Brooklyn Merchants Fight for Parking Over Affordable Housing
A group of profoundly confused Brooklyn merchants have convinced themselves that a nearby empty lot is better used for motor vehicle storage than affordable housing for 152 families. Oh, and by the way, the affordable housing plan includes an even larger parking lot beneath the building. The Daily News reports:
A group of Williamsburg merchants is battling a city plan to develop a parking lot that for more than a decade has helped attract customers to the thriving commercial strip. But the city and the developer - which is set to buy the city lot for $1 - said the plans for 152 units of affordable housing at McKenna Court also would benefit the merchants.
The lengthy city land-review process, which will determine whether the project will be approved, continued on Monday with a hearing before the borough president...
The merchants said that many more spaces would be needed for the new tenants. But the developer said past experiences have shown that few, if any, of the new tenants would have cars. Without a transportation study - which the community board has now requested - the merchants remained convinced that their businesses would suffer.
Convenient parking is crucial to good business, said Betty Cooney, executive director of the Graham Avenue Business Improvement District, which represents 180 businesses. "We need those amenities to keep our customer base," she said.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
SEE IT: Cops Nearly Kill Teen on Moped on Brooklyn Greenway
The NYPD has a history of officers recklessly using their vehicles in chases. On Wednesday, its officers almost killed a moped rider.
Bus Advocates Target Anti-Busway ‘Hypocrites’ at Bronx Zoo and Botanical Garden
A petition drive by Bronx bus riders calls out the institutions for boosting transit on their websites, but then trying to undermine it in the real world.
‘Duped’: A Harlem 20-Something Blows the Whistle on an Illegal Temporary License Plate Business
Kareem found out the hard way that his Craigslist gig delivering temp tags was illegal. Now he's exposing the operation that employed him, revealing clues about his anonymous bosses that all trace back to the same place.
Day 3: These Hunger Strikers aren’t Paid Lobbyists — But Albany Can’t Tell the Difference
ALBANY — “They are putting every barrier in our way to not have to face us directly and look us in the eye and then make an unconscionable decision. This is Albany at its worst,” said Amy Cohen.
