BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BOARD 6
GENERAL BOARD MEETING
JOHN JAY EDUCATIONAL CAMPUS
237 7TH AVENUE
MARCH 13, 2013
ATTENDANCE
PRESENT:
R. BASHNER P. BELLENBAUM N. BERK-RAUCH
J. BERNARD D. BRAVO F. BROWN
SR. R. CERVONE N. COX N. DUTTA
E. FELDER P. FLEMING Y. GIRELA
D. GIULIANO R. GRAHAM J. HEYER
G. KELLY J. KLETTER M. KOLMAN
D. KUMMER N. LALLI R. LEVINE
H. LINK S. LONIAL R. LUFTGLASS
A. MCKNIGHT T. MISKEL G. O’CONNELL, JR.
C. PIGOTT L. PINN G. REILLY
R. RIGOLLI M. SCOTT D. SCOTTO
M. SHAMES E. SHIPLEY B. SOLOTAIRE
L. SONES J. THOMPSON S. TURET
D. WILLIAMS
EXCUSED:
E. ANDERSON E. CAUSIL-RODRIGUEZ M. CHIRICO
H. HUGHES M. RUIZ M. SILVERMAN
E. SPICER M. VERRET
ABSENT:
GUESTS:
K. FEDER, BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARKOWITZ’ REPRESENTATIVE
HON. STEPHEN LEVIN, COUNCIL MEMBER
M. SARCI, COUNCIL MEMBER LEVIN’S REPRESENTATIVE
M. SCHWEINSBURG, COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ’S REPRESENTATIVE
C. ZINNEL, COUNCIL MEMBER LANDER’S REPRESENTATIVE
T. SMITH, ASSEMBLY MEMBER MILLMAN’S REPRESENTATIVES
O. JONAS, STATE SENATOR MONTGOMERY’S REPRESENTATIVE
Z. OTT, STATE SENATOR SQUADRON’S REPRESENTATIVE
P. WEISS, STATE SENATOR PARKER’S REPRESENTATIVE
D. CAMPANELLI, CITY COMPTROLLER LIU’S REPRESENTATIVE
Complete list of meeting attendees on file at District Office 1
Chairperson Daniel Kummer called the meeting to order at 6:47pm.
ADOPTION OF MINUTES
Board Member Roger Rigolli made a motion to accept the minutes of the February general meeting, seconded by Board Member Glenn Kelly.
VOTE: 33 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
TIME: 6:50 P.M.
CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT………………………………………………………....….DANIEL KUMMER
Chairperson Daniel Kummer began his report by congratulating our long-time Landmarks Committee Chair Robert Levine who was recently honored by the Prospect Park Alliance for his invaluable contributions toward their ongoing efforts to archive Prospect Park history. Landmarks Committee Chair Robert Levine has an impressive collection of postcards and ephemera specializing in Brooklyn which is envied by historians, nostalgics and enthusiasts alike and has been loaned to and borrowed by many institutions and businesses. Anyone who visited the Pavilion movie theater in Park Slope, for example, may have noticed that they had poster-sized enlargements of historic postcards of local scenes; those were taken from his collection. He also thanked him for representing us at a recent Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing. Our letters are factored into the decisions made by bodies like the LPC but when someone can actually represent us in person that can often have an even greater impact.
Chairperson Kummer also thanked our Environmental Protection and Permits & Licenses Committee Chairs, Mark Shames and Gary Reilly, who along with myself, our District Manager Craig Hammerman, Hildegaard Link, Glenn Kelly and Bette Stoltz, attended a working session to begin the process of organizing our response to the EPA’s Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP) for the Gowanus Canal as part of the Superfund process. We intend to have a draft to be discussed at their next committee meeting which will take place on April 1st, so anyone wishing to contribute to this effort is welcome and encouraged to attend this upcoming meeting. I announced last month that the EPA had extended the deadline for response to April 27th so it is my intention to have a recommendation coming out of the April 1st committee meeting to be presented to the full board for discussion and adoption at our general meeting next month.
Chairperson Kummer additionally thanked our District Manager Craig Hammerman who hosted the group of 7 students from NYU that attended our general meeting last month in a visit to our district office to field questions about their project on the Gowanus neighborhood. Craig later informed me that he sees at least one class of students every semester at the district office who come from a variety of disciplines but typically representing the fields of urban planning, journalism, political science, and public administration. As I understand it, keeping up with the inquiries from students and researchers is one of the reasons why we initially posted a website 12 years ago and continue to use it as a repository for our minutes and other documents which make it easier for the public to have ready access to the information in our office without having to inconvenience or disrupt our hard-working staff members.
