Brooklyn’s $3 billion tech boom getting boost with “Tech Triangle” balloon project

Brooklyn’s $3 billion tech boom getting boost with “Tech Triangle” balloon project - NYPOST.com

Brooklyn’s tech boom will get another boost with a slick “Tech Triangle” development project that includes a massive helium observation balloon overlooking it all.

The $3 billion ambitious plan — which covers the area from DUMBO, to the Downtown hub to and the Brooklyn Navy Yard — is slated to be unveiled today, officials said.

“Some things we will undertake immediately, and some, like the streetscapes and public spaces, will be longer-term,” said Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.

Renderings for the project call for a network of green, parklike spaces and pedestrian and bike paths.

Plans also include a topiary arbor, a Cadman Plaza cafe and a curved footbridge leading to Borough Hall.

Along Water and Sand streets beneath the Manhattan Bridge, planners envision a seasonal pop-up structure fantasy land of mini-golf, performance stages, lounges and wading pools.

There are several initiatives to revitalize unused or abandoned spaces, including the city’s first vertical dog run — replete with slopes and ramps — in DUMBO, and planted terraces, picnic tables and ping pong tables on a dead end street near the Brooklyn Bridge. And floating 600 feet above it all, near Brooklyn Landing, is a proposed tethered helium observation balloon called Brooklyn Rising — symbolizing the area’s revitalization. Riders would have “unprecedented views” of the city and harbor, according to the plans.

Officials hope the changes will continue to lure tech firms to the borough, where tech revenue is estimated to hit nearly $6 billion by 2015.

“This is really a comprehensive plan to guide the area’s growth over the next decade,” said Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Some of the projects already have funding; other will require partnerships with city government and the private sector.

Also on the wish list is the reopening of the anchorage to the Brooklyn Bridge, which has been closed since the 9/11 attack, which could house a revenue-producing waterfront museum and event space.

Under the blueprint, an open, parklike Columbus Park and Cadman Plaza “could have “the elegance of a Parisian promenade,” planners predicted.

Map: NYC Has New Hurricane Evacuation Zones

Map: NYC Has New Hurricane Evacuation Zones: Gothamist
(NYC Mayor's Office)
       
NYC officials just unveiled an updated hurricane evacuation zones map. According to the city, "The new Zones, 1 through 6, which will replace Zones A, B and C, now include an additional 600,000 New Yorkers not included within the boundaries of the former zones."
Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway said, "The new zones incorporate the best-available data and will help the City to more effectively communicate to those most at risk depending on the characteristics of a particular storm. New Yorkers should go to www.nyc.gov or call 311 to find out if their homes or businesses fall within the boundaries of a new city hurricane evacuation zone." You can map your address in the NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder here—it's also interesting to map other addresses on your street; for instance, your office building might be in Zone 1 but a building two blocks from you (and up the hill) could be in Zone 5!
The mayor's office says that the new "zones are based on coastal flood risk resulting from storm surge - the 'dome' of ocean water propelled by the winds and low barometric pressure of a hurricane; the geography of the city’s low-lying neighborhoods; and the accessibility of these neighborhoods by bridge and roads." And the new zones "include an additional 600,000 New Yorkers not included within the boundaries of the former zones. The increased number of zones will provide the City with more flexibility in targeting areas to evacuate in advance of a predicted storm." (You can see the old map here.)
The city estimated the evacuation population based on the 2010 Census: Zone 1—370,000; Zone 1+2—620,000; Zone 1+2+3—1,020,000; Zone 1+2+3+4—1,470,000; Zone 1+2+3+4+5—2,230,000l; and Zone 1+2+3+4+5+6—2,990,000. And Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joe Bruno urged, "Make an emergency plan with your family. Always have a Go Bag packed with essentials you may need in the event that you have to leave your house at a moment’s notice. Ensure you have several days of supplies, including water, non-perishable foods, a flashlight and a battery-operated radio at home. Emergencies are much easier to manage when you have a plan in place." Check out OEM's Ready guide.
Now, let's start building that Seaport City, right?

