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The organizers behind the Lefferts Charter School are holding a public meeting at K-Dog (43 Lincoln Road) next Wednesday, April 1, at 7 pm. They'll be discussing their plans for an environmental science elementary school in the neighborhood and soliciting donations to help make it happen. For a bit of background, see our earlier post. Hope you can make it!
As previously noted, the Ocean by the Park Historic District - 12 houses on Ocean Avenue between Parkside and Lincoln - has cleared the first hurdle and gotten a hearing before the Landmarks Preservation Commission next Tuesday. Ocean on the Park Hearing
Landmarks Preservation Commission
March 24, 2009 2:15pm
1 Centre Street, 9th Floor North
Hearing Room LP-2334
This hearing is public, and will likely be the only public hearing before the Commission decides whether it will name the strip a historic district. To speak at the hearing, arrive early and sign in outside of the hearing room. The commission also accepts comments, so you can write to Commissioner Robert Tierney before the hearing at rtierney@lpc.nyc.gov. Here's a sample comment letter provided by Ocean on the Park:
"My name is _________. I am a resident of Prospect Lefferts Gardens at
____________, and have lived in the community for _________ (add # of
years if you think it notable). I support the landmark designation of
the proposed Ocean on the Park Historic District. This small enclave of
homes, situated on the border of Prospect Park and designed by the
noted architect, Axel Hedman, possesses unique architectural qualities
and historical significance which should be preserved."
The following links were also provided by Ocean on the Park to help with your comment letter or simply to educate yourself about the proposal:
Thanks, Celeste.
Whenever I come across a new business in the works on Flatbush, I get a glimmer of hope. The new storefronts are windows to the future, symbols of possibility, signs that even tough times contain new dreams of self-realization.... And then: reality. Famous Seafood, the fried fish joint on Rutland that closed down for operating without a license? That's going to be a deli/grocery/pizzeria. (Because, y'know, five deli/bodegas within two blocks isn't enough.) The replacement for House of Supply, the short-lived clothing + discount shop on Winthrop? That'll be medical supplies. (There's currently only one medical supply shop on that block.) 
But the horizon isn't all bad. While walking to Staples the other day, I saw that a new restaurant, Mangoseed, is going in just north of Zen Vegetarian ( 773 Flatbush, near Lenox). While I can't offer any real insight into what to expect, it's perhaps worth nothing that the owners had put in hardwood floors and were building wood counters rather than hauling in something they found in a dumpster. We'll watch it in the coming weeks and report back with a taste test.
Yesterday was pretty mixed for my kid and me. On the down side, I accidentally threw him out of his stroller onto the subway platform concrete. (He cried for a minute but, fortunately, no harder than he does when I take paper towels away from him.) On the upside, I heard that some Maple Street School parents, headed up by Renee Ciccone, are hoping to start a charter school in the neighborhood. If all goes according to plan, the Lefferts Gardens Charter School, an elementary and middle school focused on environmental science, will open in 2010. The organizers are in the process of applying for approval from the Board of Education. If they succeed, the City would likely place the school in one of the two pre-existing public schools in PLG; the new school would then share the building with the old. During its inaugural year, the Lefferts Garden Charter School would have 100 seats divided evenly between kindergarten and first graders, adding 50 new students and a new grade each year thereafter until the school has 450 students, grades kindergarten through eight.
Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden would partner with the school, helping it with its mission to use environmental science as a tool for teaching math, reading, and other basic subjects.
Some neighbors on Winthrop have started a Meetup group for folks in PLG and their Brooklyn friends called, appropriately enough, Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Brooklyn Neighbors. From the looks of it, they've already met up a couple of times, at least once at Enduro. Their mission, in bullet points:
- Make friends with neighbors
- Discover what the neighborhood has to offer
- Discuss ways to improve the community
- Share renovation and home improvement efforts, resources, successes / disappointments
- Exchange babysitting or pet sitting favors
- Have fun in a relaxed environment with people from diverse cultures, social backgrounds, and interests.
To sign up, just enter your info at the top of this page and they'll let you know about the next gathering.
