Join the Cobble Hill Association and Make Your Voice Heard!

May 1st will be the start of the new fiscal year for the Cobble Hill Association (CHA) and we hope that you will consider becoming a member or renewing your membership for the 2016-2017 year.

Click the "Join the Cobble Hill Association" button at the bottom of this email or simply click this link, where you can quickly and easily sign up using a credit card:

http://nycharities.org/app/cha/

Membership starts at just $25.  We ask that you please consider joining at the Sustaining Member level of $100 if that is comfortable for you.  Your dues are needed and will be well used in the coming months.

In addition, we hope  you will attend our annual meeting on May 11 where members will vote in a new governing board.

The Cobble Hill Association was formed as a non-profit organization over 50 years ago in order to protect and promote the interests of the community. Today our mission is more important than ever as we face the construction of the largest new residential complex in the history of our neighborhood on the site of the former Long Island College Hospital (LICH).

In the coming months, we will be engaged in the public rezoning process of the LICH site known as ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Process).  Well-informed, motivated, and active community members will be our best chance to influence the outcome of this massive development at our doorstep.

In addition to aggressively promoting the community’s interest during the ULURP, the CHA will continue performing its vital duties in the neighborhood. The CHA maintains Cobble Hill Park, organizes events such as the Halloween Parade and the summer concert series, and serves as the main liaison between the community and our local elected officials.
                                                         
Please join or renew your membership today so you will be eligible to vote on May 11 and make your voice heard.

News from the Cobble Hill Assocation

As was reported on this blog last January, Fortis still has not provided a more detailed plan for its proposed development of the LICH site. However, the Cobble Hill Association has been hard at work on a number of fronts relating to the LICH development, as well as organizational issues of the Association.

Legal developments. As we wait for Fortis to file a ULURP for the LICH project, our attorney Marvin Mitzner has been actively corresponding with the Department of Parks and Buildings to have public access restored to the northern Henry Street playground and the Pacific Street pedestrian walkway.

Urban Planning Issues. CHA's Urban Planning Committee—nine members including architects, urban planners, a landscape architect and community members—has met weekly since late February to formulate "foundational principles" that will serve as guidelines for evaluating the components of Fortis’ ULURP proposal once it is filed and the review process begins.

CHA Nominating Committee. A Nominating Committee has been formed to propose a slate of new board officers for the next two-year term. Service on the board is open to all Cobble Hill Association members in good standing. The election will take place at the May 11 spring meeting.

Membership Drive. A membership campaign will be taking place over the coming weeks.  Watch for forthcoming emails and mailings, and please consider joining or re-joining. Your engagement and support will be so important over the coming year.

SAVE THE DATE!

Cobble Hill Association Spring General Meeting

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

7pm

P.S. 29

All are welcome! Please attend! Make your voice heard!

SAVE THE DATE!

The Spring General Meeting of the Cobble Hill Association will be held the evening of Wednesday, MAY 11th, at P.S. 29, 7:00 pm.

Please attend! All are welcome!

E-Waste Recycling Drop Off Next Saturday

Remember that old printer sitting in your closet? That tangled knot of wires haunting your drawers? And don't forget all your old cell phones, tapes, and VCRs. It's time to do some spring cleaning and recycle all that E-junk the right way. Next Saturday, April 2nd, the Lower East Side Ecology Center's E-Waste Warehouse in Gowanus will set up shop on Smith Street between President and Union to take all that stuff off your hands.

It's a great time to sift the useless tech and obsolete clunkers out of your house, and send them to a new home, or to be properly disposed. Don't get fined by the city for chucking your electronic waste into your curbside trash. The Gowanus E-Waste Warehouse ensures that the harmful chemicals and heavy metals in all our electronics are disposed of safely, and don't end up in land fills. Items that still works can be refurbished and sold from their space at President Street and Nevins Street, and vintage items are rented as props for plays and movies.

E-Waste Recycling Drop Off

Saturday, April 2

10am - 4pm

On Smith Street between President and Union Street

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

A Brooklyn-Queens Street Car

At Thursday night's State of the City address, Mayor Bill De Blasio announced a proposal to add a new street-level tram along the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront. The BQX street car would run from Sunset Park up to Astoria, passing through several waterfront neighborhoods that do not have subway access, like Red Hook. Preliminary maps show the trolley traveling along Columbia Street, with a station at Pier 6. In addition to the expanded East River Ferry service, this is the second new transit route proposed for the Columbia waterfront.

The plan's $2.5 billion price tag has been criticized by some transit advocates, who suggest that the money could be put to better use increasing express bus service or expanding transit options in more poorly served areas. Questions about the future line's ridership and its integration with the MTA Metrocard are still unanswered. The project will begin gathering community input this year, and is expected to get construction permits no earlier than 2017.

Brooklyn train enthusiast Bob Diamond, who discovered the Cobble Hill Tunnel under Court and Atlantic in 1981, has long been an advocate for the return of the waterfront trolley that ran through Red Hook and DUMBO. He lauded Thursday's news, and hopes to work with the De Blasio administration to make the new proposal a reality.

Additional coverage:

• Mayor de Blasio to Propose Streetcar Line Linking Brooklyn and Queens | New York Times
• A Trolley Enthusiast on de Blasio’s Streetcar Plan: Bring Me Aboard | New York Times
• 4 Reasons a $2.5 Billion Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Doesn’t Add Up | Streetsblog

Public Meeting with NYU Langone

This Wednesday, representatives from NYU Langone will present updates on their Cobble Hill healthcare operations to the Community Board Six Human Services Committee. The committee will discuss the current, and future, healthcare offerings in the neighborhood. Community Board committee meetings are open to the public. The meeting details are below, and available on the Community Board Six website.

