Friday, September 12, 2008

A Must See Video For Carroll Gardeners: "Brownfield Of Dreams"

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Brooklyn's Public Place: From Brownfield To Senior Housing
A Film By Matt Sollars

I happened to come across this video by Matt Sollars of the CUNY Graduate School Of Journalism. I am posting it here because it is a must see video for everyone in Carroll Gardens. Sollars examines the redevelopment of the Public Place site between Smith Street and the Gowanus Canal. He writes:

The future of a former fuel processing plant on the edge of Carroll Gardens has sparked fierce debate in the Brooklyn neighborhood. While some want the sprawling site, known as Public Place, to be used for senior housing or as a park, others fear the brownfield can never be made safe.


Both Buddy Scotto of Scotto Funeral Home and Brad Lander the Pratt Center for Community Development are interviewed in the piece. Their gung ho attitude towards building housing, especially senior housing, on toxic land is chilling.


Bravo to Betty Stolz of the South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation who argues that Public Place should become a park for the local community. Her comment is simple but to the point:

"Why stick people someplace that can kill them. I wouldn't want my mother living there."

Obviously Mr.Scotto and Mr. Lander (who is running for City Council) don't have those qualms.


Related Reading:

Once Upon A Time On The Shores Of The Gowanus: Frank Shifreen And "The Monument Redefined " Show




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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Katia,
A chilling, powerful film with echoes of Love Canal. Unfortunately, not much of a surprise.
What was a surprise is the subscript film on Cuyahoga County's reclamation/ remediation of the 49 acre brownfield out there in Ohio. I am shocked.
The govt worked together at each level?
The corporations complimented the city, county, state and federal teams for expediting the project?
Collaborate rather than compete?
These govt employees actually go around the country and show people how they do what they do. Hmmm.

Thanks and keep up the good work,

BklynMom

Anonymous said...

So Bette Stoltz thinks it's Ok to have a park there where children will play, and that's safe, but not a building where people can live? Her argument makes no sense.