Good afternoon. It’s Monday. Not too much in the news at the moment, but a few things to put on the calendar:

*Schools! That word alone is usually enough to rile someone up. In Sunset Park’s crowded classrooms, education is of particular concern. Several of Brooklyn’s biggest names will next week offer parents, politicians and interested parties an opportunity to offer opinions about Brooklyn’s school system. The information is below. I hope to see you there.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and Councilmembers Letitia James, Brad Lander and Steve Levin will convene a town hall meeting to discuss the city’s public education system. The event will take place on Wednesday March 3, from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in the courtroom at Brooklyn Borough Hall. We hope that you will come out, share your ideas, and help forge a community partnership to build a stronger foundation for parental involvement in our schools.

For more information or to RSVP for this event, please contact Chris Black at the Public Advocate’s Office, 212-669-7200 or cblack@pubadvocate.nyc.gov

*Feelings on Fourth Avenue? The Park Slope Civic Council will sponsor a forum,  “The Future of Fourth Avenue,” on Thursday, March 4, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Park Slope.

The Council has previously voiced concern that Fourth Avenue is marginal to the rest of the neighborhood just north of Sunset Park. Borough President Marty Markowitz in his recent state of the city hoped to change the character of the thoroughfare, and rechristen the wide (and recently deadly road) “Brooklyn Boulevard.”

*Community Board 7 will hold a Public Hearing Monday, March 15 at 6:30 pm at the Board Office on the corner of Fourth Avenue and 43rd Street. It has to do with a city-owned property by the South Brooklyn Army Terminal. I’ll try to find out more. For the moment, see below for more information:

APPLICATION #C100204PPK – In the matter of one city-owned property, generally bounded by 39^th Street (1^st & 2^nd Avenues) and the western portion of 2^nd Avenue, from 37^th to 29^th Streets (Block 622, p/o Lot 1),  in the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT), restricted to parking and accessory use only

*Sunset Park Stills has some beautiful new images up, including some Lunar New Year-themed shots. Take a look!

Dear All,

Sorry of the constant changes to the interface. I’ve been cycling through different formats, trying to figure out what best suits what I’m trying to do–keep you updated on news and provide a straightforward, clean looking site. It’s a work in progress, but I think I’m nearing completion. After more complicated arrangements, I decided the blog format offers a casual approach that can encompass hard news and local stories. I hope to add a few bells and whistles to this simple site template soon.

In the meantime, lots has been going on. In the next few days I’ll make sure to offer updates on recent news, some stories I’ve stumbled upon and some great new(ish) images from around the way.

Got a story? An update? An event? Let me know, and keep in touch.

Best,

Lisa

P.S. It seems with the most recent upgrade, I’ve lost many of my images. I’ll try to backtrack and upload them soon. The site does look a little bare… Got some great neighborhood shots? Send those along too. Don’t forget a date, some context and your name (or alias).

Image of Brooklyn Typology's density map

I love me a map. Stacks of charts, graphs and plans provide the foundation for any city project, and offer those interested in neighborhoods a huge amount of information. Databases and public records can prove goldmines, but visual depictions serve up information in more palatable bites.

Though BestViewinBrooklyn has closed for business, its blogger still keeps an eye on Sunset Park. Last week, I got an email about a map of population density in Brooklyn.

Sunset Park has one of the highest. Census tract 100, blockgroup 2 boasts 159.59 people per acre, making it the eleventh densest area in Brooklyn. Flatbush’s tract 508, blockgroup 4 tops the list at a whopping 333 people per acre. One difference, however, is the number of units per acre. Whereas Flatbush as 108 unit per acre for those 333 people, Sunset Park packs 159 into about 47 units per acre, mostly in the form of two- to four-flat buildings. That means that Sunset Park averages 3.4 people per unit, slightly higher than Flatbush’s 3.08.

Interested? Check out the density data, the map, or other troves of info on the site. The map is part of Fake is the New Real, a collection of maps, art and lists by artists and urban planner Neil Freeman. This particular project, Brooklyn Typology, bring census data to life. And makes it pretty. Take a look–then leave a comment. What did you learn about our fair borough?

Awnings along Fifth Avenue show history, and change.

The character of Sunset Park comes from its buildings, its park, but primarily from its people.  On my walks through the streets, I hear the soft y’s of Caribbean Spanish from Puerto Rico, the rhythm of Mexican slang, the musical highs and lows of Mandarin and Fujianese, all mixed with that ubiquitous Brooklynese. Yet access remains perhaps the biggest challenge to reporting in Sunset Park.

Continue Reading

In the studio with Eric Johnson – Maize – 8-15-08 – Bolts and Washers, originally uploaded by Marshall Astor – Food Pornographer.

Several of you have written in the past to ask if Sunset Park Chronicled had a feed. Now it does.

In fact, you have several options for keeping up with the posts here. Just over to the right you may subscribe to the post and/or comments feed (—->).

For those of you who aren’t on the feed/reader train, you may opt for email updates. There are more tweaks on the horizon. Stay tuned.

Warrior Politics (2008). Used motor oil mixed media on paper

By coincidence, the Sunset Park-themed events this weekend all have a green bent. Given that it is apparently emerging as the “newest, biggest, fastest-changing neighborhood” according to the Brooklyn Eagle, that it is avant garde should be no surprise. You can take or leave the Eagle’s claim, but certainly take the neighborhood up on these free events.

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Plan for the Bush Terminal Pier Park, image from the New York City Economic Development Corporation

I’ve noticed a lot of interest recently in a rather old post on the $10 million dollars allotted for brownfield development along the Sunset Park waterfront. I’m guessing it may have been sparked by the recent announcement that the city may take control of the Brooklyn Bridge Park, as the state does not have the funds to meet the challenge. If you’re curious what this means for the unfinished Bush Terminal Pier Park on Sunset Park’s shore (one piece of a larger Waterfront Vision Plan for the area), so am I.

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Pedestrian crosses Fourth Avenue at 54th Street. This six-land road, an artery for traffic passing along Brooklyn's west side, makes for dangerous crossing.

Yesterday, an SUV fatally struck Hugo Jansen as he crossed Fourth Avenue near 46th Street. The grandfather was, said witnesses, crossing against the light.* I would venture to say most in the neighborhood have. It’s cold. It’s a busy time of year. We all want to rush home.

At the risk of editorializing, I’d like to ask everyone to wait for the walk signal. Continue Reading

Best View in Brooklyn asked me to post this flyer for Community Board 7 holiday gift drive. As everyone knows, this year is hard all over. Almost 25 percent of Sunset Park lives below the poverty line. Those are the official numbers. For those that can afford to give time or donations, this gift drive  offers one opportunity. Community groups around the neighborhood and food pantries present another. If you know of other drives to  help those in need, please let me know. I’ll happily post it for the community.

Dear Readers,

I’m hoping to report on the gathering planned outside the Fifth Avenue McDonald’s today, November 24th at 1:30pm to protest the alleged beating of Luis Montalvan. I’m not sure, however, that I will get there in time–so I’m turning to you.

If any of take pictures or speak to the organizers, please send your reporting into sunsetparkchron@gmail.com. Include the names of sources, your name and any other relevant information. If you have an opinion on the issue, post a comment or send an email and tell us what you think. I’ll create a post using the community’s coverage.

Soon,

Lisa