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Editorial Everyone should have a say

webadmin on October 27, 2022

In a recent editorial in The Atlantic, entitled “Not Everyone Should Have A Say”, the writer argued that community input was not necessary for energy-permitting projects and that community input gets in the way. We disagree.

While the editorial was national in scope, it highlighted delays in New York City’s congestion pricing and mimics a developing view from YIMBYS (which stands for yes in my back yard and often represents a pro-development point of view) that enacting “good policy” should trump people’s concerns.

Community Boards aren’t a purely democratic process – they represent those with more time on their hands and can give a false illusion of what totally represents the community, but having a forum where legislators have to at least listen to some members of the community is crucial for democracy.

As we’ve written before, community boards aren’t perfect institutions and have many follies of their own, but abandoning these principles will only further disengage voters, make leaders more unaccountable and undermine the point of representative government.

“A local community is going to know what is best for them and what is not best for them better than any lawmaker in Albany—for that matter, certainly any lawmaker who’s in the District of Columbia,” reportedly said Anthony Rogers-Wright, director of environmental justice at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. While we don’t necessarily agree that just because the community agrees on something it makes it accurate or the best policy but engaging with local stakeholders is necessary to keep a patina of democratic input.

The Atlantic editorial offers no real solutions for “rethinking community input,” and that’s because no community input process can be wholly democratic – but it’s the next best thing. Keeping community board meetings online so that travel times aren’t a hindrance, changing the fact that elected officials can appoint people to community boards, ensuring racial and economic diversity, and passing some kind of legislation that would allow working-class people to take off of work for meetings would be good first steps to making community boards and the quality of the input more democratic.

Why New Car & Lease Prices In Brooklyn & NYC Keep Soaring

webadmin on October 24, 2022

Car prices have increased to historically high levels in recent months. According to figures from data analytics firm J.D. Power, the average transaction price of new vehicles in the U.S. was up 11.8% year-over-year in July 2022. U.S. consumers forked out an average of $45,869 for a new vehicle in July 2022, a record high.

The average cost of raw materials used to produce a new vehicle hit an all-time high in 2021, rising 116% from last year. Electric vehicles have been especially affected by rising material costs, as the prices of key metals including lithium, nickel and cobalt — essential components of electric car batteries have spiked. Combined with soaring gasoline prices and rising interest rates, this is making car ownership more difficult and putting the brakes on auto sales.

Car Price Increase Examples

So bad has it really been? A quick search on the internet will reveal these staggering numbers that really tell the whole story.

In the past year, Chevrolet prices have increased 39.10%.

In the past year, Cadillac prices have increased 24.70%.

In the past year, Jeep prices have increased 35.30%.

In the past year, Dodge prices have increased 33.90%.

In the past year, GMC prices have increased 24.30%.

In the past year, KIA prices have increased 23.70%.

In the past year, Chrysler prices have increased 24%.

In the past year, Mitsubishi prices have increased 23.50%.

In the past year, Nissan prices have increased 29.90%.

In the past year, Mercedes prices have increased 11.86%.

In the past year, Mazda prices have increased 13.49%.

In the past year, Ram prices have increased 42.60%.

In the past year, Audi prices have increased 21%.

Car prices are rising due to global supply chain issues. An ongoing chip shortage is holding up production in the auto industry, creating a supply crunch. Rising raw material costs are also driving car prices up, intensified by the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

To add insult to injury, chip shortages mean that manufacturers are prioritizing their most expensive vehicles, further increasing average transaction prices. Automakers don’t have enough semiconductors and semiconductors are interchangeable to some degree. Why would a car manufacturer put them in $25,000 cars instead of $85,000 cars?

These supply chain issues have combined with the already existing imbalance of supply and demand in the auto industry, which was precipitated by COVID-19. In the U.S., there are historically more than 3.5 million vehicles in dealer lots at the end of each month. However, this figure fell to 2.7 million before the chip crisis even began, due to pandemic-induced factory shutdowns. At the same time, demand remained heightened throughout COVID-19, as pandemic stimulus checks and accumulated savings meant that many consumers were still willing and able to purchase new cars.

