Dumbo NYC

Several readers have written to us wishing that there were a green market or a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Dumbo. Your wishes are one step towards reality. We heard from Vinegar Hill resident Leslie Winston and we are happy to announce that she is starting a CSA program in Dumbo/Vinegar Hill beginning in June 2008. Although similar in concept with green markets, CSAs are different. In a CSA arrangement, a farmer sells “shares” in his or her farm’s upcoming harvest to individuals, families, and institutions in the city. So here’s what Leslie had to say:

Hello neighbors,

I’m starting a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in DUMBO/Vinegar Hill beginning this season, June 2008. I am working on this project with Just Food which is the non-profit umbrella organization which helps neighborhoods start a CSA program. You can learn more about Just Food and NYC CSA at justfood.org. While I’m starting the CSA program in DUMBO/Vinegar Hill with only the help of Just Food, I hope to recruit some other community members to help spearhead the program with me.

CSA is a way for people to buy vegetables directly from a local farmer. Before the harvest season, members commit to buy fresh, locally grown organic vegetables from June to November. Each week, members pick up their “share” at a convenient location. Although sizes vary, each “share” has about 7-10 different kinds of vegetables and is enough to feed two adults and two children.

Over the next several months I will be actively recruiting members to join the DUMBO/Vinegar Hill CSA. My goal is to have 40 members for the 2008 season. Members will be expected to help distribute the vegetables and clean up after the distribution at least one time during the season.

If you would like to talk more about this please e-mail lswinston@gmail.com or call me 347.633.3547.

Thank you,
Leslie Winston

This is a step towards a more sustainable community. In a related but separate note, the Dumbo Improvement District is working hard to bring a green market to the neighborhood; Something like Community Markets that comes to the Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope. If you’re interested in helping Leslie with this program, please contact her at lswinston@gmail.com. This is an opportunity to help local farmers and a chance to meet your neighbors. (Leslie is not affiliated with the Dumbo Improvement District.)

Related: {Dumbo Turning Greener, 30Jan2008}

 View from the 29th floor of J Condo (Photo courtesy of dlalande)

This weekend’s NY Times The Hunt featured a widow, Eleanor Alper, who lived on a Fifth Avenue co-op for two decades before her husband’s death. Ms. Alper wanted to find “a big, bright, high-ceilinged place that could include an art studio for Ms. Alper’s painting and sculpture” between $2 million and $3 million. After searching in SoHo and Tribeca, she turned to Dumbo for the views, loft spaces, and the art community. She visited 70 Washington Street, a full service loft building with high ceilings and large windows. “But she would have had to combine two condos for enough space. Besides, some of the rooms were interior rooms without windows.” So she looked into J Condo and purchased a unit on the 32nd floor:

“Ms. Alper decided to buy the J Condo duplex. It cost $2.65 million, with monthly maintenance and taxes of around $1,650. She was glad it was just below the penthouse level, “because it is kind of pretentious on your address to have the penthouse,” she said.”

“She especially enjoys watching the air traffic at Newark Liberty International Airport and, closer at hand, the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. Below her lie the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, where motor traffic “is all very miniature and very cute.”

Ms. Alper is known for riding her bicycle and her scooter around the local streets. “I am making friends with Brooklyn,” she said. “It is really fun. It is a different Brooklyn than I remember. The neighborhood is full of surprises. That’s what I think my life should be. Lots of surprises.”"

With the budget she had, I’m surprised the artist did not find anything she liked in SoHo, where the original artists’ lofts are or in Tribeca, the home of many high end art galleries. Maybe she found the community in Brooklyn more suited for her. After all, she’s an artist at heart.

{Starting a New Life in Brooklyn, 20Jan2008, NY Times}

The NY Times article on Christmas Day quotes a few of the old-timers and new comers in Dumbo. The newcomers are attracted to the new Dumbo Historic District’s lofts and new amenities of the neighborhood. The old-timers lament the days when their workshops and studios were a place for their art and creativity and did not have to worry about things such as parking or traffic. Like it or not, both old and new make the neighborhood what it is. New businesses and services have opened in the past few years. Businesses that have been in Dumbo for a while now cater to both.

The article did mention that the name Dumbo was coined by the artist pioneers in 1978 from a prior DumboNYC article about how Dumbo got its name. No credit or reference was given to DumboNYC, but that’s ok, I’ll give credit to writer Anne Barnard. Most publications are too lazy to do their research and assume that real estate developers coined the name. And for the new comers, glad to hear that you’re supporting your local neighborhood businesses. There are a few great places you can get your coffee other than Starbucks in Dumbo.

{District Trying to Forge a New Identity, NY Times, 25Dec2007}

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has granted landmark status to the Dumbo Historic District.

