Brooklyn Today February 19: Brooklyn Today Feb. 19: Siah Armajani’s ‘Bridge Over Tree’ opens in Brooklyn Bridge Park

The Lede

Historic artwork arrives in Brooklyn Bridge Park, there’s “little time” for the community to get involved in the BQE fix, and we tell you how Amazon’s about-face will impact developers. Plus, Alamo Drafthouse will almost double in size, a new tenant comes to Industry City, and a Brooklyn rapper loses an appeal in court. Finally, a Greenpoint office development takes a step forward, public advocate candidates blast the mayor’s SHSAT plan, and we recommend the best burgers in the city.

Imprint

IMPRINT: Julianne Moore graces the Spring cover of L’Officiel USA.

The Rundown

SIAH ARMAJANI'S 'BRIDGE OVER TREE' OPENS IN BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK

A tree grows in Brooklyn, and so too does a bridge. Iranian artist Siah Armajani’s “Bridge Over Tree” is now on view at Brooklyn Bridge Park, marking the first time the installation has been staged since 1970. The piece, commissioned by the Public Art Fund, coincides with the artist’s first major U.S. retrospective, opening at the Met Breuer on Wednesday and running through June 2. The sculpture is the sole outdoor component of the museum’s exhibition and will be on display through Sept. 29. The artwork features a 91-foot-long walkway with a set of stairs that rise and fall over a single evergreen tree. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

AMAZON’S ABOUT-FACE WILL HIT GREENPOINT DEVELOPERS, BUT IT’S NOT A KNOCKOUT PUNCH

Greenpoint landlords may miss out on long-term profits because Amazon’s not coming to Long Island City — but it won’t be the end of the world. “For Greenpoint, Amazon was the cherry on top,” said Mike Salvatico, an associate broker at Marcus and Millichap. The behemoth company had planned to use nearly $3 billion in city and state subsidies to build a headquarters in LIC and hire 25,000 employees. Over a five-year period, Amazon’s presence would have sparked a 20 percent increase in Greenpoint apartment rents, Salvatico estimated. Revenues and property values would have risen. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

KILLACKEY: ‘LITTLE TIME’ FOR COMMUNITY TO GET INVOLVED IN BQE FIX

Patrick Killackey, a member of CB2’s transportation committee, warned CB2 members on Wednesday that the deadline for getting involved in the BQE reconstruction process was fast approaching. Killackey, former president of theBrooklyn Heights Association, asked the full board “to go beyond the usual review process and actually assert an active role” in planning the massive project. Killackey said NYCDOT reps told locals attending a recent meeting that the city planned “to prepare a pre-scoping document for review in April or May.(via Brooklyn Eagle)

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN PLANS TO ALMOST DOUBLE IN SIZE

The Alamo Drafthouse cinema at City Point in Downtown Brooklyn plans to add 400 new seats and double the amount of screens. The movie theater, part of a nationwide chain founded in Austin, Texas, in 1997, currently occupies 38,000 square feet in the development and has seven screens. The expansion, which will almost double the size of the theater with an additional 25,000 square feet will be finished in 2020. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

SPANISH TILE-MARKER JOINS OTHER DESIGN FIRMS AT INDUSTRY CITY

Porcelanosa, a Spanish manufacturer of ceramic tiles and kitchen and bath products, is the latest firm to commit to moving to Industry City, a 6 million-square-foot light manufacturing complex on the Sunset Park waterfront. The firm has signed a 10-year lease for a 6,500-square-foot retail showroom, which is set to open next summer. At the complex, Porcelanosa will join many other design-oriented companies such as Design Within Reach, ABC Carpet, RH Outlet, and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

STEP FORWARD FOR GREENPOINT OFFICE DEVELOPMENT REPLACING ROOFTOP BAR

A City Council subcommittee gave a thumbs-up to a proposed seven-story office, light-manufacturing and retail development in Greenpoint, where rooftop bar Northern Territory now stands. The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted unanimously on Thursday to support zoning changes for Simon Baron Development’s proposed mixed-use project at 12 Franklin St. The vote clears the way for final full City Council approval. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

BROOKLYN RAPPER, GANG LEADER RA DIGGS LOSES APPEAL IN MURDER, DRUG CASE

A federal court of appeals on Friday upheld the conviction of Brooklyn gang leader Ronald “Ra Diggs” Herron, who ruled the drug trade at two Brooklyn public housing projects and allegedly described real-life murders in his rap lyrics. Herron appealed his 2014 conviction on the grounds that “music and promotional videos related to his rap music career were erroneously admitted into evidence.” Federal prosecutors used the lyrics to bolster the case against Herron, who was charged with murdering several rivals in the Wyckoff and Gowanus Houses and ruling the drug trade from the late-90s until 2011. (via Brooklyn Eagle)

PUBLIC ADVOCATE CANDIDATES BLAST MAYOR’S SHSAT PLAN

Three of the candidates running in the special election for NYC public advocate criticized Mayor Bill de Blasio’s controversial proposal to scrap the Specialized High School Admissions Test, charging that the mayor was going about the task of increasing racial diversity in elite schools the wrong way. David Eisenbach,Jared Rich and Benjamin Yee all said they favored other approaches. “I don’t understand why the mayor is messing with great schools while we have so many failing schools,” said Eisenbach, a history professor at Columbia University. “This is not a solution.” (via Brooklyn Eagle)