Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Second Bloggiest Place in America!

Subscribe to our newsletter to see who the second bloggiest place in America is according to the blog: outside.in (listed below right)
Hint: It will make your proud.....
:) CORD

Press Conference: Atlantic Yards Security Concerns

CBN is holding a press conference today, Thursday, at noon, at City Hall, with most of the electeds who are co-signers of a letter demanding answers to security questions about the proposed Atlantic Yards project in light of last-minute street closings for the new Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. AY as proposed is a mere 20 feet from the street, which security experts say creates a hazard in terms of security. Copied in our CORD newsletter is information on the press conference. Please copy this and send out to your lists, and attend if you can. (Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side.)

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Third Street Meeting!

This just in from the Third Street Block Association:
(Dear Neighbor):
As a concerned neighbor we need to respond and unite!!!!
On November 29th @7:30pm there is a 3rd street block association meeting at #61 3rd Street to discuss issues like this. Please everybody make an effort to attend.
You guys, if we dont UNITE as a neighborhood we wont be a neighborhood anymore....If you check out the "building" at the corner of 3rd street and Bond there is a "stop work" order on this sight as well as the well known "project" on Carroll between Hoyt and Bond ect ....ect. I know these location seem far from Court street, but they are not!!! as a united neighborhood we are able to stop these riduclous and unwelcomed development projects.
Please dont let these greedy developers continue call 311 to make your voice heard, this how the above projects were stopped.
PLEASE please CALL Marty Moskowitz (718) 602 4057 office as well as Bill de Blasio (718) 854 9791 and make your concerns and opionions heard. These guys are polititions and they need our vote if you let them know you are pissed and want this kind of "development stopperd they will hear your voice.
Greedy Developers are taking over lovley neighborhood...and we MUST make an effort to STOP them.....
Hey EVERYBODY we need to unite.
Come to the meeting Thursday 11/29 and lets present a UNITED FRONT.
PLEASE PASS THE ABOVE INFO ON,
Thanks, Kitty

Monday, November 26, 2007

The Future of the Gowanus Canal and State Senator Montgomery

State Senator Velmanette Montgomery invites you to:

The Future of the Gowanus Canal:
A Community Forum on the Environmental Quality

Including Combined Sewage Overflows (CSO) and Cleaning up the Canal

Hear from Commissioner Pete Granis
Commissioner Emily Lloyd
Federal Corps of Engineers
Gowanus Canal Advocates

Thursday December 6, 2007
6-8 PM
Belarusion Church
Atlantic Ave at Bond Street
For details call State Senator Montgomery's Office at 718-643-6140

For more details see our CORD newsletter! (Subscribe for free at the right)

Sunday, November 18, 2007


Looks like Art Dog has been busy at the 360 Smith Street wall again....

By the way: What's new at 360 Smith Street?

WE AT CORD STILL DO NOT KNOW!

Hint: Try asking Councilman DeBlasio for a "progress" report re:

1 "wide street" legislation???

2 subway plaza ruling???

3 our rezoning request???

4 whatever happened to the resolution on moratorium???

One thing we do know: at least there's a LANDMARKING meeting tomorrow!! Hurrah!!
Where and when:
November 19
6:30 - 8:30 PM PS 58 Auditorium
Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association (CGNA) is sponsoring a panel
Your questions will be heard and hopefully answered! :)
See you there.
CORD

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Carroll Gardens Under Siege

Hello from CORD! This week we have heard from the Borough President Marty Markowitz*

For Thanksgiving this year
we have a cut and paste for each of you to send PLEASE SEND ASAP! to B.P. Markowitz. Please email to askmarty@brooklynbp.nyc.gov


Dear Borough President Markowitz,

I am a Carroll Gardens resident. I am very concerned about the out of context development in my community.

I understand that Amanda Burden, Chairperson of the Department of City Planning, has indicated that your guidance in setting priorities that appropriately address the critical need for zoning adjustments within the borough would be welcomed.

In addition to the development that is being experienced all over our borough, in the heart of Carroll Gardens, exists a unique condition, whereby our tiny, residential, gardened streets, are somehow classified as "wide". This classification allows developers to build or alter existing buildings into even larger, denser structures. They have been taking complete advantage of this with no regard for its impact on our community.

We, as a community, are loathe to push too hard to change that one condition, for fear of delaying a larger rezoning that would benefit many more of our streets.