Chairperson Kummer advised the Board that we will have at least one of the two new business improvement districts under formation in our district present at our next Economic/Waterfront/Community Development & Housing Committee meeting on Monday, March 18th. Representatives for the Park Slope 7th Avenue BID which is currently in formation will be joined by representatives of our 3 existing BIDs, namely, Atlantic Avenue, North Flatbush Avenue and Park Slope 5th Avenue. I’d encourage anyone who’s interested in the
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commercial health of our district to consider attending to hear about all of the exciting programs and services these local business organizations’ offer.
Chairperson Kummer informed the Board that representatives for the Brooklyn Public Library system will be introducing themselves at an upcoming meeting co-sponsored by our Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs and Youth/Human Services/Education Committees on March 20th. As I reported last month, the Brooklyn Public Library is looking to dispose of the Pacific Branch Library which could, ultimately, be demolished as it lacks landmarking protection. The building is the first Carnegie-designed branch to open in Brooklyn and dates back to 1904. If you’re interested in speaking directly with the Brooklyn Public Library to find out what’s going on in any of our 4 branches and the BPL system in general please consider attending this meeting.
Chairperson Kummer reported to that our Transportation Committee will be featuring an update from New York City Transit on their ongoing work on the Culver Viaduct, including updates on the Smith-9th Street and 4th Avenue subway stations at their meeting on Thursday, March 21st.
Chairperson Kummer ended his report by wishing everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Passover, Easter, spring and anything else that may be cause for celebration over the next month.
DISTRICT MANAGER’S REPORT………………………………………….…….CRAIG HAMMERMAN
District Manager Craig Hammerman began his report by advising the board that there have been a few blog and newspaper reports about a dispute taken place between neighbors in our Gowanus neighborhood, the Marriott hotel and Spoke the Hub at the Gowanus Arts building next door. They both reached out to the district office and he held a mediation session with them last week. The first meeting went well and he will be following up with them in the near future. His goal is to at a minimum have both parties figure out a way to peacefully co- exist with one another and, ideally, leverage the others presence in the community. We ended the meeting by agreeing to continue to keep the lines of communication open. Anyone who would like more information should call him at the district office
District Manager Hammerman informed the Board that he has been attending the Mayor’s Special Initiative for Resiliency and Rebuilding Task Force which has been meeting at City Hall on a monthly basis since January. They had a public meeting in Carroll Gardens in which they got some valuable feedback from the community. This initiative is the Bloomberg Administration’s efforts to put together a comprehensive report, largely motivated by Hurricane Sandy but taking a broader view of climate change and the impact that it could potentially have on New York City and how we should best prepare and respond to that. They will be issuing a report by the end of May and we will keep everyone posted as the information becomes available.
District Manager Hammerman reported to the Board that our Gowanus BOA team recently had a meeting with representatives of the State DEC, National Grid and the Parks Department to talk about the three manufacturing gas plant sites in our district; Public Place Site at Smith and 5th Streets, Fulton manufacturing gas plant at Douglass/Degraw Pool, Metropolitan manufacturing gas plant at Lowes/Pathmark. Both the Fulton and Metropolitan sites are in the process of being evaluated for remediation, they are in the feasibility study phases and there will be some testing going on at the Public Place site within the next couple of months. Some of the remedial approaches that will take place at that site will include: securing the bulkheads, installing monitoring wells, remediation of the soil and the installation of barriers to prevent in further migration onto any of the new areas that they would be remediating. The Public Place site is over six acres and before they begin an all-out remediation effort they wanted to do a smaller portion of methodology testing first. We have ask them to come out and brief the community within the next few months so that before any major work is done on the site so we will have an idea of what to expect in terms of the impact to the surrounding area.
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District Manager Hammerman advised the board that the Department of Transportation has determined that a speed hump on 4th Place between Clinton and Court Streets is unwarranted at this time.
District Manager Hammerman informed the board of an emergency condition at 123 3rd Street in the Gowanus section of our district. Department of Buildings has ordered the owner to remedy this situation by making the building safe.
