And the Prognosis?

"A developer’s controversial plan to build a Home Depot above a railyard on the border of Sunset Park and Bay Ridge has been abandoned until the economy rebounds.

Developer Andrew Kohen told The Brooklyn Paper this week that he can’t move forward with his 11-story building — which includes the 100,000-square-foot superstore, 216 apartments and office space — until the market recovers..."

The story from the Brooklyn Paper:
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/21/31_21_bay_ridges_atlantic.html

Panel Discussion: LEED and Historic Preservation

On June 18th, New York Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation will co-host a panel discussion entitled "LEED and Historic Preservation" at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in lower Manhattan.

The purpose of the discussion is to catalyze the exchange of ideas between the historic preservation and the sustainability communities.

The panel will address current challenges to improving building performance while strengthening the sustainability of historic landmarks

The panel will include experts representing the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and other public and private entities.

Admission is $10.

Link to the post on Preservation Nation: http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/preservationnation/?p=594

Get LEED-certified right here in Brooklyn:
http://www.bedc.org/Get_the_Green_Advantage!.pdf

Report from "David vs. Goliath"

“David vs. Goliath” was the subject of a Municipal Art Society (MAS) Planning Center Forum on May 14, addressing the issue of “neighborhood planning in the face of large-scale development".

Planner/architect Stuart Pertz, in his introduction, noted that Goliath the developer has extraordinary leverage, using powerful lawyers, contractors, planners, and unions, and that there are many Davids.

So how to empower the Davids? Anthony Borelli, Director of Land Use in the Office of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, said that his office has tried to even the playing field by offering land use training to Community Board members through a fellowship program that assigns urban planners to community boards and practices “proactive planning,” as exemplified by a proposal for a West Harlem Special District in reaction to Columbia University’s expansion.

Unfortunately for us, Stringer is far ahead of the other four borough presidents on land use issues, and the chronically-underfunded community boards are seeing their budgets cut rather than increased.

Link to the complete post on Atlantic Yards Report:
http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2008/05/at-mas-ay-as-example-of-neighborhood.html

Forgotten Stewart Avenue

Kevin Walsh, of Forgotten NY, writes:

"I first became aware of Stewart Avenue as a boy from perusing a 1970s edition of the Geographia "Little Red Book" Street Guide to Brooklyn, which lists all of Brooklyn's streets with their cross streets, bus lines, subways, etc.

The listing for 71st, 72nd and 73rd Streets reads:

6th Avenue
Stewart Avenue
7th Avenue

But nowhere in the guide did it list Stewart Avenue in Bay Ridge -- just the one on the other side of town, on the Bushwick-Williamsburg border (which I call East Williamsburg, but that riles up some people).

It seems the cross-street listing of Stewart Avenue was something of an error on the part of Geographia; they had stopped listing it as a Brooklyn street (I have editions prior to 1969 that do) because the city had demapped it.

But just because a street is demapped doesn't mean it isn't there. This portion, between Ovington and 71st, is now used as a private driveway, but it's still paved, unlike the section we'll see later.

Any trace of Stewart Avenue north of Ovington must have disappeared when they dug the Gowanus trench there."

The entire post, from Forgotten NY:
http://forgotten-ny.com/SLICES/stewart.ave/stewart.html

Brooklyn Bridge to Tower Bridge

The party for the 125th birthday of the Brooklyn Bridge got underway with the unveiling of the mysterious Telectroscope at the Fulton Ferry Landing at 1 Water Street, just south of the Bridge.

Paul St George, who created the installation using giant parabolic mirrors and what he says is a forgotten tunnel connecting New York to London, has reconstructed a Victorian-era optical device that enables people on either end of the tube to wave at each other.

Presented by the Artichoke art collective, which built the massive ambulatory “Sultan’s Elephant” in London two years ago, the Telectroscope will be open until June 15th. Dry-erase boards are provided to visitors who want to write messages for the Londoners at Tower Bridge, on the other side.

The post, on Gothamist:
http://gothamist.com/2008/05/22/telectroscope_t.php

Committee Meets Thursday

The next meeting of the Committee to Save the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church is scheduled for Thursday, May 29th, at 7:00 pm at 360 Ovington Ave (enter on ground level).

Members of the Committee -- which now numbers over 100 --are encouraged to attend.

Heartshare Early Childhood Center Moves to Bensonhurst

Another ominous sign.

After occupying the Sunday school building next to the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church ("the Green Church") on Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge for 12 years, HeartShare Human Services First Step Early Childhood Center has announced, as of May 24th, that it will be moving to the former St. Finbar’s elementary school in Bensonhurst this summer.

The press release:
http://www.pr.com/press-release/86779

Mega-Developments Facing Setbacks

Mega-development roundup from the New York Sun: http://www.nysun.com/blogs/culture-of-congestion/2008/05/continuing-sagas-hudson-yards-atlantic-l.html

More from Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/apr2008/id20080411_278466.htm?chan=search

Brooklyn pols call for Atlantic Yards trust, from New York Observer:
http://www.observer.com/2008/jeffries-and-brennan-call-community-input-atlantic-yards-0

LPC: Historic Open Space Trumps Parking Lot

"...[T]he 'father' of the 1965 Brooklyn Heights Historic District designation, Otis Pratt Pearsall, reminded the Landmarks Commission [at a recent hearing] of its earlier stated position that preservation applies to spaces and not just to buildings. An excerpt of his statement follows:

'Preserving the unique power of Brooklyn Heights to convey the spirit and character of Old New York was certainly a fundamental premise of its designation [as a historic district ] and, as influences eroding that power, the Commission [has] pointed not only to outright demolition but also to alterations detrimental to the historic fabric. Needless to say, it would be difficult to imagine an alteration of historic fabric more dramatic than the excavation of this historic courtyard and its displacement by the foundations of a garage.”

'...[T]he historic open spaces of Brooklyn Heights are just as integral to the special character we think of as sense of place as are its historic structures. They collectively contribute to what the Commission identified as the District’s collective emanation. And while ... the courtyard is prototypical to the point of individual landmark importance, it contributes to the District’s special power just as do our other historic open spaces such as Plymouth Church’s garden on Orange Street, Packer Collegiate Institute’s garden on Livingston Street, and of course the Grace Court Gardens, none of which I’d warrant would this Commission want to see developed. The lost ‘tooth’ in a row of brownstones should surely be redeveloped, but not so our historic open spaces.'

I agree with Otis Pratt Pearsall that open spaces, such as the bucolic 19th Century churchyard at the corner of Ovington and Fourth Avenues, are integral to historic preservation.

The story from the Brooklyn Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=5&id=20762

May 28 Rally at City Hall: Restore LPC Budget Cuts

A coalition of more than 40 advocacy groups from around the city will gather on the steps of City Hall at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, May 28th, to ask the City Council and Mayor to restore more than $300,000 in proposed cuts to the budget of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).

Link to the article, and a related video presentation from MAS, on the CECPP Website:

http://www.savelpc.org/

Joe Butler to the Editor of the New York Times

San Francisco architect Joe Butler has joined the Committee as an outgrowth of his interest in George Washington Kramer, the architect of the Green Church. This is a letter that Joe recently wrote to the editor of the New York Times supporting our campaign to save the Green Church.

07 May 2008

Editor, New York Times

Dear Editor:

George Washington Kramer, the architect of the Bay Ridge United Methodist or "Green Church", was a New York City architect at the turn of the 20th Century. Kramer popularized the Akron Plan or “pulpit in the corner”, an auditorium-style plan that allowed for the incorporation of adjacent Sunday School space into the sanctuary when the congregation swelled for holiday services. So popular was the Akron plan that Kramer and his various firms designed and built more than 2,000 such churches throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Kramer designed four other National Register Churches in New York State: Brooklyn’s Baptist Temple, Manhattan’s Andrews United Methodist Church, the First United Methodist Church in Westchester County, and the Ellis Hollow United Methodist Community Church in Tompkins County.

The "Green Church", as it is known for its Serpentine stone facade, was nominated by its congregation to the National Register of Historic Places, and was accepted in 1999. Eight years later the same congregation has contracted to sell the Church to a developer and has disinterred its former members from a crypt on the property, presumably in preparation for demolition.

As an architect trying to save another Kramer Church in San Francisco from demolition, it is incredible to me that the trustees of the Church, after having been subsidized by the tax-paying citizens of the community for over a hundred years, feel no obligation to those who have paid for police and fire protection for their building and who have housed or fed some of the members of their congregation; nor do they feel any obligation to their own former congregants, who paid for the Church to be constructed, who have been removed from their final resting place to land judged less valuable than the Green Church property.

