Brooklyn Today: Brooklyn Heights bank to be demolished

May 23, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle

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THE LEDE: Good morning! Opponents of the city’s plan to rezone Gowanusmobilized their largest rally to date on Wednesday, calling for a moratorium on the city’s controversial plan that could bring 20,000 new residents to the area. “This is probably the most important community struggle in Brooklyn this century,” said Tom Angotti, an urban policy and planning professor at Hunter College. “I’m constantly amazed at how shortsighted the Department of City Planning is.”

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THE RUNDOWN

~ LANDMARKED BROOKLYN HEIGHTS BANK SLATED FOR DEMOLITION: The city has given developers the go-ahead to tear down a BrooklynHeights bank and construct a 20-story apartment building in its place.

~ VISIT WALT WHITMAN’S PARK ON HIS 200TH BIRTHDAY: Famed poet and former Brooklyn Eagle editor Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday is May 31. Here’s our idea for a way to honor him: Take a stroll through historic Fort Greene Park. It came into being in the late 1840s thanks to his advocacy.

~ GOWANUS RESIDENTS MAKE LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO STOP CITY PLAN: Protestors yelled and showcased signs with clear messages: “What the F*#%! DCP,” “Stop assaulting our communities,” “Gowanus needs a better plan,” and “A developer’s dream, a community’s nightmare.”

~ CITY’S PROMISE TO INVEST IN BUSHWICK RINGS HOLLOW, COMMUNITY SAYS: Bushwick residents are souring on the city’s plan to rezone the neighborhood, with some local leaders claiming officials are trying to skirt commitments to make new investments in the community.

~ FREQUENTLY SUED EAST FLATBUSH COP IN THE HOT SEAT AGAIN: An NYPD sergeant who was sued at least six times in 2018 is being sued again, this time by a group of four who claim the officer unconstitutionally arrested them during J’Ouvert last year, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

~ $1M BED-STUY BROWNSTONE STOLEN FROM 80-YEAR-OLD WOMAN, DA SAYS: Craig Hecht, of Long Island, and another unnamed suspect set up a convoluted scheme involving dummy corporations and falsified documents in order to steal the brownstone at 260 Clifton Place.

~ MANUFACTURING THE FUTURE: NEW TECH HUB LANDS IN SUNSET PARK: Makerspace NYC — a community workspace for makers, builders, tinkerers, hardware developers, hobbyists, artists and entrepreneurs — launched its new 20,000-square-foot prototyping facility at the BrooklynArmy Terminal on Saturday.

PODCAST

~ WHY ARE SO MANY CYCLISTS DYING IN SOUTH BROOKLYN: There were no bicyclists killed in southern Brooklyn in 2018. Now, at least 10 have been killed in the city this year, and four of those deaths have been in southern Brooklyn. Is it a coincidence that this region has seen an uptick in fatalities? Or perhaps it’s a result of unsafe streets? Regardless, it’s a tragedy and one that needs to be explored.

MORE BROOKLYN NEWS

~ Take a look inside the tunnels beneath the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ former Brooklyn Heights headquarters. (Gothamist)

~ 311 rat complaints are up nearly 38 percent since 2014. (NYT)

~ A bilingual bookstore opens in Bushwick. (Bushwick Daily)

STAFF PICKS

~ READ: “The artist who gave up her daughter” (Topic)

~ EAT: Here are 16 dog-friendly restaurants in New York City, including nine spots in Brooklyn. (Eater)

~ LAUGH: The House Judiciary Committee has an open position. (The Week)

~ WORK: A new study reveals that women may be more productive in warm rooms. (NYT)

WHAT’S HAPPENING

6:30PM — Redoubt: An Evening with Matthew Barney at Morgan Library & Museum. Details.

6:30PM – 8:30PM — On the Same Page with NYWC at the Central Library. Details.

7:00PM — Why Your Train is F*cked: NJTransit and the PATH at Caveat. Details.

THE WRAP

⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1963, the Eagle reported, “Gil Hodges, longtime favorite of Brooklyn fans while he was playing for the Dodgers and more recently the Mets, was named manager of the Washington Senators yesterday.”

IMPRINT
Actress Emilia Clarke, aka Khaleesi from “Game of Thrones,” graces the latest cover of Entertainment Weekly.

ROYAL WATCH
The royal family is hiring a new digital communications officer. (Geek.com)

SPORTS
“Kyle Korver reveals Nets traded him for cash used to buy copy machine” (Bleacher Report)

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Mitch Albom, Barbara Barrie, H. Jon Benjamin, Brian Campbell, Drew Carey, Joan Collins, David Graham, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Jewel, Charles Kimbrough and Robert A.M. Stern!

Brooklyn Today’s editor is Scott Enman. Contact him at scott@brooklyneagle.com.