As the Toll Brothers firm seeks its own zoning approval for a big project on the Gowanus, a proposal for rezoning the neighborhood, which would create a framework for significant changes in the industrial neighborhood in the future, could be ready by late Spring or early Summer. (A number of meetings have taken place over […]

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The community meeting last night about the big Gowanus project proposed by the Toll Brothers firm that would leapfrog the actual neighborhood rezoning project, drew a big crowd and even attracted two representatives from the development company itself, included VP David Von Spreckleson. City Council Member Tony Avella held forth about the advantages that pro-development […]

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These birds aren’t just Brooklyn Parrots, they’re Gowanus ones. The photos come from Christian Hanson, a GL reader who, for a time, was doing a blog called walksbklyn. He writes: I was doing some work on the computer this afternoon when I noticed an inordinate amount of “squawking” going on outside my window. Much to […]

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The storefront that had contained Park Slope Books on Seventh Avenue (which closed last week) has been totally cleared out. We suppose the presence of this sculpture in the window, which was drawing a lot of curious glances yesterday, makes the death scene more palatable. It would appear the work is that of Mark Ravitz, […]

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Wheat prices are up and poppy seed prices are skyrocketing, so brace for widespread dollar bagels or worse. Bagels Plus in Bensonhurst has even stopped selling poppy bagels because they say the price would be too high. (Is this a harbinger of poppy bagel doom?) Don’t ask what will happen to the cost of a […]

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One of the most remarkably disgusting things about Coney Island on a busy summer day is the extent to which trash piles up. Last summer, at different points, things were better with some cleanup efforts by the Doe Fund, which was hired to provide services. Yesterday, the Coney Island Development Corp. issued a 98-page RFP […]

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“There was the famous case of the language poet from Red Hook who grew despondent when the Shift key on her MacBook broke. She couldn’t write for weeks. Overcome by melancholy humors, she jumped into the enchanted, glowing waters of the Gowanus Canal, her pockets full of stones. And … she was cured! The metaphors […]

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You can’t read it on the white sign in this photo, but today (March 4) is the last day to bid on the lease for the Hollywood Video space on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. Time will tell what ends up replacing it.

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Coney Island entrepreneur Dianna Carlin, aka Lola Staar, will be opening a temporary roller rink near the boardwalk this summer. Details come from Sarah Ryley in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, who writes that “details are being finalized to install a temporary roller rink near the boardwalk.” Ms. Carlin would identify the location until a formal […]

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Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn-related information and images: Brooklyn Judges Revolting Over Capital Punishment Cases [Sun] A Visit to the Much Blogged Brooklyn Ghostbusters [NYDN] Contractor Accused of Lying About Repairs with Fatal Consequences [Sun] Carlton Mews on Life Support? [Brownstoner] Unity Workship Addresses Entire Yards Footprint [AYR] Just Follow the Rules [Pardon […]

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The Park Slope Civic Council is hosting a community forum on sustainability on March 6. It’s called “PlanPS2008: How You Can Start Fighting Climate Change Today.” Per the PSCC: The forum will be chock-full of everything from easy-to-implement, everyday, eco-friendly tips to how-tos on solar-panel and green-roof installations. Expert panelists will provide you with the […]

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We featured this sofa, which is currently on Malcolm X. Boulevard in Bed-Stuy, last week. Miss Heather took another pass by and sent along an update. The sofa has lost last week’s snow, but gained some other stuff.

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Gabby Warshawer scores the Park Slope food scoop of the year with the news that Ghenet, the Ethiopian restaurant on Mulberry Street in Nolita, is opening on Fourth Avenue at Douglass Street. Now, that’s Park Slope news.–Brownstoner

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From Lewis Avenue in Bed-Stuy, submitted by Miss Heather.

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The wonderful Kevin Walsh, the force behind the Forgotten NY website and book, will be at Word Books in Greenpoint on Thursday (3/6) at 7:30PM. He will be doing a presentation followed by a Q&A. Word Books is at 126 Franklin Street. The event is free, of course.–New York Shitty

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[Photo courtesy of Charles Andrisano] This photo of the Parachute Jump in summer in Coney Island comes from Charles Andrisano, who last contributed a photo of the lunar eclipse as seen from Bay Ridge.

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Although the sun is out very early today, it will be mostly cloudy with mist and fog. The high will reach 60 degrees. The low tonight will be 47 and there will be heavy rain, with a thunderstorm and some gusty winds.–Accuweather

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There was much agitation in Carroll Gardens on Saturday when signs indicating that asbestos removal was underway at the Carroll Street Station along with a truck with air monitoring equipment and a dumpster. Several people sent us photos of the dumpster, which was left open, but was later closed after resident complaints. We just got […]

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Whatever the MTA was doing in terms of asbestos removal at the Carroll Street Station this weekend had wrapped by up by yesterday afternoon, but a local City Council Member Bill de Blasio said he was “deeply concerned” about the work and criticized the MTA for not notifying the community in advance. Yesterday, we reported […]

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As if the MTA’s asbestos removal work in Carroll Gardens wasn’t enough fun over the weekend (an official explanation is pending), there is another small story to report from a neighborhood resident who emailed us about a KeySpan van (an “inherently low emission vehicle,” no less), spewing exhaust fumes for hours. There is also a […]

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The latest missive to Brooklyn residents from Forest City Ratner touts the Community Benefits agreement related to Atlantic Yards. “You gotta love the seven(!) images containing the dummy copy of ‘Ye Olde Community Benefits Agreement.‘ Complete with frayed and crumbling edges, calligraphy font and faux-antique yellowing — the sub-text that the CBA is make-believe couldn’t […]

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How often does a neighborhood throw a party to say thank you when a business closes? Well, Cobble Hill is throwing one for Trusting Cleaners, the beloved dry cleaners on Court Street who are being forced out because of rising rent and a landlord that has ignored neighborhood pleas, a petition and entreaties from local […]

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Are shills for developer Joe Sitt and Thor Equities posting on the Coney Island Message Board? Possibly. “While some of these accusations may have been overblown, one recent post by new user ‘born_in_brooklyn’ (who identifies herself as ‘Alice’) is such blatant pro-Thor propaganda that one can’t help but suspect that Thor is employing some nefarious […]

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Opening March 5 at 436 Union next to Dumont Burger. If it seems familiar or confusing, it’s because it is. The cafe closed last fall on short notice, but it’s reopening under new management, and bringing with it an outside patio that was missed by many, just in time for nice weather.

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Gowanus residents are preparing to fight the Toll Brothers proposal for a big development on the banks of the Gowanus Canal. The developers are looking for city approval for the project–which would include buildings up to 12-stories tall and 577 units of housing–before the Gowanus rezoning. An organizing meeting to prepare for a “scoping hearing” […]

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