Churches whose landmark structures have helped shape the community owe a debt for the reciprocal support they have received through their property tax exemption over time. Sell your “surplus” houses of worship, fine, but do so for an adaptive re-use, not for demolition, not for a few more condominiums that could be built anywhere.

Sincerely,

F. Joseph Butler, AIA

Defining "Development"

This post grew out of a statement made by Buddy Scotto, the chairman of the board of the newly-created Brooklyn Preservation Council, at the Council's second meeting at Brooklyn Borough Hall on Tuesday. Scotto told the group, in a warning tone, words to this effect: "You can't be against development. You won't get any support if you oppose development."

I have thought a lot about that statement, and it has occurred to me that, although I agree with Mr. Scotto that preservationists cannot oppose all development, there are two distinct kinds of development, and it should be part of our message to distinguish the two. I have decided to call them "responsible" and "irresponsible" development, and I have made a list of the characteristics of the two.

Responsible development is development that:

• preserves the natural environment


• retains beautiful, historic structures (landmarked or not)


• grows out of an inclusive, transparent process


• fits into the existing urban infrastructure


• preserves the unique character of the neighborhood


• enhances the local enonomy


• is compatible with neighboring uses


• maintains existing community facilities


• retains existing green spaces


• is aesthetically pleasing


• is soundly constructed


• incorporates good craftsmanship


• attracts visitors to the community

Irresponsible development is development that:

• degrades the natural environment


• destroys landmarks and other beautiful, historic structures


• is the result of an arbitrary process


• burdens the urban infrastructure


• destroys the unique character of the neighborhood


• contributes little to the local economy


• threatens neighboring uses


• destroys community institutions


• destroys existing green spaces


• is aesthetically barren, charmless and cold


• is constructed from cheap, pre-fabricated materials


• is designed for demolition


• repels visitors

Bay Ridge Hosts 141st Kings County Memorial Day Parade

From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=40&id=20757

New York City Churches Adapted, Re-Used

In New York City, declining church membership -- against increasing property values -- has fostered the adaptive re-use of many former houses of worship.

The number of New Yorkers who regularly attend church has dropped over the past 100 years, especially in Manhattan, with demographic shifts throughout the city affecting attendance at churches, synagogues, mosques and temples.

The Catholic Church, its funds depleted by lawsuits bought by victims of child sex abuse, has been particularly hard-hit. Cardinal Edward Egan of the Archdiocese of New York has announced a "realignment" plan to shut down or merge some Catholic churches.

But the Catholic Church is not alone in downsizing. Many church and synagogue goers have left Manhattan for the outer boroughs, the suburbs and beyond -- for Orange, Rockland, Putnam, Westchester and Duchess counties. At the same time, Manhattan has become a destination for young single professionals who are not regular church-goers.

Religious properties in New York are expensive to maintain, burdening congregations whose numbers and budgets are in decline. At the same time, the recent real estate boom has made their properties more valuable for development.

Some vacant New York City churches have been adapted and re-used as residential spaces. When the church is landmarked, the outer structure is maintained and the interior is gutted and re-designed. Some churches, particularly in the outer boroughs, have been re-developed as affordable housing -- see link to an earlier post on this blog about the Rugged Cross project in Bedford-Stuyvesant: http://bayridgejournal.blogspot.com/2008/03/rugged-cross-apartment-project.html

Washington Square Methodist, in Manhattan, has been re-developed by FLAnk Architecture to create Novare, featuring eight spacious, luxuriously appointed $3 to $6 million apartments, six of which feature the church's original stained glass.

Developers Horsford Poteat will convert several Harlem churches into apartments, maintaining worship space on the ground floor and building condos above. According to a Horsford Poteat project manager, church leaders approached them about trying to increase their revenues: some Harlem blocks no longer have enough members to support their many churches.

AFC Realty has converted the former Harlem Gospel Temple Church at 2056 Fifth Avenue into 22 condos priced from $645,000 to $1.575 million. About half are sold.

The story, from Gotham Gazette:
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/fea/20080519/202/2529

The issues facing New York City's churches discussed in the above article are not new. They had been identified as early as 2005, when this New York Times article was published:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404EEDC143AF936A15757C0A9629C8B63&fta=y

Which begs the question why our community leaders and elected officials failed to address the fiscal crisis facing the Green Church congregation much earlier, before the congregation had signed a contract with Massey Knakal, before the congregation had signed a contract with Abe Betesh, when there was still time to explore a range of alternatives, including adaptive re-use. Why did the fate of the Green Church fall to Massey Knakal and its associates?

Angel Saves St. Brigid's

The Archdiocese of New York announced on Wednesday that historic St. Brigid's Church in the East Village has been saved by an anonymous $10 million donation. St. Brigid's will reopen as a parish church following its repair.

The donor has also given $2 million to establish an endowment to help the parish meet the spiritual needs of community residents.

A separate gift of $8 million will support Saint Brigid's School and other Catholic schools in need.

The church, which is named after St. Brigid of Ireland, who cared for the poor and the hungry, was once a haven for refugees of the Irish Famine. More recently St. Brigid's has served a primarily Latino congregation, which, along with several Irish heritage organizations, fought the plan by the Archdiocese to close and demolish the Church.

The story, from Newsday:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--churchsaved0521may21,0,1857122.story

According to the Daily News, Irish-American philanthropist Chuck F. Feeney may have been the anonymous angel who saved St. Brigid's:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/05/23/2008-05-23_itll_take_time_to_build_st_brigids_mirac.html

An update, from Gotham Gazette:
http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/21/donation-saves-church/

More coverage of the "Miracle of St. Brigid's from the Villager:
http://www.thevillager.com/villager_265/miracle.html

Bay Ridge vs. Staten Island?

Now that Vito's history (we think), who will replace him?

Things have gotten very interesting.

Staten Island Live initially reported the following field of candidates:

Republicans:

• D.A. Daniel M. Donovan
• Dominic Recchia (?)
• GOP County Clerk Stephen Fiala
• Dr. Jamshad Wyne
• State Senator Anthony Lanza

Democrats:

• Steve Harrison
• City Councilman Michael McMahon
• State Senator Diane Savino
• Assemblyman Michael Cusick

The article, from Staten Island Live:
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/fossella_announcement_opens_do.html

The Daily Eagle, on the Brooklyn side of the Narrows, added several more names to the list, including Martin Golden's:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=20693

The Daily News reported that Staten Island D.A. Dan Donovan and Senator Diane Savino are out, that Councilman Vincent Gentile is in, and that Senator Tony Lanza was the current frontrunner.

The story, from the Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/05/23/2008-05-23_two_out_and_another_in_for_vito_fossella.html

Bob Capano jumps, from the Brooklyn Eagle (sign in Hinch's window):
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=20918

Steve Harrison is rejected by Staten Island Democrats, from the Brooklyn Eagle :
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=20939

Vinnie Gentile muses on his chances in Staten Island, from Your Free Press:
http://yourfreepress.blogspot.com/2008/05/council-member-gentile-reflect-run-for.html

Bob Capano takes on Alec Brook-Krasny, from the Brooklyn Paper:
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/23/31_23_capano_gunning_for.html

Dominic Recchia drops out; both parties to hold primaries, from the Brooklyn Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=21093

Frank Powers, the Republican choice to succeed Vito Fossella, dies of a heart attack, from the Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/06/22/2008-06-22_top_candidate_to_replace_vito_fossella_d.html

Bay Ridge Republican Atanasio is put in play, from the Brooklyn Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=21406

Vito Lopez flexes his political muscles on behalf of the "electable" Michael McMahon, from the Brooklyn Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=21497

Possible new Republican candidates crop up in Staten Island, from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/nyregion/26staten.html?_r=1&scp=8&sq=brooklyn&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Frank Powers' troubled son acts out at his father's funeral, from the Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/06/27/2008-06-27_funeral_fracas_rites_for_possible_fossel.html

Bay Ridge and Staten Island Republicans have split, from the Brooklyn Paper:
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/26/31_26_the_partys_over_staten.html

Vito Lopez and Bay Ridge Democrats are at odds over Harrison, from the Brooklyn Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=21497

The political cauldron has reached a rolling boil, from the Brooklyn Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=21720

GOP has decided to run Bob Straniere, from the New York Observer:
http://www.observer.com/2008/politics/republicans-turn-once-shunned-assemblyman-fossellas-seat

The GOP waffling on Straniere, from the Brooklyn Paper:
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/28/31_28_mm_gop_politics.html

Daily News reports that the GOP's choice of Straniere shows a "party in disarray":
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/07/15/2008-07-15_pol_finds_few_republican_pals_in_race_to.html

Bob Straniere takes a swing at Michael McMahon, from the Brooklyn Paper:
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/30/31_30_mm_straniere.html

Straniere courts vets, from Newsblaze.com:
http://newsblaze.com/story/20080806174440zzzz.nb/topstory.html

Straniere will open an office in Bay Ridge, from Staten Island Live:
http://blog.silive.com/politics/2008/08/peace_for_some_in_the_gop_vall.html

Jamshad Wyne is running against Straniere in Staten Island, from Staten Island Live:
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1218359711195890.xml&coll=1

Will the GOP lose the district, from Gotham Gazette:
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/fea/20080811/202/2618

Straniere and McMahon face off after the primary, from Brooklyn Paper:
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/36/31_36_13th_cd.html

Staten Island BP Molinaro endorses...McMahon:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=31&id=23313

Fossella is convicted of DWI:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,440301,00.html

Brooklyn Bridge Celebration Begins Thursday

The Brooklyn Bridge birthday bash begins this Thursday at the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, which will be open at 6:00 p.m.