The Commission voted unanimously 8-0 this afternoon to protect the blocks and 91 historic buildings in Dumbo. The new historic district is bound by John Street to the north, York Street to the south, Main Street to the west and Bridge Street to the east. According to the LPC, the Dumbo area was “essential to Brooklyn’s rise as a major American industrial center and was the home of some of the most important industrial firms in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century America including Arbuckle Brothers (coffee and sugar), J. W. Masury & Son (paint), Robert Gair (paper boxes), E. W. Bliss (machinery), and Brillo (steel wool). The buildings in the district reflect the extraordinary diversity of Brooklyn’s industrial development, with manufactured and processed goods including coffee, tea, sugar, machinery, paint, varnish, paper boxes, shoes, soap, ale, and steel wool. By the early twentieth century, Brooklyn was the fourth largest manufacturing center in the entire country and a significant portion of this manufacturing was done in DUMBO.”

The Dumbo Historic District also protects its dramatic streetscapes. The Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge soar over the Belgian Block streets, some with remnants of the old Jay Street Connecting Railroad along Plymouth Street, to connect the former warehouses. In 1959, the Jay Street Connecting Railroad ceased to operate. Commission Chairman Robert B. Tierney states:

“DUMBO’s distinctively designed buildings and sublime vistas survive to this day, and still define its character, even as it has evolved into a largely residential neighborhood. This designation will ensure that this still-evolving neighborhood retains its unique historic character.”

Now the City Council needs to sign off on the designation. City Councilman David Yassky has publicly supported Dumbo landmarking and testified at the LDC that Dumbo is worthy of preservation.

LPC Press Release: Landmarks Preservation Commission Designates Dumbo As New York City’s 90th Historic District (pdf)

Previously:
{Dumbo Historic District Landmark Moving Forward, 31Oct07}
{LPC Public Hearing for Dumbo Historic District Tomorrow, 29Oct07}
{Dumbo Landmarking Calendared for 30Oct2007, 01Oct07}
{LPC Voted 8-0 to Consider Dumbo a Historic District, 26July07}
{Dumbo Historic District to Be Calendared Today, 24July07}
{NY Times Highlights Dumbo Neighborhood Association, 4June2007 }
{Any Feedback from the LPC Meeting?, 19April2007}
{Dumbo Landmarking Meeting on Thursday at 10am, 17April2007}

 (Photo: DumboNYC)

A NY Times article on Sunday by C.J. Hughes gave mention to Dumbo’s J Condo at 100 Jay Street. C.J. Hughes writes about the increase of E Zones in NYC. “In 2007, 16 E zones were created, involving hundreds of blocks, versus four zones in 1996.” E zoning designation, typically means that it abuts a busy nonresidential area and that developers must take extra noise-abatement steps. Both J Condo and Beacon Tower are new condo developments in Dumbo that abuts the Manhattan Bridge on opposite sides. J Condo hired soundproofing consultants, Architectural Testing to minimize the bridge noise. Beacon Tower at 85 Adams Street hired Shen Milsom Wilke, a New York-based acoustical design firm, to evaluate and measure the site noise. Their windows feature heavy panes of laminated glass separated by eight inches of air space and rubber gaskets, to dramatically reduce the sound levels. According to Shen Milsom Wilke, it was found that sound levels intermittently peaked at 96 dBA due predominantly to the train passing by every few minutes at the 5th floor level.

With the proximity to the Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, most of Dumbo is noisy, and many existing buildings have been around before zoning required extra noise-abatement steps. If you don’t live in one of the two new high-rises, you still have options for a quiet night at home or at your business. Two companies that soundproof windows in the Dumbo area are Cityproof and Citiquiet. I’ve spoken to several residents of Dumbo who have hired both to install soundproofing windows. In most cases, window frames that match the existing windows are installed in the framing or behind the exterior window, leaving alternating layers of air and thick glass. Ordering custom windows typically take 6-10 weeks for delivery, but installation takes a few hours. (Photo of installed soundproofing window above). Based on personal experience and talking with residents of J Condo, Beacon Tower and residents who soundproofed other older apartments, the windows make a huge difference. Walking into one of these apartments make one forget that there are any cars or subways outside of these apartments. One side effect of soundproofing — you notice more of your interior noise such as a noisy refrigerator and central fan while exterior street noise is kept out.

