Around Brooklyn: New hotel coming to Downtown Brooklyn

January 14, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

Share this:

New hotel coming to Downtown Brooklyn

The Ace Hotel chain is planning to open a new hotel, the Ace Brooklyn at the corner of Schermerhorn and Bond streets, this spring. The 287-room hotel has been in the planning stages since 2014. The designers, Roman and Williams, said the hotel’s sensibility is inspired by “the raw studio spaces of European modernism.” The Ace team is also working with a dozen local textile and fiber artists to provide decorations, according to Curbed. Brad Wilson, president of the Ace Hotel group, said, “We see the neighborhood as a gateway to just about everywhere.”

Park Slope residents slam loading zones

Many Park Slope motorists are angry about the installation of “neighborhood loading zones” on two local streets, claiming they were put up with no advance notice to the community. The neighborhood loading zone program, a pilot program to prevent double parking and lessen congestion by freeing parking spaces for delivery trucks and for-hire vehicles, was approved last March by Community Board 6. One resident, Sara Vaswani, has started an online petition against the loading zones, according to published reports. The program affects several parking spaces on Second and Third streets.

Deutsch questions Homeless Services

Councilman Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Homecrest) questioned the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and Core Services Group, a shelter provider, on plans to open a homeless shelter at 100 Neptune Ave. in Brighton Beach. The proposed shelter would be home to 170 adult single men, and would be operated by Core Services Group. Deutsch spoke to DHS and Core representatives at length about local concerns with the proposed site. Among the problems Deutsch raised were emphasizing the need for a public comment period to allow local residents to speak directly to officials about concerns with the potential shelter, environmental concerns, and the fact that the proposed site is located within a high risk flood zone.

Menchaca speaks on reforming police

Councilmember Carlos Menchaca (D-Red Hook, Sunset Park) issued the following statement on reforming the police process.

“What we saw last week in Washington D.C. was nothing less than an invasion against our country’s democracy. We saw firsthand that the dangerous ideology of the far-right has violent and fatal consequences. It’s unacceptable that the NYPD did not immediately make a statement condemning the violence against not just our legislative branch but also towards other police officers. There must be an immediate investigation of NYPD Sergeants Union Chief Ed Mullions, who appeared on Fox News with a QAnon mug behind him.”

Frontus urges Cuomo to help veterans

Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island, Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Brighton Beach, Gravesend) and Assembly colleagues urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo to prioritize elderly and immunocompromised veterans in distributing coronavirus vaccines. In a letter to the governor, Assembly members asked that New York coordinate vaccine distribution with Veterans Administration facilities to identify older veterans and those with medical conditions that put them at greater risk of contracting severe COVID-19 related illnesses.

Man fights to keep bedbug-sniffing dog

Bryan Myrick, a Brooklyn resident, has lived with Roxy, a pit bull terrier who’s trained to sniff for bedbugs, for five years. Myrick began taking care of Roxy when he worked for a Queens pest control company. When he was laid off after the pandemic hit, he was not asked to return the dog. However, when Myrick and his wife moved to Philadelphia in May, the company demanded Roxy’s return, starting a legal battle. The company says it did not initially ask for the dog’s return because they thought Myrick would eventually return to work with Roxy, according to NY1 News. Last month, a Queens judge said Myrick could keep the dog.

Working Families Party backs Reynoso

The New York Working Families Party has announced its endorsement of Councilmember Antonio Reynoso (D-Bushwick-Williamsburg-Ridgewood) in the race for Brooklyn borough president. The party, which usually endorses Democratic candidates, cited Reynoso’s work on tenant protections, police reform and land use issues, according to Bklyner. New York WFP Director Sochie Nnaemeka said. “Long before he was elected to City Hall, Antonio spent his entire career organizing for economic and social justice in his community of North Brooklyn.”

St. Ann Church begins pantry

St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights has launched a weekly “Pop-Up Pantry” to address hunger in the face of the continuing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Every Tuesday, the pantry provides non-perishable food items for people in need at the entrance at the church. The bags contain pasta or rice; beans, canned tuna and chicken; canned fruits and vegetables, and granola bars or nuts, according to the Brooklyn Heights Blog.

Nadler releases report on Trump

U.S. Rep. and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-Brooklyn-Manhattan) recently released a majority staff report for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. “In the words of Vice President Pence, the ‘Presidency belongs to the American people, and to them alone.’ President Trump has falsely asserted he won the 2020 presidential election and repeatedly sought to overturn the results of the election,” Nadler’s report said.

Bridge Street hosts tenant workshop

Bridge Street Development, a Brooklyn nonprofit, is hosting a virtual “tenant resource fair” on Jan. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. Those attending can learn about housing protection during COVID-19; rent protection for rent-regulators seniors, veterans and people with disabilities; HPD’s housing lottery “housing connect” process; and when to use Housing Court and eviction protection programs. The meeting is also sponsored by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the state’s Department of Housing and Community Renewal.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.