Participatory Budgeting Vote Week is Coming Up!

Participatory Budgeting is back for its fifth year with a new set of proposals! This NYC Council initiative encourages its members to set aside a portion of their budget dedicated to funding proposals that are created, and voted on, by their constituents. Our representative Brad Lander was among the first four Council Members to bring this innovative process of community engagement to New York, and this year he will be joined by 27 of his peers.

Council Member Lander's office accepted proposals for PB capital projects through the fall. Since then, volunteer budget delegates have refined the proposals and had vetted them with the relevant city agencies. The 13 projects below will appear on the 2016 District 39 PB ballot, competing for $1.5 million in funds that CM Lander dedicated to the process. Any District 39 resident 14 years or older may vote for up to 5 proposals. Participants do not have to be a registered voters, they must only show proof of address.

• Create New Teen Space at Carroll Gardens Library
• Beautify Outdoor Space at Borough Park Library
• "Mobile Studios" for Artists and Orgs in Gowanus
• Retrofit 75 Auditorium Lights for Safety at PS 282
• PS 124 Dye Garden/Makerspace STEAM Enrichments 
• West Brooklyn Community HS Portable Laptop Lab
• New “Lake Mess Monster,” an aquatic weed harvester
• Year-round, freeze-resistant drinking fountains along Prospect Park Drive
• New Kensington Dog Run: Areas for Big and Small Dogs
• Curb extension & safer crossing near Carroll Park
• Pedestrian safety: Curb extension on Columbia St
• Replace painted cross-hatch with concrete on PPSW
• "Bus Clocks” on B67/B69: see when bus will arrive!

To view the full ballot with price estimates and short descriptions, visit: bradlander.nyc/2016-pbnyc-ballot

Participatory Budgeting Vote Week
March 28 - April 3
See here for the full list of voting sites

PBNYC Expo & Vote Kick Off
Tuesday, March 29th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Park Slope Library
431 6th Ave., between 8th St. and 9th St.

The Voting times at our closest locations:
Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joralemon St. (at Court St)
Monday, March 28 - Friday, April 1
10am - 5pm

Carroll Gardens Library
396 Clinton St at Union St
Saturday, April 2
10 am – 6 pm

If you're interested in volunteering to help get out the vote, or run a voting site, visit: http://bradlander.nyc/pbVolunteer.

Watch this video for more about PBNYC

LICH Meeting Recap

Thank you to all who came out to the first meeting with our elected officials and the LICH Developer, Fortis. While the meeting was organized by our local elected officials, the CHA turned out over 200 people with door to door flyer efforts. The CHA presented a strong community consensus document which outlined the major, as well as very specific, areas of concern. A video of the meeting will be posted on YouTube and made available here. We have requested that future meetings occur after the Labor Day holiday, which our elected officials are now working on.

More coverage of Thursday night's meeting:
VIDEO: Pros & cons for LICH site hi-rises aired in Cobble Hill 
- Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Controversial Conversion of Cobble Hill Hospital Chugs Along 

- Curbed NY

'Out-of-Scale' LICH Towers Will Overburden Neighborhood, Locals Warn 

- DNAinfo

Cobble Hill Locals Not Happy with Proposed High-Rise Condo Towers 

- Habitat Magazine

Announcing an Important Public Meeting for the LICH Development Site

Thursday, August 6 from 6:30 to 8:30pm

at the Brooklyn Montessori School

at 185 Court Street (at Bergen Street)

This meeting will include a brief presentation of the options put forth by Fortis, followed by opportunities for community feedback and discussion. All are invited to attend.

The Cobble Hill Association would like to extend our special thanks to Council Members Brad Lander and Steve Levin, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, State Senator Daniel Squadron, State Assembly Woman Jo Ann Simon, and Congress Woman Nydia Velézquez for all their hard work in decveloping htis process, and also to the Fortis Property Group for their commitment to work with the community.
- - - -
Here is Friday's press release:

July 24, 2015: NYC Council Member Brad Lander, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, NYS Senator Daniel Squadron, NYS Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, NYC Council Member Stephen Levin, Brooklyn Community Board 6, and the Cobble Hill Association issued the following statement regarding the future of the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) Site:

“Local elected officials, Community Board 6, and the Cobble Hill Association are working together to involve the community in the future of the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) site.

Fortis Property Group, LLC was selected to purchase the LICH campus through an RFP process managed by the State University of New York, after it decided to close LICH. This process was staunchly opposed by elected officials and community organizations.

To date, Fortis has indicated that two options exist for the redevelopment of the core LICH site: (a) an “as-of-right” option, which does not require discretionary public approvals, which would include about 400 market-rate units, and (b) a rezoning or “ULURP” option, which would roughly double the number of residential units and include affordable housing units, space for a public school, increased park space and more small retail opportunities. A rezoning would require review by the Community Board, Borough President, and City Planning Commission, and approval by the City Council.

