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Who we are

The Dean Street Block Association, 6th Avenue to Vanderbilt, as defined in its bylaws, stretches for three blocks including Dean Street from 6th to Carlton Avenues, Dean Street from Carlton to Vanderbilt Avenues, as well as Pacific Street from 6th Avenue to Carlton Avenues.

Since 2004 the block association has conducted a publicized public meeting no less than eleven times a year. We are entirely led by volunteers. Our block association currently has up to two hundred members, with several dozen actively participating in block association projects on a regular basis.

Over the years our community has worked collectively in relation to many issues including the expansion of the former Daily News loading docks, the conversion of the Daily News plant to condominiums, and more recently the Atlantic Yards proposal that is on our doorstep. Because of the changes that proposal has brought to our neighborhood, we place great emphasis on safe, clean and green streets. In our effort to green our area, in this year alone we have lobbied for and succeeded in seeing planted nearly ten street trees and have conducted both window box and planter campaigns across multiple blocks.

Stretching back decades, our block association traditionally advocates for and attempts to improve Dean Playground.  Together with Councilmember Letitia James, Community Board 8 and Friends of Dean Playground, (which the block association helped form in 2005), our block association helped raise 1.4 million dollars of private funds for Dean Playground improvements in 2006. The first phase of those improvements was recently concluded. For the last three years we have also held block parties in June. Our block party, with its face painting, BBQ and “Electric Slide,” is a genuine high point for our community during the summer.

APPLICATION:

1).  BLOCK DESCRIPTIONS:

Dean Street, 6th Avenue to Carlton: This block is largely residential in character but also has Dean Playground, a fire station, a church, a small residential social services facility, and a parking lot for city employees. It is home to the Swedish Baptist Church National Historic District as well as a part of the city landmarked Prospect Heights Historic District. The residential building stock is a mixture of century old low row townhouses, apartment buildings as well as the former Daily News plant that has been converted into one hundred and twenty five individual condominiums. Two former townhouses have been cleared to make way for construction offices for the Atlantic Yards development.

Issues on this block include speeding and excessive traffic near the playground, unsanitary conditions in the city employee parking lot, rodent control and other environmental issues near the construction site. The block continues to need further greening. The playground needs improved lighting and more police presence at night.

Dean Street, Carlton to Vanderbilt: This block is mixed use, with the dominant use residential. It is book-ended by the Prospect Heights Historic District. The building stock is a mixture of century old brownstones, low brick townhouses, and former manufacturing buildings that have been converted into residential homes and condominiums. Several businesses operate from the block including a tofu manufacturer, a manufacturer of silkscreen products and a contractor. The north side of the street, formerly lined with businesses and the Ward Bread Bakery building, (found eligible for the National Historic Register), has largely been cleared to make way for arena parking for the Atlantic Yards development. A residential hotel for ninety-four homeless families remains in operation inside the project footprint.

Issues on this block include litter, traffic congestion during rush hour, rodent control and other environmental issues near the construction site. The block has a need for an increased police presence, as well as for further greening.

Pacific Street, 6th Avenue to Carlton: The south side of this block is almost entirely comprised of the former Daily News plant which is now a 170 unit condominium development called Newswalk The north side of the street is a below street level railyard that planners for the Atlantic Yards development anticipate covering at a future date.

Issues on this block include litter, unsafe construction traffic, rodent control and other environmental issues near the construction site. The block needs an increased police presence as well as further greening.

2). IDEAS:

We have solicited recommendations from our members. The primary concerns are safety and security as well as making a greener, cleaner neighborhood.

Ideas for greening include more street trees and tree pit guards, gardens in the tree beds, window boxes and large planters.

Ideas for increased street safety include speed bumps and/or sidewalk “bump-outs” on Dean and Pacific Streets to slow down traffic and improve pedestrian safety, (including near Dean Playground). Other recommendations include enhancing the Dean Street bicycle lane with green paint and more bicycle racks.

