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Monday, February 29, 2016

Gourmet Supermarket Coming to Greenpoint; Iron Maidens Female Weightlifters to Gowanus; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Parents say Brooklyn Tech feels like the "ugly stepchild" of specialized schools. [WNYC]

- ‘Iron Maidens’ all-female weightlifting competition coming to Gowanus. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Hit-and-run epidemic as three people killed, one hurt in three boroughs. [NY Daily News]

- A gourmet supermarket is coming to the north end of Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, where thousands of rental apartments are planned. [WSJ]

- New Orleans 'most modern third-world country,' Brooklyn transplants tell website. [NOLA]

- Artists gathered last Sunday for a special nude drawing class with a guest model, rock legend Iggy Pop. The class was organized by the Brooklyn Museum. [e-Flux]

- The circus comes to Barclays, and creates a trailer park along Atlantic Avenue. [Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park]

- Centennial of Jackie Gleason's birth celebrated in Bay Ridge tribute. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A U.S. Air Force veteran heads to Brooklyn federal court this week as one of the first suspected Islamic State supporters in the country to go on trial. [WSJ]

- A man was shot on a subway platform in Crown Heights on Sunday. [NBC]  Another guy was shot in the leg during a robbery in Bed-Stuy on Saturday. [NY Post]

- Oscar winners here. [LA Times] Chris Rock's hi-larious opening monologue. [LA Times]


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Friday, February 26, 2016

75 Henry Street Receives 'Good Neighbor' Award From Brooklyn Heights Association

Owners at 75 Henry St., left, turned down an offer to sell these Pineapple Walk shops to a developer. Image courtesy Google Maps
 All kinds of interesting news at the Brooklyn Heights Association's annual meeting Wednesday night, but one thing that struck us as well-deserved: co-op owners at 75 Henry Street (Whitman Owner Corp.) were honored with the BHA's Good Neighbor Award.

In January, shareholders of Whitman voted against allowing the board to investigate the sale of their Pineapple Walk property to a developer.

The vote was momentous in a neighborhood being overwhelmed by unplanned development. Each shareholder would have received in excess of $120,000 if the building was sold.

It's nice to know that people still have the capacity to consider both long-term negative consequences and the effect of a 40-story tower on their neighbors.

As reported in the Brooklyn Eagle:

The Good Neighbor Award was presented to Robert Sage and Marilyn Brainin, board members of the Whitman Owner Corporation, representing the owners of 75 Henry Street. The co-op turned down a developer’s offer for Pineapple Walk. “Above all, they listened to the concerns of their neighbors – both those in their building and throughout Brooklyn Heights – and rejected the offer,” Stewart said. “We don’t see too many examples of such a decision, which combined pragmatism with selflessness.”


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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Mother Not There As Brooklyn Blaze Kills 2-Year-Old; Another Slashing; and More Brooklyn Briefs



- Brooklyn blaze leaves 2-year-old girl dead, mother not there when fire broke out. [Daily News]

- A person was slashed across the face in Brooklyn Tuesday night, on Autumn Avenue in Cypress Hills. [NBC]

 - After 10 years in prison, Vanessa Gathers, 58, first woman exonerated by conviction review unit. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- The 13 best coffee shops for working in Brooklyn. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- A new radio station is now streaming live from a Brooklyn shipping container. [Time Out]

- Brooklyn Brewery is looking for 60,000 square feet to relocate its brewing operation. The Brooklyn Navy Yard and Industry City are in the running. [TRD]

- Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings will kick off the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival with a free show at Prospect Park Bandshell on June 8. [Brooklyn Vegan]


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Brooklyn Heights Association Annual Meeting Tonight: Features Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson

DA Ken Thompson
The Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) Annual Meeting at 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, Feb. 24), at St. Francis College’s Founders Hall at 180 Remsen St. will feature Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson.

He will be speaking on “Keeping Brooklyn Safe in an Equal and Just System."

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. DA Thompson will speak at 7 p.m., which will be followed by the business portion of the annual meeting.

This year, the Martha Atwater Award will be presented to Steve Guterman, founder of Save The View Now, with additional community awards given to the Whitman Owners Corporation, the board of 75 Henry Street, for its decision to not sell Pineapple Walk; Toba Potosky, the founder and president of the Cadman Park Conservancy; and Mark Lahm, owner of Henry’s End Restaurant.

Refreshments will be served immediately following the Annual Meeting in the Callahan Center.

