RED HOOK STOP ON CITYWIDE FERRY SERVICE ANNOUNCED

RED HOOK CITYWIDE FERRY SERVICE

Yesterday, the de Blasio Administration and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced that one of the 21 Citywide Ferry Service's stops will be located at Atlantic Basin. The Red Hook Ferry Landing will be on one of five routes, the South Brooklyn route, that are due to start launching next summer, with all routes expected to be fully operational by Summer 2018.

Fares will be equal to the price of one subway ride, $2.75, with free transfers to any other ferry route within the system. The Mayor's office estimates the ferry service will generate at least 155 new jobs in the New York Harbor.

Links to details and more info below. 

More info:

http://www.nycedc.com/project/citywide-ferry-service

http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/627-16/de-blasio-administration-location-new-red-hook-ferry-landing

http://www.citywideferry.nyc/

Job opportunities:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/citywide-ferry/careers?trk=job_view_topcard_company_name

New chocolate factory and distillery coming to Red Hook

It appears that a distilery and chocolate producer named Cacao Prieto will be joining the ranks of locally produced Red Hook food and drinks. Brownstoner posted the image above along with links to the company's pending liquor license and potential parent company site from the Dominican Republic. With such companies as Six Point, Red Hook Winery, Steve's Key Lime pie, Stumptown coffee, and others, producing high quality food and beverage nearby, Red Hook is truly becoming a center for local food and drink production.

Image above from Brownstoner

Phoenix Beverages is still at it!

The relief that was felt last week upon hearing that elected officials and Phoenix Beverages had come up with an interim solution has turned back into frustration and disappointment. Starting yesterday, June 21st, Phoenix Beverages trucks (aka Long Feng beer trucks) were supposed to stop using Columbia St. and instead use the BQE when traveling between Pier 11, where they unload empty bottles to be recycled, and Pier 7, where they load up on beer to be delivered the next day.

As of today, June 22nd, they have not lived up to their promise. Numerous trucks were reported as traveling up and down Columbia St. all day today. I saw a few myself, got emailed about some, and talked to others who also saw some. Yesterday I also saw a Twitter posting that asked why the trucks were still being spotted.

I would like to urge local residents and businesses to make more noise about this. COWNA has been in frequent contact with elected officials about this, and elected officials have been keeping the pressure on Phoenix and EDC, but apparently its not enough.

I would also like to thank Council Member Lander's office, State Senator Squadron's office, and all of our other elected officials for the close attention they have been paying to this matter. I'm confident that we can come up with a solution and get these trucks off of our local streets as originally promised.

For some recent background information on this topic, check out these articles and posts:

WOCS: Council Member Lander's Columbia Waterfront Update
Brooklyn Paper: City and beer company raise a glass on Columbia compromise
A View From the Hook: Phoenix Beverages and the NYCEDC are LIARS
Daily News: Beer distributor Phoenix Beverages infuriates Red Hook residents with noisy delivery route
Brooklyn Paper: Its a booze cruise on Columbia St. thanks to beer trucks
WOCS: Phoenix Beverages has arrived


Photo above taken today, June 22nd, at approximately 1:45pm. Submitted by anonymous source.

Ice Cream Parlor to open at Lido location (plus a new American Bistro on Union!)

Ice Cream on Columbia!
We heard whispers a while back that the old Lido spot was to become an old fashioned ice cream parlor. Having never fully confirmed it or hearing nothing about it since, we never got around to posting it. Brownstoner decided to run with it however, posting about it yesterday with very little information. I guess we can assume at this point that it's true? Either way, we agree with Brownstoner's comment that they should hurry up and open before summer REALLY kicks in.

American Bistro on Union
While we're at it, those who read our twitter feed will also know about the American Bistro that will be opening up on Union in the old Korhogo space. Work has been happening in recent weeks, and we'll hopefully have some more updates about that soon.

Its always so exciting to have new businesses opening up!


Image above from Brownstoner.

It's Official: The Urban Meadow has its own site!!!

