It’s been a busy few weeks for many Civic Council committees, from a longstanding group that’s working to preserve Park Slope’s historical essence to a new initiative focusing on Fourth Avenue.
Historic District
Our successful volunteer recruitment meeting, held on March 14, is part of the Civic Council’s effort to expand the Park Slope Historic District in the North Slope. A dozen prospective volunteers, most of whom live on blocks within the proposed expansion area, learned about the landmarking process, the Civil Council’s activities to date, and our plans for the future. The meeting was led by Stephanie Doba, the Outreach Subcommittee Chair, District Committee; Peter Bray, Historic District Committee chair; and committee members John Casson and Robert Gilbert.
With the help of these new volunteers and others, the Historic District Committee will kick off an outreach campaign in May to North Slope homeowners to secure petition signatures supporting the proposed expansion. We plan on starting a door-to-door campaign, followed by tabling at the Civic Council’s House Tour and the 7th Heaven Street Fair, as well as participation in various community events.
The committee will have a follow-up meeting to train volunteers and attract additional volunteers at the end of April. Anyone interested in helping should contact Stephanie Doba at sdoba@nyc.rr.com.
— Peter Bray, Chair, Historic District Committee
Livable Streets
At our March Livable Streets meeting, we finalized the draft letter that we will be sending to car services requesting a pledge of safe driving. That means operators must drive within the speed limit (30 mph on city streets), and make pedestrian and cyclist safety a priority.
The Rev. Dan Meeter asked for the Civic Council’s support for his plan to put a public water fountain on Old First Reformed Church property (at Carroll Street and Seventh Avenue), possibly in front of the church. He will make a presentation regarding this idea at an upcoming Trustees Meeting.
The problem of cyclists riding without headlights or taillights was also discussed. A white headlight, a red taillight, and reflectors are required by state law for all cyclists traveling between dusk and dawn. Civic Council First Vice President Lauri Schindler suggested that we ask Slope bicycle merchants to sell head- and taillights at the Fall Civic Sweep at a discounted rate, with the Civic Council making up the difference.
Finally, Council President Michael Cairl updated the committee on the status of improvements at Grand Army Plaza and surrounding streets. In April 2010, the city’s Department of Transportation proposed a number of improvements at the Plaza, one of which is a Class I bike lane around the Plaza. (A downloadable PDF of the agency’s proposed enhancements is available from the DOT’s website.)
A Class I bike lane plus new paving and landscaping will be part of the reconstruction of the Eastern Parkway median now under way between Plaza Street and Washington Avenue, said Cairl, who also chairs the Grand Army Coalition’s Design Initiatives Committee.
The Livable Streets Committee meets the first Thursday of every month at Ozzie’s, 249 Fifth Ave. (Carroll Street); all are welcome. E-mail livablestreets@parkslopeciviccouncil.org [LINK] for more information.
— Candace Woodward, Co-Chair, Livable Streets Committee
FORTHonFourth Initiative
On Feb. 17, some 20 concerned Park Slope residents and small-business owners gathered for the first organized meeting of the latest Park Slope Civic Council initiative: an ad hoc working group committed to promoting the interests of Fourth Avenue. Dubbed FORTHonFourth (or FoFa), the group is an outgrowth of the Civic Council’s Livable Streets Committee.
Our group offers a diverse mix of residents who’ve been living near Park Slope’s western border for more than 30 years and newer arrivals living in Fourth Avenue’s condominiums. Also in our group are business owners, professionals, property owners, and café and retail-store operators interested in a busier, more vibrant, pedestrian-friendly experience on Fourth Avenue.
The contraction in financial markets over the last year or two has led to a reprieve in new construction along Fourth Avenue, creating a unique opportunity for our community to reflect on existing development and help tie new projects into a comprehensive plan for the thoroughfare’s future.
In our initial meetings, on Feb. 17 and another a month later, we identified five primary areas of focus that would inform our discussions about Fourth Avenue:
- Green space, streetscape, real-estate development, zoning, and land-use issues
- Parking, traffic, biking, pedestrian safety, and public transportation
- Retail, commercial, and small-business issues
- Housing and schooling issues
- Sewage, drainage, water treatment, and other public utilities issues
The initiative expects to focus on the following objectives:
- Enhance the aesthetics and strengthen the relationship of the buildings on Fourth Avenue with street level activity
- Improve safety and seek a greener, cleaner, more vibrant pedestrian experience
- Promote greater economic vitality for retail and commercial businesses on Fourth Avenue
- Advocate for a greater diversity of housing options on or near the avenue
- Improve the quality of life for pedestrians, cyclists, commuters, drivers, and residents
The subcommittee’s initial scope and focus will be limited to the Fourth Avenue corridor, bounded by Prospect Avenue to the south and Flatbush Avenue to the north. We hope to coordinate as much as possible with any and all local community groups and civic organizations.
In late March, Civic Council President Michael Cairl and Josh Levy and Aida Stoddard from FORTHonFourth met with the Department of City Planning’s Brooklyn office to discuss our concerns on Fourth Avenue planning. The productive meeting was the first in what we hope will be a robust dialogue about the thoroughfare with the department, elected officials, and other stakeholders. Additional exciting initiatives for improving Fourth Avenue are also under way.
Meetings will be held on the third Thursday of every month at 7:30 a.m. at the Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 Fourth Ave., corner of President Street. Meetings are open to all local residents, community members, business owners, real-estate developers, Fourth Avenue commuters, and all other local stakeholders. Please get involved! Reach us anytime at fofa@parkslopeciviccouncil.org.
— Josh Levy, Chair, FORTHonFourth Initiative
Sustainability
At our Feb. 23 meeting, we covered hydrofracking, tree-pit expansion, the Department of Environmental Protection site at Sackett Street and Fourth Avenue, and the Spring Civic Sweep.
The committee created a letter to inform our elected officials know of our strong opposition to hydrofracking, a threat to our fragile watershed upstate. We aim to distribute the letter to Civic Council trustees and eventually to other community groups, asking them to use it as template for their own messages to Governor Cuomo, State Environmental Commissioner Joe Martens, and our state senators and assemblymembers. This is just the first step in our effort to get the word out about this threat.
Regarding tree-pit expansion, the borough president’s office has a program for free tree-pit guards and expansion of the pits that we will be publicizing. Another program, the Tree Pit Enlargement Project (TPEP), is being highlighted by Park Slope Neighbors and Councilmember Brad Lander’s office.
The interim park for the DEP site on Sackett and Fourth is going forward. GreenSpaces will be managing the project, and we will help seek volunteers once the project proceeds. Community Board 6 will be presenting the GreenSpaces plan to the department shortly. The park will be a great addition to Park Slope, especially in this part of our community.
Finally, the Spring Civic Sweep is set for Sunday, April 10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., beginning at M.S. 51 at Fifth Avenue near Fourth Street. In addition to the great sweep and graffiti cleanup activities, we’ll be planting evergreen ground cover in treeless tree pits. More information is available on the Civic Sweep page of our website. Hope you can all make it!
The Sustainability Committee generally meets the third Monday of every month. E-mail sustainable@parkslopeciviccouncil.org for more information.
— Bob Gilbert, Co-Chair, Sustainability Committee
from the March 2011 Civic News