Both of the proposed options present development that is dramatically out-of-scale with the adjacent Cobble Hill Historic District, which has a height limit of 50 feet (in each case, the tallest building Fortis proposes would be over 40 stories). In either scenario, NYU Langone will also build an approximately 108,000 sq. ft. health center at the corner of Atlantic and Hicks.

We will continue to work together to ensure all of the community’s options are explored. This working group will help organize public dialogue about the options. It is not a decision-making body, and will not recommend that Fortis pursue a particular option. Rather it will organize forums where residents, businesses, and stakeholders (including the Brooklyn Heights Association and Atlantic Avenue BID, both of whom represent areas adjacent to the LICH site) can learn more about the various options, weigh in on Fortis’ potential development options, propose alternatives, and provide community feedback. All stakeholders (elected officials, the community board, community organizations, individuals, etc.) will ultimately make their own decisions about Fortis’ proposals.

Over the next 2-3 months, the working group will organize several open, public meetings where Fortis will present their proposals and consider feedback, as well as several smaller meetings with stakeholders to drill-down on specific issues including: urban design, parks/open space, retail/commercial, the health care facility, the potential public school, potential affordable housing, and traffic/parking/transit and other infrastructure concerns.

A public meeting will take place the evening of Thursday August 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Brooklyn Montessori School at 185 Court Street, at Bergen Street, in Cobble Hill. The meeting will include a brief presentation of the options put forth by Fortis, followed by opportunities for community feedback and discussion. All are welcome to attend."

Judge blocks towers, Politicians hope to halt development

As Mary Frost reports in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, a new park advocacy group - People for Green Space Foundation - has won a temporary restraining order that prevents Brooklyn Bridge Park from moving forward with its Request for Proposals (RFP) that could bring two residential towers to the foot of Atlantic Avenue adjacent to Cobble Hill. The advocates have argued that the RFP was altered after the fact to include affordable housing, a key issue that Mayor DeBlasio has raised citywide in all potential developments.

In response, the four local elected officials - State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Joan Millman, and City Councilmembers Brad Lander and Steve Levin - released a joint statement below:

"This lawsuit is yet another example of why we have urged the administration to stop moving forward at a breakneck speed on the Bloomberg-era plan for housing at Pier 6, and instead begin to work with the community.
“We have long voiced concern about housing in the park and will continue to do so, especially in light of the continued unknowns at the LICH site, which is a stone’s throw from Pier 6 and will have infrastructure and planning impacts on the same immediate area. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation and the Administration should immediately cease any action on this RFP and begin a community-driven process to revisit other viable options to the Bloomberg plan for housing at Pier 6."

The Cobble Hill has long been opposed to housing within Brooklyn Bridge Park, and instead hopes to see all park land maximized for the active use of the residents of Brooklyn. Judi Francis, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund - of which the CHA is a coalition partner - added, “We are now at a crossroads and look to the Mayor’s leadership to pull us away from the draconian Bloomberg policy of privatizing our public parks with private housing.” The Defense Fund's full statement can be found here.

LICH settlement: Electeds' Statements today, CHA statement tomorrow

Big updates on the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) settlement have been floating around news desks today. Below are statement excerpts from elected officials. The official Cobble Hill Association will come tomorrow, Friday, February 21st.

Our most steadfast supporters, local electeds Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and City Councilmembers Brad Lander, Steve Levin, and Carlos Menchaca jointly released the following statement:

We've long urged SUNY and the State to agree to a new, more open RFP process for LICH, to make sure our community and all of Brooklyn have the best possible healthcare outcome.  And, finally, SUNY has come to agreement with the community and healthcare providers on a process that achieves this basic goal, while offering added transparency and community input. Now, it's critical that the process moves forward in good faith and in a timely way, with meaningful community participation from the many neighborhoods that LICH serves. We will continue to work with SUNY, the community, and our colleagues to ensure that LICH continues to provide care, and play the role that Brooklyn needs.

An excerpt of Mayor Bill DeBlasio's statement is as follows. 

For months, we were told the free-fall closure of Long Island College Hospital was inevitable. We fought back. We went to court to keep the padlocks off the doors. We fought shoulder to shoulder with this community and used all the tools of city government to press for a better outcome. And now, we have a resolution that finally puts people's health first.

His full statement is available here. 

An excerpt of Governor Cuomo's follows below.

Today’s agreement is a victory for all parties involved and paves the way for putting a long-term, sustainable health care facility in place for the residents of Brooklyn,” Governor Cuomo said. “We are in the midst of a health care transformation here in New York State, and the reality is that yesterday’s costly, inefficient models of delivering service are no longer viable options for tomorrow. Under the terms of today’s agreement, SUNY is reopening the solicitation process to find a new operator for LICH that will guide the facility as it modernizes and continues its important mission of serving New Yorkers.

His full statement is available here. 

Tomorrow, we will post the official Cobble Hill Association response to the close of litigation and the start of improved health care for our community.

Elected Officials Join the CHA's Condemnation of SUNY's "Transparent" RFP for LICH.

This press below press release was sent out this afternoon, adding a wide range of support to the Cobble Hill Association's own disappointment in SUNY's most recent actions regarding Long Island College Hospital.

