Pivotal Condo Project Planned for Clinton Hill

I think it will be great to see improvement of that corner, what surprise me is that you never talked about the huge 41 unit building with two stores for sale at the corner of Fulton and washington wich eventually is going to give a face lift to that corner that everyone of us see in a way to the subway....... I also think that is a much better deal, check the link out:

http://www.warburgrealty.com/buyers-prop-indiv.php?numb=466258

hopefully both sites will get better....

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 11:17 AM

I used to live in that building which is rent stabilized with tons of long-standing tenants, some who have been there since the building was first converted in the early 70's. It is very poorly maintained and in somewhat bad condition.

Who would buy a property like that for that price? what is the upside for a developer? How could it be developed with all of the tenants in place? What do tenants do to protect themselves in this situation?

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 11:34 AM

That is great news. I just hope that Kush survives, either in the building or another one in the same vicinity. It is a great place.

Also, in addition to the building at Washington and Fulton mentioned above, I saw some men clearing debris out of one of the the iron facaded (is that a word?) buldins opposite Bodegas on Fulton. It was the gray one with the ground floor that is cemented shut. I've commented several times to my wife that those iron faced buildings are beautiful and that it would be great if someone restored them. Anyone have any information on what the plans are there?

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 11:59 AM

That is not the only problem on Grand Ave. The drug dealers are hanging out in the corner of Grand and Clifton also. Creating a bad environment for Dakar Resturant which is really struggling. The police is well aware of this problem for years and nothing was ever done about it. The residence of Clinton Hill should pressure the 88th precinct to crack down on these drug dealer who are brazen because they feel no threat what so ever.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 1:08 PM

Who is buying the drugs they peddle? Is there a large contingency of neighborhood residents buying this stuff? I know that my immediate Clinton Hill neighbors are not their customers.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 1:14 PM

hmm, all this talk of the drug dealers is very interesting, but i'm not gonna comment on that. i am gonna comment that i'm VERY excited about the new project on fulton, and also find it interesting that that complex on wash/fult is for sale. i have always been very covetous of their courtyard!

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 2:41 PM

I live a block or two away. You don't get molested by crackheads etc. I think people were just saying it is too bad that they are making the nice old Crown Heights brownstone into a drug rehab center - and that it cannot be something the residents of that block are too happy about.

What is frustrating though about this stretch of Clintoh Hill is that there are specific corners, primarily on Fulton Street, where you know the small time dealers (who probably all live with their mothers) regularly are found and the police do nothing. The corners are Grand and Putnam/Fulton, Grand and Clifton (from what people are saying on this site), Fulton between Washington and St. James, Fulton and Classon, Fulton and Franklin (the last two are technically Bed Stuy, but close enough). The dealers keep to themselves, and for the most part so do their customers, but wtf?! When there is a break in or some other petty crime in the area, I'd venture to say that it is the addict who buys drugs from the petty dealers looking for a quick buck. That is why I asked earlier who the customers are. If they are not from the neighborhood, then maybe there is a way to make it a less attractive place for them to be (i.e. new developments/stores with proprietors who are not paid off and do not tolerate the peddlers and their prey hanging out in front of their shops at all hours, throwing trash on the ground etc.)

I suppose that since there is little to no violent crime in the area, the existence of dealers is not a top news story. However, if it is true, and I've been told this by long time residents, that the police are paid off, then that is news worthy. Maybe we should contact Tish James, the police commissioner and/or news agencies to investigate.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 3:49 PM

When reading these discussions, it becomes easier and easier to see why a)blogging is so powerful for conservatives and b)New York is no longer a liberal stronghold.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 4:11 PM

I never understood how people discussing issues of petty crime and quality of life issues means they are conservative. I don't think that the 60 a year old lifetime residents of my block in Clinton Hill who discuss these problems at block association meetings are conservative republicans. Lack of tolerance for petty crime does not mean you are conservative politically.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 4:15 PM

I hear you ltjbukem, but the people I see buying are not preppie college kids, rather they look like down and out people that may be homeless, or close to it.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 4:16 PM

Anyway, the conversation has gotten off topic a bit. I hope that the sale go through and the corner is developed (and that Kush survives). It would be good for the area.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 5:27 PM

Are the drug deals really causing problems on your street? I rarely hear of murders in Clinton Hill (save for the recent stabbing on Myrtle Avenue, but that was very close to the Classon Ave demarcation of CH and Bed-Stuy.) I lived right over the line in Bed-Stuy (Spencer St) and everytime bicycling through Clinton Hill (day or night) I never felt threatened by the people on the street.

My point is: sure, selling drugs is a crime. A big crime. If you're caught selling drugs, you should be sentenced the maximum. However, if they aren't causing other crimes that could directly affect you, why should you do something psychotic like pestering various officials to "remove" them? Maybe they live here and can't get another job. You move in to their neighborhood, feel like they're an eyesore (like a non-period mailbox or a new construction) and bitch and moan about them ruining "your" neighborhood. It's not "conservative," per se, but it is NIMBY whining. Maybe neo-liberal is the more proper term, or the less popular "law and order liberal." If anything, that's worse - you just refuse to admit your stuck-up, fearful, classist viewpoints.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 15, 2005 11:13 PM

The whole live and let live attitude to crime on any scale simply fosters more of the same. Until a neighborhood and its residents consider crime, even petty crime, shameful and wrong, it will continue no matter how much people complain to the police. It is not a left or right issue. Communities set the tone for what is acceptable. If the entire community pushes for reform and change, it is more likely to happen. However, if people want to defend criminal activities as just something you have to live with because the criminals are unemployed or drug addicts, then the problem will not be solved. And trust me, it is not just new residents who complain, it is lifetime residents too, so your "classist" argument is irrelevant. There are lower to middle income neighborhoods where drug dealing is not the norm and is not viewed as "the way it is".

Posted by: Anonymous at December 16, 2005 11:22 AM

What is with that comment about NIMBY! I lived in this neighborhood for over 20 years. I am glad things are changing and I hope these unsavory people moved out of this area so decent people can live in peace. I don't care they live here for years, they did not do anything to enhance the quality of life in Clinton Hill, rather they were the reason that this area was Red lined for years. When I was in the process of buying my house, everyone warned me about what a BAD neighborhood this is, and now some idiot is defending the very scams that made this neighborhood bad! I hope this person moves out also!!!!

Posted by: Anonymous at December 16, 2005 1:41 PM

hear, hear. I consider myself very liberal, and anon 11:13 is the type of person who gives libs a bad name. knee-jerk automaton responses that SEEM liberal, but on their face are actually weirdly racist and classist - basically assuming that if a neighborhood has been poor, then crime, be it petty or otherwise, MUST be part of it's natural state. what, you think it lends it some "natural charm" or patina? give me a break.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 16, 2005 2:48 PM

I understand that the Catholic Church is VERY SECRETLY preparing to convert and expand their building on the corner of Claver and Jefferson into a "half way house" for teens out of the foster system! This in a neighborhood that already has the largest concentration of drug rehabs, methadon clinics and is plagued by drug dealers is a recipe for disaster for the entire area.

So you clean up one corner (Fulton/Putnam) and create a large concentration of troubled teens 2 blocks away?? Does not make much sense for crime reduction.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 6, 2006 7:55 AM