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Congratulations MarineParkers.  We are responsible for chipping down nearly one-third of the Christmas trees (2,164 trees to be exact) sent to Brooklyn shredders during MulchFest 2010 – way to be GREEN!

From New York Post/Courier Life:

Marine Park was responsible for 29 percent of the 7,477 trees mulched in Brooklyn, which had the second highest number in the five boroughs. King of the mulch heap was Manhattan, which cut down 10,533 trees.

All told, 23,615 trees were mulched throughout the five boroughs — the highest in the city’s history.

“New Yorkers helped the city stay green by bringing their Christmas trees for chipping at Parks’ annual MulchFest,” explained Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “By recycling their Christmas trees, New Yorkers support the environment and the MillionTreesNYC initiative by providing wood chips that help trees, flowers and shrubs grow.”

Residents were asked to take as much mulch as they could for their own tree-pits, gardens and planting beds.

Mulch was still available for the taking at the park, members of Community Board 18’s Parks Committee was told Wednesday.

The remainder would be used by the city Parks Department for their trees and gardens.

Area residents were all smiles over the achievement, especially if one considers that 80 locations throughout the city were deemed mulch centers.

Yet some wondered if Marine Park was cooking the books, or should we say bark.

“Two-thousand of those trees probably belonged to the guy who was selling them there this Christmas,” Community Board District Manager Dottie Turano joked when told of the news.
 

Thank you to bagels, JD and blueMagoo for the following information concerning the Ecosystem Restoration Project ensuing at Gerritsen Creek:

From the US Army Corps of Engineers:

This ecosystem restoration project seeks to improve the aquatic and coastal grassland habitats located in the northeastern section of Marine Park, Brooklyn, NY near the junction of Gerritsen Creek and Mill Creek, immediately west of Floyd Bennett Field. The project purpose is to ameliorate the adverse impacts of past filling activities related to the construction, maintenance, and improvement of the large network of navigation channels within Jamaica Bay. The recommended plan is designed to increase the twice-daily  tidal inundation across of the project site, and to convert the Phragmites dominated areas that lie adjacent to the existing salt marsh fringes to more healthy tidal ecosystems. The project will restore 31 acres of salt marsh and 23 acres of rare coastal grassland. Located adjacent the Marine Park Nature Center, this project will provide a highly visible and accessible contribution to the overall restoration of greater Jamaica Bay.

While the Army Corps of Engineers estimates the total construction cost of this project to be $6,650,000, the New York Post reports that this project will total $8 million.  The nature trail will be closed throughout the duration of this restoration project. 

The New York Post spoke to Dan Falt, project manager ACE’s New York District, who stated:

“We are working to restore the habitat,” stressed Falt, who said the project would encompass 67 acres adjacent to the nature center on the north side of Gerritsen Creek. In total, he went on, “We will be creating approximately 32 acres of marsh and 25 acres of coastal grassland.”

The entire project, Falt went on, will take approximately one year, with construction beginning early this month. The first step is grading, which, said Falt, will take place over the winter, with planting occurring in the spring, “So people will be able to see big changes rather quickly.”

As a result of the project, he added, “The nature trail will be closed to the public for the construction duration.”

However, once the project is complete, “There will be additional trail area,” and visitors will “be able to see a lot more, because the really tall phragmites will be gone,” Falt said.

Besides revamping the vegetation growing in the area, ACE will also be putting in what Falt called “features,” such as poles for osprey, in hope of attracting the birds to the area.

 

Courtesy of Dumbo Books of Brooklyn

Today Sheepshead Bites posted a Courier-Life report that says the Kings Plaza Diner will be replaced by a Bed, Bath and Beyond. 

Courtesy of Sheepshead Bites:

The article, laden with enough praise for the diner that one must wonder if it’s an advertiser, says that Community Board 18 District Manager Dottie Turano mentioned at a recent meeting that she had heard “from sources” about the closing. Turano also detailed plans to move into the former Retro 50s diner on Cropsey Avenue in Coney Island, the Nebraskan Diner, which has been closed for two years.

Although owners are denying the rumors, Courier-Life reports:

The only evidence of any proposed change comes by way of city Department of Finance records, which showed a deed change at the Kings Plaza Diner back in February 2009 to Sigma Preferred Equities, which couldn’t be reached as this paper went to press. There has been no deed change for the Retro 50s diner since 1998. Residents, however, have noted that construction materials have been left at the site — possible evidence of an upcoming transformation.