Feds To Fund Restoration Of Private Seagate Beaches, Spurring Neighbors To Demand Public Access

Bensonhurst Bean » Blog Archive Feds To Fund Restoration Of Private Seagate Beaches, Spurring Neighbors To Demand Public Access » Bensonhurst's News Blog
The US Army Corps of Engineers will shell out $30 million to restore the beaches of the gated community Seagate, after their private beaches were battered by Superstorm Sandy. The Brooklyn Paper is reporting that the influx of federal dollars has led local residents living outside the gated community to demand access to the coveted beach space enjoyed by Seagate residents.

Brighton Beach activist Ida Sanoff laid out the case in very simple terms.

“If you’re using public funds, you need to grant public access,” Sanoff said.

Officials who backed the funding of the project defended the operation as necessary to protect the entirety of the Coney Island beachfront.

“The beaches are all one holistic piece, and when you reinforce in Seagate, you are reinforcing the whole Coney Island peninsula,” Ilan Kayatsky, a spokesman for Congressman Jerrold Nadler, told Brooklyn Paper.

The Army Corps of Engineers will build four rock jetties at the tip of the peninsula that are designed to capture sand in the sea currents, a maneuver that will add acres of sand back to the beachfront.

Ocean Parkway Malls get attention #bikenyc

#OceanParkwy #bike #bikenyc

The bike and walking path on the Ocean Parkway west mall between the Belt Parkway and Oceanview Avenue will be undergoing rehabilitation and have been blocked off. It's not that I am not grateful that some part of the Ocean Parkway malls is getting rehab but the real hazardous locations should be taken care of first.  And I am speaking of the Bike Path between Avenue V and Avenue X.  The faults and cracks in the concrete present a clear and present danger to riders but another year goes risking injury to riders and walkers.  This area of the bike path is within Councilman Recchia's district but he is term limited and will be replaced.  Hopefully the new council member will show more concern and take action.

Citi Bike Stuffings-An Overdone Compilation Of Recent Citibike Related Articles

Since the CitiBike launch this Memorial Day is the hottest, most polarizing topic rounding New York here is a bunch of stuff from recent reports and articles.  It's a dreary weekend but this issue is lighting a fire even under those who have sat back as the day go closer. But now everyone seems to have an opinion and the discourse has hardly been civilized.  Monday will sure be an interesting day.

CitiBike Share Program Rolls Into Docking Stations (DNAinfo.com)




 First batch of Citi Bikes appear in docking stations (Daily News)

Bike share heads to New York and critics raise the alarm
(MSNBC)

Bike-Share May Not Take Many Cars Off the Road, But That's OK (The Atlantic Cities)

Transportation Nation Bike Advice Project

Transportation Nation Bike Advice Project - WNYC
Click the above link to get full access to the project
With bike share launching next week, potentially thousands of people will be biking New York who haven't ever done so before. They need advice. Let's give them some. Listen to some tips -- and upload your own -- inside.

And for everything else you wanted to know, click here.

Citi Bike Corrals Arrive on the Lower East Side

Citi Bike Corrals Arrive on the Lower East Side | Bowery Boogie
Within the last few days, the highly-anticipated Citi Bike infrastructure has been landing across the city like alien pods unleashed from the DOT mothership. New parking corrals were recently placed at Straus Square, Clinton Street (Fine Fare), Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Petrosino Square Park, and Mott Street (Cafe Gitane). More are most definitely on the way.

Gore de France - NYPOST.com

Gore de France - NYPOST.com

Paris’ bike-share deaths show the importance of caution on NYC streets

By NICOLE GELINAS
Last Updated: 11:10 PM, May 18, 2013
Posted: 10:32 PM, May 18, 2013

As City Hall prepares to roll out bike share, New Yorkers are bickering over dock placement. There’s a more pressing topic: saving lives.

Three people died in Paris’ first year of bike share. New York should heed Paris’ lesson.

Bike share will be a big deal. If each rental bike receives three to five daily uses, anywhere from 16,500 to 27,500 new riders will add themselves daily to the 31,359 cyclists in core Manhattan now.

The city has a special responsibility to new cyclists — because it’s putting them in relative danger.

Sure, cycling is safer than it once was. In a decade, as bicyclists’ numbers have quadrupled, annual deaths haven’t risen.

Paris’ program is very popular—but three died in its first year.
But that’s still 18 people dead last year, including three in Manhattan.

