The local shops in Dumbo will be handing out candy to costumed trick-or-treaters (plus offering special deals to mom and dad) on Thursday, October 31 from 4-7pm! Participating merchants are listed on the DUMBO Improvement District site. The family-friendly fun continues at Brooklyn Roasting Company (4-5:30pm), where little ones can groove to Preschool of Rock, sip free hot chocolate and win prizes for best costumes. At 4:30pm, a live costume parade will march from Brooklyn Roasting to PowerHouse Arena. Last but not least, look for free hands-on arts activities in the Archway all afternoon!
The Jay Street beach with umbrellas, benches, and art is now open. The DUMBO Improvement District planned and built out the dead-end of Jay Street against the East River with the Dumbo community to create a mini ‘oasis’ where we can sit and relax.
The site design was conceived and designed by Joanna Pertz and Kate Belski from Joanna Pertz Landscape Architecture as a pro bono project (68 Jay Street, #411, Brooklyn NY).
The DUMBO Improvement District and Two Trees Management Co in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation Urban Art Program (NYCDOT) and the Jonathan LeVine Gallery, announce the creation of DUMBO Walls, a series of eight outdoor murals packed within a four-block stretch of DUMBO along the BQE. We posted a preview of them earlier this week, but the news about the street art was released yesterday.
We took a few photos in progress this morning (in this post). This extensive project is being presented through the NYCDOT Arterventions program with funding provided by the DUMBO Improvement District and Two Trees Management Co. Works by CAM, MOMO, Stefan Sagmeister and Yuko Shizimu are presented by the DUMBO Improvement District and Two Trees Management Co. Works by DALeast, Eltono, Shepard Fairey and Faith47 are presented by Jonathan LeVine Gallery and Wooster Collective, in conjunction with 10 Years of Wooster Collective 2003—2013, a group exhibition on view at 525 W 22nd Street from August 7—24, 2013.
The art can be viewed along York Street between Washington Street and Pearl Street in Dumbo Brooklyn.
Looks like there are 7 new street murals are coming to Dumbo. One of them, on York Street (between Adams and Washington Street) against the BQE wall started this past weekend and will take about a week to complete, according to the artist. The artist’s name (pictured on the right) is Momo.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) have constructed full scale granite cobble mock-ups to demonstrate roadway reconstruction techniques for the Dumbo/Vinegar Hill street reconstruction for Water Street, Pearl Street, Plymouth Street, Main Street, and Adams Street. According to the Dumbo BID, work will take place on streets as indicated in the map below (Yellow = DOT scope / full street and plaza reconstruction; Blue = DEP scope / water and sewer reconstruction):
[+]
The granite cobble mock-ups will demonstrate how a mix of new and original cobblestone could be used to rebuild the streets, which, along with the centuries-old sewer and water lines below, are slated for reconstruction beginning next year. The test streets will be on view to the public, and DOT will be on hand to take feedback on the design and stones. The public is encouraged to comment on the design and materials – as several options for reuse of old and introduction of new materials will be presented. Comments will be taken on site and can also be emailed to plazas@dot.nyc.gov. The Dumbo BID writes, “These comments will be incorporated into a design package that will then be presented to Community Board 2 on July 22 for project approval. The design will also need approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission this fall.”
The viewing schedule for the rest of the week is as follows at Pier 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park (along Furman Street near Atlantic Avenue):
So we asked the DOT for some further background on the proposed stones. The DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan wrote to us to clear up some confusion about bike lanes: “This community requested project will restore the street’s historical elegance while removing stumbling blocks for the thousands of people walking and biking in the neighborhood daily.” They continue to receive feedback from the community as the design demonstration period continues, but the presence of a bike lane has not been identified as an issue.
We asked about feedback about installing a bike lane on Water Street. She said that “some blogs have written, inaccurately, that cobblestones on Water Street will be removed to install a bike path. This is false. This is a total street reconstruction project and the cobblestones are being restored as part of the capital upgrade, regardless of the street’s designation as a Greenway. The section of Water Street in the project area hasn’t been significantly upgraded in more than a century and utilities for the growing number of residences and businesses in the area are overdue for reconstruction. Half of the cobblestones in the project are currently covered by asphalt just to make the street navigable.”
“As with many other roadway reconstructions across the city, this project also brings an opportunity to improve roadway design to make streets even safer and easier to navigate for all street users and meet ADA requirements—such as installing smooth, walkable crosswalks. A similar, complete street reconstruction on Washington Street and another section of Water Street started more than three years ago [ref: 10May2010 and 03Dec2009], replacing sewers and water mains while upgrading underground utilities and sidewalks, and the materials demonstration was developed specifically to address community feedback on these redesigns. DOT continues to work with the community board on the project (we held two workshops in just the last year) and we look forward to continuing our efforts with the board.”
Take a look at the mockup at Pier 6 and send your comments. What do you think?
New York City is a leading tech innovation hub (after Silicon Valley), and the Brooklyn Tech Triangle is taking charge to include a broad public, private, and academic backing to provide an environment, infrastructure, transportation, and workforce development to ensure that the area can accommodate the needs of the new economy. There are five key challenges to which the Brooklyn Tech Triangle Strategic Plan counters with five plan components. The five key challenges are:
Space: We are running out of appropriate commercial space for tech.
Workforce: The Tech Triangle could be—but isn’t yet—a new model integrating talent from local communities and universities with high-growth industries.
Transportation: It needs to be easier to get around the Tech Triangle.
Dynamic Places: Some parts of the Tech Triangle need an upgraded energy and vibe.
Tech Infrastructure: The “tech” in Tech Triangle should be apparent to all.
The 94 page plan include challenges and proposals that address them. We’re only touching on a small slice, so you may want to read the full strategic plan. More renderings after the jump… (more…)
