upset that they’re little to enforce the rules of Neighbors of the newly getting tickets for parking il- the road — and police in the opened Barclays Center legally while limousines can community say hired cars are for parents say chauffeured Towncars, break the same rules,” said a real issue. SUVs, and stretch limos take Peter Krashes, the president “Black cars have been up nearly every inch of curb of the Dean Street Block As- a problem,” said 78th Pre- Photo by Stefano Giovannini space around the arena dur- sociation. cinct deputy inspector Mi- Clinton Hill hangout offers A limousine idles in front of a fire hydrant on Bergen Street near Fifth ing concerts and Nets games Krashes says the so-called chael Ameri, who noted his Avenue, where neighbors claim hired drivers clog ther streets waiting — turning their streets into a “black cars” park in front of officers are already stretched discounts for dads, moms for clients at the arena. de facto parking lot until sta- fire hydrants or idle in illegal See TAXI on page 9 By Danielle Furfaro “Being a parent is very re- The Brooklyn Paper warding, but it also consumes Have a kid, and save on everything,” said Maren Harper, beer! who lives in the neighborhood A Clinton Hill bar is giv- with her husband, Peter and her Deadly hit and run ing haggard parents (is there 11-month-old son Rowan. “So any other kind?) a chance to it’s nice to be able to step away drink on the cheap, as long as and enjoy a beverage and en- Billyburg intersection claims another victim they can prove that they’ve re- joy them from afar for a mo- produced. ment.” By Danielle Furfaro The 27-year-old suspect faces The Bedford Hill Coffee Bar Bedford Hill owner Allison The Brooklyn Paper charges for allegedly leaving the on Franklin Avenue at Greene Stuart said she hit on the idea Cops arrested a man they say MEAN scene of an accident resulting in Avenue offers a parents-only of giving people-makers a deal is responsible for the hit-and-run death and leaving the scene of an ac- happy hour special on Satur- after noticing a boom in chil- death of a pedestrian — and the Streets cident that caused serious injury. day nights featuring a dollar dren in the neighborhood — serious injury of another victim The battle for Brooklyn’s byways The deadly crash occurred at off every drink for every kid- and hearing their parents com- — on Borinquen Place in Wil- the corner of Keap Street, where Photo by Stefano Giovannini dlywink you’ve made. plain about them. iamsburg early on Nov. 15. crossed the street, killing 35-year- Leopoldo Hernandez, 57, lost his The driver who hit a man and woman as they crossed Not surprisingly, parents are “One night, there was a dad in Investigators believe the sus- old Raul Delacruz and seriously in- life earlier this year after he was Borinquen Place fled the scene and and abandoned his saying it’s a score. See HAPPY on page 10 pect plowed into the couple as they juring a 24-year-old woman. See DEATH on page 9 car several blocks away, police said. THE HOLDOUT Bumping back Bossert Hotel tenant lawyers up Coney’s Eldorado gets another By Danielle Furfaro Series championship — had become The Brooklyn Paper a home to transients. year — but hurricane took a toll An 82-year-old widow who lives in a Now, she has lawyered up because rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn she fears the building’s new ownership, By Will Bredderman People’s Playground staple. which is planning to return the well- Heights’ ritzy Bossert Hotel is prepar- The Brooklyn Paper “We had a great two-day event, then maintained property to its glorious ho- ing for the fight of her life now that the tel past, will try to force her out. The Eldorado will roll again next all of a sudden we got hit with Hurri- landmarked building has been sold. “When they go altering things, summer — as long as mechanics can cane Sandy,” said Lee, who added that Monica Grier raised a family in the there are a number of things that can get the water out of the bumper cars’ the storm surge submerged all of the El- three-bedroom apartment that she rents go wrong,” said Grier. “You always gas tanks! dorado amusements that have thrilled for less than $1,000 per month. wonder what is it, and I didn’t want to Gordon Lee, the new owner of the be- beach-goers since 1972. “I don’t have Photo by Bess Adler Photo by Elizabeth Graham She moved there in the late 1960s wait and see.” loved Auto Skooter and arcade, reached to tell you how damaging salt water is Monica Grier, longtime resident when the iconic hotel — once consid- But an attorney for the new owner- Gordon Lee has a new lease an 11th-hour arrangement with Thor to electronics.” of the Bossert Hotel in Brooklyn ered the Waldorf-Astoria of Brook- ship, Clipper Equity and the Chetrit for Eldorado Auto Skooter, but Equities to hold onto the Surf Avenue Thor Equities owner Joe Sitt bought Heights, is worried she’ll lose her lyn and the place where the Brooklyn Group, said Grier and the three other Hurricane Sandy destroyed its property for one more season, but Hur- the Eldorado property from owner rent-controlled apartment. Dodgers celebrated their 1955 World See BOSSERT on page 9 beloved bumper cars. ricane Sandy had other plans for the See BUMPER on page 10 Fish network Ax to Bushwick market experiments with an ‘aquaponic’ garden grind By Danielle Furfaro urban farm at the Moore Street The Brooklyn Paper Market in Bushwick. Residents and Yemi Amu believes that fish “It saves water and you don’t poop can change the world — or need a lot of space,” said Amu, city battle over at the very least change an aban- who is constructing the urban doned Bushwick lot into a thriv- oasis under the moniker Oko tree removal ing farm. Farms. “You can do more than She and her partner Jonathan you could do with a soil-based By Colin Mixson Boe have spent the past year set- garden and you get both fish and The Brooklyn Paper vegetables.” ting up small aquaponic gardens Talk about being cut off! An aquaponic system filters Photo by Stefano Giovannini — closed systems that use fish The city slapped down a vol- waste from freshwater fish — feces and water to feed plants — Yemi Amu, one of the founders of Oko Farms, swears by unteer group’s plan to cut up up- and now they’re planning their think tilapia, goldfish, or koi aquaponic farms and gardens because they use less water rooted trees blocking Brooklyn masterwork: a fish poop-powered See FISH on page 10 and provide both fish and vegetables. streets in Hurricane Sandy’s af- termath, claiming that residents shouldn’t become emergency lum- berjacks — even if the Parks De- partment can’t handle the job.