Cityproof
(718) 786-1600, Christopher Ulrich
www.cityproof.com

Citiquiet
(212) 874-5362, Marc Cohen
www.citiquiet.com

{Louder Life, Thicker Windows, 02Dec2007, NYTimes}

Although The Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing for Landmarking Dumbo took place last week, the commission will take comments in writing until Nov. 6. Please take a moment to send an e-mail to comments@lpc.nyc.gov, or better yet, write a postcard with your name and address and reasons for Landmarking Dumbo to (must be postmarked no later than Monday to be considered):

Landmarks Preservation Commission Chairman Robert Tierney
1 Centre Street, Ninth Floor,
New York, NY 10007

Previously:
{Landmark Hearing of Dumbo Receiving Media Attention, 31Oct07}
{Dumbo Historic District Landmark Moving Forward, 31Oct07}
{LPC Public Hearing for Dumbo Historic District Tomorrow, 29Oct07}
{LPC Voted 8-0 to Consider Dumbo a Historic District, 26July07}
{NY Times Highlights Dumbo Neighborhood Association, 4June07}
{Dumbo Landmarking Meeting on Thursday at 10am, 17April07}
{DNA Urge Residents and Businesses to Save Dumbo, 2Feb07}

Peter Sunwoo and the DUMBOWatch committee were featured in not one but two stories about safety and panhandlers in Dumbo in today’s edition of The Brooklyn Paper. The stories, written by Adam F. Hutton, referenced this website, but didn’t mention us (but it’s okay, we don’t feel left out or anything). The Dumbo BID hosted a crime prevention seminar last week to educate the public (businesses and residents) about how to protect themselves. A commenter, T Bone, gave us this report:

“the cops say they are on our side and want to get rid of the panhandlers as much as we do, but they say they can’t do anything about it legally. My question was why are the cops so darn friendly with them, then? Doesn’t exactly discourage them. Bottom line is we need to report any incidents right away- if they get aggressive or spit on you etc, etc, call 311 or 911 and file a complaint!

They did have some helpful tips on how to stay safe- mostly common sense though.

There are also community meetings that the 84th precinct commanding officer attends that residents should attend to voice their concerns.”

The group’s concern is in crime prevention. Panhandling isn’t a crime, but if they’re harassing pedestrians daily or if the community can prevent just one incident from happening, DUMBOWatch isn’t going too far in calling 311 when panhandlers start throwing things or endangering an innocent pedestrian. It’s been said by people on some posts before, but we shouldn’t criminalize people before committing an illegal action. However, if there is criminal activity such as drug use or violence, we as a community should take action. Thriving says it best:

“Personally, I think the best we can do in this situation - without compromising our commitment to constitutional freedoms for all - is to refuse to reward panhandlers with money and positive attention for their panhandling, and to continue the conversation with law enforcement/businesses/the community about those panhandlers that are particularly problematic so that we achieve enough of a boycott of the behavior that they leave for greener pastures.”

{New group starts ‘watching’ DUMBO, Brooklyn Paper}
{The DUMBO panhandle: Beggars choose rich nabe to ply trade, Brooklyn Paper}
{DUMBOwatch Established to Keep DUMBO Safe, 26Sept07, DumboNYC.com}
{Talking about Safety in Dumbo, 07Sept07, DumboNYC.com}

One of the great things about Dumbo is the number of creative and entrepreneurial people who base their businesses in Dumbo. We all have our favorite retail, creative, and service businesses here. However, in many people’s opinion, Dumbo can use more restaurant or food choices. So when I heard about Nylon Cooks food delivery service, I knew that many people will appreciate them as most of us don’t have a lot of time to cook at home.

Nylon Cooks is a new Dumbo-based business that just launched last week. With apologies to Brooklyn Enthusiast, they first interviewed the co-founders last week. But I had to find out more for myself. Nylon Cooks has a selection of menu choices, side dishes, and soups for adults and kids. The meals arrive in oven-proof packaging so you don’t have to clean any pots or pans.

We asked chefs Lindsay Broder and Kristen Clay about how the business started.
“After we graduated from The Institute of Culinary Education (where we met) all we kept hearing from our friends was ‘when are you going to cook for us? We’re so tired of takeout’. We quickly realized that this is the general consensus for busy New York City Dwellers. It became our mission to improve the in-home dining experience by creating meals that were as close to home-cooked as possible without the customer having to do any of the work such as shopping, cooking and cleaning!”

Do you have plans on expanding your delivery area outside of Dumbo?
“It seemed only natural since we both live in DUMBO to start our service here, but we realize that there are other NYC neighborhoods that are lacking for dinner options. Therefore, we do plan to expand in the future.”

What has been the reaction to your food by Dumbo residents?
“We have done a couple of tastings around the neighborhood and those that attended really loved the food and were so excited for the service to start! Some of these people have posted on their building blogs. One person wrote, ‘My husband and I have been so bored with all the food in the area- there is such a lack of good options- so we are thrilled about this new company. Everything on the menu is homemade and is absolutely delicious.’ –LS, 70 Washington. Another wrote, ‘If find yourself ordering out a lot than this is for you. The food is really good, healthy, and kid friendly.’ –AL, Jcondo.

—

I’m ordering my dinners from them next week. Good luck and congratulations on the launch of your business! For additional information on Nylon Cooks go to nyloncooks.com.