There will be a concert by the Brooklyn Philharmonic at 7:30 p.m., followed by fireworks and bridge lighting (there will be nightly bridge lightings through Memorial Day.)

Schedule:

http://www.visitbrooklyn.org/

Victory Memorial Hospital Closed Today

The story from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=20670

Victory to come back as part of SUNY Downstate:

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=21643

Take My Studio, Please!

Tired of the long schlepp home on the "R" train? Manhattan beckons.

The story, from the New York Post:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05192008/news/regionalnews/landlords_slashing_city_rents_111496.htm

News from Brooklyn Preservation Council

At the last meeting of the Brooklyn Preservation Council on May 20th, a slate of officers was elected for purposes of incorporating as a not-for-profit, and reports were heard from the various preservation groups, including the Committee to Save the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, that make up the Council.

On the Council's draft list of "Proposed Individual Landmarks and Historic Districts Not Yet Calendared" are the Green Church and the Senator Street Historic District (25 buildings).

The Council will be among the more than 40 advocacy groups taking part in the May 28th rally on the steps of City Hall seeking restoration of the more than $300,000 the Mayor proposes to cut from the budget of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The Council's next meeting will be on Tuesday, June 24th, at 6 p.m. at Brooklyn Borough Hall, in the Borough President's first floor conference room.

A New Twist on Adaptive Re-use

Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has a new musical instrument: it’s 99 years old, made of steel, has a resonant hollow body, and is enormous, taking up a significant chunk of real estate at the tip of Manhattan.

It's the beautifully-repainted Battery Maritime Building, a beaux-arts building next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Once itself a terminal for East River ferries, the Battery Maritime Building has long been long unoccupied, except for its recent use as a departure point for visitors to Governor’s Island.

Byrne will use the building for his new music installation, “Playing the Building,” which opens May 31, on the same day that ferry service to Governors Island resumes, and will run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to noon until August 10.

The story, from Tribeca Trib:
http://www.tribecatrib.com/news/newsjune08/DavidByrne06080003.html

More of the story from Downtown Express:
http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_263/davidbyrne.html

Viking Weekend in Bay Ridge!

Details of the Viking Fest on Saturday and the Norwegian Day Parade on Sunday, from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=31&id=20574

Birthday Bash for the Brooklyn Bridge

She's turning 125 this year, our beautiful bridge, as inspiring as on the day she opened in 1883 -- just 6 years before the cornerstone of the Green Church was laid.

Like nothing else, a landmark embodies the spirit, the life of its time.

Details of the 5-day celebration from the Mayor's Office: http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2008a%2Fpr178-08.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1

Family Values Redefined

So he's holed up in an apartment above his sister's garage on Staten Island;

So he drove a car while knee-walking drunk;

So he fathered an out-of-wedlock child;

So he romanced his mistress on our dime;

So he ripped his wife's heart out;

So he publicly humiliated his family;

So the Green Church and Victory Memorial slipped away on his watch;

That doesn't mean he should resign, does it?

Um, I guess it does:
http://www.house.gov/fossella/

The story from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=20615

Related story about Mary Pat Fossella from the New York Post:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05212008/news/regionalnews/i_had_no_idea_111858.htm

The Committee's Letter to Our Elected Representatives

"Dear Sir/Madam:

We need your immediate assistance to stop the demolition of The Bay Ridge United Methodist Church (the “Green Church”) in direct violation of Federal law.

The congregation is in contract to sell their entire property to Abeco Management Company. The Sales Contract clearly establishes that the trustees of the congregation must demolish the church building, prior to closing. By doing so, this not only avoids the review process required by Section 106 of the National Preservation Act of 1966, but this ‘anticipatory demolition’ is in direct violation of Section 110 (k) of the same Act (both sections attached).

Because the church building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places [NR #99001132 - 9/09/99], it falls under this Act. Section 106 requires that the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation comment on any undertaking prior to the expenditure of any Federal funds, and Section 110 enjoins Federal agencies from granting monies to any entity who would demolish a building with intent to avoid the requirements of Section 106. Since it is highly unlikely that any development on a site this large would not make use of Federal funding such as FHA, HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, etc. such a review would be required.

This week it came to light that this property was listed for sale by Dakota Realty. According to the realtor and several published reports, the seller is Abeco Management and the property was listed with them since September 2007. The required “Leave to Sell” by the NY State Supreme Court (permission to transfer a ‘not-for-profit’ entity to a ‘for-profit’ entity) was not signed by the court until January 16, 2008. Therefore Abe Betesh of Abeco was planning to flip this property before the court approved the sale. The contract, presented to the court in order to obtain its approval, included a detailed building plan and there was no mention that the buyer intended to relist the property. This fact appears to have been conveniently omitted from the documents presented to the court.

We are extremely concerned that this entire transaction has been carefully engineered to circumvent a review process by the Federal Agency responsible for Historic Preservation in order to maximize profits.

As a guardian of the public trust, we are asking you to take immediate action to prevent the church building from being demolished without the required review by the appropriate Federal authorities.

Time is against us as the building is currently being prepared for demolition therefore your immediate help is critical.

Sincerely,


Kathleen Walker, Co-Chair

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966,
As amended through 2000

Section 106
[16 U.S.C. 470f — Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, comment on Federal undertakings]
The head of any Federal agency having direct or indirect jurisdiction over a proposed Federal or federally assisted undertaking in any State and the head of any Federal department or independent agency having authority to license any undertaking shall, prior to the approval of the expenditure of any Federal funds on the undertaking or prior to the issuance of any license, as the case may be, take into account the effect of the undertaking on any district, site, building, structure, or object that is included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register. The head of any such Federal agency shall afford the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation established under Title II of this Act a reasonable opportunity to comment with regard to such undertaking.

Section 110
[16 U.S.C. 470h-2(k) — Anticipatory demolition]

(k) Each Federal agency shall ensure that the agency will not grant a loan, loan guarantee, permit, license, or other assistance to an applicant who, with intent to avoid the requirements of section 106 of this Act, has intentionally significantly adversely affected a historic property to which the grant would relate, or having legal power to prevent it, allowed such significant adverse effect to occur, unless the agency, after consultation with the Council, determines that circumstances justify granting such assistance despite the adverse effect created or permitted by the applicant.

Brief History

The Bay Ridge United Methodist Church is located at the corner of Ovington and 4th Avenues in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. Built in 1899, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NR Listed #99001133 09/09/99) and is the only remaining example of a church using green, serpentine stone architecture in Brooklyn, and perhaps all of the city of New York. Designed by renowned church builder, George W. Kramer (1847-1938), not only is this building significant for its cherished architecture, but its unique four sided clock tower serves as a beacon welcoming all to Bay Ridge. Adjacent to this unique structure is a burial crypt containing the remains of 211 of the founders of this community.

There is immediate concern that this gem will shortly be lost to the wrecking ball. Once this building is gone, the entire site, nearly one full acre, is likely to be leveled and built with condo units covering every allowable inch thereby eliminating one of the few remaining bastions of open space in the neighborhood.

This very special historic site is one of the last remaining holdouts breathing history into a constantly changing community. Once this building is gone, it can never be replaced."

Related coverage of the anticipatory demolition issue from the Bay Ridge Courier:
http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2008/05/17/bay_ridge/bay_ridge_courier/news/bay_ridge_courier_newsgreenchurc05162008.txt

St. Saviors Deconstructed

At least it has a new home.

The story, from Curbed:
http://curbed.com/archives/2008/05/09/and_now_st_saviours_deconstructoporn.php

Outlawing Demolition by Neglect

Demolition by neglect is defined as the destruction of a building through abandonment or lack of maintenance.

