Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Mistake #1: Trusting a developer

More than a year ago, builder Shaya Boymelgreen pledged to transform Terrapin Playground, a section of J.J. Byrne Park near Fourth Ave. and Fifth St., in exchange for using the public land as storage for building materials during the construction of the Novo Park Slope condominium.

Terrapin Playground at J.J. Byrne Park coming along at turtle's pace

Boymelgreen told the Parks Department he would deliver a revamped playground sporting a new dog run, handball and basketball courts, gardens and a skateboarding area.

But even though people have moved into the Novo condo and the city is getting ready to start work on a $2.9 million overhaul of an adjoining section of the park, Terrapin remains fenced off to the public, filled with wooden beams, half-dug trenches and a patchwork of cement.

Some park-goers say the city made a rotten deal.

"The city can't control developers," said Nick Malter, who takes his dog to J.J. Byrne Park and has been looking forward to the new dog run. "It's a shame it's not done already."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hasn't the Boymelgreen Org. already admitted to moving its major building projects out of the USA and concentrating on European holdings due to a faltering market?

These are the very same folks that are currently offering the historic partially landmarked RKO Keith's Flushing Theater for sale for a vastly overinflated price...

AFTER THEY ABANDONED THE PROJECT !

If you want to see some earlier Boymelgreen crap...
take a look in the vicinity of
the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Weren't Shya's fortunes initially
made from using HUD money to build housing for the Hassidic community?

A bunch of first class Israeli goniffs coming to carpet bag abroad!
I guess S.B. couldn't do it there.

Anonymous said...

Pillar number 1 when a developer treatens your community.

The newspapers, your elected officials, and mainline preservationists always tell you to negotiate with them.

Oh no, not about the project. Its a done deal they tell you with serious eyes.

But he MIGHT give you a chance to have input on shrubbery or the color of the front door.

Anonymous said...

You forgot the community boards.

They're the middlemen
in the sell-out process,
along with the pols, newspapers and "preservationists" who are forever advising everyone to politely "negotiate".