Dear Cobble Hill Community,
We hope you are enjoying the “finally” arrived Fall season. Before we get to our monthly update, we wanted to inform you of the CHA Fall General Meeting,where we will expound on issues discussed in our community updates.
Monday, November 14th at 7pm
Brooklyn Heights Montessori, 185 Court Street.
We hope to see you there.
And on to the report from the CHA board on our fifth month in office:
THE MATTER OF FORTIS
It’s not a done deal!
Many of you have asked for a refresher on the situation and we are happy to provide it.
On November 18, 2015, the community issued a loud-and-clear mandate to reject the ULURP proposed by Fortis for the LICH site. The Cobble Hill community felt that that ULURP was widely out of scale and context. As you know, subsequent contact with Fortis by the previous CHA board did not lead to an agreement on development of the site.
Since taking office on May 11, 2016, the current CHA board has participated in discussions surrounding development of the LICH site. We’ve met with City Hall representatives, Councilmember Brad Lander, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and others. And we reached out to Fortis. In August, we walked the site with the Municipal Arts Society (MAS), which has offered to act as a third party mediator. We’ve had numerous informational meetings with local community groups and Community Board 6 (CB6). Fortis has not indicated any willingness to resume discussions.
We want to reiterate some basic facts about the LICH site:
- Polhemus and the former doctor’s residence on Amity Street are not a part of the proposed ULURP. Those properties are being developed as-of-right (AOR) by Fortis. Polhemus is landmarked (thanks to the work of the CHA in the 80’s) and there is a height limit on the rest of the block. Fortis appeared before Community Board 6’s Landmarks and Land Use Committee as well as before the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) for approval to renovate Polhemus and construct townhouses on the site of the former doctors’ residence. The residences are currently for sale by prospectus.
- The $240 million sale of the entire LICH campus is being accomplished in a trifurcated closing. Fortis closed on 17 of the 21 parcels in 2015 for $120 million. NYU took ownership of the parcel on Hicks and Atlantic, where they will build their new emergency room and medical facility. Fortis may not close on or develop any of the other four parcels until the NYU facility is built and operational. The estimated time frame for this is three years from the start (i.e., 2019).
- NYU, which is building its new ER and medical facility as an AOR project, has not been forthcoming in providing any information to the CHA. NYU maintains that what they are communicating fulfills the legally required and necessary obligations incurred in building an AOR project. CHA would like to have civil and rational discussions with NYU regarding the project and are hopeful that NYU will see the advantage of communicating with the CHA in the spirit of being a good neighbor.
The consistent position of the CHA has been:
- To ensure that the three parks and playgrounds on the LICH campus are preserved and protected “in perpetuity.” These were “replacement” parks for the parkland LICH used for its parking garage. The community gained these parks after legal agreements were negotiated between CHA and LICH from 1982-1984; the parks cannot be built upon, they must be used only for the intended purpose as spelled out in the agreement with LICH, and they must be maintained by LICH or its successor.
- To ensure that if the LICH site is developed AOR, the parks will remain as conceptualized in the 1984 LICH-CHA agreement. If LICH seeks a ULURP, the community MAY agree to swap the three parks for other land of equal or greater value. Reminder: The ULURP cannot proceed unless it is approved by our City Council representative, Brad Lander, who continues to stand with the community and the majority of the City Council.
- To ensure that the bulk of any ULURP is placed as far away from our community’s brownstones as possible.
- To protect a contextual property line along the west side of Henry Street. In particular, no building should be higher than the existing “H Building” on the northwest corner of Amity and Henry Streets.
- To locate the entrance/egress of any building off Henry Street.
- To protect the Pacific Street easement and secure its use as an unobstructed pedestrian passageway.
The CHA remains concerned about the increased population and adverse impacts any development would impose on the neighborhood. New development would add 2,000-3,000 people to the existing Cobble Hill population of approximately 7,000 residents. The CHA Urban Planning Committee has developed a framework to guide the planning needed to integrate any new development into our existing neighborhood. We have shared this framework with the community and elected officials at meetings this past spring and summer, and will share it again at the CHA Fall General Meeting.
A recent interview with DNAinfo that highlights our position:
Matters of Maintenance and Safety on the LICH site
We are currently setting up a meeting with Fortis to review the construction work on the different LICH properties and to establish an ongoing communication process with them, regarding the construction work. An open line of communication with Fortis is incredibly important as there has already been an accident near the site, and other incidents that have caused concern – and because the LICH parking garage on Hicks is about to be demolished (something that would happen in either AOR or ULURP). There are traffic and other issues of concern that we would like to discuss as well. We have a meeting set up for next week.