Chatter about development on this site has been around for quite awhile.  Furthermore, the site isn’t large enough to accomodate a “big-box retailer” such as Bed, Bath and Beyond.  In fact, I doubt the entire site would even be large enough for the store’s parking lot.

To read the entire article from Courier-Life, click here.

Located at 1926 East 28th Street between Avenue S and Avenue T, the Elias Hubbard Ryder House is an extremely late example of the Dutch Colonial farmhouse, distinguished by a projecting roof eave, used to protect the masonry walls from rain and snow¹.   Built in 1834, this two-story wood-frame house was built on the edge of the farmland inherited by Elias Hubbard Ryder, a member of a prominent Brooklyn family at the time.²  In fact, here is a bit of Ryder family history:

On December 6, 1678, the common lands, in the extreme eastern part of Gravesend bordering Flatlands, were divided into fifteen acre lots.  In 1712, two of these lots were purchased by Bernardus Ryder, who was an Elder in the Gravesend Church.  His grandson of the same name, inherited the property and in turn passed it on to his sons.  Additionally, Bernardus (the grandson) was appointed one of the original five Trustees of the Town of Gravesend.  The property in question was lot #3, which was passed on to his son Elias Hubbard Ryder, for whom the house is attributed to.  In 1822, Elias married Ann Stillwell, a descendant of Nicholas Stillwell, one of the original patentees, and constructed the house in 1834.³

According to the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation report:

When surveys were made for city streets in this section of Brooklyn, the house was found to be located in the middle of the planned roadbed for East 29th Street just off of Avenue S, actually straddling the blockfronts on either side.  In 1928 the City acquired title through condemnation to the property and sold back the house, but not the land, to the Ryder family.  The main body of the house was moved to 1926 East 28th Street after two rooms on the west and an end porch had been removed for structural reasons and in order to adjust the house to the dimensions of the new lot.  To compensate for the rooms lost, the south porch was replaced with a room, and a bedroom and bath with dormer windows were added at the second floor.  Also a rear second story wing was added to provide another bedroom.

According to Leonard Benardo and Jennifer Weiss in Brooklyn By Name: 

The Hubbard family were landowners in Flatlands from 1652.  Descendant and Revolutionary War patriot Elias Hubbard was one of Flatlands’ leading funders of the colonists’ cause.  A 1790 census identifies his seventy-seven acre farm and five slaves.  In 1896 the farm was finally sold off.  Hubbard Place, a segment of the former Hubbard Lane, survives south of Avenue K and Kings Highway.

The AIA Guide to New York City has so affectionately described this house as ”Dutch Colonialism squeezed between neighboring middle-class funk.  The funkiness is compounded by the specious shutters (non-working).”

 This building was designated a New York City Landmark on March 23, 1976.  Click here to read the full Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report.

Sources:

¹  ² Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Barbaralee.  The Landmarks of New York.  The Monacelli Press, 2005.

³ Elias Hubbard Ryder House Designation Report.  New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.  23 Mar 1976.  LP-0920.

Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal.  Guide to New York City Landmarks.  3rd Ed.  New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

White, Norval and Elliot Willensky.  AIA Guide to New York City.  4th Ed.  New York: Crown Publishers, 2000.

To follow up our original post about this pending development on Quentin Road and East 36th Street (former site of Herr’s), it appears that beams have been erected in order to construct an additional story to this 8,500 SF one-story building.  Approved on November 18, 2009, the application proposes to convert the existing cellar and first floor to offices and to erect a new second floor. 

In November, MarineParker reported that these plans were originally disapproved by the Department of Buildings.  I surmised that the addition of a second story violates the site’s allowable FAR (the site in fact is currently at 1.0 FAR – the maximum for an R3-2/C1-2 district), as referenced on the Department of City Planning’s mapping tool.  However, this application has been approved for a second story of 5,077 SF, which will most likely be pitched or set back to allow for the sky exposure plane.  Additionally, if one looks to the adjacent one-story building on the corner of Quentin Road and East 35th Street, there is an additional second story set back from the street that is not completely visible from the street.  Perhaps this addition would resemble its neighbor.

Furthermore, the building permit states that this site will be used for an “Ambulatory Diagnostic and Healthcare Treatment Facility,” with the building increasing from 14 to 29 feet high, over twice its height. 

