More than half a dozen Southern Brooklyn civic groups united to discuss their concerns with Comptroller Scott Stringer at the Manhattan Beach Community Group meeting on April 22.
Nearly 120 people from eight groups in nearby neighborhoods — including Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park, Sea Gate, and Plumb Beach — put their differences aside to work towards a unified future for an area that locals say is too often overlooked.
Because there is power in numbers, according to the president of one of the civics, the groups are collectively speaking out about the problems that plague Southern Brooklyn.
“We came up with this concept to show our elected officials that we do communicate and are ready to work with each other for a common good,” said Judy Baron, the president of the Manhattan Beach Community Group. “There are issues that overlap many neighborhoods throughout this city. Sadly, it is obvious that many of us have to raise our voices as one to gain attention.”
Residents shared many concerns with the controller, including their fears about the proposed citywide rezoning, which some residents fear will ruin the character of their close-knit communities.
The city wants to allow developers to build higher in certain zones if they agree to include below-market-rate housing. But one outspoken critic of the plan said the Department of Buildings is making homes less affordable in the area by turning a blind eye to illegal home conversions. The department’s neglect is actually inflating home prices because one- and two-family homes are selling for more than they are worth since developers know they can turn a profit by sub-dividing them and renting out the rooms, he said.
“We’re talking about affordable housing, we want more affordable housing — we have the affordable housing right now it’s disappearing,” said Bob Cassara of the Brooklyn Housing Preservation Alliance. “We need some help.”
Stringer, who recently audited on the Built It Back storm-recovery program, said he is considering auditing the Department of Buildings. He said the current procedures at the department are archaic and need an update.
“There is a way to construct the building department that is 21st century,” he said.
Members of the many participating civic groups also shared their concerns about preparing for the next superstorm, and the city’s tree removal process.
But one group was noticeably absent from the ecumenical gathering — the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association, which has been locked in a Hatfield-and-McCoy–style feud with the Manhattan Beach Community Group since 2011.
A member from the neighborhood association said the group didn’t attend because its members weren’t invited.
But Baron said they were welcome to attend the meeting — and she said she wants to continue to have merged community meetings in the future.
“The meeting was open to all,” she said. “We’re going to try very hard to increase this group.”