District Manager Hammerman ended his report by reading an email sent to him by Jill Eisenhard from Red Hook Initiative thanking the Community Board for all its efforts last summer along with a grant from the Center for Economic Opportunity Work Progress Program where her organization had four young adults complete an eight week training and hired at IKEA as permanent employees. Red Hook Initiative is paying for 20 hours per week of training and professional development for 8 weeks for 19 to 24 year olds to be placed at IKEA. So far 4 have graduated and there is another 14 are either currently in training or will begin next week. District Manager Hammerman thanked Chairperson Kummer, Economic Development Committee Chair Rick Luftglass, and Human Services Co-Chair Benjamin Solotaire for encouraging us to play a more proactive role in integrating IKEA more deeply into the local economy and for taking the time to attend a series of meetings held with them last summer.
Chairperson Kummer recognized elected officials representatives
Kai Feder, representing Borough President Markowitz, reported to the board that he had received most of the board members’ reappointment applications. For those who have not submitted they are due by February 20th.
Catherine Zinnel, representing Council Member Brad Lander, reported that the Councilman’s Participatory budgeting process will soon begin. The Councilman has set aside $1 million to fund the projects that get the most votes. Voting will be from April 2-7 in locations throughout the district. For more information please visit http://bradlander.com/PB. The Councilman along with his colleagues have called on the Bloomberg Administration to extend Cobble Hill’s existing 50’ height limit to cover the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) campus, in order to help save LICH and protect Cobble Hill. They have asked the Department of City Planning to apply “contextual zoning” to ensure that new construction or additions could not exceed the 50 foot height limit that covers the rest of Cobble Hill, and on the Landmarks Preservation Commission to extend the existing Cobble Hill Historic District to include the LICH campus. She ended by stating that the Councilman has applauded an MTA plan to add additional buses to Brooklyn’s B61 bus route, improving service during AM rush hour and midday. The changes will go into effect in April.
Tamar Smith, representing Assembly Member Joan Millman, reported to the Board that the Assemblywoman has been deeply involved with ongoing efforts to make sure that our community's healthcare is not threatened. She stated that a group of hospital advocates led by SEIU 1199, the New York State Nurses Association and a group of LICH doctors filed a lawsuit contending that the Trustees violated New York State's open meeting law. At a hearing on March 8, a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge agreed to extend a temporary restraining order until he could examine all of the facts. We will have information on his final decision when it is rendered. The Assemblywomen has written letters to the Commission of Health and NYC City Planning Commission and Landmarks, and she is urging everyone to contact Governor Cuomo directly to demand that LICH be kept open. She ended by reporting that the Assemblywomen attended the re-opening of the Red Hook Fairway Market. Fairway was devastated by damage after Hurricane Sandy and had to completely repair and renovated. Every one of the workers in Red Hook kept their jobs and paychecks during the four month of renovation and were placed in other stores.
Oscar Jonas, representing State Senator Velmanette Montgomery stated the that senator has released a new brochure that informs constituents in flood zone areas such as Red Hook, Sunset Park, and Gowanus about new 4
flood maps being prepared by FEMA, their implications for future insurance coverage, and what it might mean to property owners rebuilding from Super Storm Sandy. For more information please visit http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/senator-montgomery-publishes-guide-new-fema-flood-maps-and- insurance-program-changes.
Zeeshan Ott, representing State Senator Daniel Squadron, stated that the Senator is focusing on legislation that would allow undocumented student to receive state aid and raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour, with future increases indexed to the cost of living. The Senator has asked the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to undertake a Full Line Review of the G train. MTA has agreed to review the G by the end of June 2013. In recent years, he has worked with the MTA to create the first-of-their-kind Full Line Reviews of the F train. That review resulted in more frequent and on-time trains and newer and cleaner subway cars along the F line beginning in 2009. It's time to do the same for the G so that riders have the reliable service they deserve. The Senator has also rallied with the New York State Nurses Association, 1199 SEIU healthcare workers, doctors, my colleagues, and the community to save Long Island College Hospital, ahead of a court hearing. At the hearing, the judge again blocked the hospital's closure. LICH is vital to Brooklyn and we're now pushing for critical life support and urging the Department of Health to work with us to save this critical hospital. He ended by asking everyone to save the date for Senator Squadron’s 5th Annual Community Convention. The convention is an opportunity for constituents to come out and make their voices heard on all of the legislative and community priorities that shape our district and our state. It will be held on April 28th from 2pm-5pm at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. For more information on any of the above items please visit http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/daniel-l-squadron.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION/PERMITS & LICENSES COMMITTEE
…………………....GARY REILLY, PERMITS & LICENSES CHAIR
……………………MARK SHAMES, ENV. PROTECTION CHAIR
Permits & Licenses Committee Chair Gary Reilly reported that the committee reviewed a new on-premises liquor license application at 194 5th Avenue.
