BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BOARD 6
PARKS/RECREATION/ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMMITTEE
June 21, 2017
Attendance:
S. Bautista-Carolina A J. Pautz P F. Brown A C. Pigott A D. Buscarello A M. Shames P E. Felder A J. Oltman-Smith A J. Heyer P J. Thompson A G. Kelly P S. Turet P H. Link A
P = present, E = excused, A = absent
*** MINUTES ***
Presentation and discussion with the Department of City Planning on Flood Resilience Zoning update.
Manuela Powidayko an assistant urban designer in the Zoning Division of the Department of City Planning reviewed the 2013 Temporary flood text amendments (www.nyc.gov/floodtext) and told us that outreach was beginning with respect to the formulation of a more permanent plan that would be due within a year of the publication of new FEMA flood maps. Given the anticipated publication date of the maps that must occur in about five years. She indicated that there was sufficient understanding to begin outreach now. There are 6,600 units in our area in the flood plain and it is anticipated that there will be an additional 2,000 by the year 2050.She expressed her and the department’s understanding of the difficulty of retrofitting buildings in our area and issues with respect to increased heights due to loss of basement and ground floor uses. There have been only a limited number of Alt 2 (10%) that have been compliant with the new zoning and many of those are required because of a change in excess of 50%. An even smaller percent of Alt 1 applicants are compliant with the new zoning.
Presentation and discussion with the NYC Mayor's Office of Recovery and Resiliency about the Red Hook Public Art Project on Climate Change; a public art project on climate change and sea level rise in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Rachel Finkelstein who is a Policy Advisor with the Mayor’s Office in Community Affairs and Strategic Outreach at the Office of Recovery and Resiliency. Nine finalists have been chosen for the project which is intended to be informational but adopting a more creative approach than simple signage in order to get additional attention and participation. The winning presentation will be chosen next month. She spoke briefly about the 2 flood mitigation projects revealed last week at the Atlantic Basin and at Beard Street.
Presentation by the Department of Parks and Recreation outlining the conversion of the Red Hook ball-field and soccer field from natural turf to synthetic turf and the remediation of contaminated soils underneath the fields.
Centering on Phase 2 Design. Environmental contamination has required the remediation of the athletic facilities in Red Hook. The required soil removal will also present an opportunity to reinvigorate and upgrade the park with new fencing, walkways, lighting, etc. See: www.nycgovparks.org/about/whats-happening/red-hook-park-remediation. The concerns expressed by the committee and the community included the scarcity of bicycle racks, past problems of dumping at Hallack Street and breaches in fencing to create shortcuts through the area. The Parks Department could not include Hallack within its boundaries since there were property ownership issues but were aware of the issues and believe that the new fencing will help ameliorate the issues. They were receptive to adding additional bicycle racks.
A motion was made by the chair and seconded by John Leo Heyer II to support the new design with the inclusion of additional bicycle racks.
The recommendation was approved by a vote of 3 to 0.