Is America's Worst Costco in Sunset Park?
Also in this issue: the Weir Greenhouse returns, work permits for asylum seekers, a new theater opens, participatory budgeting, gravediggers, and more.
How massive warehouses strain vulnerable neighborhoods
Consumer Reports and the Guardian: Residents hope traffic, emissions, and noise data they are collecting will help rein in the spread of e-commerce facilities … Consumer Reports and the Guardian have been tracking the hidden costs of e-commerce delivery for the past two years. … FedEx, which is building a large last-mile facility right next door to Red Hook in Sunset Park, says its entire delivery fleet will be electric by 2040. … Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn’s borough president, is working to coordinate community efforts in the borough’s many neighborhoods. “I don’t want to see these same harms of the past repeated,” Reynoso tells CR and the Guardian. “And once again, the clusters that we’re seeing pop up are mostly concentrated in neighborhoods of color like Sunset Park and Red Hook. Our people have a right to clean air, safe streets, and policies that protect neighborhoods’ health and environment from preventable harm.”
‘What it's like to shop at America's worst Costco’
EatThisNotThat: The location in Sunset Park is a goldmine for the company, but a nightmare for shoppers. … If you ever miss the crowds and stress of holiday shopping, and wish to relive the experience all year long, there's this place you should check out in Brooklyn, N.Y. It's called Costco.
From 1880s Brooklyn, the Weir Greenhouse returns
The New York Times: Saved from ruin by Green-Wood Cemetery more than a decade ago, the newly rebuilt structure is to become a focal point of a new education center. … By this July, workers are expected to put the finishing touches on an arduous, eight-and-a-half year reconstruction of Weir Greenhouse. … On May 23, ground will be broken for the boxy, L-shaped modern building of glass and burgundy glazed terra cotta that will wrap around and connect to the greenhouse. Designed by Architecture Research Office, the low-slung, $35 million structure is intended to be a neighborhood hub for Sunset Park, comprising exhibition galleries, a classroom for programs and community use, and a climate-controlled research center for the graveyard’s archives, which date to 1838.
A day in the life of a gravedigger
Patch: At Green-Wood Cemetery this season, three new installments of the “Day in the Life” series illuminate the field of end-of-life care through frank conversations with industry professionals on the intricacies of their trade. Returning May 23, the series kicks off with a panel of long-time Green-Wood employees (a gravedigger, crematory operator, and operations manager) ... “As a living cemetery, Green-Wood brings people closer to understanding not just the dying process, but about decision-making for the end of life, about loss and grief, and about bereavement, an innovative approach that resonates more deeply amid the pandemic,” says Gabrielle Gatto, Green-Wood’s coordinator of public programs, who curates all of the Cemetery’s death education offerings. “Death education … is all about getting comfortable with the uncomfortable universal truth of dying.”
Adams, Hochul demand expedited work permits for asylum seekers
Pix11: More than 5,800 new asylum seekers arrived in New York City last week, according to Mayor Eric Adams. Adams joined Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday in Sunset Park to stress that even though border crossings have slowed in the last week and a half, New York City is still bearing the brunt of the country’s migrant crisis. Adams and Hochul came together in one voice to implore President Joe Biden to take executive action to allow asylum seekers to work.
How should the city spend $5 million? You can help decide.
Gothamist: For the first time, New Yorkers anywhere in the city who want a say on how and where to spend a pool of taxpayer money can cast their votes in-person or online through June 25. The process is called participatory budgeting, and it’s happened at the Council district level, but not citywide until now. City residents aged 11 or older — regardless of their immigration status — can vote online or at select locations to decide how the city should spend $5 million in public funds to support yearlong programs that will benefit their borough, and in some cases, also their neighborhood. …
MORE INFO: PBS made a documentary in Sunset Park a few years back to help people understand the process: "Across New York City, a bold experiment in participatory democracy is underway. Since 2012, the city council has steadily increased investment in a process called 'Participatory Budgeting,' wherein community members gain a role in deciding how to spend part of a public budget."
Board fights for public review of Sunset Park mega-project
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: A new mega-development appears to be moving forward on an expansive site in Sunset Park, at Eighth Avenue and 62nd Street. And, this time, the city is saying that the developers do not need a special permit, virtually eliminating public review of a project that is sure to have a major impact on the area. … But Community Board 10 — in whose catchment area the project lies — is saying not so fast. … "Developers one and two had to do a special permit and now we're being told by the Brooklyn office of the Department of City Planning that developer three notified them that they were not required under the zoning text to submit a special permit application because the railyard was not active post-1962," explained Josephine Beckmann, district manager of CB 10.
BkOne opens 100-seat theater
Brooklyn Paper: Brooklyn One Productions, a non-profit theater company known for their summer Shakespeare productions, has found a permanent home at 51 35th St. in Sunset Park's Industry City, where they’ll feature year-round shows for the borough’s art lovers. … Brooklyn One Productions (BkOne) co-founder Anthony Marino, who is himself an actor, director and producer said the group will host comedy shows, children’s theater, art shows, movie screenings and more. … “I would call it an off-Broadway black box-style theater space,” said Marino. “It’s a small, intimate space that can fit a hundred seats, depending on the performance. We are focusing on original work that we are cultivating with playwrights and artists, but we will do reinterpreted known works as well and we are always open to collaborations.”
Couple brings taste of Palestine to the city
NY1: Abdul Elenani and Ayat Masoud, the power couple behind the popular Bay Ridge restaurant Ayat, are making their mark in New York City with authentic Palestinian food, and even landed a spot on The New York Times’ list of 100 best restaurants in the city. … Beyond their Bay Ridge flagship location, Ayat has expanded its presence with two additional branches in Sunset Park and in Staten Island. A fourth location in the East Village will open this summer.
Harpist-songwriter Kitba announces debut LP
Brooklyn Vegan: Brooklyn-based harpist and songwriter Rebecca Kitba Bryson El-Saleh, who has appeared on recordings from Cassandra Jenkins and JG Thirlwell, among others, has announced their self-titled debut album as Kitba, due out July 21 … "I tried not to put this on the album and was initially embarrassed to show it to Zubin Hensler, who engineered, co-produced, and mixed the record," Rebecca says. "The vulnerability of saying something this direct felt uncomfortable, but Zubin was supportive and (thankfully) insistent that it be a part of the record. There was an initial version (that got released on a benefit compilation for Whateverʼs Clever) that was just harp and voice, recorded together a foot from Zubin in the control room of his Sunset Park studio, but I had another more demoed out version that I couldnʼt get out of my head. This is the only song I have ever pushed to reimagine. I see it as being addressed to someone external or internal, about an inability to articulate oneself and the yearning felt when trying to convey anything that means anything."
Featured Photo
Beautiful shot from @flipperling. Share your best photo of Sunset Park with us on Instagram @SunsetParkSpotlight or at info@12p2.com.