Ideas for cleaner blocks include new litter boxes, a regular (weekly) clean up by city workers of their parking lot, and improved rodent control. We already hold twice annual community clean-up days.

Ideas for more secure streets include a light fixture for a pre-existing light post in Dean Playground that already has a line established to the street light grid and an increased police presence.

3). TIMELINE AND ACTION PLAN:

1). Action: Joint Street Cleaning and Greening Event

a). Greening:

Block association meeting followed by consultation with Brooklyn Botanical Garden and Parks Department about street trees, tree pit guards, tree gardens and planters. Greening efforts to be promoted in relation to weekend event in the spring.

b). Cleaning:

Block association meeting followed by consultation with Community Board 8, the Department of Sanitation and HPD. Preparations for the joint cleaning and greening event will include meeting with HPD about the unsanitary conditions in their parking lot, requests for additional garbage bins from Department of Sanitation, and requests for regular inspections from DEP and LIRR to enforce rodent control.

Person or people responsible for carrying out the action

Rhona Hetsrony, Doug Derryberry, Serena Mulhern, Tracy Collins, Clive Bushay and Peter Krashes. Support from Citizens Committee for New York City in arranging assistance from City Agencies.

Date(s) the action(s) will take place

Initiated January 2010. Coordinated greening and cleaning event in late spring.

Intended outcome(s)

Additional street trees lining empty lots, tree guards, tree gardens as well as planters for stoops. Cleaner streets, sidewalks and properties in our neighborhood.

2). Action: Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

Block Association meeting followed by consultation with Community Board 8 and the Department of Transportation

Person or people responsible for carrying out the action

Wayne Bailey, Rob Puca, Tracy Collins and Peter Krashes. Support from Citizens Committee for New York City in arranging assistance from City Agencies.

Date(s) the action(s) will take place

Initiated February 2010. Completion date to be determined by response of city agencies.

Intended outcome(s)

Additional bike racks. Increased pedestrian and bicycle safety using speed bumps and/or bump outs, green bicycle lane.

3). Action: Security

Block Association meeting followed by consultation with Community Board 8 as well as the three police precincts that converge in our area. Follow up with DOT and Parks Dept. about light fixture in playground.

Person or people responsible for carrying out the action

Rhona Hetsrony, Brad White, Cory Gillette, Deb Howard, Peter Krashes. Support from Citizens Committee for New York City in arranging assistance from City Agencies.

Date(s) the action(s) will take place

Follow up on previous concerns. Timeline dependent on response of City Agencies.

Intended outcome(s)

Increase police presence in area, increased lighting in playground.

4). BUDGET:

Please note that many of the action items above do not have costs and can be executed with the support of Citizen’s Committee for New York City dependent on the responsiveness of city agencies.

1). Action: Greening and Cleaning Event

Planters and Window boxes to improve neighborhood character

Budget Item: Planters, Window boxes, soil, plants

Cost: $415.00

Budget Item: Promotional Flyers

Cost: $50.00

Budget Item: Contractor Garbage Bags

Cost: $35.00

Improve health of trees with tree pit guards, (long-term goal)

Budget Item: Tree Pit Guards

Cost per item: No less than $350 per, (additional funds will need to be found; for this reason tree pit guards are a long-term goal).

TOTAL: $500.00, (excludes tree pit guards)

5). PARTICIPATION:

We will announce our spring street cleaning and greening event at our monthly block association meeting in January, as well as through our existing block association blog and yahoo group. Our block association meetings have an attendance that normally ranges from eight to fifteen people.

We already publicize each monthly meeting with flyers. To distinguish our cleaning and greening event, we will create a promotional flyer that describes the event and solicits ideas and volunteers. The flyer will be distributed door to door.

Our block association has held an annual block party each year for the past three years, during which time at least 20 residents help plan and execute the event. Approximately (eighty) residents and family members attend. Our experience with the block party encourages us to believe we can find numerous volunteers to work together to clean and green our blocks during a single event.

Two of five Dean Street Block Association board members will attend the mandatory workshop conducted by Citzens’s Committee for New York City.

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