Around Brooklyn: Malliotakis: Slow down drive to congestion pricing

February 25, 2020 Editorial Staff

A view across the East River from the Brooklyn Bridge’s pedestrian and cyclist pathway. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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Malliotakis: Slow down drive to congestion pricing

The drive toward congestion pricing should get out of the fast lane, Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis (R-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) said, according to the Brooklyn Reporter website. Malliotakis wrote a letter to the Federal Highway Association on Feb. 20, urging the agency to reject congestion pricing in New York City until the MTA comes up with a concrete plan on exactly how the system would work. Congestion pricing, the plan to charge motorists a fee to drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street, was approved by the state legislature in April. Malliotakis said she is not opposed to congestion pricing per se but voted against the bill because she thought it was too vague.

Rangers players injured in Brooklyn accident

New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin and forward Pavel Buchnevich were involved in a car accident in Brooklyn on Sunday night, according to the New York Post. Shesterkin was driving his Porsche south on Ocean Avenue near Avenue Z, with Buchnevich as a passenger, when a Honda driven by a Connecticut man made an illegal U-turn in front of their vehicle, police said. Shesterkin’s car struck the Honda and a parked SUV. The two Rangers were seen by the team doctor at NewYork-Presbyterian, the Post said. No charges were filed, and no summonses were issued.

Folk artist uses discarded plastic bags for creations

As New York’s plastic bag ban approaches, a Brooklyn artist is using the bags for his artistic creations, according to amNewYork. The artist, who calls himself RAE BK (not his real name), combines discarded plastic bags with other debris he finds on the street, such as old keys, buttons, eyeglass cases, plywood from construction sites and more. He then displays his creations across the city. He prides himself on his anonymity, since most of his artworks are unsanctioned. “I don’t get permission to put my works on poles, doorways and walls,” he said.

Abbate officially endorses Bloomberg for president

Earlier this week, Assemblymember Peter Abbate Jr. (D-Bensonhurst-Gravesend) announced his support of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg for president. “I have worked with five different New York City mayors since taking office, and none of them have done more to improve New Yorkers’ quality of life than Mike Bloomberg,” Abbate said. “Mike’s bold policies improved high school graduation rates, created hundreds of thousands of jobs for New Yorkers and helped to lift up the entire city after the devastating 9/11 attacks.”

Bushwick development is now complete

After five years of development and construction, work on Denizen Bushwick, a residential development with 911 housing units, is now complete. The complex was developed by All Year Management and designed by ODA New York, according to New York YIMBY. Denizen, whose official address is 54 Noll St., sits on the former site of Bushwick’s historic Rheingold Brewery. The rooftop space contains a miniature golf course, barbecue, a hydroponic farm and more. Amenities within the building include a coffee shop, game rooms, a rock-climbing wall, a boxing ring, a microbrewery, a pool and a children’s playroom.

BRIC exhibit focuses on death, grieving

“Death Becomes Her,” now showing at the BRIC Gallery, 647 Fulton St., is a joint project between BRIC and Green-Wood Cemetery and includes works by 10 female artists, according to amNewYork. The exhibit explores the theme of death, with a focus on how death and grieving impact the living. Topics that relate to death include the politics of dying and remembrance, cultural associations with death, and how loss can lead to self-discovery. “While overall it’s talking about death and dying, so much of the exhibition is about the living,” Harry Weil, Green-Wood’s director of public program and special projects, told amNewYork.

State reps to host joint hearing on homelessness

State Sens. Roxanne Persaud (D-Canarsie-East New York-Brownsville) and Brian Kavanaugh (D-Northern Brooklyn-Lower Manhattan) are scheduled to host a joint public hearing on Friday entitled “Examining Issues Related to Homelessness, Housing Insecurity and Affordable Housing, and Identifying Potential Legislative Remedies.” The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in the New York State Hearing Room at 250 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.

Pols call for affordable housing in vacant lots

A vacant lot in Bedford-Stuyvesant could give rise to 12 new affordable-housing units for residents, and so could similar city-owned lots across Brooklyn. So said a group of lawmakers who gathered on Friday at the corner of Howard Avenue and Madison Street, outside the aforementioned vacant lot, according to Patch. The officials called for $18 million more in state funding, for a total of $44 million, for single-home construction. State Sen. Zellnor Myrie said the state can provide an affordable path to home ownership.

Small fire hits historic Fulton Ferry-area building

A small fire damaged the roof and top floor of a 19th century building on Old Fulton Street on Monday afternoon, according to amNewYork. Firefighters were called to the building across from Brooklyn Bridge Park around 12:30 p.m. They were able to contain the blaze to the roof and the ceiling of the fifth-floor apartment, FDNY officials said. The fire gave rise to a traffic jam on Front and Old Fulton streets, making it difficult for large trucks and buses to maneuver around the firetrucks. The fire was contained after 20 minutes, and investigators say it might have resulted from someone putting a cigarette out on the roof, where flammable material may have been stored.

New Vietnamese restaurant comes to Williamsburg

New York City’s growing Vietnamese dining scene has a new entry in the form of Bolero, a new restaurant at 177 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, according to New York Eater. Bolero is managed by Matt Le-Khac, an alumnus of two Michelin-starred restaurants in Manhattan. Le-Khac will serve as the restaurant’s co-chef along with Jimmy Tran, who worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco. Le-Khac says he wants to spotlight Vietnamese food “beyond just pho and banh mi.” Some of the ingredients he uses, such as betel leaf and Vietnamese coriander, are grown on his family’s farm in Pennsylvania, New York Eater said.

Old McDonald had a nine-story building

The Abeco Organization has filed permits for a nine-story mixed-use building at 1887 McDonald Ave. in Gravesend, according to New York YIMBY. The site, which is currently occupied by a two-story building with stores on the ground floor, is one block south of the F train’s Avenue P station. The building is slated to have 40 residential units, most likely condos, as well as 15 enclosed parking spaces. Ruslan Goychayev of RSLN Architecture is listed as the architect of record. Demolition permits were filed last year, New York YIMBY said.

Six-story building Planned for Borough Park

Permits have been filed for a six-story mixed-use building at 941 57th St. in Borough Park, according to New York YIMBY. The lot, currently occupied by a two-story house, is five blocks from the N train’s Fort Hamilton Parkway subway station. It would include 13 residences, most likely rentals, as well as 2,187 square feet of community space, a basement and a rear yard. HPL Engineering is listed as the architect of record.

Girl, struck by school bus, dies in East NY

A 10-year-old girl was fatally struck by a school bus in East New York yesterday morning, according to ABC7. “We were walking this way, and I turned right and there she was on the floor,” family friend Stephanie Lappost, who was walking her own daughter to school, said. Police said the school bus was making a right turn onto Wortman Street when it struck the girl and her brother. The girl, whose name had not been revealed as of press time, was taken to Brookdale University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her brother was reported to be alert and conscious, ABC7 said.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.