SAVE CARROLL GARDENS: WHERE ARE THE MASTER PLAN & POWERS THAT BE?

Buildings rise out of nowhere all over Carroll Gardens and its environs. Where is City Planning in all of this? Shouldn’t there be some sort of Master Plan by the Powers That Be ? in this great borough, or do property owners have rights that supersede homeowners, both long time and new, and community minded residents who seek to preserve the character and charm of our lovely Carroll Gardens.

We are not against development or improvement, but it is totally wrong to give absolute power to greedy developers and not attend to the needs and concerns of residents who collectively have made Carroll Gardens a lovely place to live. Do those responsible for preserving the quality of city life concern themselves with the impact of overpopulation? Massive buildings bring: massive numbers of people, more cars and traffic in an already congested area, tons of garbage, increased water and power use, and mass transit use. What they take away is: our light, sunshine, air; space to congregate; space to walk, maneuver safely with our children, necessary elements in this stressful city.

Where are our Politicians, our Civic Leaders in all of this? We need to have block representatives meet with the Representatives of the People i.e. our Politicians and the Developer of 360 Smith St., Mr. William Stein. If we cannot obtain Landmark Status or Rezoning NOW , then not only will Carroll Gardens be ruined , but all of Brooklyn will become Boxland –the high rising city. All we ask for is a 50 Ft. limit on building height until our status or zoning is changed. Leaders, Joan Millman, Bill DeBlasio,Marty Markowitz {Mr. Brooklyn}, and others, COME TO THE TABLE, and work for us or we will not work for you at election time. Help us stop the madness!!!!!!

NUTTY NEWS!

Have you seen the trees in the plaza on 2nd Place and Smith St. today? There is a message on them from CGNSA (Carroll Gardens Squirrel Association urging all of us to write (in all seriousness and haste) to Amanda Burden, Chair, NYC Dept. of Planning, 22 Reade St. NY, NY 10007-1216. The tiny flyer suggests we say: "Dear Ms. Burden: We need your help to preserve our beloved neighborhood. It is nuts to build a 70' tall building at 360 Smith St. and 2nd Place. 2nd Place is a lovely brownstone street with 35' deep front gardens decorated with flowers, statues and fountains. The proposed Scarano building would stick out like a sore paw! The developer is exploiting a loophole in the zoning law that is unique to Carroll Gardens. He can build a bigger because 2nd Place is technically a "wide" street due to the deep front gardens. (The developer is also allowed to claim the new private school which is built on an adjacent portion of his property is a "community facility" to gain more square footage for his proposed new building. Cord) Though it may be in the letter of the law, it is surely not in the spirit of the law. Don't let this happen on your watch! We respectfully request a moratorium on all new construction over 50' tall in Carroll Gardens until this issue can be properly addressed. Sincerely, XXXXX"
You can also e-mail Ms. Burden. Go to this link:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildcp.html
Limit your email to 150 words or less.