RSS Feed
|
|||||||||||||||
|
View From The Middle
For three years - most likely more - residents and civic associations have been complaining that new developments are springing up everywhere, from Seaview Village to the Redwood section and even the Paerdegats, too fast to count. The developers are allowed to build on land they bought from homeowners as much and as often (and as fast) as they want, as long as they don't go beyond certain zoning restrictions, such as erecting an industrial building or a four-story edifice or a department store or amusement park or something outlandish next door to zoned residential areas. That's reasonable. There are laws against it, of course, but the developers themselves know that it would be stupid to even start such a project in Canarsie. That being said, there is still plenty of controversy, with many homeowners - some not even from Canarsie or, indeed, Brooklyn - expressing their displeasure that developers would destroy a nice, one-family house indicative of the style and character for which Canarsie has been famous ever since the turn of the 20th century so they could build an ultra-modern, three-story, six-family house on the lot. In a nutshell, that's it. Everyone who attended Councilman Fidler's meeting hated the idea of seeing some gracious, Victorian mansions here uprooted from their foundations and flattened - including the stable in the back yard. Same goes for the quaint bungalows that lined the shore of some of the creeks that used to snake into our marshland, only to be replaced by a gaudy, pink-bricked apartment house that happens to have a basement that could be occupied, if it were legal. The real controversy comes when you talk not to the developer, but to the family who bought the house from the developer; the family to whom this is now home; the family who saved their money, scraped together the deposit (subprime loans notwithstanding); and is finally beginning to live the American dream. Remember, there are two sides to the story. Make that three. Don't forget about the homeowner who lived in that particular place for 30, 40 or 50 years - even longer, if you consider that his grandparents and maybe great-grandparents might have lived there too. They settled it 'way back when the area was a real flatlands. That present-day homeowner was offered a ton of dollars for the old homestead - and took the deal. And the new houses creating that possibly different character are a result of him selling the house and, cash in hand, heading for Florida! It is understandable that residents want to keep the character of the area within a certain, structured style. In fact, at Fidler's meeting, there was no one to argue the other side; no one to say, "I've seen the place where Mr. Jones' house used to be. The developers built what appears to be a pretty nice place there." The place doesn't match the rest of the block, but, hey, Picasso's stuff never looked like a Rembrandt. Don't tell me what used to be the Seaview Diner (although I loved their cheeseburgers!) doesn't look a helluva lot better now that it's a row of condos. Let it be noted that the developers - or anyone representing them or real estate agencies - did not have to attend the meeting. They know that, despite meeting after meeting after meeting - it has gone on for more than three years - just adds to the bureaucratic maze that is always involved in these things. It was nice of Mr. Fidler to take up the reins and host the meeting, which was attended by City Planning Department officials, where, although nothing was really settled, at least community leaders found out that there was some interest and not just lip service - at least so far.
|
for larger version       Ads have a Patent Pending. Click Here for More Information |
||||||||||||||