Photo courtesy of the Office of the DA

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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

BAM Park Toxic? Landmarks Looks at Green-Wood, and More Brooklyn Briefs

Is this Brooklyn criminal defense attorney the real-life Better Call Saul? [Vice]

- Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson is moving to vacate the second-degree manslaughter conviction of Vanessa Gathers, convicted in 1998. [Pix11]

- The scene at the wake for 'Big Ang' Raiola in Bensonhurst. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Nicole Byrdson has written an in-depth look at gentrification in Bushwick, as personified by artists with galleries "named for themselves in a neighborhood they recently came to inhabit." [Brooklyn The Borough]

- Neighbors: What’s under the ground at BAM Park? (Hint:It's toxic.) [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Tesla Motors’ very first showroom in Brooklyn will open in Red Hook, at the former Golten Marine Terminal. [Curbed]

- Study: Some creams, shampoos, after-shaves and toothpastes made by groups such as L'Oreal and Procter & Gamble, may contain potentially harmful substances. [Reuters]

- Landmarks Preservation Commission will decide the fate of seven Brooklyn historic sites on Tuesday -- including Green-Wood Cemetery, Lady Moody's House and others. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- 100 reasons everyone should live in Brooklyn. Reason #4: Because if you don’t live here for at least a little while, how will you ever write your own “Goodbye to All That” essay? [Brooklyn Magazine]

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Monday, February 22, 2016

Brooklyn Heights Library Developer's Ties to de Blasio; Link Wi-Fi Coming to Brooklyn; and More Briefs

Hudson Companies, a developer with ties to de Blasio, won the Brooklyn Heights Library job despite being outbid. So what else is new? [NY Post]

- LinkNYC Wi-Fi network, replacing pay phones, coming to Brooklyn soon. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Friendly fire may have injured one of the two NYPD officers in Brooklyn shootout. [NY1]

- Mourners say goodbye to Brooklyn teen accidentally shot while playing video game. [Daily News]

- 4 people slashed, stabbed in Brooklyn and the Bronx. [CBS]

- Downtown Brooklyn has fallen short on office and commercial development since it was rezoned more than a decade ago. [Daily News]

- After seniors evicted, fuming Prospect Park Residence families head to Albany. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Close Rikers, rebuild La Guardia, create a street car connecting Brooklyn and Queens. Question for pols: Who's going to pay for all this? [Crain's NY]

- National nightmare: Cuomo ready to run if Hillary or Bernie don't take the White House. [NY Post]


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Huge Rally in Downtown Brooklyn for Peter Liang, Convicted of Killing Akai Gurley

Photos by MK Metz, McBrooklyn
An epic crowd of Asian-American and their supporters filled Cadman Plaza Park on Saturday to rally for Peter Liang, the former NYPd police officer convicted of fatally shooting Akai Gurley at the Pink Houses, a Brooklyn housing project.

Speakers expressed condolences to the Gurley family, but called the shooting an accident, not a crime.

"One tragedy, two victims," they said.

Speakers called Liang a scapegoat and a victim of a failed system.

The crowds' chants could be heard across Brooklyn Heights. Police said it looked like anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 protesters were in the park. Many who could not fit stood on the sidewalk outside the park, and across the street.

Photos by MK Metz, McBrooklyn.
The rally was sponsored by the Coalition for Asian Americans for Civil Rights (CAACR).

More on this story here.

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Thursday, February 18, 2016

The Sad Brooklyn Nets, and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Brooklyn Nets finally unveil Sunset Park practice facility. [Brooklyn Eagle]

" The Brooklyn Nets are currently one of the saddest organizations in all of professional sports..." [Fox Sports]
- They're smashing angels in Williamsburg again. [NY Daily News]
- A Brooklyn man punched a tourist in the face, seriously injuring him, after he refused to buy Statue of Liberty tickets. [abc7]

- Brooklyn guy assaulting whites in honor of Malcolm X gets a history lesson. [NY Daily News]

- This guy attempted to snatch a 14-year-old girl in South Brooklyn. [NYPD]

- Brooklyn Heights Association Annual Meeting features Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Brush up on your survival skills at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturday. [BHB]


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Massive 340 Flatbush Super Tower Not Even the Largest Planned for Downtown Brooklyn

340 Flatbush Avenue Ext., rendering by SHoP Architects via YIMBY
The NY Times story today on the super-tall tower proposed for 340 Flatbush (73-Story Tower Would Be Brooklyn’s Tallest By Far) illustrates the continuing "Manhattanization" of Downtown Brooklyn. (To be fair, the website New York Yimby scooped the Times on this story by more than a month.)

