We’re all tired of lamenting the closures of our favorite DIY venues. Shea Stadium. Aviv. Don Pedro. DBA. And the list goes on. Thankfully, Bushwick’s cool councildude Rafael Espinal is working to create a task force to help DIY spaces and smaller venues thrive: The bill introduced Thursday by City Councilman Rafael Espinal would create […]
Bushwick Inlet Park will finally be completed
The mayor’s office announced that the 12-year promise to complete Bushwick Inlet Park, made initially by former mayor Bloomberg, will finally be fulfilled. The land, costing the city $160 million, was purchased from developer Norman Brodsky who would not give it up until he got a “good” price for it (he was initially offered $100 million […]
Sunset Park-to-Queens streetcar plans deliver excitement and concerns
At a meeting on Wednesday addressing the Brooklyn-Queens Connector (aka the de Blasio Streetcar) Councilman Antonio Reynoso proposed Bedford Ave be closed to traffic to encourage more visitors to the area. (Not that we need any more.) The bustling thoroughfare Bedford Avenue could be turned into a pedestrian plaza and a right-of-way for the proposed […]
Times says Bushwick Inlet Park could cost another half billion in "ransom" money
Better late than never, the Times has finally tackled the Bushwick Inlet Park controversy. Adding up the numbers, they write that the city — which has already spent $225 million on the park — is a “textbook study in civic entropy and how public developments go awry.” And $225 million is just the beginning. The […]
Forget the park we were promised…. suspicious CitiStorage fire site to be sold to developers
This is not a huge surprise — money talks in this town. But still, fuck this guy and the bureaucrats who will let it happen. A partnership between the real estate investment groups Midtown Equities and East End Capital has secured an option to purchase the most closely watched development site in Brooklyn, according to […]
Nearly one hundred sites including Green-Wood Cemetery could lose their landmark preservation status without public hearings
Of course, this is just confirmation that developers call the shots in New York these days. We’ve already lost The Domino Sugar factory to the whims (and wallets) of Two Trees. Green-Wood Cemetery and Long Island City’s iconic Pepsi sign could be next: The Landmarks Preservation Commission plans to remove almost 100 sites and two historic districts […]
Pat Kiernan was at The Gutter, de Blasio visited The Meatball Shop
So while Christie and Cuomo have panic attacks — residents remain unphased – and life returns to normal in Williamsburg and New York. Pat Kiernan bowled at The Gutter on Saturday. He posted this picture on Facebook and said “Nice crowd at The Gutter tonight after a tough 48 hours. And I just bowled three […]
Mayor's office gets additional affordable housing for Domino despite Two Trees’ "skillfully framed" PR campaign
From a press release sent by the mayor’s office: [Two Trees] will provide an additional 110,000 square feet of affordable housing as part of the project, for a total of 537,000 square feet of affordable housing. The proposal will create 700 affordable apartments covering a range of incomes, including a significant number of units sized […]
Big baby Jed Walentas — who's Daddy built DUMBO — threatens to revert to hated Domino Sugar plan
Turns out Jed doesn’t like de Blasio’s insistence on creating more affordable housing in Williamsburg. Like any pampered man-child, he’s decided to throw a temper tantrum should his Domino Sugar rezoning requests fail to be approved: The mayor’s administration is insisting that the developer add even more space for affordable housing and, as a result, […]
The Times printed a 1000 word smear piece on de Blasio accusing him of being a thoughtful leader who listens to people
Given the Times‘ disappointing endorsement of Christine “no specific plan to require the richest New Yorkers to pay more in taxes” Quinn for mayor, this odd piece on de Blasio is hardly surprising. It’s central premise suggests that the mayor of New York can only govern adequately by being a narcissistic prick, like Bloomberg or […]