How Is Inflation Impacting Car Sales Trends?

Rising sticker prices have decreased consumer demand for new and used cars alike, and sales have plummeted as a result. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of U.S. light vehicle sales tracked 13.51 million in July 2022, marking a 9% decline year-over-year. Likewise, year-to-date retail sales in June 2022 came in at just under 5.9 million units — marking the worst first half sales volume performance since 2011.

Consumers have expressed record low sentiment toward the purchase of a new vehicle, citing high prices and rising interest rates.

When Will Car Prices Drop?

Used car prices are already starting to drop as the market cools, having seemingly peaked in early 2022. On the other hand, new vehicle prices are unlikely to drop in 2022 due to persistent inflationary pressures.

There’s still a lot of inflation bubbling up in the new vehicle supply chain. Even though raw material costs are falling, suppliers have a lot of other higher non-commodity costs like diesel, freight, shipping, logistics, labor and electricity. They will continue to pass these costs on to the automakers.

In addition, the effects of the chip shortage will continue to linger. Companies will need to rebuild inventory, which means that wholesale demand will compete with retail demand. This will in turn stabilize new vehicle prices; hopefully sometime in early to mid- 2023.

City hosts first in-person BQE forum

Matthew Fischetti on October 20, 2022

Residents “cautiously optimistic”

By Matthew Fischetti

mfischetti@queensledger

Over 50 Brooklyn Heights residents braved the rainy weather to attend a meeting on how to repair the crumbling Brooklyn-Queens Expressway last Thursday.

Held at the New York City College of Technology, residents were able to engage with New York City Department of Transportation and various consulting groups on how to fix what the city dubs “BQE Central” – the 1.5 mile stretch of city-owned roadway that extends from Atlantic Avenue to Sand Street and includes the 0.4 mile long triple cantilever.

Fixing the BQE has been an issue of the last two administrations, but Mayor Eric Adams announced last month a series of engagement sessions (which Thursday’s meeting was the first in-person iteration) in order to take advantage of federal dollars provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law . Feedback for BQE Central will extend to February 2023, with the environmental review process occuring in March 2023, and implementation beginning in 2026.

While not a traditional community feedback format, residents were able to discuss with representatives of the DOT and various consultant groups, place post-it notes and stick pushpins with brown tags to discuss their recommendations and critiques of various plans – after listening in to a slideshow presentation regarding the administration’s plans.

“I don’t know if I’ve had high hopes. I think that it was good. I’m glad it’s in person,” said Linda DeRosa, a 68-year-old Joralemon Street resident. “I think it’s great to be able to walk around and talk to a lot of the individual players from DOT and various agencies that are involved. But I’m hoping at the next meeting, there’s more coming towards us from the agencies and less of us giving.”

DeRosa, a member of the Willowtown Association, emphasized that she didn’t want a “Robert Moses type plan” but “progressive transformative thinking.” Out of all the plans presented, she best liked the Bjarke Ingels Group proposal, which would turn the roadway into a park.

Councilman Lincoln Restler, who represents Brooklyn Heights, critizicized the format, to what he likened to a “science fair”.

“This doesn’t provide adequate feedback and I hope there is more rigorous engagement in the future,” Restler said in an interview.

The 51-year-old chair of the Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District board, Laurie Duncan, thought the format was good.

“ I think it was a good start considering there haven’t been any significant in person events in quite some time. I think it was a good way to get people out and get them engaged in one on one conversations,” Duncan said.

Duncan explained that both as a 26 year resident of Atlantic Avenue and as a representative of the local BID, issues with the BQE have a big impact on her and neighbors’ lives.

“Atlantic Avenue is a major thoroughfare at the moment through the borough and so the trucks and the car trafficimpact people who live and work and on businesses on the avenue because we’ve got parking issues already – you have double parking, you have more cars and trucks and then you have the safety issues of trucks speeding and cars speeding,” Duncan explained. “And then you have bicycles that have no place to go on Atlantic Avenue. So they end up on the sidewalks, which is even more dangerous for pedestrians. And so it is a big, it is a big deal.”

