Brookvid: Spring Evening in Brighton Beach & Coney Island

We hit Brighton Beach & Coney Island yesterday evening. Here are 59 seconds of that experience.

"Symbol of Luxury": Mini Dachshund Puppies

Do you have your mini dachshund puppy? They are, after all, symbols of luxury. We found this flier posted in Brighton Beach. So, if mini dachshunds in unique color patterns and colors are symbolically luxurious, what are chihuahuas? In any case, they sure are cute in those photos, symbols of luxury or not.

Gowanus Lounge Photo Du Jour: It's That Time Again

Brighton Beach, Brooklyn

Brighton Beach Boardwalk Just as Crappy in Places as Coney's

With Coney Island in the news this week because of theatrics at the public presentation of the city's proposed zoning changes and plans, we thought we'd turn our attention again to the subject of the disgraceful condition of the boardwalk itself. We've focused on it from time to time over the last two years, and it is more deteriorated than ever. The image above is actually from Brighton Beach, where the boardwalk is in relatively pristine shape compared to the ratty condition of more heavily used parts in Coney Island. Yet, clearly these people-eating craters can appear anywhere.

The city seems to have concluded that it's cheaper to pay out lawsuit settlements to those injured from falling on (and even through) the rotting boards than to replace the most deteriorated sections. The worst damage is in the heart of the Coney amusement district, from Astroland through Stillwell Avenue, although there are sagging spots and cave ins scattered about. The estimated cost of replacing a half-block stretch of boards is $500,000 and there was an estimate that it would cost $200 million to replace the full length of the boardwalk (which is not necessary). A good place to start would be the several blocks that are most heavily used and that threaten people with injury every day during the summer months. Sadly, no such replacement has been funded.

Fun Vid: Brighton Beach Seen from Belgrade

Here's a long vid (about 28 minutes) that has show up on the YouTube. It's from B92, which is the famous indie media outlet in Belgrade. The description of the vid says: "Brighton beach is part of the New York, it is situated in Brooklyn, Coney island.This part of town is predominantly inhabited with emmigrants from former Soviet republics, mostly Russian and Ukrainian Jews.It is also known as a some kind of resort for the Russian mafia. This broadcast is on a trace of Russian popular movie 'Brat 2', which was partly shoot in USA, ad trying to find out origins of Russian influx on a Brighton beach."

Coney Island & Brighton Beach Beaches Rated "Unsatisfactory"

A "Report Card" on New York City Beaches produced by New Yorkers for Parks gave the Coney Island and Brighton Beach beaches one of two "unsatisfactory" grades in the city. The good news--well, not so good, really--is that only one beach in Staten Island was rated "satisfactory." All the other beaches were rated as "challenged." There are 14 miles of public beach in New York City. One of the biggest problems at all beaches is trash and litter, much of it the result of sewage discharges that dump hundreds of milions of gallons of untreated sewage and storm drain runoff into city waters every week. Nearly half of all shoreline inspections found "excessive glass and litter."

The verdict on Coney Island and Brighton Beach:

All sections of the shoreline surveyed were open for use, but unfortunately excessive broken glass was found at 40% of transects. Excessive litter also impacted 40% of surveyed areas. These negative conditions had a significant impact on the shoreline score for this beach. Although pathways scored well, one quarter suffered from wooden boards that were raised or missing, causing potential trip hazards. Maintenance issues including spilled paint and loose nails should be addressed.

Meanwhile, Manhattan Beach did better, being rated as "challenged":

Although some maintenance repairs were needed, Manhattan Beach’s pathways were free of litter, broken glass, and weeds. This was the highest-scoring feature at the beach. The shoreline at Manhattan Beach also performed relatively well. Beyond the consistent challenge of litter, the beach was in excellent condition, providing open, safe beaches for public use.

The group has also produced suggestions for making the beaches better. The reports can be found in PDF form at the NY4P website.

Brighton Beach Residents Want a Downzone Too

[Photo courtesy of gkjarvis/flickr]

The Brooklyn Downzoning Olympics seems destined for Brighton Beach, but will it occur anytime soon? The Bay News reports that "Brighton Beach residents are getting antsy while waiting to see if their neighborhood will be downzoned." Specifically:

Residents are pushing for a zoning change to prevent developers from demolishing cozy bungalows and erecting multistory condominiums in their place but they say the city isn’t moving fast enough to meet their needs.

“When are you going to downzone Brighton Beach?” Ida Sanoff asked City Councilmember Mike Nelson at a Community Board 13 meeting. “There’s going to be nothing left.”

What Brooklyn neighborhood have we heard these same concerns from recently?

PM Update: Astroland Rumors & Projects on the Block

1) The rumor floating around in Coney Island circles is that Astroland, which is scheduled to close for good after the summer season and whose rides are up for sale online, will be given a one-year stay of execution. Owner Carol Albert sold to developer Joe Sitt last year and almost immediately began asking for more time on the current site and saying she would like to relocate to another property in Coney Island. (There is only one site that would fit her particulars, the land to the east of Keyspan Park.) In any case, a one-year extension is plausible if Mr. Sitt is negotiating with the city and the redevelopment timetable would only leave the land a vacant eyesore for the 2008 season. Mr. Sitt could easily trade a one-year hold on demolition for a concession he wants from the city. Or, it could be a move to temper some of the hostility toward his project. Alternately, it could very well be a baseless rumor. Interesting enough, though, to pass along. At this point in the weird Astroland saga, nothing would surprise us.

2) The Coney Island/Brighton Beach spot that was supposed to become a glassy highrise called The Sochi at 275 Sea Breeze Avenue, is apparently up for sale. It's listed as offering "unobstructed ocean views with plans for a residential condominium tower and a community facility located on the north side of Sea Breeze Avenue through to the south side of West Brighton Avenue between Ocean Parkway and West 5th Street in the Brighton Beach Section of Brooklyn." The building on the site can rise to 27 stories.
The property originally went for $13.8 million. No word on what it will bring now.