BROOKLYN ELECTED OFFICIALS RESPOND TO SUNY ON LONG ISLAND COLLEGE HOSPITAL

BROOKLYN -- Today, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and Councilmembers Brad Lander, Steve Levin, and Carlos Menchaca sent the following letter to State University of New York (SUNY) Chairman Carl McCall regarding Long Island College Hospital (LICH):

February 1, 2014

H. Carl McCall, Chairman, Board of Trustees

The State University of New York

33 West 42nd Street

New York, NY 10036

Dear Chairman McCall,

As federal, state and city elected officials representing the community impacted by Long Island College Hospital, we are deeply disappointed in the wide gap between your letter of January 30, which claims SUNY has embarked on a process that is “reopened and publicly transparent,” and your continued actions, which neither correct the deficiencies of the July Request for Proposals (RFP), nor add meaningful transparency. As we have told you collectively, SUNY's current path is not legal and will not lead to the best possible conclusion to address the community's needs. As such, we will not participate in this process.

For more than a year, each of us, along with community organizations and healthcare providers, have urged SUNY to adopt a truly fair and open process with the shared goal of preserving healthcare in Brooklyn. At every step, including at the meeting convened by Public Advocate James and referenced in your January 30 letter, we have been rebuffed. 

As we have expressed repeatedly, a good-faith effort to solve the crisis at LICH must include a fundamentally improved process, with healthcare focused priorities and significant community representation throughout. As you know, allotting the community merely one token representative per committee is deeply insufficient, as is the continuation of the same RFP process that has been rejected since July.

We have outlined a process to reach a reasonable conclusion. We again implore SUNY to engage it substantively. SUNY's unwillingness to meaningfully address our concerns needlessly risks extending the process indefinitely.

Sincerely,

Nydia M. Velazquez, Member of Congress

Daniel Squadron, State Senator

Joan Millman, Assembly Member

Brad Lander, City Councilmember

Stephen T. Levin, City Councilmember

Carlos Menchaca, City Councilmember

3rd Annual Holiday Toy Giveaway

The holiday season is upon us and we hope you think of your neighbors in need. The Gowanus Neighborhood Association, in partnership with Councilmember Stephen Levin will be sponsoring its 3rd annual holiday toy giveaway on Friday December 21st at 6pm in the Gowanus community center, 420 baltic st. (between Hoyt & Bond streets).

They are asking for contributions and/or donations for underprivileged, low-income children aged 1-12 yrs and accepting new, unopened toys, games puzzles and books for age appropriate girls and boys.

Your donations can be dropped off at the Councilmember’s district office

410 atlantic ave @bond st.

Mon.-Fri.  10am-6pm

Or arrangements can be made for pick-up by contacting:

Betty Lester 718-243-1252 or  Metin Sarci 718-875- 5200

Save the Date - 3/31 BK Gateway Transportation Workshop

Join New York City Council Member Letitia James, The Boerum Hill Association, The Park Slope Civic Council, The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council and The Tri-State Transportation Campaign for the BK Gateway Transportation Workshop.

The neighborhoods of Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, downtown Brooklyn, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, Northern Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights face significant transportation challenges.  Existing traffic and parking congestion, demands on transit service and dangerous roads for cyclists and pedestrians already pose hurdles for residents, businesses and the environment.  The opening of the Barclays Center at Atlantic Yards will further compound theset challenges.  The BK Gateway Transportation Workshop will lay the groundwork for developing community driven solutions to the transportation issues facing the area.

·         Discuss transportation issues affecting your neighborhood
·         Share ideas with transportation experts
·         Learn ways to increase pedestrian & cyclist safety, reduce congestion, & improve transit
·         Help develop a plan for the future of transportation and transit in our community

Residents, business owners, and community organizations welcome!
When:       Saturday March 31, 2012
Where:      YWCA, 30 Third Avenue (at Atlantic Avenue) Brooklyn, NY 11217
                  First Floor Community Room
Time:        10:00 am to 1:00 pm
R.S.V.P:      Due to limited space, participants must register by e mail to bsherman@council.nyc.gov.

Co-sponsored by:
Council Member Stephen Levin, Council Member Brad Lander, Community Board 2, and Transportation Alternatives

Help Keep D & D Pool Afloat

The Cobble Hill Association got recent word that the NYC Parks Department plans to shorten the outdoor pool season by two weeks citywide as well as pull the plug entirely on four pools with low attendance in order to save the city $1.4 million dollars. One of them unfortunately is our closest option, the Douglas - Degraw Pool. Though the Red Hook pool is wonderful and will remain open, the D & D pool is a much more realistic walking destination from Cobble Hill, especially with young children.

There is now a petition up which you can add your signature in just seconds, without any need for submitting donations.

"DON'T CLOSE THE DOUGLASS/DEGRAW POOL IN BROOKLYN"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopclosureofddpool/

UPDATE!!! Councilman Levin has come out in support of keeping the pool open. Read about it here...
http://brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/25/dtg_gb_levinonpool_2010_06_18_bk.html