Neighborhood updates:
Road closure Alert:
Please be advised that on October 31st – November 19th, 2016, from 7am to 4pm Monday-Friday, Henry Street between Pacific Street and Atlantic Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic due to construction at 112 Atlantic Avenue. This closing has been approved by the New York City Department of Transportation. First responders have all been notified.
Ambulance sirens within the neighborhood bounds
In collaboration with the Cobble Hill Health Center, Senior Care has instructed their ambulance drivers not to use the siren (unless they are being blocked) after Atlantic Avenue.
We are working on a meeting with NYU to discuss this issue.
PUBLIC MEETINGS:
Public Information Session on Rehabilitation of the BQE —– Atlantic Ave to Sands Street (Including the Triple Cantilever Structure)
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the NYU Poly Tandon Auditorium #5 Metro Tech,
Ground Floor Entrance
State Senator Daniel Squadron’s Town Hall
Senator Squadron would like to hear from you. The meeting will focus on neighborhood issues like parks, subways and buses, healthcare, schools, development, and quality of life.
Thursday, Nov. 10th, 6:00 pm at the Brooklyn Law School – Student Lounge (1st Floor) 250 Joralemon St (between Boerum Pl & Court St)
You can RSVP online here.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST:
F Train Express:
The CHA attended a meeting arranged by Councilmember Lander to discuss the MTA’s F Express proposal. (link provided in July and again below). There is concern that the proposal may not provide clear and measurable benefits to communities further south of us. There is also concern that the impact on the “local stops” (including Carroll and Bergen) will be significantly more than the MTA has suggested.
We will let you know about future meetings, attend them, and keep you updated.
http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/pdf/F_express.pdf
Comptroller Scott Stringer’s Round Table
The CHA participated in a small round table discussion with the Comptroller to discuss issues affecting our community. Out comments involved the need for planning and community participation before re-zoning is filed. We also asked that the Comptroller’s office use their resources to investigate the MTA F Express proposal.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6 housing
The CHA submitted an affidavit in support of the BHA in BHA v. NYS Urban Development Corp., Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp and Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp, in opposition to the building of two high-rise towers on Pier 6. In that affidavit, we discussed the need for suitable planning with such impactful projects. We also cautioned against the “silo approach” which looks at each development individually rather than the collective impact of many developments. We would like to see planning take into account the thousands of new residents and many changes in this area, as well as developments – such as the LICH – that are currently on the drawing board.
Landmarks Preservation Commission Hearing
We attended the hearing on October 25, 2016 to testify in opposition to the application for 118 Amity Street, which includes a curb cut and surface parking in the side yard. We maintain this is NOT APPROPRIATE on this well maintained 19th century block and rear yard donut. The ruling by the Chair was to table the application and come back for future review. The CHA will be fighting this application aggressively.
CHA COMMITTEES:
All of the CHA committees have been busy this month. Here are updates on two:
LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMITTEE: Laurie and Stan Maurer, co-chairs; Michael Epstein, liaison. This committee shall protect, preserve and promote the integrity of the architectural heritage of Cobble Hill. The committee is familiar with architectural preservation statutes, rules and regulations to work with government agencies to ensure enforcement.
We are pleased to announce that Laurie and Stan Maurer stepped forward to lead this very important committee. There will be a committee meeting set up in the next few weeks to review the CHA LPC mission and the process by which it will operate. Also, it will be the perfect time to get members engaged in the issues relating to 118 Amity Street.
TREE COMMITTEE: Georgia Willet and Tom Synott, co-chairs; Chip McEnhill, liaison. This committee cares for, maintains and replaces when necessary the neighborhood’s trees. The committee surveys and cares for the trees on our streets and in our park.
CHA FALL EVENTS:
Autumn Music in the Park Series:
Cobble Hill Park on Saturdays at 3pm.
October 29: Jose Conde Trio
November 5: Audra Rox
Halloween Parade
Monday October 31st at 4pm in Cobble Hill Park.
We look forward to seeing all of our families and friends in the neighborhood.
MEMBERSHIP:
The Cobble Hill Association is a not-for-profit community organization run and maintained by volunteers. If you are reading our updates and believe in the work we are doing, please donate at: https://www.nycharities.org/give/donate.aspx?cc=2462
Please continue to send comments, suggestions, and offers of neighborly help. Part of what makes Cobble Hill great is our sense of neighborhood.
My best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful autumn. I look forward to seeing you at our events and meetings around the neighborhood.
Warmly,
Amy Breedlove
President, CHA