Motion: by Committee;
Recommendation to approve a new on-premises liquor license application submitted to the State Liquor Authority on behalf of Soi Thai Inc., at 194 5th Avenue between (Union Street/Berkeley Place).
VOTE: 39 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
TIME: 7:20 P.M.
Permits & Licenses Committee Chair Reilly also reported that the committee reviewed a renewal of an on- premises Beer and Wine license application at 396 6th Avenue.
Motion: by Committee;
Recommendation to approve a new on-premises liquor license application submitted to the State Liquor Authority on behalf of Cooper Square 227 LLC at 227/229 Flatbush Avenue between (Bergen Street/Dean Street).
VOTE: 39 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
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TIME: 7:23 P.M.
Permits & Licenses Committee Chair Reilly further reported that the committee reviewed a new unenclosed sidewalk café permit application at 604 Union Street.
Motion: by Committee;
Recommendation to approve a new unenclosed sidewalk café permit application submitted to the Department of Consumer Affairs on behalf of Dinosaur Restaurants, LLC at 604 Union Street between (3rd Avenue/4th Avenue) to permit 6 tables and 36 seats.
VOTE: 38 YEAS, 1 NAY, 0 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED
TIME: 7:26 P.M.
Permits & Licenses Committee Chair Reilly additionally reported that the committee reviewed an unenclosed sidewalk cafe permit application at 465 Court Street.
Motion: by Committee;
Recommendation to approve an unenclosed sidewalk cafe permit application renewal submitted to the Department of Consumer Affairs on behalf of Francesca Merchants LLC at 465 Court Street between (Nelson Street/Luquer Street) to permit 12 tables and 24 seats.
VOTE: 39 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
TIME: 7:29 P.M.
LANDMARKS/LAND USE COMMITTEE………….…...….ROBERT LEVINE, LANDMARKS CHAIR
…………………...….PETER FLEMING, LAND USE CHAIR
Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming reported that the committee reviewed an application requesting a variance to allow the construction of 2 three-story residences 96-98 Degraw Street.
Motion: by Committee;
Recommendation to approve an application (BSA Calendar Nos. 13-13-BZ and 14-13-BZ) submitted to the Board of Standards and Appeals on behalf of The Green Witch Project LLC and The Other Half, LLC requesting a variance to allow the construction of 2 three-story, approximately 3,100 square foot single-family residences pursuant to Zoning Resolution section 72-21 at 96-98 Degraw Street (Block 329, Lots 22-23), between Columbia and Van Brunt Streets.
Board Member Judith Thompson asked if there was a reason why they got an R6A designation. Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming stated that it was giving that designation because the closest residential zoning designation was R6A. They are not seeking a change in the zoning; all they want to do is build something that matches the surrounding R6A zoning in a M1-1 building.
Board Member Robert Levine asked how many cars will be in the driveways. Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming stated that there will be one driveway per townhouse which could only fit one car.
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Board Member Elizabeth Shipley stated that M1-1 designation includes cabinetry and carpentry shops, set painters and print makers. A 3,100 square foot footprint seemed to be plenty for a lot of those businesses. Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming stated that the committee really did not discuss those usages; by and large owners are looking for more aggressive uses than those businesses in order to pay them the rent to make a profit.
Board Member Gregory O’Connell asked what is the ratio of commercial use -vs. - residential use on this block. Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming stated that we did not know. He also asked if the developer had built any other buildings in CB6. Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming stated yes, at 107 Union Street between Columbia and Van Brunt Streets.
Amendment: by Board Member Judith Thompson, seconded by Board Member Hildegaard Link; To specify in the motion R6B designation.
Board Member Norman Cox spoke out against the amendment stating that this amendment is not relevant since the original motion is not a zoning issue.
Board Member Glenn Kelly stated that this application is going before the Board of Standards and Appeals. The applicant will present what their plans are, if they are successful in getting an approval than that is what they must build. They are referring to R6A as the nearest residential zoning, but they are not building to the full extent that they would be allowed to under R6A, but perhaps a little bit bigger that R6B but they are matching the buildings on either side of the lot. So it seemed appropriate to the committee to approve the original motion.
