Arena Rejectionists Eat Anyway?

A business owner bullied into changing his new bagel store’s name resorts to an ominous-sounding acronym:

Arena Bagels — the Atlantic Yards–area bagelry that ran afoul of Bruce Ratner’s opponents because the shop’s name suggested that the mega-development was inevitable — is now officially A.R.E.A. Bagels.

Owner Ravi Aggarwal agreed to change the name several months ago after Ratner opponents complained, but the altered sign — with its missing “N” and periods — only went up this week.

Aggarwal said the periods between the letters were not just space-holders, but abbreviations of the names of his family members. More than that, he wouldn’t say.

“I am so happy how it all worked out,” Aggarwal said at Wednesday’s grand opening. “Now, people are coming in and saying, ‘Thanks for changing the name.’ They don’t need to thank me. I gave in because I want to be part of this neighborhood, this community.”

. . .

The good news is that the sign-maker agreed to change the design for free. And Aggarwal says he intends to hang the absent “N” on the wall of his shop, surrounded by newspaper clippings of the controversy.

Maybe the “N” stands for “nonsensical,” “needless” or “neofascist” . . .

The Slippery Park Slope

That incredible Sunset Park-eating neighborhood is on the march:

When asked to identify the southern boundary of Park Slope, brokers frown or smile, depending on how long they’ve been in the business. Roughly speaking, the newer the agent the broader her Slope.

“In order to attract buyers, people describe neighborhoods as Park Slope that aren’t Park Slope,” an agent told me before he noticed his boss glowering at him. Borders are a touchy subject, even here.

Everyone agrees that the Slope is bounded by Flatbush Avenue to the north and by Prospect Park West to the east. That’s just simple geography. And clearly the “prime Slope blocks” are demarcated by the 34-year-old lines marking the Park Slope Historic District, which runs roughly between Seventh Avenue and the park from St. Johns Place to Third Street and between Eighth Avenue and the park from Fourth to 14th Street.

Ah, but what of the neighborhood’s western and southern frontiers? Many say the the western border is Fourth Avenue, but the opinion is hardly unanimous. Lee Solomon of Brown Harris Stevens sets it instead at Third Avenue (well, of course she does!), but Janice Cimberg, whose desk is beside Lee’s, sniffed.

“That’s Gowanus,” she said.

Oh, yeah, retorted Lee: “We’ll see when Whole Foods gets here if they call it Whole Foods Gowanus or Whole Foods Park Slope.” Touche!

. . .

But the most-heated disagreements are about the southern border. Some say it runs parallel to the southern edge of Prospect Park, at 15th Street; others, at Prospect Avenue, beside the Prospect Expressway; still others, at 24th Street, at the southwestern corner of Green-Wood Cemetery.

“The Prospect Expressway to 24th Street, that’s the contested area,” said Ilene Levenson of Brooklyn Properties. “That area isn’t Sunset Park. Some call it the ‘South South Slope.’ Some call it ‘Green-Wood Heights.'”

South South Slope may be unwieldy, but it’s also quasi-official: in its 2005 rezoning plan, the Department of Planning referred to the area “bounded by 15th Street on the north, Fourth Avenue on the west, Prospect Park West on the east, and 24th Street and Green-Wood Cemetery on the south” as South Park Slope.

“Green-Wood Heights” hasn’t really caught on. Agents use it tentatively, maybe because it sounds like a synonym for death . . .

The (Organic) Carrot And Stick

Maybe Bruce Ratner and Joe Sitt should have dangled the possibility of a Trader Joe’s to naysayers:

Besides a Trader Joe’s, Downtown Brooklyn may be getting something else: A six-story, combination residential and retail development that would exceed the height restrictions currently in place.

It was announced last week that the popular supermarket chain will be opening its first Brooklyn-based store at 130 Court Street, at the former Independence Savings Bank headquarters building constructed in 1922.

For months, however, the project has been a source of contention between residents and the developer, Two Trees Management, which wants to build a 60-foot high structure in the parking lot next door.

Roughly two weeks ago, representatives of both sides appeared at Borough Hall for a special hearing hosted by Borough President Marty Markowitz, during which time Two Trees requested a special permit to build their tower. Although Markowitz has not yet issued a recommendation, he has been straightforward in his support for Trader Joe’s, which specializes in fine imported and domestic foods.

“We’re thrilled this acclaimed store is setting up shop on Atlantic Avenue and Court Street,” he said during a press conference last Thursday. “Trader Joe’s will bring more customers to Downtown Brooklyn, and residents will have even more choices when it comes to shopping for fresh produce, prepared foods, and groceries.”

Yet some of those same neighbors charged Two Trees’ plan to build in the adjacent lot would negatively impact their quality of life, even as Trader Joe’s improves it.