Up until now, the Urban Meadow has never had its own website - instead functioning through posts on this blog, facebook, and myspace. The time has now come for it to get a site of its own. Check it out to see more in depth posts about all things Meadow related, including events, pictures, programming, membership information, and much more!

While you can still expect to see posts here announcing events and such, you can always get more information from that site. For example, the recap and pictures of last weekend's Folk Festival on the new UM website are much more detailed. Here's just one example:


The full Folk Fest recap is here and a live video of one of the performers is here

The OFFICIAL Urban Meadow site is here

SCRATCHBread to move to Columbia st.

The Village Voice reported earlier this week that SCRATCHBread, a popular Brooklyn based baker that sells bread at Brooklyn Flea among other places, has found a new home on Columbia St.

According the article:

Back in February, word got around that SCRATCHbread's Matthew Tilden was looking for a new space in which to bake his excellent bread. ....
Late last week, he found a new baking facility on a stretch of Columbia Street along the Red Hook-Carroll Gardens border. While Tilden cautions that it's going to take awhile before he gets bread production up and running again (he still needs a wood-burning oven), he's happy to have found a new home. Stay tuned for further details.

What's not clear in this Voice post is whether or not it is just a kitchen space or if it will also have a storefront. I've heard great things about SCRATCHBread and the choices on the website look amazing! While its always good to have new business moving in, being able to get that bread locally would be especially exciting!

Full Village Voice article here
SCRATCHBRead website here
Edible Brooklyn article here

Image above from Edible Brooklyn

Sirens, loudspeakers, confusion, oh my!

If you heard sirens and an ominous voice this morning, you were not alone. We heard it and were immediately confused, as was a reader that emailed in. We managed to talk to the 76th precinct and were told that it was a test on piers 7-12.

Later today, the NYTimes City Room blog had a little more detail, including interviews with local residents and workers about their perceptions:

With no warning, the mysterious sirens, accompanied by garbled instructions, startled the residents who live near the Columbia Street waterfront and in nearby Brooklyn neighborhoods sometime after 9 a.m. Monday.

Felix Rosario, who lives on Columbia Street, thought the instructions were about the water supply. They went on for 20 minutes. He could not really make out what the announcer was saying.

“I was worried about the water in my house,” he said.

Marie Testaverde knew it was a test, but not much more: “I forgot about it. Certain noises, I just forget about.”

A block away on Tiffany Place, Rafael Rosado, who works at a building on the street, recognized the warnings — “garble, garble, garble” — as a noise he had heard several times over the years.

“I wish I could understand what they’re saying,” he said. “Imagine if something was actually happening.”

.....A security guard at Pier 8, at the end of Atlantic Avenue, provided an answer: the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was testing its emergency broadcast system, as it does once a year. Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the agency, said the system, to be used in case the pier needs to be evacuated, can be heard for a mile in every direction. He said that port tenants and the local police precinct were notified in advance.

Full post here:
City Room: Attention, Please! This Is a Zzb Frzzkd Sxpldts!

Cleaner trucks, cleaner ports

The NY Times recently ran an article titled "Clearing the Air at American Ports" about an alliance between union members and environmental groups that aims to reduce port emissions by requiring the trucking companies that operate at ports to hire truckers as employees rather than independent contractors, and as a result, pay for newer and cleaner trucks for them. The Port of LA started pursuing this strategy a couple years back and has successfully banned older trucks, however it is facing legal challenges from the trucking industry in trying to require the conversion of independent contractors into employees. Many are now pushing for Congress to change laws at the Federal level so that it would be easier for such a requirement to be enacted. As our neighborhood is so directly linked to an operating port, it is well worthwhile to think about how a program like this might effect local workers and the air we all breathe.

Below are some quotes from the article. The full article, which contains more details about related legal battles, industry economics, and opinions on both sides, is available here.

The Teamsters union and environmental activists have formed an unlikely and outspoken alliance aiming to clear the air in American ports, and perhaps bolster the Teamsters’ ranks in the process.

