I Really Want a Stop Sign on My Block - full circle

Almost a year and nine months ago, I started Best View in Brooklyn with this post about wanting a stop sign on my block.  That post came about eight months after I helped collect signatures for the Friends of Sunset Park's petition to have traffic calming measures installed on 41st and 44th Streets at 6th Avenue, two heavily used entrances to Sunset Park itself.  An on-line petition was also created to collect signatures for a stop sign and/or other traffic calming.   Now, two and a half years after those initial (at least to me) petitions, there's still nothing but speeding cars, fearful street crossers, and disgruntled residents - some of whom have been hit or come too close to being hit by cars at that intersection.

CB 7's Thanksgiving Food Drive Ends Tomorrow!

Check out your cupboards or buy something on the way over or bring a five-dollar bill to the office. 

from The Brooklyn Eagle's reminders of various opportunities/needs:

Community Board 7’s Thanksgiving Food Drive
CB 7 is accepting donations of canned goods and non-perishable items, such as boxed cereals, cookies, cake mix, canned/bagged coffee, rice, pasta, baby food, juices, water, sweets, etc. Donations will benefit the food pantries serving the CB 7 District. Bring your donations to the office at 4201 Fourth Ave. no later than Friday, Nov. 20. If you wish to make a monetary donation, please call the office at (718) 854-0003 or e-mail communityboard7@ yahoo.com for further information. Board 7 is also holding a holiday gift drive, accepting donations of unwrapped new toys and clothing for girls and boys (infant to age 12) through December 18.

Reminder: CB 7 Food Drive

You've still got one week!

CB 7 is accepting donations of canned goods and non-perishable items for its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. All donations will benefit the food pantries serving the Community Board 7 District. Anyone who has seen the lines for the local food pantries knows that there is plenty of need.

Go through your cupboards and pantries to see if there are items you can donate. Another idea is to take a small amount of cash (if you order out once a week or go out for dinner/drinks, put in that amount) and go shopping specifically for the drive. You can also just give the money to the drive. Canned goods, boxed cereals, cake mixes, canned/bagged coffee, rice, pasta, baby food, juice, water, sweets and treats, sauces, and formula are all accepted.

Bring your donations to the CB 7 office at 4201 4th Avenue (corner of 43rd and 4th Avenue) by Friday, November 20th. Bring them early, so you don't forget!

CB 7 Thanksgiving Food Drive

CB 7 is accepting donations of canned goods and non-perishable items for its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. All donations will benefit the food pantries serving the Community Board 7 District. Anyone who has seen the lines for the local food pantries knows that there is plenty of need.

Go through your cupboards and pantries to see if there are items you can donate. Another idea is to take a small amount of cash (if you order out once a week or go out for dinner/drinks, put in that amount) and go shopping specifically for the drive. Canned goods, boxed cereals, cake mixes, canned/bagged coffee, rice, pasta, baby food, juice, water, sweets and treats, sauces, peanut butter, and baby formula are all accepted.

Bring your donations to the CB 7 office at 4201 4th Avenue (corner of 43rd and 4th Avenue) by Friday, November 20th. Bring them early, so you don't forget!

Another Sunset Park Rezoning Article - This One from The Post

This is an article from Monday, October 20, 2009: Maintaining Sunset Park character key to rezoning.

Community Board Meeting Location CHANGE

Tonight's CB 7 meeting will be held at the new Sunset Park High School, in the cafeteria. So, if you want to re-live some high school memories (albeit in a new building), just want to check out the new school, have some kudos or complaints to share with the community board, or just want to fill your Wednesday evening with local entertainment, be there!

Sunset Park High School - 153 35th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues
6:30 PM on Wednesday, September 16th.

Mai Thai's Outdoor Seating at CB 7 Tonight

Or at least the application for their sidewalk cafe is up for discussion at the CB 7 Economic Development Committee meeting. If you love the idea or hate the idea, the meeting is at 4th Avenue and 43rd (entrance on 43rd) at 6:30 PM.

Department of Consumer Affairs Application for an unenclosed sidewalk café with 9 tables and 18 seats for Mai Thai Thai Kitchen Corp. (License #1318457) located at 4618 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Reminder: Dog Run meeting at CB 7 tonight

Come share your thoughts about having a dog run in Sunset Park.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 6:30 PM
CB 7 office at 4201 4th Avenue, enter on 43rd Street.