I appeal to you, Mr Markowitz, as our Borough President, and as a fellow Brooklynite, to request that Carroll Gardens be positioned for immediate study. I further request, that once the study has begun, all projects which would be inappropriate under the new zoning, be halted as not to mar our community any further.

My neighborhood is, for all intents and purposes, under siege. What could be more critical than that?

Sincerely,

XXX

* In a recent letter to the Borough President from Amanda Burden, Director of City Planning, Ms. Burden stated, "We welcome your guidance in further setting priorities that appropriately address the most critical need for rezoning adjustments within the borough." (10-25-2007). Help us to help our Borough President guide Ms. Burden's office!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

A Useful Tool

Check out this useful tool from NYC.gov (Department
of Buildings)

http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/my_community.jsp
My Community Celebrates One Year Anniversary

One year since its launch, the Buildings Department’s
easy-to-use website search feature now has thousands
of page visits each month. My Community is a searchable
online database that provides information on all New
Building,Major Alteration and Full Demolition applications
filed with the Buildings Department and is organized by
Community Board for easy reference. My Community is an
extension of the Department’s online Building Information
System and enables you to easily see the latest developments
at construction sites in your neighborhood and around New York
City. My Community is also another important step forward in the
Department’s continuous effort to increase transparency in the
City’s construction activity.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM CORD


THIS TUESDAY IS ELECTION DAY
IT IS NOT THE MOST GLAMOROUS OF RACES
IN THE FACE OF THE OVERWHELMING FRENZY OF DEVELOPMENT IN OUR AREA AND ALL OVER OUR BOROUGH IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOW THE ELECTED OFFICIALS OF OUR DISTRICT THAT WE CARE ENOUGH TO GET OUT AND VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION FROM NOW ON..............PLEASE...VOTE THIS TUESDAY...............................................
SHOW THIS GROUP OF POLS THAT WE WILL EXERCISE OUR POWER TO CHANGE THE FACE OF BROOKLYN.....ONE ELECTED OFFICIAL AT A TIME

Every voice counts both on the petition and at the ballot box!
CORD

We have received many letters about voting today. Here is one of our answers:
Dear Voter and petition Signer,

Today is a day for judicial races. Positions are being competed for in the Supreme Court, Civil Court and Surrogate Court.
They are races that are often ignored by most voters. CORD is asking everyone to show up and vote. We are trying to increase overall voter turnout---our current elected officials take a great deal for granted in our district---it is time to flex some numerical muscle at the polls.

CORD does not endorse any candidate in this particular election. CORD is reaching out to our district voters and asking them to turn out in numbers today.

Please pass this email around and encourage your neighbors to take the time today, especially for a race that is so very frequently passed up, and please, please VOTE. The polls are open until 9 PM tonight.

For more information about CORD, please visit us at, www.carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com


Thank you for your support.
CORD


In other news:
CORD has been mentioned on the front page (!) of the Brooklyn Record of Real Estate this week in an article entitled, "City Builds High, but Forgets About Infrastructure" by Sarah Ryley, Brooklyn Papers (10/23/2007). The article describes CORD's continuing plea to City Planning to enact an interim moratorium. We are all to well aware that time is of the essence in our beloved Carroll GArdens and we can not wait two years for landmarking and/or downzoning to finally take effect after it is too late. WE WANT ACTION NOW! In the article, a CORD member is quoted as saying, "Many of us want to know how these out of scale and context projects could even be considered for our area. What type of strain will these very large apartment complexes put upon our already pushed to the limit infrastructure? How will the pre- during and post construction periods affect the safety of our homes and more importantly, the quality of all our lives?" Indeed.


CORD HISTORY:

With the "Protect Our Homes" petition, CORD was formed in May, 2007. This petition arose as an overwhelmingly negative response to the coming of the over-sized 360 Smith Street Development at the corner of Smith Street and Second Place (Aka Oliver House; aka 131 Second Place). This petition, which had well over three thousand signatures, led to a new zoning text amendment in summer of 2008.

To: Our Elected Officials, Community Leaders, The MTA:
(MAY, 2007)

We the undersigned Carroll Gardens homeowners and residents, are appalled by the "as of right" ruling which allows owners and developers to erect buildings in our neighborhood with no regard to the impact they will present to our quality of life and the value of our homes........

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?crlgrdns