By Trudy Whitman
The Clarett Group has finally taken a meeting with representatives from the Carroll Gardens community regarding the ongoing and upcoming work at 340 Court Street. This past fall Long Island College Hospital sold the over 106,000-square-foot property between Sackett and Union streets to Clarett, a Manhattan-based developer, for $23.75 million. Anxiety prevailed as the neighborhood learned that, as of right, Clarett was permitted to erect structures as tall as 20 stories.
When word of sale negotiations began to circulate, City Council Member Bill de Blasio and Assemblywoman Joan Millman started lobbying Clarett, asking the developer to consider the character of the brownstone neighborhood in designing the buildings for the large site. Although some believe de Blasio could have done more to pressure the developer to top off his buildings at fifty feet — the ceiling the council member is fighting for in his quest for downzoning Carroll Gardens — there was much to be relieved about when preliminary plans were announced. Clarett said it was working with an architect on a seven-story, 32-unit condominium on Court Street bookended by 10 four-story townhouses on Sackett and Union streets.
Residents were also happy to hear that the developer had hired the architectural firm of Rogers Marvel for the design work. The architects had worked in the brownstone community before as the designers of the 25 well-regarded single-family townhouses on State Street in Boerum Hill.
Rogers Marvel is considered “conscientious and creative,” according to Vincent Joseph, a member of the Union-Sackett Block Association, one of the groups monitoring the project.
The good will began to dissipate quickly, however, as preliminary work commenced for the demolition of the structure — the former International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) headquarters — that now stands on the site. According to Joseph, no one informed residents that asbestos removal — a noisy business — would be carried out round the clock with 24-hour permits. The permitting process itself was rather secretive, neighbors contend, with nothing posted outside the building. And parents of young children were concerned that the bags of material being thrown off the roof in the middle of the night contained asbestos.
“The 24-hour work permit went against the promise we had from the developer that work would not be done at night,” says Joseph. Complaints were lodged with 311 and the 76th Precinct, but residents found it frustrating that there was not a designated person at Clarett to hear neighbors’ concerns. And they continue to worry that shortcuts will be taken in a rush to get the building’s foundation dug before June 30 when the Cooperative and Condominium Abatement Program (421A) is set to expire. This abatement provides partial tax relief for condo owners and co-op shareholders to reduce the disparity in taxes levied on residential Class 2 properties (condos and co-ops) and taxes for Class 1 properties (one-, two-, and three-family homes).
In a letter dated February 15 and signed by a number of citizen groups and concerned individuals in addition to Bill de Blasio and State Senator Martin Connor, Daniel Hollander, Clarett’s senior managing partner was welcomed to the neighborhood and asked to meet with community representatives “as soon as possible, even if the company is not ready to share design plans.” The community, the letter said, would like “the opportunity to express its thoughts and concerns” on height, bulk, contextuality and quality of design, safety during demolition and construction, and quality of life during demolition and construction. Hollander has agreed to a small group meeting at the end of this month in preparation for a larger presentation to the community. A project manager will also be named a that time.
Vincent Joseph says that as he and his neighbors try to work for positive outcomes with developers, the community is most frustrated with the Department of City Planning. “There is no comprehensive plan for Carroll Gardens, no vision,” he says. “We have to fight these little battles all the time, but there is a bigger war going on. Amanda Burden [director of the Department of City Planning] has to realize that we have an emergency here in Carroll Gardens.”
Indeed, with design for a very large (447 units) residential project for Gowanus revealed by Toll Brothers, Inc., two weeks ago, one must ask — again — Where are the schools, post offices, fire houses, and police stations? What about parking, supermarkets, and sewage? These are dilemmas already. Who is minding the infrastructure?
A major education conference, Curriculum, Community, Collaboration & Celebration, Educating a Global Community, will take place on Saturday, March 15, at P.S. 38 (Pacific and Nevins streets) in Carroll Gardens. The conference is designed for everyone interested in improving the education of preK-grade 12 students — teachers, administrators, parents, and concerned citizens. The day’s events include a variety of workshops and the opportunity to have lunch with children’s writers, as well as an address by
New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers. Myers is the author of more than 85 books for children. His work includes
Fallen Angels, Monster, Somewhere in the Darkness, Slam!, Jazz, and
Harlem. Myers has received two Newbery Honors and five Coretta Scott King Awards. He is the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award as well. Through the generosity of the author and his publisher, the first 200 people who arrive at the conference will receive advanced readers’ copies of Myers’s new book,
Sunrise Over Fallujah!
Morning and afternoon workshops will focus on topics such as effective elementary and secondary classroom setup, No Child Left Behind and education policy action research, elementary and secondary classroom management, English language learners, and technology integration into classroom instruction.
Curriculum, Community, Collaboration & Celebration is co-hosted by Teachers Network and Department of Education Chancellor Dr. Marcia Lyles. Teachers Network has been working for over 27 years to assist public school teachers through grants, networking and continuing education opportunities, and support from fellow professionals. Its community of educators is linked by 25 international organizations including education foundations, public school systems, and state education departments.
For additional conference information and for registration details, call Vivian Chang at 212 966-5582, or email her at vchang@teachersnetwork.org.
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Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues.
So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
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