Carroll Gardens And Gowanus Residents Showed Up To Testify, But Council Members Not There To Hear Them

Chair Tony Avella with colleagues

Councilwoman Melinda Katz
(texting during seession)

Councilwoman Baez and Councilman Seabrook
(more texting during session)

Toll V.P. David Von Spreckelsen with his team

As expected, the Toll Brothers' Gowanus Project was approved by a vote of 6 to 1 at the Zoning and Franchises Sub-Committee yesterday morning. The only 'no' vote came from Chairman Tony Avella, who stated that he was voting with the community members who had testified in front of him on Wednesday last week.

None of his colleagues had bothered to show up for that hearing, thereby missing the impassioned speeches by both Gowanus and Carroll Gardens residents, arguing that the site was too toxic and prone to flooding, the project too high and bulky and the affordable housing portion not guaranteed by the developer.
But none of this seemed to matter to any of the other Councilmembers. All they knew was that our Councilman Bill DeBlasio lent this project his "extreme support" as Councilwoman Katz reminded everyone. From the start, it felt as though the project was a done deal before the start of the U.L.U.R.P. process a year ago. After all, the Toll Brothers spent a sizable amount of money to lobby our elected officials.

Chair Tony Avella has won my gratitude and my admiration. He had asked the developer's representatives back a second time to clarify some issues regarding the environmental clean-up of the site. Avella also tried very hard to get a guarantee out of Toll Brothers' V.P. David Von Spreckelsen in regards to the affordable housing portion of the project. Unfortunately, he was not successful. But at least he tried to address the community's concerns, which is a lot more than can be said about Bill De Blasio.


Councilwoman Melinda Katz Explaining her 'yes' vote


Untitled from Katia Kelly on Vimeo.


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Carroll Gardens And Gowanus Residents Showed Up To Testify, But Council Members Not There To Hear Them

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Dear Reader, you remember when I wrote about Brooklyn President Marty Markowitz's rats at Borough Hall? Well, it turns out that he is not alone. Michael Bloomberg is surrounded by the rodents as well...

Dear Reader, you remember when I wrote about Brooklyn President Marty Markowitz's rats at Borough Hall? Well, it turns out that he is not alone. Michael Bloomberg is surrounded by the rodents as well...

Yesterday, I happened to pass by City Hall (yes, I do leave the neighborhood sometimes) and happened to notice the tell-tale black boxes, the pesticide notification fliers and of course.... the large burrows around City Hall Park. There is no doubt: the area is infested with rats.

There is a certain justice in the fact that the rodents don't seem to discriminate between Manhattan and Brooklyn elected officials. The growing rat population is directly related to an increase in construction, insufficient garbage collection as well as badly coordinated responses amongst the city's agencies. Though New York City spends millions of dollars yearly on baiting and has created a special "Inter-Agency Rodent Task Force," the rat population is thriving.

Of course it doesn't help that residents insist on leaving food for birds and squirrels (and rats) like the woman above at City Hall Park.

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Lots Of Rats At Brooklyn Borough Hall

Marty's Borough Hall Rats Doing Just Fine, Thank You!

Marty's Rats Still Going Strong And Playing In The Snow

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

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