While I have restaurant inspections on my mind, I looked up all the places where Charles and I eat regularly in the neighborhood to see how they fared. What do you know, every single place passed their last health inspection except for one: Enduro. That's right. Our favorite PLG restaurant — and the most popular restaurant among our fellow gentrifiers — harbors mice. (What gives, Jim Mamary?) In order to pass a health department inspection, restaurants need 28 violation points or fewer. Eateries that fail the test get a followup inspection. So here's a run down of our favorite local eateries (excluding Sushi Tatsu, which we already mentioned, and Whiskey Sunday, which has been done to death). (51 Lincoln Rd.) The Mexican-fusion place isn't the only eat-in restaurant in the nabe, but it's the only one we frequent. Unfortunately, the last inspection didn't go so well for the typical reasons: evidence of mice, poor contact surfaces, food stored at improper temperatures. Aw, hell, we're going back regardless. (We'll let you know how Enduro does on its followup inspection.) (43 Lincoln Road) K-Dog is what a local cafe should be: warm and welcoming, with good soups and sandwiches, wireless access, and a solid commitment to the local community. But you already know all that — and now you know that it's sanitary too. (825 Flatbush - near Caton) This Trini hole-in-the-wall has doubles ($1, $2 with chicken) and roti (vegetable are ~$5 IIRC) that make it worth the walk. The roti wraps (Buss up shot) in particular are fantastic. There are no seats, which makes sense because there are about 5 feet between the door and the counter where you order. The line, when there is a line, moves pretty quickly.
(738 Flatbush near Clarkson) Even after the Jerk Off proved to us that several places in the neighborhood make a decent jerk chicken, Peppa's remains our favorite. The meat is super moist, with a smokey flavor and a perfect char, without any hint of sweetness. Again, a total hole-in-the-wall. They also sell various Jamaican standbys but our money is on the chicken. (679 Flatbush - bet. Hawthorne and Winthrop) 718-703-0408 We dig the beans and rice at this Latin restaurant on Flatbush and get takeout from here about once a week. The roasted pork is good too. (720 Flatbush at Parkside) The pizza here isn't just good for PLG standards, it's good, PERIOD. Excellent, even. Thin crust with a tasty sauce. (I'm not a big fan of pizza that has so much cheese that you can't enjoy the crust and sauce.) An unpretentious, solid slice. (661 Flatbush at Hawthorne) Charles stops in here once or twice a week to pick up an excellent veggie patty for breakfast ($1.50). Their other patties are good, and we know someone who swears by their jerk chicken. A friend of Charles's who grew up in the neighborhood stops in for raisin buns every time she comes over, just like she did when she was a kid. Now, if you want a super clean kitchen, you can always go with the Popeye's on Parkside and Flatbush and the McDonald's at 57 Empire — both passed their inspections with 0 points. At least they're healthy in one respect...
Yes, I went to the Prospect Lefferts Gardens Neighborhood Association (PLGNA) meeting last night so you didn't have to. If you haven't heard of PLGNA, that's because the group has been largely dormant since the late 1960s for 20 years. Though resurrected a couple of years ago, it hasn't done a lot in the way of organizing. Unsurprisingly, the meeting was a pretty loose affair, the purpose of which was to elect a board of directors. Four candidates read position statements — Bob Thomason, Barbara Ann Rogers, Darren Patrick, and Deborah Mutnick. A fifth, Pastor Doug Banks, wasn't able to attend so Thomason read his statement. The issue that seemed to unite all the speakers was maintaining diversity in PLG and fighting gentrification. Thomason, for example, said: "I reject gentrification when it forces poor people out. But I support it when it benefits us with a jazz club, Shakespeare in the Park for children, and support for artists."
There are 15 spots on the board, so all five candidates were approved, and the group decided to solicit more board members and vote on them in the near future. Of the new board members, I was most impressed with Darren Patrick. He seemed to have a grasp on what it takes to get things done. He's involved with the CUNY's Right to the City Working Group, a sort of anti-gentrification umbrella group. And while I disagree with some of his positions (I supported the Lincoln Street development, for example), he seemed to be a flexible, reasoned thinker — and he knows how to use email. After the board members were approved, the meeting, which about 25 people attended, gave way to an open discussion about the issues that individual residents cared about. One man, a white guy in an argyle sweater (a gentrifier, no doubt), said he'd like better public schools for his young children. An African-American student, 20, said the neighborhood needs a youth center. Tenants' rights were mentioned. At that point, around 9 pm, I had to get home. Things seemed to be winding down, though, and the new board agreed to email everyone about future meetings.
A couple of local eateries have faced visits from restaurant inspectors recently. There's good news and bad news. Bad news first: Gordon's Bakery ( 711 Flatbush, near Parkside) didn't make the cut and will need a followup inspection to make sure problems have been addressed -- problems such as mice, unprotected food, improper food contact surfaces, no adequate handwashing facility, and hot food that's not hot enough. The place received 40 violation points; 27 or more requires a followup. Sushi Tatsu III ( 644 Flatbush, at Fenimore) fared well with a mere 15 points (Pretty much every restaurant gets some points.) for relatively minor issues, such as workers not wearing hair restraints. Charles and I get takeout from here at least once a week, so.... hurray for Sushi Tatsu!
For those interested in attending tonights PLGNA meeting, the location has been changed. It will no longer be at The Church of the Evangel. The meeting is now being held at Grace Church on the corner of Bedford and Lefferts. The meeting time remains at 7:30 PM.
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