Franklin Stone, vice president of the Cobble Hill Association, said her organization supports having a Trader Joe’s, and wanted 130 Court Street to remain commercial property all along.

“What we opposed was the insertion of floors that would affect how the building looks on the outside,” she said. “We thought that was going to mar this magnificent building.”

However, the Cobble Hill Association remains steadfastly opposed to the project next door, on the grounds it would represent the first building in the neighborhood taller than 50 feet, and would alter what Stone referred to as, “the 19th-century scale and feeling of the Cobble Hill Historic District.”

“We’re not against development,” she later told the Star. “We just want development that lives within the rules. We are pro-development that is in harmony with the surrounding district.”

The Coney Island Monorail!

Now that plans for Coney Island’s rejuvenation seem to be moving forward, the streetcar wing of the Lionel-Industrial Complex is trying to get its filthy paws on Coney Island, too:

The Brooklyn City Streetcar Company imagines trolleys rumbling through the seaside streets once more, hearkening to the heyday of an amusement district now set to undergo an over $1 billion redevelopment.

The not-for-profit group has been discussing its proposal with city officials, including the Coney Island Development Corporation, a quasi-public agency working on the area’s rezoning plan.

The group proposes the trolley line to run from Dreier-Offerman Park to the West 8th Street subway station, then to Surf Avenue to Keyspan Park, with an eventual extension to the edge of Sea Gate.

Another route could run from Dreier-Offerman to Cropsey Avenue, then to Neptune Avenue, then south to Stillwell Avenue.

Then they take a page from Mayor Nasonex (since he always sounds so congested) by arguing that it will reduce traffic (and asthma rates?) in the busy corridor between Dreier-Offerman Park and the projects across the street from the baseball field where the Cyclones play:

Aside from adding to the ambiance of the amusement area, trolleys would help reduce area traffic, [Brooklyn City Streetcar Company founder and president Arthur] Melnick said.

Trolleys, which run on electricity, are also environmentally friendly. “They are the greenest form of motorized transportation,” he said.

Chuck Reichenthal, a member of the Coney Island Development Corporation (CIDC) and the district manager of Community Board 13, said the plan merits further study, particularly as a way to “get cars off the street.”

“You could have them park farther away and then trolley people over to Coney Island,” Reichenthal said. “That would be an interesting concept.”

. . .

City Councilmember Domenic Recchia, who represents Coney Island, said he has spoken to Melnick and the plan sounds like “a great idea.”

“I think Coney Island will need some type of trolley service, whether it is his or another proposal,” the city lawmaker said.

“Everyone likes it. The question is, how can we make it happen?” Recchia said.

(Remember this: white elephant transportation projects are a sign of a sick city; maybe by the time it’s up and running Coney Island will be ready for its decline again.)

Remember, One Of The Noble Truths Of Buddhism Is That Desire Creates Dissatisfaction . . .

Which is to say that you’ll need to be a little Zen about thirty more years of construction on the Gowanus:

The never-ending construction nightmare that has become the Gowanus Expressway isn’t going away.

That was the grim news delivered to members of Community Board 7 at their June 20 meeting.

The roadway’s crumbling concrete surface is currently being replaced, officials say. That deck replacement could take until 2012 to complete, much to the frustration of Brooklyn commuters who travel the wearied expressway daily.

But here’s the kicker: the project’s “czar” says the work that is underway right now is only a temporary fix.

“This is just interim work to get us through the next 15 to 20 years,” said Harold Fink of the New York State Department of Transportation, who is the lead engineer on the project.

Yes, the very same road that has been a construction “cone zone” for the past 15 years will likely remain the site of continued construction for at least another 15 years.

. . .

The Gowanus Expressway is in fact the largest bridge in New York State, encompassing more than 2 million square feet of roadway.

Unfortunately, the years haven’t been kind to the expressway’s concrete deck. Experts say the deck is deteriorating at a “very fast rate.”

For the past 15 years, the department has been patching the expressway’s failing surface.

“We’ve been doing emergency repairs, but it just became overwhelming,” Fink said. “The patching strategy used over the past 15 years is no longer viable.”

So instead of patching, the DOT has moved on to a new approach: replacing the deck altogether.

That deck replacement is currently underway. It is to be completed in five major construction contracts over the next five to six years.

“We’re in the midst of the second contract right now,” Fink said.

Of the 2 million or so square feet that must be replaced, about 215,000 square feet of decking have been completed.

. . .

Still, all of this work remains only a short-term solution.

Experts are currently mulling over three long-term solutions, including further rehabilitating the Gowanus or even building a new tunnel.

“In the next couple of years, we’re going to analyze the alternatives,” Fink said, saying traffic, noise and air quality will all be factors in their ultimate decision. Planners must also choose a fiscally viable solution.

A draft environmental impact statement is expected to be released in 2010.

More construction would then begin around 2014 and continue for another seven to 10 years.