*NYPD officer Justin Cracchiola was this week named South Brooklyn’s cop of the month–he has spent nearly a decade on the force, much of that as a narcotics cop in the 72nd precinct in Sunset Park. Read more here.

*Check out this Streetsblog article arguing that NY City planning may be sabotaging sustainability by parking space requirements for new development. I would think this article might raise a few backs on both sides. What do you think?

* Brooklyn in January had the highest foreclosure rate in the city, and Sunset Park has for the first time seen people being forced to giving up their homes, according to an article in the Ethiopian Review.

*Duane Reade has just been purchased by the Walgreen chain, the Brooklyn Eagle reported. What do you think, will this have any effect on the new Duane Reade on Fifth Ave?

Finished, refurbished or just breaking ground, you can spot condominiums of all shapes and sizes around Sunset Park.

New buyers are moving in, a trend welcome or unhappy depending on who you ask. Either way, the phenomenon has come to South Brooklyn. An article in the real estate section of today’s New York Times gives a comprehensive view of condo-buying. Though meant for those on the market, it offers insight for others simply looking for an explanation about the trend, as well as the pros, cons and state of the market in a city where price-per-square foot has proven as riveting as the cost of oil.

Interested in the shifting market closer to home? Check out this article on issues of affordable housing in Sunset Park.

For 13 years the Vazquez family has watched Sunset Park change from the window of their three-bedroom apartment on 55^th Street. This year, the shifting tides of New York real estate hit home.

Developer Galla Condominiums recently bought and converted to condominiums a dozen apartments in the 16-unit building at 546 55^th Street where Carmen and Alex Vazquez live with their children. Each unit that goes up for sale marks one less rent-stabilized apartment in a neighborhood where such units are scarce.

As the number of rent stabilized units dwindle, long term residents find themselves living surrounded by housing that rents and sells at rates far beyond what many longtime and new immigrant residents in this working-class neighborhood can afford. Read the full story