July 2, 2009

Thursday Blogwrap

Photo by xbettyx from the Brownstoner Flickr Pool.
Super Trashy Park, Trashier Playground [BVIB]
Coney Island Gets a Ride from Neverland Ranch [ATZ]
Brooklyn CB9 Gets a Bike Lane on Empire Blvd [Streetsblog.org]
Say Your "I Dos" at Williamsburgh Savings Bank [Gothamist]
Local Locals: Karl Kipfmueller [The Local]

Closing Bell: Flea on the Fourth (and the Fifth!)

At this point, hot dogs are almost as American as apple pie (even though we didnt exactly invent them.) Tweak tradition a little this 4th of July and come chow down on one of Asia Dog's dogs at The Flea in Fort Greene. If you want to get a closer look at what your in for, check out this post on the Flea Blog. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Red Hook Lobster Pound returns to The Flea under the Brooklyn Bridge with a more efficient prep process sure to move the line along at a faster clip; the Green Pirate juice truck will also make its Flea debut on Sunday. As always, both spots will be packed with sellers of the usual assortment of vintage, antiques, jewely, t-shirts and more. Kaboom! The Brooklyn Flea is held on Saturdays from 10 to 5 at the Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene (176 Lafayette Avenue between Clermont and Vanderbilt Avenues; take the C train to Clinton-Washington or the G train to Clinton Avenue) and on Sundays from 11-6 in Dumbo underneath the Brooklyn Bridge at the corner of Water and New Dock Street.

From the Forum: Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope?

Curbed is passing along the Post's speculation that SJP and MB are the mystery buyers of the Connelly/Bettany mansion on...More >

StreetLevel: Cleaners, Threading Joint Replace Argyle Office

threading%20and%20cleaners%205th%20ave.JPG
The 5th Avenue storefront that used to be a sales office for the Argyle condo now has two new businesses: a dry cleaner and an eyebrow threading salon. According to a suspiciously fawning review on Yelp, the threading biz is the first of its kind in the Slope.
StreetLevel: The Argyle Closes Up Shop on 5th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP

From the Forum: Window Garden Predator?

My herb garden is on my fire escape in window boxes [3 of them] and something is digging up the...More >

Brownstoner on Twitter

Just a reminder that you can follow us on Twitter.

House of the Day: 664 Westminster Road

This three-story Victorian House at 664 Westminster Road in Ditmas Park was an Open House Pick back in early May when it hit the market asking $995,000; the price was reduced to $939,000 at the end of May and then again to its current price of $895,000 at the beginning of June. The house clearly has a lot of charm so that means it should only be a matter of finding the right price. What do you think?
664 Westminster Road [Brooklyn Properties] GMAP P*Shark

Co-op of the Day: 201 Clinton Avenue, #15E

The Clinton Hill Co-ops are a familiar topic around here--not fancy but solid with nice layouts as views, as a rule. This high-floor two-bedroom is no exception. It looks to be in good shape though we're having a hard time figuring out what the deal is with the floors. Wall to wall linoleum? We can't see a sliver of wood anywhere. The asking price of $449,000 is definitely in the right ballpark. There's even another apartment next door being sold by the sponsor listed for $475,000.
201 Clinton Avenue, #15E [All Points RE] GMAP P*Shark

Restaurant of the Day: Carroll Gardens Classic Diner

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Carroll Gardens Classic Diner (formerly known as Salonike) gets an A from the Brooklyn Diners blog, which describes the servers as "Friendly and accommodating; they don't care how long you sit there and they're not eye-roll-y about special requests... Very peaceful place to sit with a coffee and a glass of juice and read a book on a weekday morning."

Gothamist's Hungry Cabbie is also a big fan of the place: "Even their coleslaw and pickles are delicious. But it is their reuben sandwich that calls me to Salonike like a siren. The corned beef melts in my mouth along with the plentiful cheese and the sour kraut is crunchy enough to survive the piping hot sandwich."

Chowhound Larry Brooks says, "I think their matzo ball soup is wonderful. VERY standard diner fare but dependable." And fellow 'Hound mjr_inthegardens describes it simply: "Clean, Friendly, 24 hours." How would you rate Carroll Gardens Classic Diner?

From the Forum: If Closing Date is Postponed?

I signed a contract to buy a 2-bedroom in Park Slope. In the SUBMIT OFFER form, I stated I needed...More >

Inside Third & Bond: Week 90

This week, the Hudson team comes through on a promise...