The Village Voice came out with their annual Best of NYC 2007 guide. The Dumbo neighborhood made the list, named “Best Manhattan Neighborhood In Brooklyn - DUMBO”. I’m not sure whether or not this is a good thing, but they do mention that Dumbo has a “residual sense of the industrial picturesque, a nostalgic desolation”.

Here’s the Village Voice article:

“Atlantic Yards may yet turn downtown Brooklyn into a soulless new Herald Square, but as of now, the borough’s most Manhattanized neighborhood is the 15-square-block area that for several decades has boasted the acronym DUMBO (as in “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”). Down below Brooklyn Heights, and abutting the remnants of genteel Vinegar Hill, DUMBO is a waterfront mix of reconverted 19th-century factories and mega-warehouses towering over narrow, still-cobblestoned streets. It’s as dense as Manhattan, as expensive as Manhattan, as convenient as Manhattan (if you don’t mind walking), and will soon be as overbuilt—possibly tomorrow. What DUMBO has that Manhattan doesn’t is a residual sense of the industrial picturesque, a nostalgic desolation (galleries and theaters notwithstanding), a main street called “Main Street,” and its own strip of East River beach. DUMBO also offers that most narcissistic of New York pleasures—a fantastic view of the skyline.”

Of course people come to Dumbo for various reasons, and some long time residents don’t like the changes that are happening in Dumbo. Many choose to be in Dumbo because of its creative community and the fact that it’s not another soul-less, sterilized Manhattan neighborhood. Others move to Dumbo for it’s Manhattan-like convenience (first subway stop from Manhattan, luxury condos, boutiques, shops, and services). My question: If Dumbo is the best Manhattan neighborhood in Brooklyn, what’s the best Brooklyn neighborhood in Manhattan?

{Best Manhattan Neighborhood In Brooklyn - DUMBO, Village Voice}

The comments about the panhandlers and illegal activity at Peas&Pickles deli from the Talking about Safety in Dumbo post keep coming. Rather than just ranting about it on this blog, one Dumbo resident has decided to take action and create a neighborhood watch committee, called DUMBOwatch. Here’s what DUMBOwatch is looking to accomplish:

DUMBOwatch is a social network founded by DUMBO/Vinegar Hill residents to ensure the safety of their neighborhood. Our first campaign is called LOCAL CHANGE, and it is focused on the increasing number of illegal panhandling—more than ever in front of Peas and Pickles.

Many of the DUMBOwatch members have been verbally and/or physically harassed by loiterers that are regularly present in the area. For instance, recently a DUMBOwatch member was attacked 20 ft. from his apartment off of Front St, and is now in the process of prosecuting the attacker. We need to act now before something worse happens. We have the law on our side.

Section 10-136(b)(2) of the New York City Administrative Code, Prohibition against certain forms of aggressive solicitation.

No person shall solicit, ask or beg within ten feet of any entrance or exit of any bank or check cashing business during its business hours or within ten feet of any automated teller machine during the time it is available for customers’ use.

Provided, however, that when an automated teller machine is located within an automated teller machine facility, such distance shall be measured from the entrance or exit of the automated teller machine facility.

There is an ATM located within Peas and Pickles. Since there are two entrances to this establishment, it is illegal to panhandle within ten feet of this location, a radius which extends into the street. The police have disregarded this crime for many years, but now it’s time for residents to collaborate and enact better means to improve our quality of life.

Here are some current strategies:

• We will set a specific date, to be announced by email, when all supporters will call 311 to inform the police about the illegal panhandling in front of banks and areas with ATM machines.
• We will be taking photographs of every suspicious loiterer in the neighborhood for easy identification in the case of witnessing any crime. These photos will be available online.
• The Brooklyn Paper will be covering this story, which will demonstrate to the 84th precinct that we are tired of having this issue overlooked.

With these goals met, DUMBOwatch is confident that the safety and security of the DUMBO/Vinegar Hill neighborhood will be improved. For any questions, comments, or concerns, DUMBOwatch can be contacted at dumbowatch@gmail.com.

The general consensus from commenters is that although there are some unfortunate people who need our help, there are other ways that many of us can volunteer our time and money to help those who are in need. People have good intentions by giving money to several panhandlers but are not helping to solve the root of the problem. If people stopped giving panhandlers money, they will eventually stop. I’d also imagine that many of the tourists who come to the neighborhood give them money so they won’t be bothered by the panhandlers. I don’t think this is just an issue of Dumbo residents being afraid and complaining that their safety is compromised, but more about what can we do to prevent any crime from happening in the future and keeping Dumbo a safe place for all. The approach DUMBOwatch is taking seems to be the right direction.

Previously:
{Talking about Safety in Dumbo, 7Sept07}