The labor-green alliance is getting under the trucking industry’s skin by asserting that short-haul trucking companies working in ports — and not the truck drivers, who are often considered independent contractors — should spend the billions needed to buy new, low-emission rigs that can cost $100,000 to $175,000 each.

The Teamsters union says seaport air is so dirty largely because port truck drivers earn too little to buy trucks that would belch out fewer diesel particulates, tiny particles that contribute to cancer and asthma. Working with environmentalists, the union helped persuade the Port of Los Angeles to adopt a far-reaching plan that bars old trucks from hauling cargo from the port and puts the burden of buying new vehicles on the trucking companies, not the drivers.......

The labor-green alliance achieved a major victory in late 2008 when it helped persuade the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, a former union organizer, and the city’s port to require trucking companies to employ their drivers directly, making the companies bear the cost of buying new rigs.......

In addition to Mayor Villaraigosa, the Teamsters and environmentalists have lined up other backers, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, Mayor Corey Booker of Newark and other mayors, senators and representatives.

With a recent Rutgers study finding that port drivers earned $29,000 a year on average (after paying for their trucks, maintenance, fuel and insurance), Mr. Bloomberg said, “Truck drivers simply can’t afford to buy expensive trucks. They’re barely earning enough to make ends meet in a job that should be providing them with a solid, middle-class living."

Image above of the Port of LA from NYTimes

5 Burro Cafe coming to Pit Stop space

Alternate post title: Petanque exchanges pastis for margaritas as the drink of choice

A while back we reported that a Mexican restaurant would be moving into the Pit Stop space, which has now been confirmed by New York Magazine's Grub St. blog. NY Mag reports the good news that it won't be just any Mexican joint, but will in fact be a satellite location for 5 Burro Cafe, a very popular Mexican restaurant in Queens.

The article says that the 5 Burro owners plan to keep the petanque courts, possibly expand the outdoor space, and will offer many of the same items as the Queens location, as well as some items unique to the Brooklyn location.

TWOCS: Pit Stop to Become Mexican Restaurant
NY Mag: 5 Burro Cafe Coming to Red Hook?
NY Mag: Confirmed: 5 Burro Cafe Will Open Outdoor Margarita Spot in Red Hook

Image of Pit Stop backyard from NY Mag

Brooklyn Paper: Columbia St. is right mix of hip and home

An article that ran in the NY Post / The Brooklyn Paper late last week profiled our neighborhood as struggling under the designation as "the next Williamsburg" and having a "boom that never came." It also reaches the conclusion that that might actually be a good thing, as the overall description of the neighborhood at the top of the article is "the right mix of hip and home."

The article gives some overall descriptions of the neighborhood and then goes on to profile many of our local businesses in a great light - pointing out that there are still things to do in the winter months, despite what some may think.

If you are reading this and are not familiar with our area, please note that there are many other businesses not profiled in the article as well! See our list on the sidebar.

A snippet is below. Click here to read the whole thing.

Like many neighborhoods on the edge of Brooklyn’s bustling Downtown, the Columbia Street Waterfront District has been struggling under the weight of being “the next Williamsburg” for a few years now.

But just as Greenpoint and DUMBO earned — and then casually tossed aside — that designation to become interesting, but never frenzied, neighborhoods, so has the stretch of Columbia Street between Atlantic and Hamilton avenues.

Yes, there are plenty of great places to eat and drink, shop or browse — and one music venue that ranks with the best in the city — but Columbia Street remains a quiet livable neighborhood.

Part of that is certainly due to its mass transit isolation — the best way to get to the area is probably via the Ikea shuttle from Borough Hall rather than anything provided by the MTA.

But the neighborhood’s status is also no doubt due to the boom that never really came. For every pioneer that has made it — Alma — there are two that didn’t (Red’s Tapas Bar on the south end of the strip and Pit Stop, that pitch-perfect French bistro on the north end, both closed within a few months of each other).

Report on the Salt Pile meeting

Yournabe.com/The Courier ran an article yesterday on last week's salt pile meeting with ASI.