Now, the Atlantic Yards/ Pacific Park Report website points out that as bulky as the Downtown Brooklyn supertall is (at 73 stories), another nearby project could be three times as massive.

Dubbed the "Brooklyn Behemoth," the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park tower, also 73 stories high, clocks in at 556,164 square feet, according to Dept. of Buildings filings posted by AY/PPR.

While quoting all sorts of praise for the 340 Flatbush tower from bodies like CB2 and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, the Times also quotes Gina Pollara, president of the Municipal Art Society, as saying, "But does the public really understand  what the cumulative effect of all these towers be on the public realm?"

UPDATE:
We just couldn't resist this tweet:


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Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Three Suspects Shoot Man in the Face in East Flatbush, Killing Him

219 E. 56th St. East Flatbush, courtesy Google Maps
 Police are searching for three suspects in a shooting that killed one man and wounded another in East Flatbush Monday evening, NBC reports.

33-year-old Gary Walker, was shot in the face and died at Brookdale Hospital. The other victim, a 31-year-old man, was shot in the back and was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition, according to NBC.

According to PIX11, the shooting happened in front of 219 E. 56th St. around 7 p.m.

Police are looking for three suspects.


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Surprise! Lawyer for Spitzer Says Assault Never Happened

Elliot Spitzer
Cops are investigating a woman’s report that she was assaulted at The Plaza Hotel by the former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. But Spritzer's lawyer says there was never any assault, and that his client behaved as demurely as a church mouse.

The NY Daily News puts it this way: "The hooker-loving Eliot Spitzer was seeing a sultry 25-year-old blond at the same time he was carrying on with his girlfriend — but became enraged when the Russian bombshell wanted to move back to her native country."

The Washington Post reports that Spitzer's lawyer presents the happenings in a different light:  “And they had a brief and amicable conversation, and then Mr. Spitzer left."

The woman hopped a flight back to Russia in any case.

Spitzer, now a real estate developer, is working on a huge waterfront  project in Williamsburg, according to Curbed.


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Brooklyn to Lose Acclaimed Restaurant Brooklyn Fare?

Courtesy Brooklyn Fare
An employee at Brooklyn Fare's Chef's Table confirmed plans to move the acclaimed Brooklyn restaurant to a Manhattan space (in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood), reports Eater.

A rep for the restaurant had no comment for Eater.

Eater calls the Downtown Brooklyn spot (at 200 Schermerhorn St.) "Brooklyn's most acclaimed restaurant." Last month, Eater lovingly described Chef's Table as "your four star Per Se replacement."

Chef's Table is taking reservations through April 16, according to their website. You'll have to have a bit over $300 bucks per diner, plus liquor.

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Friday, February 12, 2016

'Life Threatening' Wind Chills of -25°F Possible This Weekend in Brooklyn


According to the National Weather Service, "bitterly cold" and "life threatening" temperatures will move into the NYC area this weekend.

The Weather Service warns people not to venture outside without a hat, gloves and several layers of clothing.

NOAA:
TEMPERATURES SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WILL FALL CLOSE TO ZERO IN AND AROUND NEW YORK CITY... WIND CHILL VALUES DURING THIS TIME COULD REACH LIFE THREATENING LEVELS AS COLD AS 20 TO 25 BELOW ZERO.

WIND CHILL VALUES LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING COULD LEAD TO FROSTBITE IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES IF PROPER PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

Snow/icy rain is not expected until Sunday night.

Meanwhile, temperatures on Tuesday soared to 85°F at Monterey, California, and into the 90°F range across the Los Angeles area, according to Weather Underground. Santa Ana’s "toasty high of 95°F" tied its monthly record for February.

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Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Bernie PLays B-Ball Like a True Brooklynite; Judge Mulls Pierhouse Case; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Now here's a newspaper front page for ya.

- Brooklyn Judge mulling Pierhouse penthouse arguments. At issue is 20-foot wedge of $6 million penthouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Tuesday at high tide, the polluted waters of the Gowanus were level with the base of Lightstone Group's residential building. [PMFA]

- Brooklyn Nets TV ratings continue to drop. [Nets Daily]

Lunar New Year symbols and customs explained. [Sheepshead Bites]

- Tax accountant sets up shop in a Brooklyn bar. [Fox5]

- Coney Island boardwalk landmark fight gains momentum, pols push to save the wood. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Caught on video: Crook robs liquor store on Fulton Street after crawling in through ceiling. [abc]

- How to shop at Costco without a membership (or a car). [Brokelyn]

And finally: Q: How is Bernie making every shot? A: "He's from Brooklyn."


