Bruce Ratner and Councilwoman Letitia James

Forest City Ratner should pay subway fares for Barclays Center patrons, as promised, as well as ferry service from New Jersey to Fulton Ferry, a new Brooklyn transportation report argues. City Councilwoman Letitia James, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and three local civic groups released the “Brooklyn gateway transportation vision,” arguing for congestion pricing, residential parking permits and more bike lanes, specifically around the stadium, Capital New York reported. [more]

From left: Letitia James and Avalon Fort Greene

It’s the kind of problem New Yorkers long to have: too much parking. But in Downtown Brooklyn, garages on prime lots remain half empty — and the city is preparing to do something about it, the New York Times reported. The City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises is scheduled to meet today regarding zoning changes that would reduce the number of parking spaces required as part of new residential developments in Downtown Brooklyn.

Currently, developers of new Downtown Brooklyn residential projects must include parking spaces for at least 40 percent of households. For example, the 600-unit Avalan Fort Greene on Gold Street has 250 parking spaces, one-third of which are being used. [more]

The Bergen Tile Company building

Will car-driving Brooklynites be scared off by a Prospect Heights rental that lacks parking?

According to the Brooklyn Paper, that issue is at the heart of a fight between the developer of a 55-unit complex across the street from the Barclays Center and the surrounding community. [more]

State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery and the shelter at 603 Dean Street

The Department of Buildings filed a demolition permit for an Atlantic Yards building that previously served as a homeless shelter, Brownstoner reported. The city shut down the shelter at 603 Dean Street through eminent domain on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2010, much to the dismay of the predominantly black community the shelter served. The community, led by City Council member Letitia James and State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, held a week-long protest and vigil outside the shelter. Montgomery even vowed to “put [herself] on the ground in front of the bulldozer.”… [more]

Admiral’s Row at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

The non-profit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development removed PA Associates as a designated developer on its high-profile Admiral’s Row project a day after one of the firm’s founders was charged in a $1 million federal bribery investigation.

The quasi-governmental entity today “terminated the designation of PA Admirals Row LLC as the developer of the Admiral’s Row site,” the corporation said in a statement to The Real Deal. PA Admirals Row LLC is an affiliate of Midtown-based PA Associates, which was approved as the developer to partner with grocery chain ShopRite on the $60 million project to build a grocery store.

Yesterday federal prosecutors charged Aaron Malinsky, a principal and founder of PA Associates, of funneling $472,500 in bribes to State Senator Carl Kruger…. [more]

City Council member Letitia James and a rendering of the Barclays Center at Atlantic Yards

The city is handing over an additional $31 million to assist Bruce Ratner in buying land for his Atlantic Yards project, according to the New York Daily News. The additional funding was granted in an updated funding agreement signed in October, on top of the $100 million that the city already gave the developer. The $31 million, however, won’t come from taxpayers, but will be taken from a separate fund that was originally allocated for infrastructure in the neighborhood surrounding Atlantic Yards. Even so, City Council member Letitia James has called foul, claiming that the city’s allocation of funds is fancy accounting footwork. “It’s a government Ponzi scheme,” James said. “I’m offended because they’re using public funds to seize homes and businesses.”
… [more]

A homeless shelter serving a predominantly African-American population at 603 Dean Street in Downtown Brooklyn, within the planned Atlantic Yards development area, was shut down yesterday, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, through the use of eminent domain, sparking outrage in the community. Local officials, including City Council member Letitia James and State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, joined neighborhood advocates and Freddy’s Bar, whose outlandish protests of the Atlantic Yards eminent domain seizure have drawn local exposure, in protesting the closure of the Pacific Dean Shelter. The vigil, which began at midnight yesterday outside the recently-closed facility, came on the heels of a weekend-long protest of the shuttering. “I will put myself on the ground in front of the bulldozers,” Montgomery said during the protest Saturday. “I will do anything I can to stop this.” The video above contains footage of the protest…. [more]

The Landmarks Preservation Commission last week approved the Prospect Heights Historic District, which includes about 850 residential and commercial Brooklyn buildings. It is the largest historic district to be designated in the city since 1990. In the video above from the Municipal Arts Society, City Council member Letitia James, Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Robert Tierney, historian Francis Morrone, and the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council’s Gib Veconi talk about the survey and promotion process behind creating the new district…. [more]

A four-story building collapsed yesterday, injuring four people and
forcing the evacuation of several buildings nearby, officials said. The
building, at 493 Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill, was cited for having a
crack in its facade last month, received complaints from tenants of
shaking and vibrations, as well as a violation for work on the building
without proper permits, according to the Times. The building, which is
owned by William Sang, had apartments on the upper three floors and
Vesper Bar and Lounge occupied the ground floor. City Council member Letitia James, who represents the district, said a four-story building at 491 Myrtle Avenue, which was attached to the fallen building and suffered significant damage, would have to be demolished. [NYDN] and [NYT] and [Post]… [more]

The City Council
is expected to vote tomorrow on Jed and David Walentas’ Dock Street
project in Dumbo, a 17-story residential building near the Brooklyn
Bridge that City Council member David Yassky says is too tall. Another
Council member, Letitia James, who is an opponent of the Atlantic Yards
project, has supported the Dock Street project because it will also
house a school. City Council speaker Christine Quinn is reportedly
supporting the project.