Public Hearing about the Proposed Dog Run in Sunset Park

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 will hold a
Public Hearing along with its Parks Committee Meeting
about the proposed Sunset Park Dog Run.
The proposed location is adjacent to the 44th Street side of the Recreation Center. (See the SPDOG website - Sunset Bark - for more details and information.)

There is also a very interesting debate on Brooklynian about the off-leash versus dog run advantages. It's mainly centered on big dogs not being able to get enough exercise in a dog run. From what I understand, the chances of keeping the off-leash policy in Sunset Park if there is a dog run seems minimal. That's definitely part of the debate, I'd say.

The CB 7 meeting is on
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10 at 6:30 PM.
The CB 7 office is at 4201 4th Avenue, but enter on 43rd Street.

Contact the CB 7 office at (718) 854-0003 OR email communityboard7@yahoo.com

Last Night's Re-Zoning CB 7 Meeting

Phew! Here's the end result of all the public hearings and demonstrations regarding the CB 7 vote on the proposed re-zoning of Sunset Park. If you were there and have a different take on the proceedings, please chime in. It seems that the two changes/requests (see below) would have been a part of the vote anyway, at least based on how CB 7 has voted in the past. What do you think?

Thanks to a reader for sending in this information:

The board approved the re-zoning plan proposed by the NYC Dept. of City Planning with the addition of the following recommendations:

1- Re-zone the length of Fourth Avenue under study to R6A, not R7A as proposed, to protect the panoramic view from the park.

2- Include anti-displacement clause requiring an owner who is filing to alter or demolish an occupied building to obtain a Certificate of No-Harassment in order to get Department of Buildings approval.

It was quite a lively evening. Some people demonstrated outside with signs calling for CB7 to vote against the plan, as proposed. About 15 minutes into the regular monthly meeting, the demonstrators came in, filling the space to standing-room only capacity. They were not shy about expressing their views throughout the reading of the resolution and the subsequent voting.

Related stories: Brownstoner

David Galarza Responds to Re-Zoning Comments

See the comments section for David Galarza's response to other Sunset Park residents' comments about Re-Zoning and Galarza's participation. Sorry about the extra step, but I don't have the time or patience to re-type it into the body of this post. Blame my feverish babe.

Tonight is the CB 7 meeting about re-zoning and other neighborhood issues (but somehow I think the RZ will be prevalent). Be at 43rd and 4th at 6:30 PM (perhaps earlier) to speak, hopefully listen, and perhaps come to a clear decision.

Remember, the first two comments are from DAVID GALARZA, not me. (He recently ended his campaign for City Council.) I've kept my own opinion about re-zoning out of it. However, I can say that almost all the impassioned commenters on both sides (I think I may be on the third side) have, in addition to salient points, used pseudo-reasoning speckled with ugliness. Several comments were just deleted due to excessively nasty diction.

CB 7 Meeting on Wednesday

The next CB 7 meeting will be on Wednesday, May 20th at 6:30 PM.

This should be an exciting one due to the vote regarding re-zoning in Sunset Park. Demonstrators (mainly against the re-zoning) have promised to be outside. I've heard mixed responses from various people who attended the public meetings about the re-zoning. SPAN and other organizations are saying that most Sunset Park residents are AGAINST the re-zoning, while individuals who attended have said that it was most evenly split, although those against were more vocal and organized. What do you think about the proposed re-zoning?

This week's meeting will be held at 4201 4th Avenue, but you enter the building on 43rd Street. If you've never been, it can be very informative regarding what's going on around Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace. If you're coming from work, or if you just can't make it until after 7 PM, no worries. You can sneak in a little late and no one will blink an eye.

Re-Zoning Straight from the Source

Re-Zoning is change. And inasmuch as we clamor for some and revolt against other, it's almost always colored by emotion. For those who have questions about what is proposed, check out this NYC Department of Planning set of pages. And don't forget about the public comment period! Whether you're Pro-Con-Pondering Still, have a say.

Thanks to both SPAN and the Friends of Sunset Park for sending the links my way.