Impoverished owners, unsettled estates, absentee landlords and indifferent owners can cause a demolition by neglect scenario, but the dark side of demolition by neglect is its intentional use by an owner as a means to circumvent landmark protection: "If you won't let me tear it down, I'll let it fall down."

Preservationists routinely encounter owners that neglect their historic properties in order to rid themselves of the building and avoid interim maintenance costs. Some owners want to clear the land for commercial development in order to profit from the unique character of the neighborhood. The intentional use of demolition-by-neglect to flout the law is a grave concern for the preservation comunity.

Local historic preservation laws provide some tools to save individual buildings and districts from intentional demolition by neglect, but they don't stop some owners from allowing buildings to deteriorate in the hope that by the time the case gets to court, they will be able to convince a judge that the structure cannot be saved.

In Bridgeport, Connecticut, the owners of the 1908 Curtis Mansion, hoping to build a 12 -story apartment building, left the doors and windows open, left the water on and stripped the woodwork, then argued in court that the building was too far gone to warrant rehabilitation. Despite an organized neighborhood preservation effort and a lawsuit under the Connecticut EPA to stop demolition, the judge found that it was too late to save the building, overlooking the fact that the owner had damaged the building beyond repair by refusing to maintain and secure it.

State agencies and municipalities have also allowed buildings to deteriorate through neglect. The State Armory in Norwich, Connecticut was facing demolition when the Environmental Protection Act was invoked in an attempt to save the building, but by then, the state had let the building become derelict and the city was seeking a demolition permit. An application for injunction was denied and the judge ruled that the building was uninhabitable.

As these cases indicate, landmark preservation laws can be easily circumvented by owners who put money above our cultural heritage, and judges are nearly bound to rule in their favor. No matter how willful the neglect that brought the building to such a state, the result is the same.

Owners, seeking to avoid the public outcry and conflict that demolition provokes, often use demolition by neglect to clear their site for development, finding that allowing a building to deteriorate enables them to invoke the excuse that the historic building will "have to" be torn down. (Which, I suspect, figured into the Green Church scenario.)

Communities can insist that existing public safety laws requiring buildings to be secured be enforced by courts, building inspectors and local officials. Such practices as opening unoccupied buildings to vagrancy and vandalism are typically against the law.

Some states have passed laws allowing towns and cities to criminalize demolition by neglect. In South Dakota, towns and cities can enact local ordinances making willful neglect of a historic property a misdemeanor. Although California has not passed enabling legislation giving towns and cities the power to prevent willful demolition by neglect, several California towns and cities have passed laws making demolition by neglect a criminal offense.

In my opinion, some forms of demolition by neglect should be criminalized.

In the coming weeks, I will be looking deeper into demolition by neglect in New York City and in this community. Why is this practice so prevalent and what can be done to prevent it?

Link to demolition by neglect article on Almanac:
http://www.almanacnews.com/morgue/2005/2005_02_09.neglect.shtml

Judge Interrupts Demolition by Neglect of Landmarked Windermere

A judge has ordered that the second-oldest apartment building in New York City be repaired by its owners.

The Windermere, at West 57th Street and Ninth Avenue, where Steve McQueen once lived, has been the scene of landlord and tenant struggles and evacuations.

Now the New York Times reports that Judge Karen Smith has ordered "the permanent repair and restoration" of the building by owner Toa Construction.

The Windermere was landmarked in 2005 (PDF). Owners of landmarked buildings are required to keep them in good shape. When Toa Construction did not keep up the building, the city sued.

Link to the Gothamist post:
http://gothamist.com/2008/05/10/famous_decrepit.php

Condo Futures: Bay Ridge

From a conversation with a Bay Ridge realtor this afternoon:

• the real estate market in Bay Ridge is softening: home prices have fallen by 5%;
• buyers are holding out --they have choices now -- they want to see everything listed in their range before making a decision;
• Fourth Avenue is a rental corridor: people who want to live on Fourth Avenue are looking for a $1,200 a month rental and easy access to the subway -- not a $500,000 condo;
• qualified buyers with $500,000 to spend have more local options now: there are two competing condo developments going up on or near Fourth Avenue, the Basile "Victorians" project on 74th Street and the Moussa Khalil "funeral home" project further down;
• borough and city-wide, condo inventory is growing, intensifying price competition;
• construction costs, like all costs, are rapidly rising against tight credit and a falling, glutted market, pushing up the bottom line for developers and increasing the risk of cost overruns, missed deadlines and loan defaults.

The realtor's opinion: Vincent Gentile's Con Ed Renaissance Project proposal was the best offer that the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church got.

But then, you knew that.

Report of the Fossella Institutional Property Task Force

From the Executive Summary:

Congressman Fossella commissioned an “Institutional Property Task Force” charged with cataloging all institutionally-owned properties in the 13th Congressional District, including Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, analyzing the data and making recommendations to control development on the remaining large tracts.

The task force focused on properties classified as "institutional" by the NYC Dept. of Planning and as tax-exempt by the Department of Finance.

The communities covered by the report are unique for their "small town feel". The task force was concerned with preserving this unique character.

The task force was chaired by Craig Eaton, former chairman of Community Board 10.

Many Brooklyn landmarks have been preserved and are enjoyed today because of the work of dedicated community leaders and elected officials. But many have been lost due to overdevelopment, and southwest Brooklyn is witnessing unplanned development, increased traffic and other stresses to its infrastructure and quality of life.

Recognizing that there was no inventory of potential development parcels, the task force identified and surveyed sensitive areas in order to have better information and resources available in the event of future sales.

Given the controversy over the planned sale of the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church and other potential sales of institutionally-owned properties, the task force weighed the issues surrounding the sale and use of these parcels.

The task force acknowledged the high market value for development parcels and did not intend to hinder property owners, but to create dialogue and to gauge the intentions of the owners of significant parcels.

The task force aimed to strike a balance between the inevitable development and planning and to encourage planned rather than unplanned development. They saw their efforts as proactive and comprehensive rather than reactive and piecemeal.

Excerpt from the Report:

Community Board 10

Total Lot Area (sq. ft.): 13,415,542 BUILDOUT POTENTIAL
Total Acres: 305 Detached Houses: 1263
Maximum Buildout: 6,374 Semi-detached: 3218
Average Lot Size: 149,062 Townhouses: 1,626
Largest Lot: 2,299,578 Other: 267
Smallest Lot: 20,000 6,374
Average Buildout Per Lot: 71
Total Institutional Lots: 253
Total Lots <> 20,000: 96

Community Board 10

Owner: St. Patrick’s R.C. Church
Premises: 9515 4th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11209
(718) 238-2600

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Parochial School
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6123
Lot(s): 11
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 377,100
Tax Assessment (Building): 2,776,500
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 41,300
Office Sq. Ft.: 41,300
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 31,300
FAR as Built: 1.32
Max Allowed FAR: 1.35
SF Over FAR: 939
Usable Floor Area: 41,316
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 42,255
Building Dimensions: 60 x 215
Lot Dimensions: 87.25 x 201.33
Stories: 3
Buildings: 1
Total Units:
Zoning: R5B/BR
Building Class: Parochial School, Yeshiva (W2)
Year Built: 1958

Comments:

It should be noted that the three separate premises which comprise the St. Patrick’s Parish compound have different ownership. Block 6123, Lot 11 (the School) is owned by the Church; Block 6123, Lot 28 (the Church) is owned by the City of New York and Block 6118, Lot 1 (the Convent) is privately owned.

In general, both the Church and the School are doing very well, however with the recent clustering which has been done by the Diocese of Brooklyn, it is uncertain what will happen in the future. Furthermore, the parking lot is the only open space and needed for parish functions; accordingly there is little chance that the Church would attempt to sell it.

There are no guarantees for the long term; however, given the stature of the Church in the community as well as the disparity of ownership, the immediate sale of any of these properties is also unlikely.