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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Don't Have a Sweetheart? There's an Anti-Valentine's Party at Littlefield in Brooklyn

Don't have a Valentine's date? You have two choices this weekend.

One is  Littlefield's "It's Friday. I'm not in love" party.

Littlefield in Brooklyn says, "Leave the expensive brunches and Airbnb staycations to the lovebirds. Free yourself from the chains of Valentine's Day this year," and party on Friday, Feb. 12.

Don't worry, it's not going to be a laugh riot. Littlefield knows you're gloomy. They advise you to "Wear black on the outside, ‘cause black is how you feel on the inside. No, seriously: Dress in black. All black. Only black."

All through the night, Littlefield will have the suitably-named DJ Gordon Gloom (Feeling Gloomy, YDH2S) spinning "music you can dance to with someone you love (yourself)."

Valentine's Day

  On Sunday, Valentine's Day, Littklefield's presents "The Rejection Show Valentine's Day Heartbreak Haven"

It's the "Super Bowl" of Rejection Shows, celebrating Valentine's Day with an evening of the best breakup, heartbreak, and love related performances/stories from shows past, present, and future -- blending into an evening of love songs, live music, and a party.

Littlefield says if you're single, feeling alone, rejected, don't have a date or simply don't like traditional Valentine's Day routines then this is for you.

(Don't feel left out, happy couples. All are welcome.)
 


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Monday, February 8, 2016

After Assault, Rabbi Calls for More Cops in Brooklyn Heights

Rabbi Aaron Raskin. Photo: MK Metz
Rabbi Aaron Raskin, who was attacked on Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights on Jan. 31, called for more cops on the street at a rally and march on Friday.

Rabbi Raskin, spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Avraham, said he was assaulted by five individuals.

The Brooklyn Eagle reported that Raskin told the crowd, "One of them punched me on the head, knocking my cellphone to the ground. Thank G-d I was not harmed. After calling 911, the police canvassed the area, caught the thugs and placed the individual who did this to me under arrest.”

Neighbors have complained of incidents, including robberies, by ruffians walking along Joralemon Street to and from Brooklyn Bridge Park.

More at the Brooklyn Eagle.


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It's Going to Snow Again in Brooklyn on Monday & Tuesday

Snow: Cadman Plaza West during the Blizzard of 2016. MK Metz
 The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for NYC from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday.

From 2 to 4 inches of snow are expected on Monday, along with wind gusts up to 30 mph.

Drivers are warned to watch out for reduced visibility and slick roads.

According to a release from the city, as the first storm clears, a second storm system is forecast. Light snow is expected to begin Monday night and will continue through Wednesday. The prolonged snowfall is forecast to taper off Wednesday evening.

A coastal flood advisory is also in effect.

Street Cleaning Regulations are suspended for Lunar New Year for Monday – Meters remain in effect.




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Friday, February 5, 2016

Bernie's Big in Bushwick; and More Briefs


- A streetcar connecting Brooklyn and Queens is starting to look real. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Postal worker assaulted by goons in Fort Greene deli. [Daily News]

- And another bad day for the mailman: Video shows Brooklyn woman going postal. [Ditmas Park Patch]

- Bernie big in Bushwick. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Here's a wrap-up of de Blasio's State of the City. [Gotham Gazette]

- Snow is back in Brooklyn: Friday, Monday and Tuesday. [NOAA]


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Violent Gang Members Indicted for Shooting Up the Streets of Brooklyn, Including DUMBO

A frightening drive-by shooting at Fulton Ferry Landing in October -- and numerous other incidents --  were explained by Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson yesterday.

The shootings were part of a spree by 18 alleged members of No Love City, a subset of the violent Folk Nation street gang, who have been charged in a 76-count indictment with conspiracy to commit murder, weapons possession and other charges for multiple shootings throughout Brooklyn.

Thompson, together with New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio, made the announcement.

