The Carroll Gardens group CORD is circulating a letter that it emailed to City Council Member (and Brooklyn Borough President candidate) Bill de Blasio about the upcoming Board of Standards and Appeals hearing about 360 Smith Street. The developer is looking for an okay to build the planned 70 feet rather than the 55 feet allowed under a zoning change. Here’s the letter:
“Where are you Councilman DeBlasio?”, we ask, as residents of Carroll Gardens who fought long and hard along with you to pass the zoning text amendment. This amendment which limits building height to 55 ft. will have no value, non, nada, if we allow even one new development to be absolved from its mandate. The claims of loss at the 360 site which is barely started, are incidental, and we need our Councilman to stand by our side at the BSA hearing to show his support. “Our efforts through the past year will be futile if we let this go. You have been a strong force in our arduous endeavor to save our neighborhood and we appreciate all that you have done. It is vital that all our Politians who were proponents of the amendment show their courage and determination by supporting their constituents at the BSA hearing. Where are you Councilman DeBlasio?” Can we count on you to be there?”
Clearly, the group is seeking the Councilman’s support at the BSA hearing. The Board has a history of siding with developers in such cases although it has sometimes been known to deny their requests for exemptions.
The email also includes a request for residents to send emails. Here’s one of the first of them:
I own the house at 70 1st Place. The Developer has apparently misrepresented the extent of the foundation. For this reason, he is no longer credible and should not be trusted. He was aware of the community opposition to the height of the building when he commenced the project, flouted this community sentiment and undertook the risk that the decision on limitations would go against him. Therefore, he should not be “grandfathered in” and allowed to continue to violate the new rules. I would expect Bill di Blasio to continue to support the residents and home owners of the neighborhood in oppostion to this out of scale illegal development.
Interestingly, the developer argues that nearly 80 percent of the foundation is complete, whereas the Department of Buildings says it’s 20 percent.
4 responses so far ↓
1 woodendesigner // Sep 12, 2008 at 11:13 am
The developer should go down to the site because he does not have 80% done on the foundation. He rolled the dice and lost. Boo hoo for him. Next time maybe he should think about trying to please the community around him before doing something like this.
2 Bob // Sep 12, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Our neighbourhood- “Our” meaning a bunch of Ohio transplants with 2.1 kids who have been in the area 3-5 years.
3 Ian W. // Sep 14, 2008 at 1:23 pm
@Bob — I’m not sure I see your point. Do the long-term locals side with the developer? Do you?
4 MA // Sep 16, 2008 at 2:01 pm
To answer Ian’s question, the long termers are no longer locals; they have moved out to places like S.I.; but many still hold property here. Their rent rolls may be great now, but none of them want to give up the possiblity of big proffits from highrise condo development on their property. If you find supporters of this project don’t forgetto ask what zip code they live in.
Also the influx of those “transplants” started 25 years ago. A new generation of those “Ohio” transplants has been borned, schooled, and have come of voting age in that time (not unlike the past wave of imigration). The “Our” in our neighborhood refers to those who actually live here–renter and home owner.