Owner: City of New York
Premises: 9501 4th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11209

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Church
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6123
Lot(s): 28
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 864,000
Tax Assessment (Building): 3,559,500
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 62,989
Office Sq. Ft.:
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.: 62,989
Lot Sq. Ft.: 81,100
FAR as Built: 0.78
Max Allowed FAR: 1.35
SF Over FAR: 46,227
Usable Floor Area: 62,258
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 109,485
Building Dimensions: 106.67 x 76.67
Lot Dimensions: 153 x 310
Stories: 2
Buildings: 5
Total Units:
Zoning: R5B/BR
Building Class: Church, Synagogue, Chapel (M1)
Year Built: 1931

Owner: Salvatore D’Amato
Premises: 401 95th Street
Brooklyn, New York 11209

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Convent
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6118
Lot(s): 1
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 161,550
Tax Assessment (Building): 598,500
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 12,757
Office Sq. Ft.:
Residential Sq. Ft.: 12,757
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 14,590
FAR as Built: 0.87
Max Allowed FAR: 3
SF Over FAR: 31,076
Usable Floor Area: 12,693
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 43,770
Building Dimensions: 141 x 86
Lot Dimensions: 161.33 x 155.17
Stories: 2
Buildings: 1
Total Units:
Zoning: R5B
Building Class: M4
Year Built: 1965

Owner: Stath Realty Corp.
Premises: 6740 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11220

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Health Center
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 5853
Lot(s): 45
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 270,000
Tax Assessment (Building): 895,500
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 12,540
Office Sq. Ft.: 12,540
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 17,000
FAR as Built: 0.74
Max Allowed FAR: 2
SF Over FAR: 21,420
Usable Floor Area: 12,580
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 34,000
Building Dimensions: 93.25 x 72.42
Lot Dimensions: 140.83 x 114
Stories: 2
Buildings: 1
Total Units:
Zoning: R5B
Building Class: Health Center, Child Center, Clinic (I5)
Year Built: 1963

Comments:

On a visit to this site, it was determined that the official owner does not have an office there. The named registered agent was called but no response was received. However, the following should be noted:

Although built in 1963, the building has a modern façade, good for its present use as a medical arts building, but necessarily easily converted into condos/co-ops.
Its present R6b zoning permits a maximum height of 50’ and a maximum FAR of 2.0x. However, the present two story building is in line with all of the other buildings on the block. Accordingly, any potential change might invoke community resistance.
The building was last sold in 2004 for $5,225,000, a figure probably close to the current market value and based on its present use of commercial rentals. It is unlikely that a developer would pay a premium to convert the space.

Owner: Xaverian High School, Inc.
Premises: 7100 Shore Road
Brooklyn, New York 11209

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Parochial School
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 5883
Lot(s): 1
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 837,000
Tax Assessment (Building): 4,590,000
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 241,100
Office Sq. Ft.:
Residential Sq. Ft.: 114,900
Other Sq. Ft.: 126,200
Lot Sq. Ft.: 87,080
FAR as Built: 2.77
Max Allowed FAR: 3
SF Over FAR: 20,028
Usable Floor Area: 241,212
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 261,240
Building Dimensions: 150 x 200
Lot Dimensions: 201.17 x 432.67
Stories: 3
Buildings: 1
Total Units/Commercial Units: 1/1
Zoning: R5B
Building Class: Parochial School, Yeshiva (W2)
Year Built: 1961

Comments:

This High School is doing very well, has a large enrollment and is very popular among the residents of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Based upon its long standing history and its many successes, it appears that there is little chance that the School would be closed in the short term. Furthermore, there is parking lot which is used for teacher parking and School functions.

There are no guarantees for the long term; however, given the stature of the School in the community the sale of this property is unlikely.

Owner: Greek Orthodox Church of Bay Ridge, Inc.
Premises: 8401 Ridge Boulevard
Brooklyn, New York 11209

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Church
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6024
Lot(s): 6
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 576,000
Tax Assessment (Building): 1,026,000
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 11,400
Office Sq. Ft.: 11,400
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 16,000
FAR as Built: 0.71
Max Allowed FAR: 0.5
SF Over FAR: 3,359
Usable Floor Area: 11,360
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 8,000
Building Dimensions: 65 x 104.42
Lot Dimensions: 100 x 160
Stories: 2
Buildings: 1
Total Units/Commercial Units: 1/1
Zoning: R2/BR
Building Class: Church/Synagogue, Chapel (M1)
Year Built: 1965

Comments:

This School and the Church are doing very well, has a large enrollment and is very popular among the Greek residents of Brooklyn. Based upon its long standing history and its many successes, it appears that there is little chance that the School or Church would be closed in the short term.

There are no guarantees for the long term; however, given the stature of the School and Church in the community the sale of this property is unlikely.

Owner: Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, Inc.
Premises: 8502 Ridge Boulevard
Brooklyn, New York 11209

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Parochial School
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6032
Lot(s): 37
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 702,000
Tax Assessment (Building): 1,894,500
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 23,318
Office Sq. Ft.: 23,318
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 19,330
FAR as Built: 1.21
Max Allowed FAR: 0.5
SF Over FAR: 13,724
Usable Floor Area: 23,389
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 9,665
Building Dimensions: 115 x 95
Lot Dimensions: 140 x 140.17
Stories: 2
Buildings: 1
Total Units/Commercial Units:
Zoning: R2/BR
Building Class: Parochial School, Yeshiva (W2)
Year Built: 1980

Owner: St. Anselm’s RC Church
Premises: 365 83rd Street
Brooklyn, New York 11209

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Church/Rectory
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6007
Lot(s): 53
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 237,150
Tax Assessment (Building): 553,500
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 10,950
Office Sq. Ft.:
Residential Sq. Ft.: 10,950
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 10,000
FAR as Built: 1.1
Max Allowed FAR: 0.9
SF Over FAR: 2,000
Usable Floor Area: 11,000
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 9,000
Building Dimensions: 80 x 71
Lot Dimensions: 100 x 100
Stories: 3
Buildings: 1
Total Units/Commercial Units: 1/1
Zoning: R4-1/BR
Building Class: Parsonage, Rectory (M3)
Year Built: 1940

Comments:

In general, both the Church and the School are doing very well, accordingly, there is little chance that the Diocese will attempt to close either one in the near to medium term. Furthermore, the parking lot is the only open space and needed for parish functions; accordingly there is little chance that the Church would attempt to sell it.

There are no guarantees for the long term; however, given the stature of the Church in the community a sale of this property is unlikely.

Owner: The Corporation of Adelphi Academy
Premises: 8515 Ridge Boulevard
Brooklyn, New York 11209

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Parochial School
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6003
Lot(s): 1
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 1,453,500
Tax Assessment (Building): 4,203,000
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 50,552
Office Sq. Ft.: 50,551
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 60,055
FAR as Built: 0.84
Max Allowed FAR: 0.6
SF Over FAR: 14,413
Usable Floor Area: 50,446
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 36,033
Building Dimensions: 125 x 104
Lot Dimensions: 250.17 x 260
Stories: 3
Buildings: 2
Total Units/Commercial Units:
Zoning: R3-2/BR
Building Class: School or Academy (W3)
Year Built: 1930

Comments:

In general, the School has been in existence for many years, and according to School officials, enrollment has been up in recent years and the School is doing well. This parcel in question is a large piece of property which has the potential of becoming a large development site if the School were ever to close.

Owner: Victory Memorial Hosp
Premises: 9036 7th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11228

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Hospital
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6094
Lot(s): 1
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 2,025,000
Tax Assessment (Building): 17,100,000
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 332,127
Office Sq. Ft.:
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.: 332,127
Lot Sq. Ft.: 76,000
FAR as Built: 4.37
Max Allowed FAR: 0.9
SF Over FAR: 263,720
Usable Floor Area: 332,120
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 68,400
Building Dimensions: 120 x 81
Lot Dimensions: 300.83 x 289.5
Stories: 7
Buildings: 4
Total Units/Commercial Units:
Zoning: R4
Building Class: Hospital, Sanitarium, Mental Institution (I1)
Year Built: 1918

Comments:

This parcel is problematic at this juncture since the Hospital has been ordered to close by the Berger Commission. At present, there are several possible options which the Board is looking into and the Board is working with local elected officials and community leaders to insure that an acute care facility remains at this site.

Owner: Sisters of St Joseph
Premises: 9901 Shore Road
Brooklyn, New York 11209

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Parochial School
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6133
Lot(s): 13
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 967,500
Tax Assessment (Building): 2,695,500
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 35,128
Office Sq. Ft.: 35,128
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 40,600
FAR as Built: 0.87
Max Allowed FAR: 4
SF Over FAR: 127,078
Usable Floor Area: 35,322
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 162,400
Building Dimensions: 72 x 99
Lot Dimensions: 154.42 x 250.08
Stories: 2
Buildings: 5
Total Units/Commercial Units: 1/1
Zoning: R7A/BR
Building Class: Parochial School, Yeshiva (W2)
Year Built: 1937

Comments:

In general, School is doing very well and based upon its popularity among students in Brooklyn and Staten Island, there is little chance that the School would close in the near to medium term. Recently, one large condominium building was constructed a few doors away from the School and the property adjacent to the School is in the process of being developed into a large condominium building.