Community Board 7 Meeting Tonight

If you are interested in finding out what's happening within the confines of CB 7, come to tonight's meeting. It begins at 6:30 PM, and there is plenty of seating in the CB room. The address is 4201 4th Avenue, but the entrance is on 43rd Street. Don't let a slightly late entry deter you, the entrance is far enough to the back of the room that you can make a quiet entrance.

The Brooklyn Paper has some information about a CB 7 issue for Windsor Terrace. (thanks to Curbed for being on top of that.)

Reminder: DEP Public Hearing About the South Pier Improvement Project

On Monday, April 6th (this Monday!), starting at 6 PM, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will hold an Informal Open House (6 PM - 7 PM) and a Public Hearing (7 PM - 9 PM) to inform residents of the area surrounding the Gowanus Generating Station at 29th Street and 2nd Avenue about upcoming changes in emissions.

The hearing will be held in the PS 24 auditorium at 427 38th Street in Brooklyn. On-line, you can peruse the report at the US PowerGen website or at the DEC site. In person, you can check it out at the Sunset Park and Red Hook libraries, the Community Board 7 offices, and the NYSDEC offices in Long Island City.

from the email:

The Astoria Generating Company is reaching out to stakeholders in the Sunset Park community to inform them about its proposed South Pier Improvement Project, which will increase the supply of electricity while decreasing emissions from its facilities in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The Astoria Generating Company, L.P, a USPowerGen Company, proposes to enhance the Gowanus Generating Station with the addition of approximately 100megawatts (MW) of new cleaner state-of-the-art electric generation while reducing the actual net emissions from the existing facility.

A public hearing has been scheduled by the DEC on Monday April 6th, 2009 from 7pm – 9pm with a one hour Open House prior to the hearing. The public hearing will take place at the PS 24 Auditorium located on 427 38th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232.

Additional information on the proposed project is available on the South Pier Improvement Project website at www.USPowerGen.com or call the hotline 1-888-398-USPG (8774).

Reminder: CB 7 Education Committee to Discuss Eliminating Kindergarten

Tonight at 6:30 PM: CB 7's Education Committee has the proposed elimination of the kindergarten class at the Bay Ridge Child Care Center on 44th Street on its agenda.

The meeting is held at 4201 4th Avenue - enter on 43rd Street.

CB 7 Education Committee: Proposed Elimination of Kindergarten Class

On Tuesday, March 31 at 6:30 PM, the Education Committee will meet to discuss the proposed elimination of a kindergarten class at the Bay Ridge Child Care Center (314 44th Street). The meeting is at 4201 4th Avenue (entrance on 43rd Street).

These meetings are open to the public, but they are not hearings. They are for informational purposes only. If this is an issue that could affect you, try to make it!

Reminder: Tonight is the Dog Run Meeting at CB 7

Don't forget! For those interested in Dog Run issues, the Parks Committee of CB 7 is meeting tonight at 6:30 PM. The meeting is at the CB 7 offices at 4201 4th Avenue. Enter the building on 43rd Street.

• Presentation by the Sunset Park Dog Owners – Proposal for a Dog Run in Sunset Park

Dog Park Proposal

On Thursday, March 26th at 6:30 PM, a group of Sunset Park Dog Owners will present a proposal for a dog run in Sunset Park to the Parks Committee of CB 7. The meeting will be at the CB 7 offices at 4201 4th Avenue (entrance on 43rd Street).

If you own a dog, are thinking about owning a dog, or if you love/are bothered by dogs in Sunset Park, you may want to attend this meeting. It's purely informational at this point; it's not a hearing to air grievances or support.

There seems to be a split in the dog owning community between people who want an official dog run and those who enjoy the pre-9 AM and post-9 PM off-leash hours. Apparently, with an official dog run, those hours would no longer exist. I could be (very) wrong, but I'll bet it's cleared up at this informational meeting!

CB 7 Public Hearing: 2010 Preliminary Budget

Wednesday's CB 7 Public Hearing about money in 2010 will begin at 5 PM on Wednesday the 18th. The offices are at 4201 4th Avenue (entrance on 43rd Street). If you have fun there, stay for the CB 7 meeting at 6:30 PM.