While the meeting seems to have gone well overall, the true test will be to see if ASI lives up to its apologies and either moves the pile or keeps it under MUCH better control.

Some of the article is posted below. Click here for the whole thing. Thanks to Councilmember Lander, Councilmember Levin, Senator Squadron, and Assemlywoman Millman for making this important step happen and getting ASI to come to the table!

Lydia Jimenez doesn’t have to go far to get her daily sodium requirement — the Baltic Street resident simply steps outside her home, and sticks out her tongue.

“I can smell it, I can taste it. It’s all over our vehicles and when its windy, it comes in our homes,” she said at a meeting convened last week to address the problem.

Jimenez is one of several vexed homeowners living near a mountain of salt stored at American Stevedoring International’s container terminal abutting the Columbia Street waterfront district....

At the meeting, Matt Yates the director of commercial operations for American Stevedoring International, took full responsibility for the predicament, apologizing to residents and admitting that mistakes have been made in handling the mineral. “The buck stops here,” he said. “Our job is to manage the port and supervise it.”

Yates said that in the short term, the salt, which is imported from South America and Canada and stored near the Columbia Street side of the port, would be better managed and covered properly. He promised to return to the community with specifics and a long term plan, one that could involve moving the pile farther away from residents’ homes.

“We probably should have thought of a more internal location,” Yates said. “We didn’t think enough about how this was going to impact the community.”

At the meeting, held at the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health on Columbia Street, Yates was flanked by City Councilmembers Steve Levin and Brad Lander, along with state Senator Daniel Squadron....

Columbia Street resident Norman Cox, the president of the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association, said he was heartened by the presence of the elected officials, and impressed by Yates’ effort. “But I won’t be totally satisfied until the pule is gone,” he said. “I really don’t think it’s appropriate there.”

Local resident Terry Hasan wasn’t as impressed. “The take away, when all is said and done, is that I don’t know how much is going to change,” he said. “To change, you have to either eliminate the salt pile or tell us very specific changes [that will be enacted] to manage the pile. Until then, it’s just ‘hey, we’ll do our best.’”

Red Hook Hooverville

Gothamist and EphemeralNY posted some pictures last week of "Hoovervilles" around New York during the Great Depression. The above picture of one such Hooverville in "Red Hook off Columbia St." was included in both posts. Pretty fascinating stuff - especially in light of all the comparisons to the Great Depression that we've heard over the past year due to the recession.

For more information on Hoovervilles, check out a Wikipedia page here and a PBS Kids Big Apple History page here

Trash and Concrete Problems in Red Hook

The Courier touched on two issues this week that are affecting Red Hook's quality of life: trash and concrete

In an article about State and City procedures for keeping the new Red Hook concrete plant on a "short leash," the Courier's Gary Buiso writes:

State and city officials are vowing to keep a close watch on a concrete plant once it opens in Red Hook — but those hoping for an environmental assessment before that day should expect to be disappointed.

Critics of the arrival of United States Concrete’s facility to 640 Columbia Street are urging the city and the state to conduct air quality testing to determine if the plant’s arrival is even suitable for the site, which stands near neighborhood ballfields and an organic farm.....

According to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the plant will require an industrial process permit for each type of processing equipment, such as ventilation or exhaust machines, that will be employed. The equipment that has a permit is inspected when it is ready to go into use and then it is inspected every 3 years in order to renew the permit. The company also has to ensure that the piles of sand and dirt on site are sufficiently covered or sprayed with water.

Then, in another article, Buiso writes about a trash problem on Halleck St:

Forget about traffic, a Red Hook roadway has a problem of a different sort: trash.

Halleck Street between Court and Clintonhas been transformed into a veritable dumping ground, and Community Board 6 is urging the city to either turn the messy parcel into a park, clean it up, or both.

