There’s a public hearing on the appeal of the Board of Standards and Appeals decision allowing the Finger Building in Williamsburg to continue. (The Finger Building, on might recall, has been stalled at ten stories for nearly two years, with an ugly dispute taking place about whether it has been built illegally or might actually be allowed to rise even taller than its current height.) The hearing takes place on Tuesday (7/29) at 10AM at 40 Rector Street on the Sixth Floor in Hearing Room E. In advance, a number of emails are going out from Williamsburg opponents to rally the troops. Here’s one of them:

Tell the Department of Buildings to enforce the law rather than work to ensure a windfall for a developer operating in bad faith. Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG), the People’s Firehouse, and several community residents are appealing the Dept of Building’s (DoB) decision regarding the validity of the permit for the “Finger Building” (located at 144 North 8th St between N 7th and N 8th and Bedford and Berry).

Although the building is 10 stories tall right now, the DoB has NOT revoked the permit that allows the
developer to more than double the current height!!!

The Brooklyn DoB Commissioner wrote that the permit is valid because the architect, Robert
Scarano, and the developer, Mendel Brach, “BELIEVED” they could use the neighboring roofs for the required “open space”. Yet every related legal document (easements, etc.) expressly disallows the use of those rooftops.

The bottom line is that the DOB should insure that the building complies with zoning laws rather than the beliefs of self-interested developers.

The email asks for opponents of the building to turn out for the hearing.