Around Brooklyn: Sunset Park leaders: Don’t let fear of virus become overriding

February 24, 2020 Editorial Staff

A person walks their dogs at Red Hook's Coffey Park. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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Sunset Park leaders: Don’t let fear of virus become overriding

Sunset Park community leaders on Thursday met with local politicians at Park Asia restaurant on Eighth Avenue in Sunset Park to discuss fear the Asian American community is facing in connection to an upcoming Lunar New Year’s celebration at New Utrecht High School, according to the Brooklyn Reporter website. U.S. Rep. Max Rose said that fear of the coronavirus, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, must not get in the way of people dining and congregating in Sunset Park. Thursday’s event was organized by Brooklyn Asian-American Civilian Observation Patrol’s Louie Liu. Assemblymember Peter Abbate also said that “there is no reason for people not to come out to restaurants and shops, and people should patronize our businesses.’

Producer of pioneer TV series on Bed-Stuy dies

Charles Hobson, who pioneered African American television in New York with his two series “Inside Bedford-Stuyvesant” and “Like It Is,” died earlier this month at age 83, according to The New York Times. Hobson, who lived in Boerum Hill, helped show the complex reality of neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy. The 52 episodes of “Inside Bedford-Stuyvesant” featured entertainers like Eubie Blake, Harry Belafonte and Max Roach; local teachers and police officers; and street performers. “Here was a community of about 400,000 people at that time, with all of their culture and churches and no coverage,” Hobson told the Times in 1998. He grew up in a brownstone in Bed-Stuy, then graduated from Boys High and Brooklyn College.

Greenpoint senior found dead in Newtown Creek

A 76-year-old Greenpoint woman with dementia who was missing for two weeks was found dead in the water by the shoreline of Newtown Creek, according to the New York Post. Czeslawa Konefal had been last seen at St. Stanislaus Church on Humboldt Street on Feb. 9, police said. Family members said she spoke only Polish. The city’s medical examiner is set to determine the cause of death.

City reconsiders plans for Canarsie bike path

The city Department of Transportation is reconsidering its plan for a bike lane on Remsen Avenue between Foster Avenue and Canarsie Park in Canarsie after strenuous opposition from local leaders. “Maybe eventually we will need bike lanes when people are going to be forced off the streets and forced to ride bikes, scooters, and roller skates,” Dorothy Turano, the district manager of Community Board 18, told the Brooklyn Paper. Many residents of southern Brooklyn, where residents are dependent on car usage, have opposed bike lanes on the grounds that they would create more auto congestion, the Brooklyn Paper said. Councilmember Alan Maisel (D-Canarsie) said that Canarsie already has two streets with partial bike lanes, and this makes the proposed Remsen Avenue lane unnecessary.

Pioneer Coney boutique to close due to rent hike

A boutique and souvenir shop that has been on the Coney Island Boardwalk for 19 years will close because of a massive rent hike, according to the Brooklyn Paper. Dianna Carlin, the owner of Lola Star Souvenir Boutique, spent months negotiating her rent after her landlord, Zamperla, demanded a 500 percent increase, the Brooklyn Paper reported. Even after negotiations, the giant corporation, which also owns Luna Park, was still demanding a 400 percent hike. Several other Boardwalk businesses, such as Ruby’s Bar and Grill, successfully negotiated agreements with Zamperla, and some insiders said the other tenants received better terms than Lola Star, the Brooklyn Paper said.

New pizzeria shows signs of greatness

Leo, a new pizza place at 318 Grand St., Williamsburg, shows every sign of becoming both a great takeout emporium and a great in-house pizzeria, according to New York Eater. The restaurant’s strength is that it serves both good Neapolitan pies and good Sicilian (or “square,” for the uninitiated) slices. While most takeout-oriented pizzerias incorporate many styles under one roof, “fancier institutions … tend to focus on a singular kind of whole pie,” New York Eater said.

New school planned in Gowanus

The New York City School Construction Authority, which handles construction of new facilities for the city Department of Education, recently filed plans for a three-story school building at 197 Ninth St. in Gowanus, according to New York YIMBY. The site, which is currently a vacant lot, is one block west of the Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street subway station. The new building will house a pre-kindergarten center, seating about 180 4-year-olds from the surrounding Park Slope and Gowanus areas. AECOM Capital is listed as the architect of record.

Eight-story building planned for Brighton Beach

An eight-story building is planned for 15 West End Ave. in Brighton Beach near the B and Q trains’ Sheepshead Bay subway station, according to New York YIMBY. The building is set to have 34 residential units, most likely rentals, as well as 9,803 feet of community facility space on the first and second floors. Leonid Bogomolniy, under the name 15 West End LLC, is listed as the owner, and Kindo Holdings is listed as the architect. The site, which is currently a vacant lot, is in the former bungalow district.

Argument leads to shooting in Brownsville

Police are investigating a fatal shooting in Brooklyn that took place Friday morning, according to ABC7. The shots rang out at 10:30 a.m. on the 100 block of Herzl Street in Brownville. Witnesses say a 38-year-old man was shot in the stomach after getting into an argument. He was taken to Brookdale Hospital in critical condition and later died from his injuries.

Gowanus Canal bridge to be shut overnight

City workers plan to close the Third Avenue Bridge over the Gowanus Canal every weeknight until Feb. 28 for maintenance, according to the Patch. The closures will likely not make a big impact, Patch said. They are set to take place between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. There are five bridges over the Gowanus.

Marina in Gravesend to close after 50 years

The 50-year old Marine Basin Marina in Gravesend will close in April, inconveniencing more than 500 boat owners, according to the Brooklyn Paper. Tenants were given eight to 10 weeks to find a new spot for their boats, the Brooklyn Paper said. The Gagliano family, which owned and operated the marina for more than 50 years, sold the marina to a real estate investment firm for $57.5 million.

Day care chain to open Carroll Gardens location

Ladybug Daycare, a daycare chain that has locations on Smith Street and Fourth Place in Carroll Gardens, has signed a 10-year lease for 2,800 square feet at 138 Union St. between Hicks and Columbia streets, according to the Commercial Observer. The day care center on Union Street is scheduled to open in six months.

Five-story apt. building planned in Greenpoint

CW Realty Management has filed plans with the Department of Buildings to construct an apartment building at 508 Graham Ave. in Greenpoint. Renderings show a five-story brick building with private balconies on every floor and larger private terraces on the fifth floor. All in all, there would be 30 rental units. The design architect has not yet been revealed, according to New York YIMBY.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.