Around Brooklyn: City eyes revamp of Bay Ridge intersection

February 10, 2020 Editorial Staff

Downtown Brooklyn. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

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City eyes revamp of Bay Ridge intersection

The city Department of Transportation is developing a traffic safety plan for the busy intersection of Marine and Third avenues in Bay Ridge, but it’s not clear when any changes will be coming because DOT is analyzing five separate proposals, according to the Brooklyn Reporter website. “We are currently reviewing community input and expect to have an input in March,” a DOT spokesperson said in an email. Jayne Capetanakis, chair of Board 10’s Traffic and Transportation Committee, said the intersection has been problematic for years.

Brooklyn Bridge Marriott celebration sweeter than honey for Ibrahim

Sam Ibrahim, who is celebrating 35 years with Marriott Hotels, has been managing and leading the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge’s growth for almost 20 years. Famous for extraordinary conferences and events, like the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, the hotel is now producing its own beer from the honey gathered at its rooftop hive, which was covered by the Eagle in 2017.

MTA to build passageway between two Brooklyn stations

MTA officials plan to build a permanent enclosed passageway between the L train’s Livonia Avenue station and the 3 train’s Junius Street station in Brownsville by 2024, according to amNewYork. The plan to connect the two stations, which are less than 1,000 feet apart, is part of the MTA’s 2000-2024 Capital Plan, which also includes improvements to make both stations ADA-accessible. The MTA set aside $38.4 million for the project and has already spent $400,000 for pre-design activities.

‘True’ affordable development moves closer to construction

A proposed 86-unit “true” affordable housing development has moved one step closer to construction in Bedford-Stuyvesant, according to Patch. Plans for DeKalb Commons were sent to Borough President Eric Adams’ office last week for review. The project, being developed by the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corp. and St. Nick’s Alliance, includes seven-story buildings on city-owned property along DeKalb Avenue and a four-story building on Fulton Street. Henry Butler, district manager for Community Board 3, said the DeKalb buildings will be affordable housing for people who earn between 40 and 80 percent of the area’s median income.

Four-story building planned in Bushwick

New renderings from Tan Architect offer a first look at a proposed apartment building at 831 Hart St. in Bushwick, according to New York YIMBY. Building permit applications filed by the But Development Group are for a four-story, 54-foot building with seven rental units. When finished, the building will comprise 4,988 square feet plus a rear yard that will include active recreational space, New York YIMBY said.

Brooklyn teen shot dead while rapping on Facebook

A Brooklyn teen named Jeremiah Dickey was shot and killed in his East New York neighborhood as he rapped on Facebook Live, according to HipHopDX. Police sources said officers were dispatched near the corner of Elton Street and New Lots Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 4. They discovered the 19-year-old man unconscious and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to Brookdale University Hospital, where he died.

Man pulls gun on people waiting for beer

An apparently annoyed passerby on Friday pulled a gun on people who were waiting to buy the latest designer IPAs, according to the New York Post. The squabble took place outside the Other Half Brewing Company on Centre Street, where beer lovers were lined up to buy collectible cans of Bourbon Barrel Aged Bananaversary Imperial Stout, Everything Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunchee Imperial Stout and more. The suspect and a female companion, who were staying at a short-term apartment rental on nearby Garnet Street, got into an argument with some of the people who were waiting. They insulted each other, some of the people waiting threw a camp chair at the man, then the man went back inside, got a can of White Claw hard seltzer and threw it at them. The man went inside again and came out waving a gun, and cops soon took the suspect away.

Disturbed man arrested after stabbing woman and fleeing

Police have arrested a Bay Ridge resident who they say stabbed a woman with her children watching, The Home Reporter reported. The 68th Precinct announced the arrest of the still-unidentified man on social media on Monday, Feb. 10, as did Councilmember Justin Brannan, who tweeted, “An arrest has been made for the stabbing of the woman on 5th Avenue last week. Perp lives in Bay Ridge and is believed to be a known EDP. Great job by Captain Conwell and the 68th Precinct!” According to authorities, on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at around 6:40 a.m. the woman, 34, and her two children were walking to her car at 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue when she was approached by an assailant who stabbed her in the abdomen with a sharp object before taking off, eastbound, down 83rd Street. The victim went to a local hospital where she was listed in stable condition.

Frontus slams CUNY tuition, fee increases

Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island-Brighton Beach) blasted the CUNY Board of Trustees’ latest tuition hikes, calling a new health and wellness fee unacceptable. Frontus’ comments came as CUNY students, faculty members and supporters rallied at Baruch College last week, protesting the board’s approval of a $200-per-year tuition hike and a new $120 fee to fund expanded health center hours and mental health counseling. Nearly half of all CUNY students reported that they were “food-insecure” last month.

MTA may cut some Downtown bus routes

Officials at the MTA are considering removing some Downtown Brooklyn bus routes as part of their redesign of the borough’s bus system, according to the Brooklyn Paper. More than a dozen bus lines run through the Downtown area, and the transit agency plans to examine whether to cut some of the lines from the neighborhood in favor of other parts of Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Paper said. Downtown Brooklyn is the city’s largest business district outside of Manhattan, and it is served by most of the borough’s subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road in addition to the bus routes. The MTA identified the junction of Flatbush and Nostrand avenues near Brooklyn College as one area of focus.

Senior’s death ruled a homicide, say cops

A 72-year-old man found dead in his friend’s Brooklyn apartment was the victim of a homicide, according to the Daily News. When police responded to an apartment in the Marlboro Houses in Gravesend Friday night, they first thought Leslie Lee had fallen and hit his head. However, an autopsy by the city Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Lee’s death was a homicide, police said. Lee, who lived in another apartment in the same development, was visiting a friend when he died.

Thief who targeted 11-year-old boy sought

Police on Sunday night released surveillance video of a man wanted for robbing an 11-year-old boy and hitting him with a cane, according to 1010 WINS. On Feb. 5, the suspect grabbed the 11-year-old’s cell phone from his hands near Fifth Avenue and 50th Street. When the boy tried to chase after the suspect, the man hit him on the head with a cane, police said. Authorities described the suspect as a light-skinned black man who was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweater, a blue-and-black jacket, blue jeans and black-and-red sneakers. He walked with a dark-colored cane, police added.

Brooklyn artist shown at Harlem art show

A Brooklyn artist is getting ready to show some of his work at the annual Harlem Fine Arts Show. Michael Escoffery, one of the more than 50 artists whose work is being shown, is an award-winning painter originally from Jamaica but now based in Brooklyn, News 12 Brooklyn reported. He sells many of his pieces at the Faith Art Gallery in Downtown Brooklyn, but his work can also be seen in U.S. embassies in more than 40 countries.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.