2nd Street between Bond Street and the Gowanus Canal
New "No Parking and No Standing" signs on North side of the block
Newly opened "Quick Park" garage on north side of this block
New bicycle lane and parking signage on Bond Street
both day and night for local residents.
Those parking spots were taken away when these two blocks were blocked off as construction began in 2014.
Concerned that Lightstone may apply to make the1st and 2nd Street blocks a “no parking zone" permanently, Gowanus resident Carl Teitelbaum reached out to the NYC Department of Transportation in the fall of 2015 to ask if the developer had done so already. "Is there any public scrutiny and feedback if that is their intention? How can we make public the desires of the neighborhood in this matter?" Teitelbaum inquired. He added: "Parking is very tight in our neighborhood and taking away what were public spaces would be a great disservice to existing residents."
The answer he received came directly from DoT's Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Keith Bray.
"All parking regulations will be restored once the work on this conduction project is complete," Bray assured Teitelbaum.
This, however, does not seem to be the case.
While this stretch of 1st Street remains closed during ongoing construction at 363 Bond Street, the 2nd Street block was reopened this fall. At the beginning of this month, local resident Michael McGinn reached out to neighbors to report that new D.o.T. signage "eliminates all parking on the north side of Second Street between Bond and the canal."
Incidentally, the entrance to a new private parking garage in Lightstone's 365 Bond Street building is located on the north side of Second Street.
Coïncidence? "I have a lot of trouble with the idea that a for-profit parking garage means eliminating public parking spaces," Michael McGinn wrote to his neighbors.
As more people move into the 700 apartments at 363-365 Bond Street, parking will just get tighter, especially if additional spots are removed when 1st Street between Bond and the canal re-opens.
Eliminating on-street parking is a good thing for full-time residents. Only wish DOT would expand the sidewalk space as well.
ReplyDeleteIt used to be that parking on this side of the neighborhood was relatively easy. PS 32 parking restrictions provided ample parking at night... plus there was no one on Bond Street competing for spaces. Parking now has turned into a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Park Slope, part 2 (or should we call it NoPARKing Slope). Having lived on Union and Hoyt for going on 30 years, I remember when parking was a breeze. Parking is now horrible. I routinely see cars parked too close to the fire Hydrants (check out the BMW that parks weekly in the hydrant on the corner of Union and Hoyt).
Those 700 apartments, when fully occupied are going to make the situation that much worse.
I would happily give up those few spaces on Bond if the apartment dwellers got free parking...but that's not going to happen.
Our quiet corner of the Carroll Gardens has been over-run and short of moving, not much we can do...and restoring those parking spots is not going to make a difference.
How do we fight this? Who should we contact. I have lived in the neighborhood for over 25 years, and parking has always been allowed. Now, with the addition of over 700 apartments, over 1500 people, they remove the measly parking we have? This post is great. But, are we talking to ourselves?
ReplyDeleteNothing like smug city officials. What a lovely part of Carroll Gardens/Gowanus that area has been. Cannot wrap my head around why the city is allowing the folks who live there be subjected no say whatsoever.
ReplyDeletePeople whining about the lack of free, public space to park their private cars in Brooklyn is just silly. With options such as our 24-hour MTA, yellow and green cabs, Uber and Lyft, CitiBike, Car2Go, ZipCar et al. individually owned cars are luxury items and not necessities for many, if not most, people. I have already noticed that the large trucks coming in and out of the few remaining businesses on this block of 2nd Street do not have to go back and forth a few times in order to make a turn, the extra space allows them to make a turn at once. Plus the block looks so much prettier without all the cars, more open and park-like; it's a pleasure to walk my dog there every morning now. I just can't yet get used to those apartments on the ground floor, they are like a human zoo...
ReplyDelete9:18 you sure are being judgmental towards people who own cars. People own cars for all kinds of reasons. I don't but if I did I would be p***** off because the quality of life is detriorating with the influx of development. I saw those parking garage rates. Even for parking a bike. Outrageous.
ReplyDeleteShould we contact Brad Lander anyone?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous November 19, 2016: Cars are a necessity for many especially the elderly who cannot ride a CitiBike and families with young children. CitiBike is not a viable option and taking a green or yellow cab gets expensive. Like it or not, cars are stills necessary. Since you do not have a car you do not realize the hassle of finding a parking space. Eliminating more parking spots does not help the community.
ReplyDelete22 feet is needed for the FDNY to deploy the buttress supports from their trucks so their ladder can be used to reach the upper floors.
ReplyDeleteremove parking to save lives.
FDNY lives matter
Anonymous 10:12 AM, Owning a car is extremely expensive in NYC. Insurance rates alone for Brooklyn are incredibly high and then you have the yearly upkeep. That doesn't even account for the actual cost of purchasing a vehicle. I owned a car. If I added all the money I spent on cabs and Zipcar I still would be paying less than when I actually had a car. It's a necessity anywhere outside the city but for many it most definitely is a luxury.
ReplyDeleteWhile some people may have jobs that require them to drive to different areas all the time most people do not. Judging by the number of cars that sit under the snow whenever we get a storm clearly not a lot of people use their cars very much. Even when there isn't a storm most of those cars sit in the exact same spot until it's time move them for alternate side.
Anon 9:18, true you can live comfortably in many NYC neighborhoods without a car (I certainly have), but you live in a serious bubble if you think simply owning a car in Brooklyn is some kind of posh luxury. You use Zip Car, that's great for you, but not every family is going to rely on that when the whole family goes to see Grandma on Staten Island or Pelham, or go grocery shopping, or a soccer game in Maspeth, or any number of things normal people do with their cars on a daily basis. What works for your small little world isn't what works for your neighbors.
ReplyDeleteI own a car, and I still acknowledge that free parking is a form of regressive taxation. Why do my fellow car owners feel like we are entitled to free public space, which we all know is precious?
ReplyDeleteNYC needs paid resident parking permits.