While the tract of land is under the jurisdiction of the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT), the agency never built it as an actual street, leaving it fertile territory for the accumulation of all manner of trash. And that’s exactly what happened several years back when a contractor dumped enormous mountains of fill material there, creating a mountain of dirt that seemingly encouraged similar activity, according to Board 6 District Manager Craig Hammerman. “The DOT is unwilling to remove the dirt, claiming they are not responsible for putting it there and they don’t have the resources......”

Read the rest of the concrete article here and the trash article here

Local business profiled in the Daily News

The Daily News ran an article earlier this week called "Red-hot deals in Red Hook" where they highlighted a number of local businesses that often don't get media attention. Its almost like a Not-for-Tourists guide to Red Hook. Here's what they included:

GROCERY STORE: Fairway

480 Van Brunt St.; (718) 694-6868

Fairway has the best selection of fresh meats, dairy and produce in Red Hook. Be sure to check the circular every Saturday for weekly in-store specials, like Bartlett pears for 99 cents per pound; fresh-cut swordfish steaks for $6.99 a pound; General Mills cereals, two for $5, and Kleenex tissues for $1.89.

HAIR SALON AND NAIL SALON: Golden Fingers Dominican Style Salon,

70 Lorraine St.; (718) 797-3303

Golden Fingers is the place to be pampered. Monday through Wednesday a wash and set is only $10. Everyday prices include braids for $35 and up, box braids for $80 and up and natural cornrows for $25 and up. Manicures are $8 and pedicures go for $13.

HARDWARE STORE: Celco II Hardware

289 Van Brunt St.; (718) 899-8116

At this corner hardware store, you can get keys made, get help with your locks and buy hardware, paint, heating supplies or vanities.

DINER: Flaco Luncheon,

54 Lorraine St.; (718) 222-3078

Since 1985, Flaco's has been serving up the best homemade food in Red Hook. Be sure to check in every day for the daily specials, like a small plate of rice with pork or steak for $5.50 or a large for $7. A small soup is just $3 and a large is $6, and come in varieties like chicken, beef, oxtail and tripe.

LAUNDROMAT: The Wash Stop Laundromat

34 Lorraine St.; (718) 625-7250

The Wash Stop is a block-long laundromat that really makes getting your laundry done easy. The place has more than 100 machines, drop-off service, a play area for kids and satellite television. It also has private mailboxes for rent.

DELI: F & M Bagel,

383 Van Brunt St.; (718) 855-2623

At F & M, a ham and egg sandwich is just $3, a bacon cheeseburger is $4.50 and a hot roast beef sandwich is just $5. F & M also serves hot plates of food, like meatloaf and chicken parm, starting at $6.50. Fish is served on Thursdays and Fridays, and Boar's Head cold cuts, soup and salads are fresh daily. Free delivery.

TAKE-OUT: Red Hook Cafe & Grill

228 Van Brunt St.; (718) 643-0122

This is a great place to grab a quick breakfast or lunch. The cafe serves up a variety of burgers for about $5; salads run about $6; a BLT is just $3.25; pancakes are $4 and gourmet tortilla wraps are about $6. Free delivery.

DRY CLEANERS: Y and M Cleaners

592 Clinton St.; (718) 852-0264

For the past 19 years, Van La has been keeping Red Hook's duds looking dapper. All work and alterations are done on the premises. Base dry cleaning prices are $8 for a suit; $5 for jackets; $7.50 for dresses; $3.50 for skirts and $3 for blouses, sweaters and shirts.

PHARMACY: Red Hook Pharmacy

598 Clinton St.; (718) 923-1600

Besides filling your prescriptions, for the past nine years this corner pharmacy has also carried health and beauty aids and over-the-counter medicines.

The Concrete Plant fight continues

Despite Red Hook's new concrete plant nearing completion, the neighborhood fight against it continues on.

The NY Times published an article about the struggle last week, saying:

So the plant, which is nearing completion, has spurred protests in this split-personality neighborhood. The clouds of dust stirred up could be quite literal: What mostly worries opponents are the airborne particles they say the plant will scatter to the yellow-and-blue Ikea next door, heavily used baseball fields across the street, and a 2.75-acre farm nearby on a former playground.

