A spiffy Porto-San, no cars in the parking lot and a whole bunch of rubble on the 340 Smith Street Clarett Site is the only evidence that something has been happening recently. Though heavy machinery had been brought to the site at the end of last week, by Saturday, only the evidence of digging was visible. The machinery was gone.
It is important to note that permits had not been issued yet. Interesting!
Further reading:
Ground Breaking Imminent At 340 Court?
Still Life With Chairs and Drum At Court Street's Clarett Site
Drilling Has Begun At Clarett's Court Street Site
Very Fetching: New Plywood Color At 340 Court Street
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5 comments:
Not that interesting. The work that was done was for test pits and borings, which are done in order to help design the foundation and underpinnings. This is work that does not require a permit. If you're going to go so far as to accuse someone of wrong doing, you should be responsible enough to do some research first and understand the process. I know that blogging is not officially "journalism" but in modern times, this is how people get their news, and it's irresponisble to print things like this without any backup. Noone is trying to hide anything. In fact, if you were near the site last week and heard how loud and visible the work was, you'd know that it would be pretty impossible to hid the fact that there were test pits being dug.
Dear Anon,
I could hear the noise from my house and I live a couple of blocks away from the site.
I appreciate the info on the building process you have provided.
And I hope that you will continue to visit this page to give us more insight.Many local residents who live near the site are concerned about the upcoming construction. I merely chronicle what is been happening week to week, because frankly, it is one of the biggest, most visible construction site here in Carroll Gardens. Local residents would like to be informed of what is happening.
Maybe Clarett could step up to inform us themselves?
Carroll Gardeners would really, really appreciate that!
I can not imagine why someone who is so opposed to the relevance of blogging seems to be popping up on all blogs related to the issue of 340 Court Street in defense of the developers.
Take a look at this:
http://gowanuslounge.blogspot.com/2007/12/lot-of-digging-shaking-going-on-at-340.html
Permits are required for the aforementioned work:
www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/pdf/cc_chapter1.pdf
Locate articles 105.1 through 105.6
or search nyc.gov for
SECTION BC 105
PERMITS
What is more important than the issues surrounding landmarking, down zoning and the like, is the blatant disregard for the health and safety of the residents of this area.
For example: friable asbestos. This building was erected in the sixties. Building materials in that era were chock full of the stuff. Floor tiles, insulation, caulk, etc. of that era all contain friable asbestos. This is asbestos which is inert until it is altered at which point the resulting dust is found to have asbestos particles which become airborne.
Why the secretive removal of so much of the interior of the building? Look through the windows where you can see how much has been demolished and removed. Notice the unit on the Union Street side, once encased in metal sheathing, all removed and tossed from the roof onto the sidewalk, mid-day, no scaffolding, no protection or warning for passers-by!
Many witnesses observed workers removing debris and carting it off in a wide variety of vans and pick up trucks. All without any permits!
AND, if no one is trying to hide anything... what was being demolished and removed in the wee hours of the morning from that building two weeks ago? It woke many of the residents of this block out of their beds!!!
Also take notice of the crack resulting from their excavators on Sackett Street... a large crack now runs up the side of that building which was recently redone. Right next to where the test pits were being dug!
This is gross negigence for the safety of the residents and property of this area!!!
Would you like more "back-up" to refute the point of IRRESPONSIBILITY ?!?!?!
copy and paste
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2007/11/clarett_says_it.php
for more info on this issue
Anon 1:14 PM,
I appreciate your concers about asbestos. But you realize that buildings with asbestos are demolished everyday, right? You've walked by buildings where asbestos was being abated all the time. There is a very specific and regulated process that one needs to go through in order to handle asbestos abatement. I understand being a little wary because brooklyn has been somewhat scandilized by unscrupulous developers over the years. But take a look at Clarett's record. They are a high-end developer who deliver luxury products and, for the most part, do things by the books. Nothing that I've seen so far coming out of that building indicates that abatement is currently going on. The stuff that is being removed is furniture and some interior wood. ANd there are no permits required for anything that has been done to date. The DOB has sent people to investigate all of the complaints filed and has not found any evidence of wrong doing. Before they do any asbestos abatement, they will have to get a permit - they don't seem to have filed for one yet. If you have reason to believe that abatement without a permit is going on, report them to the DOB and let the experts check into it - that will answer the question once and for all and put an end to all of this speculation.
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