Board Member Sayar Lonial spoke out against the motion stating that this matter is not a zoning issue.
Board Member Judith Thompson withdrew her proposed amendment.
Discussion on original motion continued.
Board Member Elizabeth Shipley spoke out against the motion stating that the time for developers to evaluate the feasibility of making money off developing a particular site is before you buy it not after. If the goal here is to go around snatching up manufacturing sites that are small so you can present one variance application after another to convert them into high end residential I don’t think this will help our community. I think we will lose the fabric of the neighborhood.
Board Member Hildegaard Link spoke out against the motion asking the Community Board to work with the owners to find alternative usages for the lot.
Board Member Lou Sones spoke in favor of the motion stating that this lot is between to residential properties and to put a M1-1 business there would be intrusive to the residents on both sides of the lot.
Board Member Norman Cox spoke in favor of the motion stating that that part of Degraw Street already has a row of residential properties on it and the sentiment of the neighborhood is that it should stay that way.
Board Member Roger Rigolli spoke in favor of the motion stating that they met the 5 criteria for the variance.
VOTE: 31 YEAS, 5 NAYS, 3 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED
TIME: 7:49 P.M.
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Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming also reported that the committee reviewed a Certificate of Appropriateness application at 226 Lincoln Place.
Motion: by Committee;
Recommendation to conditionally approve a Certificate of Appropriateness application submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a new roof deck with stairs, and new stairs to the rear yard at 226 Lincoln Place (between 7th/8th Avenues), Park Slope Historic District with the following conditions: Band of glass that would appear to divide the glass be darkened. The railing should be vertical to match the roof.
Board Member Glenn Kelly stated that the band would not block any views because it is where the floor and ceiling are.
Board Member Lou Sones stated that he has been sitting on the committee for 8 years and he believes that the inconsistency of the committee drives him crazy. The same members will often say a project is totally not continuous with the rest of the block and then on another project that it is totally not continues with the rest of the block but it looks nice. So he does not know what the standards are for the committee. Chairperson Daniel Kummer asked that the committee take up the issue of standards at a committee meeting.
Board Member Elizabeth Shipley spoke out against the motion stating that the project is out of character with the neighborhood.
Board Member Glenn Kelly spoke out against the motion stating that we would never approve this in the front of the property, however there is a grey area when it comes to the back of the property.
Board Member Robert Levine stated that the way the motion is written asking that a portion of the glass be darkened is consistent with what the committee has done in the past which is not ok a full 2 story of glass.
Board Member Lance Pinn asked if any of the neighbors were against the renovations as presented. Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming stated no.
Board Member Roger Rigolli stated that the committee has always looked at the back of properties differently than the front. As long as the renovations in the back does not interfere with their neighbors in the donut we generally think it is okay.
VOTE: 34 YEAS, 4 NAYS, 2 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED
TIME: 8:01 P.M.
Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming further reported that the committee reviewed a Certificate of Appropriateness application at 226 Court Street.
Motion: by Committee;
Recommendation to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness application submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for an extension to the existing rear yard extension at 226 Court Street (between Warren/Baltic Streets), Cobble Hill Historic District.
VOTE: 40 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
TIME: 8:04 P.M.
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Land Use Committee Chair Peter Fleming furthermore reported that the committee reviewed a Certificate of Appropriateness application at 540 4th Street.
Motion: by Committee;
Recommendation to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness application submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for the replacement of a front yard gas lamp and excavation of window wells in rear yard of 540 4th Street (between 8th Avenue/Prospect Park West), Park Slope Historic District.
VOTE: 40 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
TIME: 8:08 P.M.