Owner: 1st Evang Free Ch Bkl
Premises: 6501 6th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11220

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Church
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 5829
Lot(s): 1
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 339,750
Tax Assessment (Building): 1,350,000
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 29,816
Office Sq. Ft.: 29,816
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 36,000
FAR as Built: 0.83
Max Allowed FAR: 0.9
SF Over FAR: 2,520
Usable Floor Area: 29,880
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 32,400
Building Dimensions: 158 x 163
Lot Dimensions: 194 x 330
Stories: 2
Buildings: 1
Total Units/Commercial Units:
Zoning: R4-1/BR
Building Class: Church, Synagogue Chapel (M1)
Year Built: 1963

Comments:

In general, the Church appears to be doing well and it appears that there is little chance that the Church will attempt to close in the near to medium term.

Owner: Redemptarist Father of New York
Premises: 7505 Shore Road
Brooklyn, New York 11209

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Church/Rectory
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 5936
Lot(s): 16
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 412,650
Tax Assessment (Building): 2,034,000
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 48,200
Office Sq. Ft.:
Residential Sq. Ft.: 48,200
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 22,475
FAR as Built: 2.14
Max Allowed FAR: 0.9
SF Over FAR: 27,869
Usable Floor Area: 48,096
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 20,228
Building Dimensions: 116.17 x 69.08
Lot Dimensions: 155.58 x 165.5
Stories: 3
Buildings: 2
Total Units/Commercial Units:
Zoning: R4A/BR
Building Class: Parsonage, Rectory (M3)
Year Built: 1950

Comments:

In general, the Church appears to be doing well and since this parcel is also used as a Rectory, it appears that there is little chance that the Church will attempt to close in the near to medium term.

Owner: St. Bernadette R.C. Church
Premises: 8201 13th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11228

718-837-3400

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Church/Rectory
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6303
Lot(s): 1
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 648,000
Tax Assessment (Building): 2,335,500
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 38,052
Office Sq. Ft.: 38,052
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.:
Lot Sq. Ft.: 54,200
FAR as Built: 0.7
Max Allowed FAR: 0.9
SF Over FAR: 10,840
Usable Floor Area: 37,940
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 48,780
Building Dimensions: 57.5 x 140
Lot Dimensions: 200 x 271
Stories: 2
Buildings: 1
Total Units/Commercial Units:
Zoning: R4
Building Class: Parsonage, Rectory (M3)
Year Built: 1953

Comments:

Subject property is improved by the Church, the rectory, the grammar school and the school play yard which doubles as a parking lot when school is out.

A representative of the parish confirmed that the parish is doing well and the school continues to be one of the best rated schools in the system. Accordingly, in the short to medium term, there is no possibility that the Diocese of Brooklyn would consider closing either the Church or the school.

Owner: John Hughes Knights of Columbus Club
Premises: 1311 86th Street
Brooklyn, New York 11228

School District: 20
Community Board: 10
Description: Lodge
Borough: Brooklyn
Block: 6339
Lot(s): 1
Police Precinct: 68
Tax Assessment (Land): 105,750
Tax Assessment (Building): 231,300
Tax Class: 4
Building Sq. Ft.: 15,463
Office Sq. Ft.:
Residential Sq. Ft.:
Other Sq. Ft.: 15,463
Lot Sq. Ft.: 12,000
FAR as Built: 1.29
Max Allowed FAR: 0.9
SF Over FAR: 4680
Usable Floor Area: 15,480
Maximum Usable Floor Area: 10,800
Building Dimensions: 86.75 x 59.42
Lot Dimensions: 120 x 100
Stories: 3
Buildings: 1
Total Units/Commercial Units: 1/1
Zoning: R4
Building Class: Lodge Room (P2)
Year Built: 1932

Comments:

A representative of this organization confirmed that the Council continues to be very healthy, well regarded and very active in its community.

Accordingly, in the short to medium term, there is little possibility that the Knights would dissolve the organization and sell off the property.

In the unlikely event this should occur in the future, the existing building could probably be converted into co-ops or condos. The parking lot could also be developed; however, based on the R4 zoning, I believe, only two (2), 1-2 family homes could be built on it.

Omitted from the report: The Bay Ridge United Methodist Church.

Local blogger Mark Brown, of Left in Bay Ridge, on school overcrowding due to overdevelopment:

http://leftinbayridge.blogspot.com/2008/05/now-will-someone-believe-me.html

But, as one of Mark's commenters notes, there is a question whether school overcrowing in Bay Ridge is the result of overdevelopment or the result of the rising influx of young families with school-aged children moving into existing housing stock.

Westside Railyards Blows Up

A planned $1 billion deal to transform the westside railyards into office towers, parks and apartment buildings has blown up -- over zoning.

According to an MTA spokesman, the MTA and Tishman Speyer Properties, owner of Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building, have failed to close a deal to redevelop the 26-acre railyards, one of the last big development sites in the city. The impasse came on Thursday afternoon when Tishman balked at closing on half the rail yards until the other half has been rezoned to its specifications.

Rezoning requires City Council approval, and the process could take years.

According to the MTA, negotiations have been broken off and Tishman no longer has development rights to the property. Tishman says it still hopes to close the deal.

Tishman Speyer won a five-month bidding war against some of the city's biggest developers by offering a $1 billion for a 99-year lease for the rail yards -- on either side of 11th Avenue between 30th and 33rd Streets.

Planners support the development of Manhattan's far Westside because it would create a third major business district and a residential waterfront community.

According to the MTA, Tishman paid $11 million for development rights to the land, with the final terms of the deal to be negotiated. Tishman then wanted to change a major element of the deal by postponing payments on the yards east of 11th Avenue until the west side of the yards was rezoned.

The MTA said it needed immediate cash for the yards in order to plug holes in its budget.

It is unknown how Tishman planned to finance the $2 billion needed to build a platform over the yards, where Long Island Rail Road trains park near Penn Station. And Tishman had no anchor tenant for the proposed office towers.

Several neighborhood groups opposed the plan.

It is unknown whether the MTA will reopen discussions with any of the losing bidders, including Related Companies and a joint venture of The Durst Organization and Vornado Realty Trust.

Related Companies now steps up to the plate. The story, from Crain's:
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080519/FREE/69430138/1058

Related taps Jets president for Railyards: http://www.observer.com/2008/related-taps-jets-president-cross-who-pushed-west-side-stadium-lead-rail-yards

Irony Alert: Brian Lehrer's Inbox

[78]Posted by: Rev Bob Emerick April 18, 2008 - 09:18AM Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

"My name is Bob Emerick, pastor of the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church in Brooklyn.

After decades of sustaining a 100 year old crumbling, beautiful building, our congregation decided that Christ does not want us to spend our meager resources maintaining our old building, even though it is beautiful.

Christ wants us to use our resources to address human need, in Bay Ridge and around the world. So, that's what we are doing. We are selling our old building, we will build a smaller environmentally green church on our property, and we will use the interest on the remaining money to improve the quality of life for as many people as we can, in Jesus' name.

There is a small but vocal group in the community who oppose us. But this is what God calls us to do, and we are happy to do it."

[81]Posted by: MARIAN TUFFIN April 18, 2008 - 08:49PM BAY RIDGE,BROOKLYN

"I AM A MEMBER OF THE BAY RIDGE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.

AFTER YEARS OF STRUGGLING TO MAINTAIN OUR PROPERTY, AND AFTER MUCH PRAYER AND MANY MEETINGS THE CONGRGATION [sic] OF THE BAY RIDGE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH DECIDED TO CONVERT THEIR REAL ESTATE INTO CASH.

THIS DECISION WAS MADE BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT IN ORDER TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF GOD'S GIFTS WE ARE CALLED TO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE AND NOT STONE.

JESUS TAUGHT THAT IT IS PEOPLE WHO NEED OUR CARE.

THE MONEY REALIZED FROM THE SALE WILL REMAIN WITH THIS CONGREGATION IN BAY RIDGE.

WE ARE BUILDING A NEW CHURCH THAT WILL BE 'GREEN' IN THE CONNOTATION OF THAT WORD TODAY.

WE WILL HAVE DOLLARS TO FINANCE PROGRAMS TO BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF THIS COMMUNITY.

THE FEW PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO THWART OUR VISION CLOSE THIE [sic] MINDS TO OUR RIGHT TO FOLLOW OUR CONSCIENCE IN THE PRACTICE OF OUR FAITH."

New CB 10 Subcommittees Appointed

The Green Church is what is referred to as a "soft site" -- an unprotected area in the contextual zoning evelope.

