This week's blizzard may have offered some picturesque photos and excellent snow ball making, but it also brought some havoc to our neighborhood. 

Many of our trees suffered from the strong winds and heavy snow.  The BHA was in regular communication with DSNY and CM Restler's office to highlight troubled areas and we are so thankful to the amazing FNDY for all of their efforts removing trees  and branches from our streets.  See them in action on our instagram post!  If you are still seeing downed trees or large branches blocking sidewalks or roadways, please take pictures and submit to 311. In addition, you can email us those locations at info@thebha.org.

Some things to remember as we work our way out of the snow:

Please shovel your sidewalk as well as the curb cut if you are on a corner lot.  The deadline has passed so any remaining areas are subject to fines. See a sidewalk that hasn't been shoveled?  We have been reporting them and you should too via the 311 app or on their website.  While it is the responsibility of the property owner to shovel the curb cut, we are all trying to navigate the sidewalks as best we can.  If you have some time and a shovel, consider being a good Samaritan and clearing some still slushy paths.  This is especially helpful for those with strollers or using mobility aids.

Trash and recycling delays.  As you may have heard, Alternate Street Parking is suspended through the weekend.  Trash pick up will be delayed so please be patient (and consider storing excess trash in your basement if possible until DSNY gets back on schedule).  In addition, recycling will not be picked up this week.  Please do not put your recyling out on the curb until your next scheduled pick up the week of March 2.

Pick up the poop!!  ASP is suspended.  Picking up your pooch's waste IS NOT!  Please be a responsible dog owner and considerate neighbor.  Dog poop should always be picked up and disposed of in proper waste containers.  The snow is no excuse.

Last night, BHA Executive Director Lara Birnback participated in a live podcast event at WNYC's Greene Room to discuss everyone's favorite transportation challenge - the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. 

The conversation was hosted by Ian Coss, of GBH News Peabody Award-winning podcast The Big Dig, and Stephen Nessen of WNYC’s On The Way, along with transportation expert and former NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.

The discussion was a great opportunity to learn about how the Triple Cantilever came to be, and the current efforts to bring this antiquated, crumbling, and divisive highway into the 21st century.  You can catch the full conversation on WNYC's YouTube Channel.

We have loved meeting some of the new moms in our neighborhood and helping them meet one another.

Our next Moms + Babies + Coffee will be held on Monday, March 9th at 11am. The session will be facilitated by our Board Member, LMHC and mother of three, Jennifer LaRusso-Leung.

This event is free and open to all new moms (primarily with babies under 6 months of age) for a first-time session. If you are returning for an additional session, please join the BHA before you register.

Spots are limited, so reserve yours now. 

CIM Group, the owner of the former Squibb/Watchtower factory buildings at the base of Columbia Heights, is proceeding with plans to convert the complex into apartments.

NYC’s Department of City Planning (DCP) will hold an online “scoping” meeting for the project. The Zoom meeting will be on Thursday March 12 at 2:00pm. The meeting allows the public to comment on the owner’s draft Scope of Work and Environmental Assessment Statement, which it recently filed with DCP. The public can also submit written comments until March 23.

More information about how to participate in the meeting or to submit comments can be found here.

To provide more context on this project, CIM previously converted the complex into an office space they dubbed "Panorama", with planned retail on the ground floors. The conversion opened shortly before COVID hit in March 2020 and the buildings have remained mostly empty. The new adaptive reuse plan proposes 640 apartments and approximately 113,000 square feet of commercial space across the two buildings at 25 and 30 Columbia Heights, each of which will be enlarged.

The office-to-residential conversion requires NYC to approve changing the site’s zoning, from manufacturing-only to mixed-use commercial/residential. This zoning change goes through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), the first step of which is the upcoming scoping meeting. The owner will take the feedback from the scoping session to create a “Draft Environmental Impact Statement” (EIS). The EIS is a document required by ULURP to disclose a variety of potential environmental impacts caused by a land use change, and proposed mitigation efforts. Future steps under ULURP will include another public hearing for the Draft EIS. The owner expects the full ULURP timeline will take at least a year before the project can receive full city approvals to proceed with construction.

Over the past year, CIM Group has held several informal meetings to discuss the plans with the BHA and other community groups and neighboring buildings in the project’s immediate vicinity. CIM Group also presented to Community Board 2’s Land Use Committee last year. The BHA will continue to participate now that the project has moved to the formal ULURP process.

Council Member Lincoln Restler and his team have been working with the MTA to improve the conditions in the Clark Street subway station. This past fall, the MTA scraped, painted, and primed most of the station, replaced missing tiles, installed more lighting, and repaired a leaking water line.  CM Restler's office funded new cameras for the station and has worked with NYPD and homeless outreach providers to increase their presence in the station.

The lobby of the station is a different issue, as it is entirely controlled by the owner of the building, who has not been keen to cooperate with efforts to maintain or beautify the property. We appreciate CM Reslter's efforts to hold the owner accountable for the unsafe and unsanitary conditions there. While some modest repairs have been made, there are still many improvements needed in this heavily trafficked space. 

If you are aware of any ongoing issues at this location, please email the district office directly at District33@council.nyc.gov.

Thursday, February 26.  Community Singing.  Brooklyn Heights Public Library. 6-7:30.  Details here.

Sunday, March 1. Nuclear Power Talk.  First Unitarian Church. 1pm.  See details above.

Sunday, March 1. Docent Tour at Grace Church. Tours are free and open to the public. Enter at 254 Hicks Street and look for the group gathered in the main sanctuary.

Saturday, March 7.  Voices in the Heights. First Unitarian Church. 7:30. Buy tickets.

Monday, March 9. BHA Moms + Babies + Coffee.  BHA conference room. 11am.  Register here

Wednesday, March 11.  BHA Annual Meeting. Doors open at 6pm, meeting begins promptly at 6:30pm with reception to follow.  First Unitarian Church. 119 Pierrepont Street. RSVP.

Sunday, March 15. Docent Tour at Grace Church. Tours are free and open to the public. Enter at 254 Hicks Street and look for the group gathered in the main sanctuary.

Saturday, March 21. Storytime and Scoops @ CityPoint. 10:30am.  Details coming soon.

Wednesday, March.  Women Laughing.  Center for Brooklyn History. 6:30-8pm.  Details

Saturday, March 28.  BHA Egg Hunt. Pierrepont and Harry Chapin Playgrounds. 10:30am.  Get ready for lots of eggs and a bake sale!

Saturday, April 11.  Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra.  St Ann's Church.  Multiple performances.  Details.

Saturday, April 11.  Voices in the Heights. First Unitarian Church. 7:30. Buy tickets.

Wednesday, April 15  BHA Book Club.  7-8:30pm at Vineapple. Buy your ticket.

Saturday, April 25.  BHA Spring into Service. 10am-3pm.  Email us if you'd like to get involved!