“There’s a certain irony that we have a mayor talking about no smoking in parks, but he has no problem allowing the construction of a concrete plant that would shower cement dust on children in the park,” said John McGettrick, a co-president of the Red Hook Civic Association.

Seven hundred people signed a petition opposing the plant, and 70 residents picketed on a rainy September day, with children in dust masks holding signs that said “Honk 4 No Cement.”

But city officials, who want to preserve factories and the jobs they provide, have declared a swath of Red Hook that includes the plant site an industrial business zone. Ikea, less than pleased, realized there was nothing it could do....

Read the rest of the article here or some Gothamist coverage here

Also be sure to check out a more detailed, neighborhood based, commentary by A View From the Hook that includes a detailed map of the area.

Progress @ Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brownstoner posted several photos this week (one of which is above) of progress being made at both Pier 1 and Pier 6 in the future Brooklyn Brige Park.

This particular phase involves the trucking in and installation of "gatehouses," which Brownstoner describes as follows:

Brooklyn Bridge Park received delivery of the gatehouses at both Pier 1 next door and Pier 6 down by Atlantic Avenue. The gatehouses, which, as we understand it, will house mechanicals as well as mark the entrances to the park, were manufactured off-site in New Jersey before being trucked in. They will eventually be clad in wood verticals using old growth long leaf southern yellow pine salvaged from the Cold Storage Building being demolished at Pier 1. How cool is that!

More BQE Lead Paint Removal info

Earlier this week we posted about the the Lead Paint Removal process currently taking place on the BQE (with info provided to us by one of our readers).

Other sites around the internet have also posted about this topic this week, and we thought it would be worthwhile to point readers to those articles as this is an issue of community concern:

Brownstoner: Concerns Over BQE Lead Paint Removal
Lost City: Are B.Q.E. Lead Shacks Poisoning Carroll Gardens?
NYTimes City Room:The Mystery of Those Metal Units over the B.Q.E.

Please let us know if you have any more info or encounter other worthwhile articles.

Motor Inn Romance (via Lost City)

Lost City made a post yesterday about the Brooklyn Motor Inn after seeing an ad for it at the Cobble Hill Cinema:

I've always thought it a curious location for a motel.....But I always suspected it was there for businessmen who had business in the area, folks who drove in, took their meeting, slept and drove out.

Apparently not. I was taking in a film at Cobble Hill Cinemas when, prior to preview, an ad for the Brooklyn Motor Inn appeared on the screen. It showed a picture of a lovey-dovey couple next to the caption, "Isn't it time for a little romance?"

Ah. So are they renting rooms by the hour, now? Honestly. Romance? The Brooklyn Motor Inn?

I must say I've always found it a curious location as well, and also assumed it was primarily for people doing business in the area, truck drivers, or other non-vacationers. Has anyone ever put up visiting family or friends there - or took it even further and gone there for a little romance? Either way, the Motel does contribute to our neighborhood's character and I would like to see that advertisement!

Also worth noting is that Lost City's image above doesn't show the hotel's view of the Battery Tunnel, the BQE, and the anti-pedestrian nature of the streets around it that result from these roadways.

Image from Lost City

Red Hook sketches by Stephen Gardner

Brooklyn based artist Stephen Gardner promises to post a series of Red Hook based sketches on his blog over the coming weeks. If they are anything like the one above, I can't wait to see the rest! Check out his site here for some other interesting sketches, NYC street scenes and otherwise.

Suspended F Train during upcoming weekends

COWNA recently reported on their blog:

The F train service between Jay Street-Bourough Hall and Church Avenue will unfortunately be suspended from 12:01 am Saturdays through 5:00 am Mondays during the following weekends:

- October 10-12
- October 17-19
- October 24-26
- November 14-16

There will be shuttle buses provided to transport travelers from Jay Street-Borough Hall along the F train route. The service changes are due to the necessary rehabilitation of the Culver Viaduct (the bridge that carries Smith/9th Street and 4th Avenue stations).