In the DUMBO incident, Thompson said, "defendants Javanni Moise, Jean Fremont, Jarmel Blake and others drove down to the DUMBO section of Brooklyn and engaged in a gun battle with rival gang members. After the gun battle, a black Cadillac was seen fleeing at a high rate of speed through Carroll Gardens. It was abandoned by Prospect Park and found to have multiple bullet holes, as well as Fremont’s fingerprints and Moise’s blood."

Two weapons were discarded en route: a Glock 26 9mm had Moise’s DNA and matched shell casings at DUMBO and in the car; a Smith & Wesson 9mm matched Moise’s fingerprint on the magazine. Moise, whose DNA appeared in the Cadillac, was taken to Kings County Medical Center.

More here.

Photo (Sunset_Park_91) courtesy of Pro-Zak, Creative Commons license.

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Thursday, February 4, 2016

The Puppy Bowl! Plus, 'Bridge of Spies' Family Discusses Film; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Family of ‘Bridge of Spies’ lawyer joins Brooklyn Federal Court for screening. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Woman killed by van on New Utrecht Avenue and 65th Street. [Bensonhurst Bean]

- Wait, is Toronto trying to be the new Brooklyn now, too? [Brokelyn]

- Super Bowl not fur you? Here’s where to watch the Puppy Bowl in Brooklyn on Sunday. [Brokelyn]

- You’ve heard about the L-Pocalypse. What about the G-Pocalypse? [Greenpointers]

- Ever visited a Russian Banya? Here’s what it’s like. [Sheepshead Bites]


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Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Free Condoms with One Hr. Delivery in Brooklyn; Clinton Staffers Depart HQ; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Brooklyn skyline, with Governors Island. Photo by MK Metz
 - L. condom makers is offering free condoms, delivered right to your doorstep for the next two weeks. Even better, L. will deliver the free condoms to Brooklyn customers in an hour. [Brokelyn]

- Army of Clinton staffers are leaving Brooklyn headquarters to aid in New Hampshire. [Washington Post]

- Brooklyn’s Borough Board put off voting as planned on Tuesday on the contentious issue of the sale of the Brooklyn Heights Library site to a developer. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- A mentally disturbed man was arraigned Tuesday morning in the city's latest subway slashing, this one at a station in Brownsville. [abc7]

- 'Asia's Sexiest DJ' Angie Vu has found salvation in the Bible while waiting in a Brooklyn jail. [Daily News]

- Brooklyn Heights Association: NYC helicopter deal a ‘slap in the face.' [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Two people were stabbed in Sunset Park Tuesday. [abc7]

- Have you seen this 2000 BMW 323i, NY License plate number GZY2240? Police say its driver ran down a woman in Williamsburg. [NYPD News]

- The 50 best sandwiches in Brooklyn. [BK Magazine]


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Monday, February 1, 2016

Bernie Challenges Hillary to Brooklyn Debate; Man Hung in Brooklyn Police Precinct; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Bernie Sanders challenges Hillary Clinton to debate in Brooklyn. [New Republic]

- A 28-year-old man was found dead, hanging by his T-shirt, inside the holding cell of the 69 Precinct in Brooklyn. [Daily News]

- Brokerages jockey for wave of Brooklyn residential projects. [WSJ]

- Morgan Stanley not leaving Pierrepont Plaza after all. [Brooklyn Eagle]


- Inside the million-dollar wedding ruined by an accidental gunshot. [NY Post]

- Police are searching for the driver of a gray BMW who struck and seriously injured a 27-year-old woman early Saturday morning in Williamsburg. [NBC]

- Sunset Park woman discovers husband stabbed to death in their apartment. [NY Daily News]

- Grace Church WinterFair next Saturday. [BHB]


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New Middle Schools Coming to Atlantic Yards / Pacific Park and DUMBO

Courtesy Marvel Architects
Brooklyn's School District 13  (Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill and north Park Slope) is finally getting some help with its middle school crisis.

New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen FariƱa unexpectedly announced at a Chamber event on Thursday that a 600-seat district-level middle school is headed to Prospect Heights, at a site in the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park. (Rendering above.)

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, parents and officials have been pushing for M.S. OneBrooklyn middle school for more than a year. The city originally planned to put an elementary school there, with a small middle school attached.

Also in District 13, DUMBO’s Dock Street middle school (dubbed The Dock Street School for STEAM Studies)  will open Sept. 2016. With a capacity of over 300 students, Dock Street will be an expanded and revamped M.S. 313 (Satellite West), currently housed in P.S. 307 in Vinegar Hill. Satellite West currently serves under 100 students.

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