6:30 pm Wednesday, January 27th 

Cobble Hill Health Center 

380 Henry Street 

(Congress & Warren Streets) 

An Update on the Proposed Redevelopment of the LICH site

A few days before Christmas, the Cobble Hill Association and all the elected officials who have been involved on the community’s behalf were asked to attend a meeting at City Hall because Mayor de Blasio's administration was taking a direct interest in the redevelopment process and had a new ULURP proposal to present.

The CHA agreed to participate in the meeting so we could understand the new ULURP proposal as fully as possible.  We made it clear to the administration that we were not indicating any acceptance or agreement with City Hall or Fortis as part of the process of information gathering that the meeting represented.

CHA representatives had also attended a December meeting where NYU described their plans for the new medical center to be developed on the former LICH site, regardless of what type of residential development occurs.  After this meeting, CHA and the Brooklyn Heights Association, which also attended, sent a letter to NYU outlining a number of concerns about infrastructure issues relating to the medical center.

In the pre-Christmas City Hall meeting, two members of the de Blasio administration outlined a new ULURP plan that includes a reduction in market-rate residential and affordable housing square footage, but a larger school than previously proposed.  During the meeting, CHA representatives made it clear that the plan does not fully address the community's issues with the original ULURP proposal, and that our information from the NYU meeting and the proposal of a larger school raised many infrastructure- and traffic-related issues.  The City Hall representatives asked that the CHA to develop a list of information requirements and that we attend a second meeting early in the new year.

The list of information requirements requested after the first City Hall meeting included questions relating to basic infrastructure issues, such as traffic, parking, safety, access and entrances to the medical center and school, and other subjects relating to neighborhood open spaces and environmental issues.  At the post-New Year meeting at City Hall, some information was provided and additional information promised.

CHA is continuing to pursue information gathering on all the elements of the new ULURP plan and intends to communicate its best understanding of the plan to the community at the earliest possible time.

Don't Trash Your Tree, Mulch It!

Happy New Year Cobble Hill! The NYC Parks Department will be running its annual Mulchfest, where the city collects christmas trees to be chipped into mulch. Rather than leaving your tree on the curb, "treecycle" it at Cobble Hill Park next weekend on January 9th and 10th. Bringing your tree to Mulchfest saves the DSNY time and money and supplies the Parks Department with mulch that it uses in its stewardship of the city's natural areas. Mulch will also be available at Cobble Hill Park for any home gardeners.

Mulchfest 2016 at Cobble Hill Park

January 9th and 10th, 10:00am - 2:00pm

More info from NYC Parks

It's Petition Delivery Time!

Let's deliver our message to Mayor de Blasio together. 

Date:  Wednesday morning, December 16th
Time:  9:15 am
Where: In front of the gates of City Hall Park, Broadway at Murray Street.
How:   4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall, R to City Hall, A/C to Chambers, or 2/3 to Park Place

Bring ID.

Can you make it?  Your presence will have an impact.  If you can be there, an email confirmation would be appreciated. Send your RSVPs to CobbleHillAssociation@gmail.com.

On Wednesday morning, City Councilman Brad Lander and State Senator Daniel Squadron will stand with Cobble Hill residents (and neighbors!) to deliver over 2017 signed petitions to City Hall.   (We actually have more than that but the number should have special significance for the Mayor.)  Our request is simple:  we want a better plan for the Long Island College Hospital site.
Bring one of the Save Cobble Hill posters or make your own, Just keep it family friendly!

THANK YOU for your efforts!  Every voice counts and is vital in our efforts to convince the de Blasio administration to listen and respond to our concerns.  We hope to see you Wednesday morning!

Walk the Windows of Atlantic Avenue this Saturday

Take advantage of this weekend's unseasonably beautiful weather to Walk the Windows on Atlantic Avenue. This Saturday stores and restaurants along Atlantic from Hicks Street to 4th Avenue will be hosting events and offering complimentary holiday treats and discounts. Hot chocolate from Sahadi's still sounds pretty good when it's 60 degrees out. The event is organized by the Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation, described by them below:

Walk the Windows activities include live music; tribal rugs exhibit with talk; holiday terrarium workshop; cheese & wine pairing class; storytime; art lectures; book making craft; intro to meditation; Strafe signed CD and art raffle; drinks (non-alcoholic and alcoholic – including a whiskey knowledge tasting); ski and snowboard tips and tricks; holiday makeup tips; gift wrapping and goodies party; meet Santa, the Snow Queen (photo ops/bring your camera) and more! Holiday carolers, free tasty treats and refreshments, and fun events, will keep you in the holiday spirit.

Walk the Windows on Atlantic Ave

Saturday, December 12 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

Atlantic Avenue from Hicks Street to 4th Avenue

Full list of offerings from AALDC

Carroll Gardens 9th Annual Community Tree Lighting

Join our Carroll Gardens neighbors on Friday evening for the ninth annual Community Tree lighting. Festivities will be at the Human Compass Garden at Columbia and Sackett Streets from 6:00pm - 7:30pm, and Santa will be making an appearance. See the event posting from Carroll Gardens Assocation.

Community Tree Lighting

Friday, December 11th 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Human Compass Community Garden

Corner of Columbia and Sackett Streets