Since we imagine you are busy packing your beach bags and counting your illegal firecrackers, we’re keeping this week’s posting short...Above is evidence of our recent Brownstoner tour winners at Third + Bond. From left to right: David Kramer (aka David from Third and Bond), cmu, Alison Novak (aka Alison), shchune, and huntgrunt. (Thomas and Benson are touring separately.) Our guests had diverse backgrounds: computers/green building consulting, residential brokerage, and journalism, which made their great questions all the more interesting. We look forward to having them back when the models are open so they can see the final product.

The tour consisted of walking the three-bedroom garden duplex and two-bedroom floor-through that are to be our model sales units come autumn, as well as a studio and one-bedroom penthouse duplex. We took a look at the bathroom that cmu had advised us (during design) to move from next to the kitchen to next to the first floor bedroom, and the washer/dryer that huntgrunt had suggested we move away from the master bedroom. We debated the south views versus the north views. We talked about dog policies and pricing the terraces. Walking around with floor plans and looking at bare studs can be a challenging exercise in abstract visualization, but everyone took an active interest. We had fun and hope the tourists did as well.

Coming soon: keep your eye on our sidewalk shed...

Inside Third & Bond: Weeks 1-89 [Brownstoner]
The complete offering terms are in an Offering Plan available from Sponsor. File No. CD080490. Sponsor: Hudson Third LLC, 826 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million

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Some of the sales recorded last week that went for $1 million or less:

$250K or under: SUNSET PARK
4404 6th Avenue, Unit 3D; Price=$210,000 GMAP
This 1-bedroom co-op was first listed for $265,000 last October, according to StreetEasy, and its price was reduced to $225,000 in December. Listing said: "Spacious Junior 4 in a well-maintained prewar building in Sunset Park. Formal dining room has French doors to living room and vestiblue to kitchen, so can easily be made into a second bedroom." Maintenance=$761. Entered into contract on 3/12/09; closed on 6/18/09; deed recorded on 6/23/09.

$250-$500K Range: FORT GREENE
191 Willoughby Street, Unit 6J; Price=$375,000 GMAP
This 1-bedroom in the University Towers complex was on the market a long time: It was first listed for $457,320 in November '07 and a series of price cuts ultimately brought the ask to $383,160 this February, says StreetEasy. Listing said it's 917 square feet and the maintenance is $661. Entered into contract on 5/15/09; closed on 6/16/09; deed recorded on 6/23/09.

$500-$750K Range: PARK SLOPE
41 Park Place, Unit 3; Price=$627,242 GMAP
This 2-bedroom, 2-bath in a conversion was asking $649,000. Entered into contract on 5/13/09; closed on 6/16/09; deed recorded on 6/26/09.

$750K-$1 Million Range: VICTORIAN FLATBUSH
358 Argyle Road; Price=$950,000 GMAP
Weird: According to public records, this house went into contract before StreetEasy says it was listed (May 2nd, asking $999,000). In any case, Property Shark reckons it's a 3,165-sf, 2-fam. The house is in the Beverly Square West area of Victorian Flatbush. Entered into contract on 4/27/09; closed on 6/8/09; deed recorded on 6/23/09.

Photos from Property Shark

From the Forum: No Certificate of Occupancy?

I just found out that the apartment I have been renting for the past two months has no certificate of...More >

Washington Street Parking Lot No More

As of yesterday, there's a lot less parking available in Dumbo. The lot on Washington Street between Prospect and York that's been used for paid parking for the last several years closed on June 30 (as did the lot on the other side of the bridge earlier this year). The reason? DOT will be using it for its impending four-year overhaul of the Brooklyn Bridge.

A Mini-Mall for Bushwick?

Picking up on earlier posts on Bushwick BK and Racked, The Brooklyn Paper asks the question, Is Bushwick ready for a mini-mall? The mini-mall in question is a 20-unit warren of stores being carved out of the ground floor of a former pillow factory at 1087 Flushing Avenue at Thames Street. The building's owner has been renting out the 24 upstairs lofts for four years, but felt the time had come for retail: “The area still is a gamble,” Israel Hirsch, vice president of developer Bushburg Properties, told The Brooklyn Paper. “But we put a lot of money into the space, as well as a lot of time, effort and aggravation. Hopefully it will be worth it.” Time will tell. So far about a third of the spaces have been rented for around $1,500 a pop.
Is Bushwick Ready for a Mini-Mall? [Brooklyn Paper]
Can The Loom Spin a New Scene in Bushwick? [Bushwick BK]
Video of Bushwick Mall So Bad It's Almost Ironic [Racked]
Photo by Aaron Short