One of the newly-created CB 10 subcommittees is titled "soft sites", indicating that the Board will be paying more attention to the issues raised by the fight for the Green Church.

But doesn't this beg the question why CB 10 has no historic preservation subcommittee?

The article, from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=28&id=20417

The New York City Housing Squeeze

A recently-published report by Congressman Anthony Weiner finds that paying half your income for rent is a trend in New York City -- one in three Brooklynites spend half their income on rent.

Link to the PDF of the report, via City Limits:
http://www.citylimits.org/images_pdfs/pdfs/Weiner.pdf

More on the New York City housing squeeze from Gotham Gazette:

http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/demographics/20080515/5/2524

Increases of 4.5 to 8% for rent-stabilized units will tighten the squeeze:

http://gothamist.com/2008/06/20/rent_stabilised_hikes_face_45_8_hik.php

Baby Daddy

"Vino" comes clean:

"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a three-year-old daughter.

My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry.

While I understand that there will be many questions, including those about my political future, making any political decisions right now are furthest from my mind.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will to continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused."

From Talking Points Memo:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/193960.php

Update from the Staten Island Advance:

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/fossella_back_on_staten_island_1.html

In seclusion on Staten Island, over the weekend, from New York 1:

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=81438

Political rival Steve Harrison chimes in:

http://www.steveharrisonforcongress.com/

Back to the Drawing Table

The New York Times reports that the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission has rejected an out-sized re-development plan that would result in the demolition of the O'Toole Building, right.

The re-development plan, proposed by St. Vincent's Hospital in the Greenwich Village Historic District, would drastically change the appearance of the neighborhood.

The article from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/nyregion/07hospital.html?em&ex=1210305600&en=823c4f838823472f&ei=5087%0A

Francis Morrone, writing for the New York Sun about the defeat of the St. Vincent's plan and the demolition of the Provincetown Playhouse:
http://www2.nysun.com/article/76025

More on the Provincetown Playhouse, from the New York Times:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/dispute-festers-over-village-playhouses-fate/?apage=1

After getting smacked down at the LPC, St. Vincent's scales back and tries again, from Crain's New York Business: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080519/FREE/983894025/1058

More on St. Vincent's scaled-back presentation from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/nyregion/20vincents.html?ref=nyregion

The New York Times reports that St. Vincent's will seek a "hardship exception" from the LPC:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/nyregion/04vincent.html?ref=nyregion

More on the St. Vincent's plan, from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/nyregion/16vincent.html

More on the St. Vincent's plan, from Downtown Express:
http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_272/politicianssupport.html

More on the St. Vincent's plan, from the Villager:
http://www.thevillager.com/villager_273/talkingpoint.html

Actors Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon speak out against the St. Vincent's plan:
http://gothamist.com/2008/07/15/tim_robbins_and_susan_sarandon_decr.php

The state weighs in on the St. Vincent's plan, from Crain's New York Business:
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081014/FREE/810149984/1058/toc

The LPC approves the St. Vincent's plan, including the demolition of the O'Toole Building, from Queens Crap:
http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2008/10/lpc-gives-blessing-to-st-vincents-demo.html

The O'Toole Building on the eve of demolition, from the New York Observer.

Curb Cuts Curbed

It's good that they're making it harder to cut your curb: green space and neighborhood character are important. But aren't people cutting their curbs because there's no place to park in Bay Ridge?

The story, from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=20404

Justice Larry Martin Sues NY Daily News for Libel

Justice Larry Martin, the Kings County Supreme Court Justice who granted the ex parte application to sell the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, has filed a $10 million libel suit against the New York Daily News and lightning-rod Manhattan attorney Ravi Batra, pictured at right. Martin's lawsuit is just the tip of the iceberg, however. The deeper story involves a dizzying array of venues, parties, lawyers and lawsuits -- and a Dickensian plotline.

The bubbling pot finally boiled over on January 28th, 2008, when Batra, according to Martin's lawsuit, goaded Daily News columnist Errol Louis into publishing "outrageous, grossly irresponsible, malicious statements" about Martin that evinced a "complete and utter indifference to [Martin's] rights and reputation."

Louis, in his January 28th column, wrote that "the complicated world of judicial corruption in Brooklyn -- a snakepit filled with bribery and backroom deals" -- was on the verge of being "blown wide open" by Batra's lawsuit in Riskin vs. Karp.

Attorney Jerome M. Karp, the defendant in Riskin vs. Karp, represented Martin in 2001 in a complaint before the Judicial Conduct Board that resulted in Martin being admonished in 2002 for sending ex parte letters on behalf of defendants awaiting sentencing in other courts. Batra, in Riskin vs. Karp, alleges that Karp "secretly" represented a party named Singer in a mortgage foreclosure case before Martin, after Karp had represented the judge himself.

Ironically, Batra cites, as legal precedent for his allegations against Martin and Karp, the Judicial Conduct Board's censure of Supreme Court Justice Richard Huttner for having too chummy a relationship with Batra himself.

What goes around goes around, and around.

The story from Law.com:
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=900005561743

Ferry to Far Rockaway

Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn have announced the start of ferry service from Far Rockaway beginning on May 12. The eventual plan is to bring ferry service to all five boroughs, starting with the City Council-subsidized Far Rockaway route to Pier 11 on South Street.

Expanded East River ferry service is projected within two years, with the City looking to add additional launch locations across the five boroughs.

The Rockaway service is a two-year pilot to be funded through a $1.1 million allocation by Queens Councilman Joseph P. Addabbo. The service will be run by New York Water Taxi to and from Riis Landing, on National Park Service property, and will stop at the Brooklyn Army Terminal en route to Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan.

In the first phase of the plan, New York Water Taxi will restore service in July to Long Island City and to South Williamsburg from a new $1.25 million City-funded launch facility at Schaefer Landing, connecting to Pier 11 and 34th Street.

While previous attempts to connect the boroughs with ferry service have had mixed results, plans for the new service involve the Council, DOT and EDC working with the MTA to connect ferry landings with bus service. And the funding secured by Councilman Addabbo will cap the cost of service to Far Rockaway at $6.

The second phase of the plan will expand East River service by adding stops at North Williamsburg and Greenpoint, and will also include construction of a new landing at Roosevelt Island to be used by a private operator.

EDC has budgeted funds for the design phase of this service and $4.4 million in federal transportation funds have been secured by Congressmembers Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney, matched with $1.1 million split from the Bloomberg Administration and the City Council. The federal funds will be used to construct the ferry landings at Greenpoint and North Williamsburg as well as the dock at Roosevelt Island.

The City Council will pay about $500,000 to fund an in-depth study by City agencies and outside consultants of potential ferry sites in all five boroughs, including Bay Ridge and Sheepshead Bay.

Service from Camp St. Edward on Staten Island is being considered and EDC will contract with a consultant to study Coney Island ferry service and analyze the five-borough ferry market, in order to plan new routes, reduce pressure on crowded transportation routes and connect underserved areas of the City with new transportation options.

The City is also part of a Port Authority study of the commuter ferry network from a regional perspective.

May 12 coverage of the first day of the new ferry service from Sunset Park to Pier 11, from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=20497

New York City's Vanishing Supermarkets

It's not just Bay Ridge.

On April 21, 2008, the Department of City Planning presented an overview of its findings related to supermarket need in New York City in response to the Mayor's growing concern about New York's supermarket shortage.

The analysis shows a widespread shortage of supermarkets and neighborhood grocery stores city-wide: approximately three million New Yorkers live in high need areas. The study also begins to identify barriers to access and opportunities for encouraging supermarket development in underserved areas.

While the City's population grew by approximately 3% between 2000 to 2006, many neighborhoods lost supermarkets.

New neighborhood grocery stores increase property values, expand the city’s tax base and create jobs. Full-line food stores are high-value magnets attracting other stores and services, creating private investment opportunites and contributing to the revitalization of communities.

The city has enormous capacity for new supermarkets, with the potential to capture approximately $1 billion in grocery sales now lost to the suburbs -- enough to support more than 100 new neighborhood grocery stores and supermarkets.

Land use restrictions are an inherent factor limiting the expansion of existing supermarkets and creation of new grocery stores. City policies could encourage retail development in underserved areas, land use regulations affecting supermarkets could be modified where appropriate and future rezonings could consider supermarket need.

City-owned properties offer potential for new supermarkets. The appropriateness of supermarkets could be evaluated in projects with a retail component on city-controlled sites.

View the slide show presentation from the NYC Planning Dept.