Duncan stated that she liked the Bjarke Ingels Plan the best, as well as former Comptroller Scott Stringer’s plan (which would make the BQE for trucks only) and that the only plan she would not support would to be nothing.

“I’m cautiously optimistic about the direction things will go. I think we need to be smart and agile. And yeah, get all the money we can to throw it this problem. This is the one problem, I think is worth throwing money at,” Duncan said. “Get all the money we can to throw at this problem, but actually solve the problem. Let’s not create a lot of new problems.

Pols and advocates rally for bold climate change response

Matthew Fischetti on October 20, 2022

By Matthew Fischetti

mfischetti@queensledger.com

Local Greenpoint pols and environmental advocates rallied outside City Hall last week, advocating for the state to have robust climate protections in the state’s upcoming plan to phase out fossil fuels.

New York State passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019, legislation that would require the state to lower “economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels,” according to the state website. The state is required to release a final scoping plan, or roadmap, by January 1, 2023.

“We need to take Local Law 97 and bring it statewide,” Councilman Lincoln Restler, the prime sponsor of the resolution, said at Thursday’s rally. Local Law 97, which was passed in 2019, requires buildings that exceed 25,000 square feet to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050.

“We need to see mandatory composting at every doorstep in New York. And it’s time to implement congestion pricing yesterday,” Restler continued.

37 members of the city council, a majority of the body, sponsored a corresponding resolution calling on the state to fulfill the requirements in their scoping plan.

“We have the Inflation Reduction Act, which is going to give money for people to electrify their buildings. We know that electrification works, we know that we can build public renewables at the state level that will enable us to have cheap resources for non-oil based electricity,” said Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, who has sponsored the All Electric Buildings Act up in Albany, which would prevent new construction that utilizes fossil fuels by 2023.

“All of this is within reach. We just need the political will to do it,” she continued.

The 2022 International Panel on Climate Change report found that drastic cuts in emissions are needed to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, as the planet is on track to raise global temperatures by 1.5 degrees celsius by 2040.

“This will set a strong example and provide a template for the rest of the world. If New York City can do it, so can every other city and municipality,” said Tim Kent, a Brooklyn-based volunteer leader with Food & Water Watch. “And it is far past time that Governor Hochul and the legislature followed suit.”

At time of publicaiton, the resolution has not passed the city council.

Get to the point 5k entertains locals

Matthew Fischetti on October 18, 2022

By Billy Wood

news@queensledger.com

Greenpoint residents came out on Sunday afternoon to participate in the 28th edition of the St. Stan’s Catholic Academy Get to the Point 5K run.

The Oct. 17 event was founded by Frank Carbone, president of the pre-k3 to eighth grade catholic school. He has been involved with the school for 50 years. Carbone attended the school as a child, founded their sports program and served as a chairman of the board of directors throughout the years.

“We wanted to do a community oriented event, something that was fun and that would hopefully raise a few dollars for the school,” Carbone said. “It has just evolved into a terrific well attended event.”

Sunday’s event had an estimate of 350 people total, with about 220 runners for the 5K race and an additional 80-90 for the children’s dashes.

If you did not want to run that was not a problem either as the event had bouncy houses for the children, a clown handing out balloons and a Pikachu mascot. There were also adults and children singing along in the streets to Taylor Swift that the DJ was playing throughout the event.

The event began with the children’s dashes, which saw children from the ages of 2-12 competing.

“We give the kids a nice opportunity to compete in a very friendly setting,” Carbone continued.“And then we do a ceremony for them, to make ‘em feel special.”

When their award ceremony concluded, the adults got ready for the 5K race.The race started on Driggs Avenue and Newel Street and went throughout Greenpoint, finishing at the corner of Humboldt Street and Driggs Avenue.

“I’m looking forward to being out there and the great energy,” said Tom Meany, a member of the Prospect Park Track Club. This year was his second year participating in the event; he previously ran 10 years ago.

The 220 runners from different areas of the city and from nearby states gave everything for a good cause.

“It’s good exercise and a celebration of life,” said Meany.

