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Corner of 23rd St 7th Ave-no street light? — Brooklynian

Corner of 23rd St 7th Ave-no street light?

lostingreenwoodhts
lostingreenwoodhts
edited November -1 in Greenwood Heights and Sunset Park
Just in from the CGGH newsgroup...you have got to be kidding me?
[Ccgh_Update] Yet another issue on 23rd St and 7th Ave...

While most of you know I can worry a wee bit too much about the small stuff, but also have the good sense to rail against the big stuff...

Big stuff topics!

PART 1:
As Mic and I rounded the corner of 23rd St and 7th Ave, in front of our fav "614 7th Ave (aka The Minerva building)" development site, we noticed something missing.

"Gee, didn't we have a street lamp and post on the corner?" So as we stood in front of the new 620 7th Ave, noticed the curb cuts (again) and realized the pole and lamp were gone. Next was a stop to our friendly neighbor next door to the development site on 22nd St. Seems "the developer was concerned about the street light shinning into the windows of his new condos," and asked DOT/Con Ed to remove the light. "It's not like there's not another light across the street," he was overheard saying.

WTF! On a dead end, one-way blind corner, across from the Cemetery (beautiful, but obviously non-residential as we know it) you are going to ask (or demand) to have a street light removed? How about consulting the community? How about having DOT do a traffic/safety study? (see attached photos)

I have personally had countless conversations with my neighbors about the danger of this corner (both by car, bike and pedestrian) especially at night, going back to 2004, pre-condo. And now with 11 new 50 ft tall buildings, 11 new garages (plus cars), curb cuts galore and additional people living on the block you remove a street light?

Traffic accidents? Potential crime issue? Accident from a car pulling in/out of one of the new garages?

NO WAY. I have contacted Community Board 7 and will be reaching out to DOT, Con Edison and our local electeds to address this problem. If I'm incorrect, and this is hearsay, then fine.. But the track record of this development makes me lean the other way and hard. I encourage ANYONE who feels this is an issue, safety or otherwise, to call or e-mail CB7 and our elected officials tomorrow.

PART2:
In addition to the potential safety hazard, we have another problem on the block...the street tree in front of the new 322 23rd St, or rather, along the garage entrance. Next from my good friend on 22nd St. comes the fear we have had since the "curb cuts" debate began...the removal of a well established, fully healthy street tree.

This was brought to DOB's attention 2+years ago, but nothing was done to rearrange the curb cuts, nor forbid garages at 322-323 23rd St. due to the tree. So as our Mayor busts humps all over the City to get every dead tree pit filled and new ones place in via the 1Mil tree program, this development crew is looking to remove a 15+ year old tree...for parking. That's ZERO adjacent trees on these properties, due to the curb cuts, plus the loss of a well established tree.

I say NO WAY! Again, I have reached out to CB7 and will be to parks and our electeds. I strongly urge all of you to do the same. Especially as we embark this spring on a community clean-up and beautification project!

I am tired of our community being treated like crap by this development team (past and present). The time to act (again) is now.
Anyone have a take or more info on this?

Comments

  • torgana
    torgana
    Terrible! What can we do?
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    Call Community Board 7 and put in a complaint 719-854-0003, then ask them to fwd it to CM Gonzalez, AM Ortiz and BP Markowitz.
  • brooklynpotter
    brooklynpotter
    can't you get a giant fine for removing a city tree?
  • greeenwoodgoblin
    greeenwoodgoblin
    There is a street light directly across the street. Plus the new homes have exterior lights.
  • brooklynpotter
    brooklynpotter
    greeenwoodgoblin = minerva building people
  • greeenwoodgoblin
    greeenwoodgoblin
    Actually no..just someone who likes the buildings and thinks the new buildings add a lot to that area....by the way the light has been missing for almost 2 months. If it made such a huge difference it would not have taken so long to notice it was missing.
  • brooklynpotter
    brooklynpotter
    and yet this is your first time posting on the board?

