BREAKING: 227 Duffield Saved From Eminent Domain Death
This just in via press release: The lawsuit filed by South Brooklyn Legal Services on behalf of Joy Chatel, owner of 227 Duffield Street, has ended in a settlement with the city that will spare the brick building in Downtown Brooklyn from seizure and destruction through eminent domain. Since the city announced its intentions to…
This just in via press release: The lawsuit filed by South Brooklyn Legal Services on behalf of Joy Chatel, owner of 227 Duffield Street, has ended in a settlement with the city that will spare the brick building in Downtown Brooklyn from seizure and destruction through eminent domain. Since the city announced its intentions to build an underground garage on the site of the 1848 building back in 2004, it’s been the source of great controversy: The owner, as well as many politicians and historians, has argued that its connection to the Underground Railroad in the 19th Century. As part of the settlement, the city has agreed to redo its plans for this section of the Downtown Brooklyn development plan. Chatel plans to offer tours of the home upon request. There will be a press conference on Monday at noon at the house. Surprised at the outcome?
The Duffield Eminent Domain Battle Continues [Brownstoner]
City Reevaluating Duffield St. Eminent Domain Plan [Brownstoner]
HPD OK’s Seizure of Duffield St. Homes [Brownstoner]
Abolition Panel a Salve for Duffield Street Concerns? [Brownstoner]
Duffield Preservationists Fight Back with Lawsuit [Brownstoner]
This will be a real boon for the area. Its going to bring tons of tourism…not.
many times settlements in litigation are about taking the path of least resistance for the sake of moving on, regardless of who would eventually win. maybe the city determined that they’d be better off redrwaing the plans to include the house than to continue delaying work here while litigating a case that would take another several years and additonal tax dollars fully litigate.
Tear that garbage down, who gives a rats ass about slavery. I can’t understand how things like this happen. Does anybody have anything important to do. I can see where my tax dollars go….
So if the house remains, I guess either they build the park around it or goodbye park – hello more high rises.
Makes me think twice before moving to the area. The park was a big plus.
And I can totally understand someone wanting to keep their house, but something tells me that if the city offered enough money – he or she would be happy to sell it.
Joy Chatel does not own this building. The building is owned by her mother and an outside investor who was apparently brought in to avoid foreclosure.
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=13110
Quote from above link:
“Chatel doesn’t own the home she’s been living in for over a decade, which would make it difficult for her to fight an eminent domain ruling. She signed the deed over to her mother in 2004, and her mother, Arnelda Monroe, gave outside investor Errol Bartholomew 50 percent ownership of the property the following year to stave off foreclosure proceedings, according to city records and a source close to the issue.”
The developer will probably shift things about a bit to “accomodate” the owner of the building. I’m willing to bet they put the entrance ramp to the garage right next to this house as a giant F.U. to the hold-out. and they will probably make sure a basketball court or playground is in the park right up against the property line.
“he won’t get much for his property now, he shouldn’t be greedy.” Huh?
first, the owner of the property is a she. as for her smarts, well, she just beat the city, that should tell you something about the smarts.
put aside the buildigns history, or you idiots who have never been to the home or in it but call a “piece of crap.” It is Joy Chatel’s home. She lives there with her grankids. She has her business in the building.
Yet you idiots suggest that its a “piece of crap” and should be demolished? Why? It seems to me that the city just showed it’s cards-the city can do rezonings and development w/o stealing people’s homes, without taking a granmother’s home, without demolishing history and most of all, without abusing the US Constitution.
Has Joy Chatel any experience curating? If not, then 2:23 makes an excellent point. Unless Ms. Chatel can secure some serious $$$, then this building will remain decrepit, her museum will never be more than a fleeting idea, and she will get peanuts if she tries to sell it post-development.
But, hey, at least a tiny band of extremists will be happy.
“The owner of that property isn’t very smart.He will not get very much for that property once the architects designed around his property. He should stop being so selfish and stop lying and stop being so greedy…. ”
I suspect he’s well aware of that and just wants to keep his house. You may not agree with that, but I can’t see where it’s being greedy.