The City Pushes Its Plan for Gowanus Canal Clean-Up

The city yesterday was pushing its plan for cleaning up the Gowanus Canal, a route it says would provide the same results as if the E.P.A. took it on as a Superfund project but in much less time. “This isn’t a ‘trust us’ scenario,” said Cas Holloway, chief of staff to Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler. “The goal is to have a Superfund-quality cleanup faster than the Superfund.” The city says it can get the job done in less than a decade, whereas it says the E.P.A. could take as least twice as long (and potentially longer depending on the amount of legal wrangling). Time is particularly important to the city because of the plans that are on the books for two large mixed-use developments along the shores of the canal. The E.P.A., which is accepting public comments on the canal's Superfund candidacy, questions whether the the city would be able to secure the federal funds it would need for its plan.
City Proposes New Plan for Gowanus Canal Cleanup
Gowanus Superfund Debate: Both Sides Now [Brownstoner]
Conflict over Gowanus Canal Superfund Status [Brownstoner]
Photo by wallyg

From the Forum: Housing Market - Where Are We?

Is this a +1 for the Bulls? Quick Manhattan Snapshot: Market Pricing OUT Fear [Urban Digs]...More >

Council Members Push for More Time on Coney Plan

Yesterday's City Council Land Use Committee Hearing and the Bloomberg administration's plans for Coney Island didn't go as well as the city would have liked, reports the Brooklyn Eagle. A number of Council Members, including Recchia, Avella and Yassky, argued for a delay in the ULURP process, suggesting at the same time that they were not in favor of the city's plan. Yassky said that he thought the private sector was better equipped to implement the redevelopment of the touristy area. Other areas of concern raised in all-day session were a need for more affordable housing, the potential for the use of eminent domain and whether the city has the financial means to carry through on the plan. The calls for delay and skeptical questioning followed the opening session in which Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, EDC head Seth Pinksy and Brooklyn City Planning honcho Purnima Kapur all gave prepared statements in support of the plan. The Council has only until July 13 to modify the plan and until July 29 to cast a final vote on it.
City’s Coney Island Plan Meets With Council Opposition [Brooklyn Eagle]

Open Thread

City Council Vote Seals P.S. 133's Fate

Despite the valiant efforts of a number of concerned citizens and preservation-oriented groups (Park Slope Civic Council, Park Slope Neighbors, the Fifth Avenue Committee, the Historic Districts Council, Baltic Street Community Garden, Green Guerrillas; the Flatbush Gardener, New York City Community Garden Coalition), the City Council yesterday voted to support School Construction Authority's plan to demolish the historic building that currently houses PS 133 in Park Slope in order to build a new facility from scratch. The full council vote overwhelmingly went along with the wishes of Council Member Yassky to support the demolition; only Council Members Avella, Barron, James and Mendez opposed the plan. What a waste.
Council Subcommittee Hears Case of PS 133 [Brownstoner]
PS 133's Most Desperate Hour [Brownstoner]
New PS 133 Plans Revealed [Brownstoner] GMAP
SCA To Build New P.S. 133, Tear Down Old Building [Brownstoner]
Proposed School Replacement Facility for P.S. 133 [DOE]

Weekend Events

Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest
Aired live on ESPN, rivals Takeru Kobayashi of Japan and reigning champion Joey Chestnut of California will face off. After last year's tiebreaker, who will win the Mustard Belt this year? The pre-show begins at 10:30. Saturday, July 4. 12 p.m. Coney Island, Corner of Surf & Stillwell Avenues.

38th Annual International African Arts Festival
Now in its 38th year, the International African Arts Festival takes over Commodore Bayy Park today through the weekend and features live music, dance, spoken word performances, African marketplace, showcase performances, fashion, and hair shows. The event is rain or shine and a donation is suggested. Thursday, July 2 through Sunday, July 5, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Commodore Barry Park at Park Avenue and Navy Streets in Downtown Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Flea
The Brooklyn Flea takes place in Ft. Greene on Saturday and its historic Brooklyn Bridge location on Sunday. Both locations feature a great mix of vintage, antiques, jewelry, and food. Saturday, June 27. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Lafayette Avenue between Clermont and Vanderbilt Avenues. Sunday, June 28. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. In Dumbo underneath the Brooklyn Bridge at the corner of Water and New Dock Street.

Continue reading "Weekend Events"