Carlos Gonzalez was the first person to cross the finish line with a run time of 17:23.09. Once all of the runners crossed the finish line everyone went to the school’s auditorium for the final award ceremony and the after party where they were treated to refreshments, food, dancing, raffles and more.

This event was a hopeful step in the right direction since last year’s event was not as elaborate due to the COVID-19 pandemic; last year’s run was the first 5K race since 2019.

“It’s a nice chance for everybody to kind of reconnect, whether it’s alumni, people from the neighborhood, you know, we have people who used to live in the neighborhood who came back, or they circle it on the calendar and they can make it every couple of years they come back,” Carbone said.

Participatory budgeting kicks off in Bushwick

Matthew Fischetti on October 14, 2022

By Matthew Fischetti
mfischetti@queensledger.com

How would you spend a million dollars in your neighborhood?
That was the question posed to Bushwick residents at a joint participatory budget assembly, hosted by Council Members Sandy Nurse, who represents east Bushwick and East New York, and Jennifer Gutiérrez, who represents west Bushwick and Williamsburg, on Thursday Oct. 6th at Bushwick High School on 400 Irving Ave.

Participatory budgeting is the process where residents can have a direct say in capital projects (which include things like libraries, public spaces, parks, etc.) that cost at least $50,000 and last at least five years. The process is currently in the idea-collection phase which will last till the end of October (for district 37 they’re looking for proposals by the 17th) , proposals will be developed from then until January and voting will occur over a nine-day period in March and April, and the implementation phase starts in May. Anyone over the age of 12 can vote.
For the residents of District 37, which encompasses East Bushwick, this was the first year they were able to participate in the process. Not every councilmember chooses to opt into the program.
37-year-old Carolina Wang moved into Bushwick two years ago and visits Irving Square Park twice a day, everyday. She started an Instagram photographing the many dogs in the park, posting them to her account @Irvingsqpuppers. She attended the meeting because she wants to see improvements to the park, like a dog run, due to the increase in dog owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want to have a safe space for the dogs and we want to make sure that we’re responsibly sharing it with people in the park,” Wang said in an interview.
While it is the first time she has gotten involved in participatory budgeting, she said that the public assembly was helpful and made the process seem less daunting.
“I really enjoyed the information that I got. And it makes the process seem less scary,” Wang said in an interview. “And I do appreciate them [representatives from Councilwoman Sandy Nurse’s office] letting us know it’s the first time they’re doing it. It may not be perfect, but we’re just gonna do our best to do this.”
Kurt Anderson, 72, has been involved with the Cooper Street Community Association, which tries to foster greater relationships with Bushwick youth and their 83rd police precinct by organizing programming together. He recommended at the meeting that some of the money be spent to build either a bowling alley or community center, which he says the east side of Bushwick needs.
Anderson had to organize a recent fundraiser for his organization at a bowling alley in Queens because there wasn’t one located in the neighborhood.
“It’s an enjoyable sport, and everybody can come and do that. And I think it’d be a plus for the neighborhood,” he said.
40-year-old Rashid Littlejohn has gotten involved in participatory budgeting priorly as a youth leader, but he was excited to make his voice heard for the first time as a resident. He runs an organization called GunsforGrants which focuses on giving youth pathways to success away from harm and violence. Littlejohn has a few recommendations for participatory budgeting, including a turf field at P.S. 384 on 242 Cooper Street and turning the former Bushwick Economic Development Corporation on 61 Cooper Street into a community center.
“It was great to hear the voices of the community, you know, really eager to have their interests met when it comes to the funding. There’s a lot of concern that no one’s ideas gets overlooked,” Littlejohn said.
If you are interested in getting involved with participatory budgeting visit ideas.pbnyc.org or reach out to your local council member’s office.

The Cellar@42 Wine Bar and Kitchen Opens at 42 Hotel in Williamsburg

Matthew Fischetti on October 4, 2022

By Matthew Fischetti | mfischetti@queensldger.com

The Cellar@42 Wine Bar & Kitchen at 42 Hotel, a chic wine bar and restaurant within South Williamsburg’s newest hotel, has opened up to the public.