    regardless, i'm pretty tired of developers doing illegal crap like this without incident--i live on 15th where, if anyone remembers, developers turned a parking lot into a hideous coop building, lied about everything, including permits and stop work orders, and destroyed numerous backyards behind the property and cracked an old coop building and a church in the process. forgive me if i'm a bit skeptical
  • greeenwoodgoblin
    greeenwoodgoblin
    So now your against every new development. What has it got to do with you, you live almost a half mile away. I hear there is a stop sign missing in Queens you better get on it.
  • brooklynpotter
    brooklynpotter
    a: grammar and spelling count

    b: deducing that from what i said pretty much put you back into the "minerva" development people category
  • greeenwoodgoblin
    greeenwoodgoblin
    I just have nothing better to do with my life other than post about places I dont live. It makes me feel important.
  • brooklynpotter
    brooklynpotter
    that's so funny, because i post about places i live, work, walk by every day, and about laws that get broken by shills.

    thanks for sharing!
  • greeenwoodgoblin
    greeenwoodgoblin
    What would we ever do without you looking out for us with that positive attitude of yours
  • kw0812
    kw0812
    "....by the way the light has been missing for almost 2 months. "

    Minerva people would be the most likely people to know exactly when the light was removed. :^o
  • kw0812
    kw0812
    "....by the way the light has been missing for almost 2 months. "

    Minerva people would be the most likely people to know exactly when the light was removed. :^o
  • lostingreenwoodhts
    lostingreenwoodhts
    KW0812 wrote: "....by the way the light has been missing for almost 2 months.
    Um, not true.

    Here's the latest from the ccgh list serve, I combined both e-mails from yesterday:
    End of day greetings,

    So, thanks for those who have responded positively to the post. Upon reading it again, I realize I left out a key element:

    Additionally I left out earlier, which leads credence to some of my conspiracy theory, is that on Monday, Michael Schweinsburg from CM Gonzalez office had called with information about the pole (which I referenced), however, I forgot to add he ALSO told me the pole was going to be replaced in the near future. Nearer than I believe all of us thought.

    So, a thank you to BP Markowitz's office and CB7, but hardy congrats to the Councilwoman for getting our light pole back!

    Now, back outside to enjoy the beautiful spring evening and perhaps take a peek at our new light.

    ******

    > Spring greetings,
    >
    > Guess what showed up first thing this morning at the top of the block? A shiny new street lamp, signage, etc. Go figure! (see attached)
    >
    > And as I said, I am happy to be incorrect that it was not permanently removed.
    >
    > I would like say a few words on this as s recap. I find it completely odd that DOT worked so swiftly to first remove the street lamp and then even more swiftly in replacing it...
    >
    > Seems that information we received from CM Gonzalez's office on Monday (thanks Mike!) and from a reporter at the NY Post did not jive. Gonzalez's office was told the removal was "routine maintenance." Really, it's routine to remove a working street lamp for no reason?
    >
    > Matt Nestel @ the NY Post (thanks Matt!) was told something completely different. Seems DOT told another story about a "traffic accident" that damaged the pole and it needed to be replaced. Who asked for the replacement? What accident? When did it occur? "gee, we don't really know..." The only "accident" we could find was from photos that showed dents, 8 ft in the air, on the 7th Ave side of the pole. Perhaps from construction equipment? Could the "accident" been a delivery truck dropping of construction materials be the "accident?"
    >
    > If so, who is paying for the new pole? the developer or us taxpayers? I think I already know the answer.
    >
    > So, as of Monday, Community Board 7, CM Gonzalez's office, BP Markowitz's office, the NY Post, the Brooklyn Paper and BKLYN News 12 all had called DOT and the developer to inquire and comment. This is on the coat tails on Friday's brownstoner post (thanks Jon!): http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/03/developer_decap.php
    >
    > Methinks DOT was caught with their pants down. And boy were those pants pulled up quick, or rather a street lamp was put up quick. But enough with spinning theories for me.
    >
    > Thanks to all who helped out on the communities behalf and for those, like myself, who caused a ruckus.
    >
    > Our inquiry and hard work paid off. And in the end, as I said in my first post on this...I AM HAPPY TO BE WRONG. Just damn curious as to how this all came about. Perhaps further inquiry by our electeds and the press will turn up the real story.
    >
    > Meet me at sundown to break a bottle of Guinness over the pole and christen it into the neighborhood. But wait! That might cause an "accident" and the pole might have to be replaced again :)
    >
    > Enjoy the beautiful spring weather and happy St. Patty's day
    Happy to have it back. Now, what about that tree?
  • brooklynpotter
    brooklynpotter
    isn't it seriously illegal to remove a city tree? pretty sure it carries a hefty fine if it were, i don't know, reported to the tree people
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