Perhaps Councilman Fidler, Marine Park Civic Association or Community Board 18 should become involved in someway?

Source: http://samrainer.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/haiti.jpg

From NewYorkPost.com, courtesy of Thomas Tracy of Courier Life:

Neighborhood residents will soon be joining the ongoing effort to help the thousands of families devastated by last week’s earthquake in Haiti.

Local elected officials and members of Millennium Development announced the kick-off of a massive fundraising/collection drive for the embattled residents of the mountain country.

Over the next two weeks organizers will be collecting canned goods, non-perishable food and financial donations at local legislative offices and through Millennium Development’s senior centers and after school programs in Mill Basin, Marine Park, Flatlands, Midwood, Bergen Beach, Flatbush and Canarsie.

The drive is being sponsored by City Councilmembers Lew Fidler (D-Mill Basin) and Mathieu Eugene (D-Flatbush), Assemblymember Alan Maisel (D, Marine Park) and other local elected officials.

“If every other kid attending these programs brings in a can, we’ll be in good shape,” Fidler told members of the 61st Precinct Community Council last week. “We all know someone who has family and friends in Haiti. We need to step up and do what any civilized nation ought to which is provide humanitarian relief.”

City Councilmember Jumaane Williams (D-Flatlands), who has also joined the effort, is among legislators allowing cans and perishables to be dropped off at his office at 4517 Avenue D.

“Ideally financial contributions are needed,” Williams said. “We are working with the Red Cross, UNICEF and Wyclef Jean’s organization until the infrastructure in Haiti is in place to distribute the supplies.”

Because ports and airfields are either closed or clogged, monetary donations will provide the most immediate help, Fidler noted, although canned and non-perishable food and medical supplies will be needed in the coming weeks.

Monetary donations will be given to groups supporting the relief effort, organizers said. Checks should be placed in a sealed envelope with the word “Haiti” written on it, and be payable to either the American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders or American Jewish World Service.

Paul Curiale, Executive Director of Millennium Development, said that not only will the children attending his organization’s programs help those in need, they will learn something about community service.

“Letting the kids know how important it is to help fellow human beings in time of need is a terrific object lesson for them,” he said.

LOCAL LOCATIONS ACCEPTING DONATIONS:

• Lew Fidler’s office, 1402 East 64th Street
• Alan Maisel’s office, 2424 Ralph Avenue
• Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein’s District Office, 3520 Nostrand Avenue
• Bergen Beach Active Adult & Senior Center, 2335 Bergen Avenue
•  Marine Park Active Adult & Senior Center, Avenue U and East 33rd Street    

Millennium Development youth programs that will be collecting donations (from after-school children only) include: 

• IS 78, 1420 East 68th Street
• PS 255, 1866 East 17th Street
• PS 251, 1037 East 54th Street
• PS 236, 6302 Avenue U
• PS 222, 3301 Quentin Road
• PS 207, 4011 Fillmore Avenue
• PS 203, 5101 Avenue M

Anyone wishing more information can contact Lew Fidler’s office at (718) 241-9330.

Thank you to reader “Anonymous” for the following information:

Comprising 78 buildings with 136 units, “Marine Park Luxury Rentals” was the topic of conversation during Senator Marty Golden’s Telephone Town Hall meeting earlier this week.  According to the conversation, there have been complaints of rodent infestation since Hoti Enterprises/Hoti Realty has foreclosed on these properties.  However, the units are now under new ownership so hopefully this problem will be ameliorated shortly.

Any news/updates to report on this story?  Let us know!

LET’S GO JETS!

NEW YORK JETS vs. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 

SUNDAY 4:40 PM

Gotta love festive football fans…

Ashley Furniture Home Store has come to Flatbush Avenue between East 47th and East 48th Streets.  It appears that Flatbush Avenue could become a destination for furniture and home decor retailers (Raymour & Flanigan exists further south) as many sites could accomodate  the large showrooms that such retailers require. 

I think having reputable retailers that can bring a new clientele to the area is a good thing.  Flatbush Avenue has always had its share of fly-by-night businesses that do not add to a local area’s economy.  Although formula retailers are often cited for not contributing to the local economy, the existence of a successful one could foster locally owned businesses to open nearby.  And with so many sites vacant, it’s a good sign to see businesses come here.