As you walk into the rustic yet modern 42 Hotel, you’ll see stairs straight ahead leading down to The Cellar, a new Williamsburg Wine Bar and Restaurant, serving wine, beer, and modern American-inspired plates. The sleek 2,500 sq. ft. space features flatscreens, lounge seating, virtual fireplaces, an 850 bottle wine cellar, tables, and a cafe.

The menu features small plates and bites to share with friends, including: Wagyu Sliders with aged cheddar and bacon-onion jam and truffle fries. They also offer handmade flatbreads including different options like Margherita, Calabrese, Crispy Chicken, & Wild Mushroom. Beyond that, they also offer wings with housemade sauces including Thai Chili, Buffalo, Hot Honey, and a dry rubbed option.

The Cellar at 42 Hotel also boasts an 850 bottle wine cellar, with a wine list that includes by the glass and bottle selections of wines from all over the globe. In terms of beer, they offer 12 draft lines with rotating craft beers plus an extensive can/bottle selection featuring local breweries like Brooklyn Brewery and SixPoint.

“The food and vibes at The Cellar were amazing during my stay,” said model / actor / influencer, Blaise French, who stayed at 42 Hotel earlier this month. “Eating wings, drinking beer, and chatting with other hotel guests while watching football at The Cellar was the highlight of my NYC trip,” said French.

The Cellar at 42 Hotel just introduced a new series of promotional programs offering discounted plates and drinks. On Mondays and Sundays they will have “Bites n’ Pints”, where drafts will only be $5, Wings are only $10 and sliders are $12. On Tuesday and Thursdays, they will be hosting Social Hour events from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., where drafts are 5$, bites are $12, and wine by the glass is $10. And on Wendesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., bites are $12 while wine by the glass is $10 for Wine Down Wendesdays.

The Cellar at 42 Hotel offers brunch every Saturday and Sunday between 10am – 3pm. Hotel guests will receive 10% OFF their brunch tab.

The Cellar Wine Bar & Kitchen is located inside 42 Hotel in Williamsburg at 426 S 5th St., Brooklyn. The Cellar can be reached via the 42 Hotel phone number: 718.494.4242

The Lady in Greenpoint: North Brooklyn’s newest spooky walking radio play

Matthew Fischetti on October 4, 2022

The map for the Lady in Greenpoint, which starts at the Pulaski Bridge and ends in McGolrick Park.

By Matthew Fischetti

mfischetti@queensledger.com

Rick Paulas always loved Greenpoint. He wanted to do a project based in the neighborhood, especially after being able to move in due to a pandemic rent discount, but after 45,000 words and over a year into a novel – it wasn’t working. While stressing about a $400 rent increase with his girlfriend at local watering hole The Palace, Paulas got the idea to convert the novel into a radio play.

And that’s how “The Lady in Greenpoint”, the new three mile walking audio play was born.

Starting at the Pulaski bridge, “The Lady in Greenpoint” takes you through Greenpoint with stops at The Astral Apartments on Franklin Street, St. Anthony’s on Manhattan Ave., as well as Capri Social Club on Calyer Street, before ending in McGolrick Park – all while delving into Greenpoint’s history amidst a spooky backdrop. The 46 chapter play, complete with charcoal drawings at each stop, follows main character Pauline as you descend deeper into the neighborhood.

“I’ve always been obsessed with ghost tours,” Paulas said in an interview, noting that he always attends the tours in whatever city he’s visiting. “It gives you history that isn’t otherwise available to you. Good ghost stories or good ghost walking tours, they take place in areas where they have a lot of old buildings.”

And Paulas thought with Greenpoint’s rich history, it would be a good fit.

Paulas said that most of the historical research stemmed from reading local history books by Geoffrey Cobb, who has published a series of books about North Brooklyn including the 2019 “Greenpoint Brooklyn’s Forgotten Past.”

“This used to be an Irish place named Murphy’s,” he explained during an interview in Capri Social Club. “The separation exists because men and women back in the olden days, workers would come in at the side door to get their breakfast.”