Bicyclists made up 6.5% of people killed in New York crashes, far more than their 1 percent share of people coming into Manhattan by subway, bus or car.

More cycling can make riders collectively safer, by increasing awareness by drivers. But it doesn’t make the individual Citibiker safer if she was doing something far safer — like riding the subway — before.

Yes, London, Washington and Boston have had bike share for couple of years — with no deaths (although London had a critical injury last month).

But Boston and Washington have a fraction of Manhattan’s population density (and expected bike usage). Core London, too, is less dense.

The city closest to us is Paris, with 81% of our population density.

You’ll often hear that bike share in Paris — or “Velib,” for liberty on a bike — has been a hit since its summer 2007 launch. True enough: Go to Paris, and you’ll see older ladies in skirts pedaling with their purses in their baskets just as often as you see thirtysomething males.

What you won’t hear is that Velib had a gruesome rollout.

2013 #Brooklyn #HalfMarathon draws 20,000 runners

Ocean Parkway and Avenue Z is less than 2 miles from the 13.1 mile finish on the Coney Island Boardwalk. Shoe rubber replaced tire rubber for a successful event sponsored by New York Road Runners.  More on the race and more photos coming soon.

Green-Wood Cemetery In Brooklyn, State's Largest Cemetery, Celebrates 175th Anniversary

Green-Wood Cemetery In Brooklyn, State's Largest Cemetery, Celebrates 175th Anniversary (PHOTOS)

(Excerpt)
The 478-acre site is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year with an exhibition opening Wednesday at the Museum of the City of New York. While it cannot replace a visit to the cemetery grounds, "A Beautiful Way to Go: New York's Green-Wood Cemetery" provides historical context for one of only four U.S. cemeteries to be granted National Historic Landmark status.

Founded in 1838 in what was then the City of Brooklyn, Green-Wood was an early example of the "rural cemetery." In contrast to the somber church graveyards in lower Manhattan that were rapidly filling up, it offered vistas of the New York Harbor and a new view of death that essentially said: "If you live a good life, this is the kind of afterlife you will have. It will be a place like this," said curator Donald Albrecht.

Bathroom pods hit a clog

All the pods are up in Brighton and Coney Island except this one opposite Oceana Condominiums. Recently residents of Oceana protested against the erection of these new bathrooms because of loss of their scenic view from their very expensive apartments. But we have heard that the reason work was stopped was because the concrete pilings hit bedrock.

Not ready to go up because pilings may have hit bedrock during installation.

NYC's New Bike Share Will Change Your Life

NYC's New Bike Share Will Change Your Life - Business Insider

(Excerpt)

People who are visiting NYC and want to move around on the cheap — while still seeing the sights: Riding the subway is a quintessential New York experience, but it's not a good way to see the city.
If you have $25 to spare, get a week-long pass and spend your time in the Big Apple biking around, and be the tourist you want to be. Do keep your eyes on the road, though.

(Comment): Only the first 30 minutes are free for a week-long pass so any "sightseeing" over that time will be added to the tab.  Besides, do we really want tourists sightseeing with their noses in the air rather then paying attention to responsible cycling. Launching into NYC traffic requires that all your senses to be alert.

New bathrooms rise in #Coney Island or a new home for E.T.

So what if E.T. really did become stranded on Earth and had no way to go home.  We couldn't expect him to survive in a homeless shelter or ride the Q train 24/7.  But suddenly these alien pods appeared on the Brighton Beach and Coney Island boardwalks. Talk about affordable housing for our E.T. friend.  At a mere $2 million dollars for each pod it's perfect.  He will have a ramp to shuffle up and down.  He can bathe in the ocean. Each one features skylights and extensive natural ventilation, with solar panels on their roofs to generate power. Our E.T. will live in luxury.

Alas,  these pods that come straight of The Lord of the Rings will not house our esteemed friend.  These structures are toilets complete with, I guess, the most sophisticated indoor plumbing system and built high off the ground to withstand the next storm surge which all weather futurists predict. Anyone doing their business here should sit in awe of the modern miracle. But if the ramp is too long I don't know if I will make it in time. And if the bathroom purpose doesn't work out as planned it can always be used to house surface-to-air missiles.

Morning rain didn't keep workers from getting the new bathrooms ready for the first flush.