More on New York's vanishing supermarkets, from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/nyregion/05citywide.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

A related article from the Brooklyn Paper: http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/20/31_20_key_food_fight.html

Related article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=21674

Related article from Brooklyn Daily Eagle: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=22577

Related article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=23338

State Senator Martin Golden notices the problem:

"Dear Friends,

I remember when Bay Ridge was home to a great number of supermarkets, including the A & P where I worked as a teenager. However, recently an increasing number of residents have come to me expressing concerns over the lack of supermarkets in our community.

Purchasing the most basic of necessities has become a challenge to many people, including seniors, who are forced to walk great distances to a supermarket. This is not convenient, and it is not acceptable.

The closure of the Key Foods located at 9408-3rd Avenue is the most recent example of this concerning trend. Plans are underway to replace this store with a Walgreen's Pharmacy. Bay Ridge doesn't need more drugstores, we need supermarkets so local residents can buy eggs, milk, bread, fresh produce and other items to feed their families.

This is why I have organized a community rally.

On Saturday, May 31st at 11:00AM I will be joined by leaders of a local petition drive, store owners, community officials and other residents at the Key Food location at 9408-3rd Avenue in order to send a message to the owners of this property and to supermarket corporations that our neighborhood should not be forgotten.

I am encouraging all concerned residents to join me and bring posters to hold up at the rally.

Coming together to voice our concerns is what being a community is all about.

Don't miss this opportunity to gather together and make sure our voice is heard.

For more information please contact my office at (718)238-6044 or visit my website at http://www.senatorgolden.com/.

Sincerely,

SENATOR MARTY GOLDEN"

(The loss of a local supermarket is an acceptable cause of action, but don't be bringing Senator Golden stacks of petitions from his constituents concerned about the threatened demolition of a beautiful, historic Methodist church, because that's another story.)

Pastafarianism

WWFSMD?

Sell a beautiful, historic church to a developer known for flipping properties and evicting the old and the sick from their single-room occupancy dwellings to make room for "luxury apartments"? Unceremoniously dig up the ancient remains buried in the churchyard crypt and truck them away on a flatbed? And when confronted by the community, chalk these outrages up to "private property" and "separation of church and state"?

That, me hearties, he would not do.

At least here in New York, churches are not "private property": they are public institutions, governed by the State Religious Corporations Law and the Not-for-Profit Corporations Law, overseen by the State Attorney General, and regulated by the State Supreme Court -- notwithstanding the loophole in the Religious Corporations Law that barred the State's Attorney from the King's County Supreme Court when the BRUMC, one of a handful of "most-favored denominations" in New York State, got an ex parte order authorizing the sale of the Green Church.

Yes, that's right: this elite group of denominations, which includes the Catholic Church the UMC, can legally shut the courthouse door against the State Attorney General.

With realtors and developers waving stacks of money at dwindling, aging land-poor congregations holding some of the last prime development parcels in New York City, this loophole in the Religious Corporations Law needs to be closed -- now. The Attorney General must have the unrestricted right, when any church in New York State seeks to sell all of its real estate, to be notified, to appear, and to be heard on behalf of the people of the State of New York -- who otherwise have no recourse.

The constitutional doctrine of "separation of church and state" refers to the establishment and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment: Congress cannot establish a national religion or favor one religion over another, and we all have the right to worship our own God.

A commercial real estate deal that happens to involve a church-owned property, while it may raise some constitutional issue, does not trigger the free exercise clause.

Worshipping the Flying Spaghetti Monster does, however.

The more interesting question is whether the establishment clause is triggered by a law that exempts some denominations from having to give notice to the Attorney General when they petition the State Supreme Court for permission to sell all of their assets, while requiring that every other denomination do so. I think it is.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster:
http://www.venganza.org/

The Flying Spaghetti Monster touches down outside a Tennessee courthouse:
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/04/flying-spaghett.html

A Bay Ridge Gallery

Photos of Bay Ridge, courtesy of Zippy:
http://www.pbase.com/zippythechimp/bay_ridge&page=all

Underneath Bay Ridge

Photos from Nathan Kensinger:
http://kensinger.blogspot.com/2007/06/underneath-bay-ridge.html

Fosella's Blood-Alcohol Level .17

As did Martin Golden himself, Vito Fosella, invited to attend the "Town Hall Meeting with Senator Martin Golden" on May 1st, had other things to do.

"...On Friday, a Fossella staffer offered new details about hours leading up to the congressman’s 12:15 am Thursday arrest in the Washington, DC suburb.

Earlier in the day, Fossella had been at the White House as part of the New York Giants meet-and-greet with President Bush. The celebration continued at a District of Columbia restaurant, where the congressman and visitors from Staten Island began drinking.
Fossella then left the restaurant and drove — alone — to Virginia, where cops pulled him over.

After assessing his condition, cops arrested him, according to Alexandria city prosecutor Randy Sengel. A blood-alcohol test conducted roughly two hours later registered .17 percent in the congressman’s bloodstream — more than twice Virginia’s .08 criminal threshold.

The story from the Brooklyn Paper: http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/18/31_18_vito_was_really_really.html

From Ted General

How could this have happened? 211 bodies, including the remains of the founder of the Methodist Church in Bay Ridge, Adrian Bogeart, entombed for over a hundred years in the crypt at the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, removed from their final resting place to make way for luxury condos.

I don't know how 60th AD Democratic District Leader Ralph Perfetto could, in good conscience, have planned and carried out the removal of these 211 souls to facilitate demolishing the Church and selling the land beneath it for a multi-million-dollar profit.

Perfetto assured me that he had been the State Director of Cemeteries and wanted to ensure that the bodies were disinterred with dignity and respect. But were they?

There was no prior notice to Bay Ridge's District Manager, its local elected officials, community leaders or neighboring churches. Many of those buried in the crypt were founding members of this community, people who had been government officials, civic leaders and prominent members of the Church congregation. Was proper homage paid to them?

You would have thought that local Democratic District Leader Perfetto, an Ombudsman for City Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, would have notified City Councilmember Vincent Gentile and State Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer, whose districts encompass the Green Church and who are known to have expressed keen interest in its fate -- but he did not.

No Methodist bishop or high-ranking Methodist Church leader, such as District Superintendent Gunshik Shim of the Long Island West UMC District, of which the Green Church is a part, was present to bless the remains before they were unceremoniously carted off to Cypress Hills in metal bins on an open flatbed truck. Was this dignified or respectful?

There was no police escort, no honor guard, no procession, no honorary pallbearers, no funeral cortege for these men, women and children that were a part of both the history of this church and the history of this community.

We learned later that some members of the congregation of the Green Church were not aware that the disinterment was taking place on April 24, 2008. They discovered after the fact that they had not been invited. Like the rest of Bay Ridge, they knew nothing of an 8 a.m. prayer meeting at the crypt attended by Rev. Robert W. Emerick, Trustees John Donlon and Marjorie Sullivan, Ralph Prefetto, and a crew of grave diggers.

Some of the disinterred remains had been moved from the old village cemetary, one of the oldest burial grounds in Brooklyn:
http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=QkVHLzE5MDEvMDcvMTAjQXIwMDcwNg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Golden a No-Show at Tonight's Town Hall Meeting

Aproximately 20 members of the Committee came out for tonight's "Town Hall Meeting with Senator Martin Golden" at Xavarian High School, hoping to get a chance to talk with Golden about the Green Church (Golden had cancelled a meeting with Kathleen Walker the week before), only to find that Golden was again a no-show.

But the evening was not a total loss. The Committee heard from other elected representatives who did attend the meeting, including Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer, who offered to work with the Committee's pro bono attorney, Marianne McKeon, State Senator Diane Savino and Assemblyman Alec Brook Krasny, who expressed support for saving the Green Church, and Councilmember Vincent Gentile, who spoke in support of Karen Tadross' promising proposal to adapt and re-use the Green Church as a performing arts center for Bay Ridge.

Some neighborhood bloggers have picked up an apparently inaccurate lead from press coverage of Gentile's statements at the meeting. Based on the first-hand accounts I've heard from Committee members who heard him speak that night, Gentile did not affirmatively state that the Green Church would be saved, only that he hoped it would be.

Vito Fossella had been invited to the Town Hall Meeting too, but couldn't make it. He was at a celebration at the White House with the President and the New York Giants. (We all know by now how that ended.)

Coverage of the event from the Brooklyn Eagle:

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=20419

Mortgage Delinquencies up by 74% in New York City

The highest delinquency rate since 1992.

The article, from Crain's via Gotham Gazette:
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080430/FREE/453647951/1059/information/

The New York State Assembly introduces a bill that would impose a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures, from Crain's:
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080511/FREE/24030254