A Year In Review: 2019 In Carroll Gardens

 

As we come to the end of 2019 and the end of the decade, Pardon Me For Asking is keeping the tradition of reviewing the past year in photos taken in and around our beloved Carroll Gardens.

2019 has been good to me and my family, and I hope it has been good to you as well.

I continue to feel so lucky to live in our beautiful brownstone neighborhood. It is a real honor to have met so many of my wonderful readers personally and I continue to get great pleasure out of capturing little moments in the neighborhood.

It still saddens me to write about the closing of a beloved old-time neighborhood store, but I find it gratifying to welcome some of the new businesses that are taking a chance by opening in Carroll Gardens.

2019 may represent the calm before the storm, as the City of New York and or Councilmembers Brad Lander and Steve Levin are continuing to push the rezoning of Gowanus, which will no doubt change the surrounding area forever. Moving forward, I am hoping that more residents will get involved in this issue and will the discussion on how best to move forward.

Wishing you all a lovely New Year amongst friends and your loved ones. May 2020 and the new decade be kind to us all.

If you feel like taking a stroll down memory, below are links to previous PMFA years in review. Spanning ten years now, they represent a real time capsule.

A Year In Review: 2018 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2017 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2016 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2015 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2014 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2013 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2012 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2011 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2010 In Carroll Garden
A Year In Review: 2009 In Carroll Gardens Read more

A Year In Review: 2018 In Carroll Gardens

Dear Readers,
As 2018 comes to an end, PMFA would like to uphold a long tradition of featuring photographs we took in our lovely neighborhood throughout the year. We continue to be in love with its brownstones, its wonderful front gardens, Carroll Park, its surviving mom-and-pop stores, and its residents.

A huge thanks to all our readers far and wide.  You are the reason why we continue to write about events and the people in our little corner of the world. We would not be able to do so without your support and your tips.

We begin and end this retrospective with photos of Gowanus and its canal as a reminder of the upcoming rezoning of the area.  Our elected officials are hellbent on rezoning this corridor from manufacturing to mixed use, which will allow residential development of the scale of Lightstone's 363 and 365 Bond Street buildings.

The rezoning will likely bring tens of thousands of new residents to an area already burdened by crumbling or insufficient infrastructure. Let us not forget that the blocks along the canal slated for rezoning have been labeled Flood Zone A by FEMA. Most importantly, the Gowanus Canal, which was declared an EPA Superfund site in 2010, still needs to be remediated.

The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP)  ahead of the official rezoning, is expected to begin at the beginning of 2019.   ULURP is the procedure whereby applications affecting the land use of the city are publicly reviewed. It is the only chance the community will have to weigh in, so please pay attention and add your voice to this important issue.

To all of you, happy New Year 2019!

Here is a look back to previous years, for those who feel nostalgic on this, the last day of the year.
A Year In Review: 2017 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2016 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2015 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2014 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2013 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2012 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2011 In Carroll Gardens
A Year In Review: 2010 In Carroll Garden
A Year In Review: 2009 In Carroll Gardens

Read more

A Year In Review: 2014 In And Around Carroll Gardens

On this, the last day of 2014, I wanted to take time to reflect back on the past twelve months.  As in years past, I selected a few photographs that best captured every day life and events in our neighborhood throughout the year.

Somehow, capturing the quotidian helps me make sense of the ever accelerated pace of live in Brooklyn. It also allows me to reflect the many changes that happening around us and to hold on to the fleeting moments that make up a day, a month, a year.
I hope that 2015 be a kind year for you, your loved ones and for our little brownstone neighborhood.

Read more