Real Journalism written by people
Last night I went to a meeting at the Miccio Center that was about two very important things: 1 – Introducing the neighborhood to the GIANT block sized development that has sprung up on Lorraine Street between the chicken place on Duane and the bodega on Columbia, officially called 498 Columbia Street. That’s where the laundromat, bank and 99 cent […]
Unlike last year, the elections this year turned out more to my liking. Except for the ballot initiatives. It’s sad for me to see that groups like Open New York have convinced a majority of otherwise progressive New Yorkers to think that taking away local land use decisions and giving them to a central executive is the right thing. Regular […]
Dear Task Force, I have lived in the Cobble Hill Towers building for over 20 years. I am opposed to the BMT development project for many reasons but primary among them is traffic and transportation. I am in favor of continuing to see this area as working waterfront, but using high density housing to pay for it should be a […]
Last May the NYC Economic Development Corporation, backed by Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul, gave Red Hook a death knell. They fully expected the community to remain quiescent while they pushed through their plan to add a large number of thirty, forty and even fifty story high rise buildings, mostly filled with luxury condos, along the waterfront—from Atlantic Avenue all […]
At 9:15 pm on Wednesday, July 16, the evening before the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force was to vote on the future of the EDC Vision Plan for the Red Hook and CWD waterfront, members received the following e-mail from Congressman Dan Goldman’s office. Goldman is the leader of the Task Force. Hi everyone, Senate Republicans are currently working to […]
“2 IN LUNDY FAMILY SLAIN IN BURGLARY,” read a front-page headline of The New York Times on September 19, 1975. The victims were the sister and brother-in-law of Frederick William Irving Lundy, the founder of the famed Lundy Brothers Restaurant, and their deaths marked the beginning of the end for the historic restaurant. Lundy’s is no longer a household name […]
As I write this, I’m listening to the news talking about the “big, beautiful bill.” That is our legislature trying to put into law all the things that Donald Trump wants to do but can’t without the cooperation of the US Congress. A certain amount of votes are needed by the Republicans. There is all kind of horse trading going […]
Almost 20 years since the first decision document outlining the remediation plan for Public Place, a site along the Gowanus Canal which used to be the site of the Citizens Manufactured Gas Plant but now was supposed to become the flagship development of the rezoned Gowanus, with affordable housing and green space, sits desolate. As one of the most polluted […]
New York City’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has delayed the vote on the vision plan for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment. Again. “I’m very frustrated,” said Jim Tampakis, task force member, maritime expert and owner of Marine Spares International. The Brooklyn Marine Terminal task force, a 28-member advisory body that since last summer has been working with EDC to shape […]
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: As Kimball sees the writing on the wall about today’s vote – an email was just sent out to all the Task Force members announcing a two or three week delay, into the middle of July likely interrupting Dan Goldman’s vacation. My guess is that Eric Adams leaned into Governor Hochul to try and find more funding […]
It’s primary month. As far as the City Council is concerned, the Democratic Party primary in June is the real election, not the usually uncompetitive one in November. The battles over two city council seats in South Brooklyn, Districts 38 and 39, seem to be coming down to the wire. In district 38, which includes Red Hook, incumbent progressive Council […]
Over the years I have learned that the most important part of publishing a paper is assembling a great writing team. Early on I faced an issue with no writers and I had to write everything myself, which was so terrible I made sure it never happened again. Papers like this one have always been a good training ground for […]
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, the trite expression goes. I may not be stronger, but I still love putting together this paper every single month. I’ve never actually lived in Red Hook, but I’ve been on its fringes ever since I moved to Boerum Hill in 1983. My very first Red Hook memory was in 1978 when I […]
