$100 Million Mortgage Fraud in Queens: Local Papers Silent

Unbelievable. Thomas Kontogiannis, Queens "businessman", convicted briber, admitted money launderer, and shadowy financier about town, has apparently run a $100 Million mortgage fraud in Queens while on trial in federal court for laundering bribes to a sitting US Congressman.

The unbelievable part is, this is not newsworthy enough for the New York Times, The Daily News, The New York Post, or Newsday to cover. Nor, as far as I can tell, any of the local borough-centric papers.

What the hell is up with that? Why do I have to read a California paper to get this news? This is a major national story, and the local media . . . *crickets*.

MTA Outreach Event Saturday 11/17

The MTA is hosting a workshop this Saturday, November 17th (preregister HERE) . . . for those of you (like me) who will be out of town - tell the MTA what you think about potential fare hikes HERE.

This interactive workshop will provide an overview of the MTA s financial situation and suggested options for adjusting fares and tolls. The feedback from the workshop will supplement the formal fare and toll public hearings and give you an additional forum at which to provide the MTA with informed, meaningful input about which options you prefer and your priorities for the future of the MTA.

While the traditional public hearings that begin on November 5 allow MTA customers to make a brief public statement, the November 17 forum will provide more information and an extended conversation that will inform the MTA Board before it considers the budget in December.

10 am - 1:30 pm (Pre-registration required for all participants by phone or email.)
New York University - Kimmel Center
KC Rosenthal Pavilion, 10th Floor
60 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

Directions:
W 4th St at Washington Sq, Manhattan
Subway Services: A, C, D, E, F, to W 4 St; 1 to Christopher St; N, R, to 8 St; 6 to Astor Pl
Bus Services: M1, M2, M3, M5, M6, M8, M21

This is one I really would have liked to attend . . . but written testimony goes into the same public record, so even if you can't make it, let the MTA know we need better transit options, including enhanced F/V/G service on the Culver Line . . . and that fare hikes in this environment are unacceptable. First, the City and State need to pay a "fare" share of the costs.

11/19 CGNA Landmarking Forum

Mark your calendars for what promises to be a well-attended and informative meeting next Monday night:

S A V E T H E D A T E!

IMPORTANT

**** T O W N M E E T I N G *****

Out-of-context development in Carroll Gardens is changing our streets.

Can growth and preservation be compatible?

Join us for a panel discussion on landmarking and related issues.

When: Monday, November 19^th

Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Where: PS 58 Carroll School Auditorium

Carroll Street entrance (Court and Smith Streets)

Sponsored by: Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association

Q. What would it take for me to vote Republican?

A: Noach Dear running as the Democrat.

See the Brooklyn Paper for a small selection of the reasons why.

Electing a truly, truly awful Democrat is worse than electing a Republican. It's easier to defeat a sitting Republican in this county than to oust a bad Democrat.

More Expensive To Travel These Parts

The NYT has a story today about the high cost of travelling in our region, and further hikes looming on the horizon. The handy chart above, (credit: NYT; click to expand) details the pain, and most of it falls on New Jersey commuters.

Of course, all that pain is good for something. The NJ Transit hikes will help pay for a new tunnel under the Hudson River, and the Port Authority increases help pay for all new cars on the PATH system, as well as a total overhaul of the system itself.

Unfortunately for NJ commuters, an $8 Hudson crossing toll means that the notion of giving credit towards congestion pricing for those tolls must be reconsidered.

Let's call a spade a spade: these transit hikes amount to a regressive tax. The wealthiest among us are getting off light, as years of income tax cuts have gutted public financing for transit expansion, improvements, and maintenance. In New Jersey under Christine Whitman, income taxes were slashed, and property taxes, usage fees and every other conceivable way to squeeze money out of the lower and middle classes ballooned.

In New York, transit funding was slashed by a sneering, incestuous Rudy Giuliani and the wooden, uninspiring George Pataki.

We need to re-examine the inequity of a taxing system that balances financing for public works on the backs of the middle class.

Gowanus Canal Forum, December 6th

Mark your calendars - free Thursday nights in holiday season are not easy to come by.

Via the Gowanus Lounge, the meeting will take place Thursday, December 6th.

The meeting will take place from 6PM-8PM at the Belorusian Chruch at Atlantic Avenue and Bond Street.

A lot of questions need to be answered about the impacts of development on pollution in the Canal, and on the impacts of flooding.

Think about what happens to the Gowanus floodplain during a major hurricane or nor'easter. Now, what would happen if it were a dense residential enclave? What impact can we expect to see on the Canal due to global warming? And what is the city going to do about our (NYC's) continuous violation of federal water quality standards?

100 Luquer Street

I walked past 100 Luquer today, taking a leisurely stroll back from an interview with BCAT about the Smith and Ninth renovation and the Culver Viaduct. The project has risen fairly quickly, with about 2/3 of its 11 stories up at this point(see Curbed for current photo).

The project is allowed to grow to this height for two reasons. First, our local zoning is R-6, which does not have the height limit it should (which is why many of us are pushing for a downzoning to R-6B). Second, Hamilton Ave is a wide street (at least 75' wide), which provides a density bonus to a developer. The lot in question extends from Luquer to Hamilton Ave, with the building actually sited up against Hamilton.

All right, nobody is particularly happy about the height of this thing. But to add insult to injury, the front yard of this thing is going to be a parking lot. I figured the deep setback would be a walled off garden space, with a low front wall to preserve the street line. But take a look at the rendering above. It's a surface parking lot. I'm sure the neighbors will be thrilled.

Rendering pilfered from Curbed.com