Author Rick Paulas at Capri Social Club, one of the stops in “The Lady in Greenpoint.”

Part of the inspiration came from a Greenwood cemetery grant program for a walking tour that he never heard back from. Once he decided to pivot from a novel, he was able to get the script done in a weekend.

“Figuring out the path was a little difficult, because three miles is a lot. But also I wanted it to be something long, I didn’t want it to be a half hour, I wanted there to be an element that you’re stuck with this for a long time,” he said.

Paulas enlisted a slew of friends to do voice acting, which include New York City based writers and journalists. They did it D.I.Y style, simply recording into their phones.

While creating a project like this could be daunting, Paulas said that he had a lot of fun learning more about audio production, working with actors and picking up charcoal drawing.

“You get the idea in your head of wanting to make something. And for something like an audio project, its not the hardest thing in the world. It takes a lot of logistics,” he said “I would hope that someones inspired to make their own thing somewhere else,it was really fun.”

“I came up writing blogs and those things are immediately disposable, the next day they’re gone. But something like this, you put it out there and hope for the best, people find it or they don’t.”

Readers who want to check out the play can find the project on https://theladyingreenpoint.mystrikingly.com. The suggested ticket price is $10, to be sent via Venmo (Rick-Paulas, last four digits: 0608) or PayPal (rickpaulas@gmail.com).

Dough Doughnuts opens in Downtown Brooklyn

Matthew Fischetti on September 14, 2022

By Brooklyn Star Staff

news@queensledger.com.

Brooklyn-based donut shop Dough Doughnuts is now expanding to Downtown Brooklyn.

Beginning on Sept. 22 Dough will be joining Time Out Market, a 21,000-square-foot waterfront food market that is home to over 20 different eateries.

“We are thrilled to join Time Out Market New York – it’s a place people visit to get a real taste of the city so it’s a perfect spot for us and our doughnuts which you get to enjoy all day long,” Steve Klein, co-owner of Dough Doughnuts, said in a statement.

To celebrate their new 55 Water Street location, Dough will have a limited release of a new exclusive flavor, the Brooklyn Blackout: a chocolate brioche doughnut filled with chocolate pudding, topped with semisweet chocolate glaze and sprinkled with chocolate cake crumbs. The new DUMBO location will also feature Bonjourno Artisanal Coffee, a roasted coffee from Western Europe, to get your caffeine fix.

Dough will also be giving out a free t-shirt or cofee mug with a purchase of sixdoughnuts.

St. Josephs University moves up 30 ranks in best colleges

Matthew Fischetti on September 14, 2022

By Brooklyn Star Staff

news@queensledger.com

St. Joseph’s University, New York was once again named one of the nation’s top universities by U.S. News & World Report, moving up 30 spots in the rankings for Regional Univerisities – North Category

The independent university founded in the Catholic tradition, landed in a 6-way tie at #48 for top universities. St. Josephs also received accolades as the #18 Best College for Veterans; #19 top university for Undergraduate Teaching in the Regional Universities – North category and #43 for Social Mobility.

“Both our recent elevation to university status and our most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings make it clear that St. Joseph’s University, New York is an institution reaching new heights with still more to do,” President Donald R. Boomgaarden said in a statement. . “These rankings are testaments to the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty and staff. I could not be more proud of all we have accomplished and more optimistic about the bright future that lies ahead.”

President Boomgaarden announced that the New York State Board of Regents had approved St. Joseph’s College’s petition to be elevated to university status, and would change its name to St. Joseph’s University, New York, this past April.

With campuses in Brooklyn, Long Island and Online, SJNY was selected to this year’s list of top Regional Universities–North based on its high graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources per students, graduate indebtedness, alumni giving and social mobility, as well as the number of veterans enrolled and eligibility in the 9/11 GI® Bill Yellow Ribbon Program.

Through its Brooklyn, Long Island and online campuses, the University offers degrees in 60 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.

Car Price Increase Examples

How Is Inflation Impacting Car Sales Trends?

When Will Car Prices Drop?

Residents “cautiously optimistic”

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