Chairperson Kummer recognized Councilman Steven Levin
Councilman Levin stated that the Pacific Street Library on Fourth Avenue being the first Carnegie library in Brooklyn is currently looking to be sold by the Brooklyn Public Library for the purpose of moving to a new site to be built by the developer Two Trees. On March 5 he participated in a community meeting with other elected officials to discuss the future of the Pacific Street Library and what residents that can do about it. In 2004 the Park Slope Civic Council tried to get the building landmarked and have resubmitted this year to not only protect the library from future harm but to obtain federal funding to help repair the library in the future. He is in favor of having the building landmarked. He invited everyone to attend a City Planning Commission Public Hearing on March 20th at 10am at 22 Reade Street in Manhattan. For more information visit http://citizensdefendinglibraries.blogspot.com/. The Councilman also asked everyone to participate in his Participatory Budgeting Expos. A Project Expo is the Community's chance to learn about the various projects that have been proposed by the participatory budgeting community delegates. The delegates will be there to explain their proposals. The Participatory Budgeting vote will be held the entire first week of April. The closest expos to CB6 will be held on March 19th at the YWCA located at 30 3rd Ave from 6pm-9pm and March 23rd at City Tech Atrium located at 300 Jay St from 2pm-5pm. For further information visit http://stephenlevin33.tumblr.com/pbnyc. He is working on a Resolution (A.4327), which would permit the City of New York to set up a demonstration project involving speed camera enforcement. He has also sent a letter to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly questioning the practice of assigning the Accident Investigation Squad only in instances where someone is killed or is believed likely to die. Currently, crashes that result in injuries that are not considered fatal are handled by precinct cops who are not trained to conduct full-scale investigations. This policy is inconsistent with state traffic code. He is also preparing legislation to amend the NYPD patrol handbook to conform to state law. However, the bill will move forward as a resolution because it has been determined that the City Council does not have jurisdiction to amend the NYPD Patrolman’s handbook. NYPD has agreed to have all serious collisions investigated whether someone dies or not.
TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE……...........THOMAS L. MISKEL, CO-CHAIR
………….……….SAYAR LONIAL, CO-CHAIR
Transportation Committee Chairperson Thomas Miskel reported to the Board that the committee reviewed a proposal by the Department of Transportation to implement their PARK Smart program.
Motion: by Committee;
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Recommendation to conditionally approve a proposal by the Department of Transportation to implement their PARK Smart program along the Court and Smith Street corridors, between Atlantic Avenue and Sackett Street in Cobble Hill.
VOTE: 37 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
TIME: 8:24 P.M.
Transportation Committee Chairperson Thomas Miskel also reported to the Board that the committee reviewed the Department of Transportation's Atlantic Basin/Red Hook Greenway project concepts.
Motion: by Committee;
Recommendation to conditionally support the implementation of the Department of Transportation's Atlantic Basin/Red Hook Greenway project concepts.
Chairperson Kummer recommitted this motion back to committee for further discussion.
COMMUNITY SESSION
Ariel Krasnow, spoke in reference to the Gowanus Superfund PRAP and asked the board to consider supporting the inclusion of the 5th Street Basin. It is 44,000 square feet and if it is cleaned could be used by the community for a number of things like storm water retention and for some sort of flood drainage management plan.
Chairperson Kummer recognized the representative from Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez office
Dan Wiley invited everyone to a public community meeting hosted by the Congresswoman with the US EPA to discuss the proposed plan for the Gowanus Canal Superfund Cleanup. The plan includes removing contaminated sediment and controls to prevent raw sewage overflows. EPA has extended the public comment period to April 27th. The meeting will be held at either Gowanus or Wyckoff houses community Centers on March 27th at 6:30pm. For more information, contact Congresswoman Velazquez s Office at (718) 222-5819. He also stated that Across-the-board government spending cuts known as "Sequestration" went into effect on March 1. Almost all of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) assisted housing programs—public housing, Section 8 housing choice voucher (HCV), project-based Section 8 (PBRA), Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, Section 811 Housing for the Disabled, HOME Innovation, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), etc. would receive cuts of 5 percent below their current funding levels. Congress is continuing negotiations on ways to stop sequestration.
NEW/OTHER BUSINESS
Board Member Peter Fleming stated that the arena has not been as bad as everyone thought it would be, but the parking situation is extremely difficult for those who live there. Is there a way that the Transportation Committee could again take up the idea of residential parking to see if we could light a fire under the appropriate agency to move forward on this issue. District Manager Craig Hammerman stated that the “gridlock” on this issue is in Albany, not with NYCDOT. Since DOT was unable to get the authorization to move forward or even have a pilot project, the issue is at a standstill. Also Sam Schwartz is working on the follow-up traffic study for the Barclays Arena and once it is complete we expect them to come back to the Community Board so we can review and discuss it.
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Motion: by Board Member Roger Rigolli, seconded by Board Member Dolly Williams; To adjourn the meeting.
VOTE: 37 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
TIME: 8:41P.M.
Minutes submitted into the district office by Assistant District Manager Leroy Branch on March 28, 2013.
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