Brooklynites have brains

From NY1:

Decades of pollution left the Gowanus Canal toxic. The federal government designated it a superfund cleanup site.

Developer Lightstone Group believes its planned 700 unit residential buildings are environmentally friendly, and that some of the associated construction will actually help clean the water.

More than a dozen residents, though gathered on the bridge over the canal Thursday expressing their concern to mayoral candidate William Thompson.

"We're very concerned about what we see as a very wrongheaded, ill-conceived design," said Warren Cohen of Save Gowanus.

Many are worried the development will make flooding in their neighborhood worse during storms.

"It's safe for them," Cohen said. "They stay dry. We get wet, and unfortunately, we get wet with toxic water."

Yet when development happened on brownfields in LIC, and along Flushing and Newtown Creeks, no one said a thing.

Wake the hell up, Queens.

Whitestone Cinemas to become mall

From Jeremiah's Vanishing New York:

The Whitestone multiplex cinema has shuttered after 30 years in business. It was purchased for $30 million last year by real estate development company the Lightstone Group, who will be turning the site into New York City's first outlet mall.

The Lightstone Group is best known these days for its massive luxury development of Gowanus, but they have developed a number of outlet malls--full of typical mall chain stores. The one at Whitestone will be a chain itself--in the Paragon Outlets chain of outlets--and will "feature an open-air racetrack design and showcase over 100 global brands."

Whitestone Cinemas opened in 1983, when its owner, media magnate Sumner Redstone, decided that an indoor cinema, with lots of screens, would be more lucrative than his father's old drive-in. Mr. Redstone credits himself with inventing the word "multiplex," which he trademarked it in 1973.

Boat race a pro-development stunt

From DNA Info:

Critics are calling a boat race on the Gowanus Canal this weekend an "irresponsible" stunt designed to advance a pro-development agenda.

They point to the fact that the Lightstone Group, a developer that wants to build a 700-unit housing project on the polluted canal's banks, is a sponsor of the race.

"Lightstone is trying to send the message out that it's safe to be in the canal and it's not as bad as everyone says, but I think most likely it's worse than everyone says," said Carl Teitelbaum, a member of Save Gowanus, which advocates for "responsible development" on the canal.

He noted that recent heavy rains have churned up putrid scents from the canal. "The idea of putting people in there, of putting kids in there — it's completely crazy," Teitelbaum said.

Close to 30 teams have signed up to brave the canal's toxin-laden waters — which are a SuperFund site — during a regatta this Saturday. The field of competitors includes a Canadian team, a paddle boarder and City Councilman Brad Lander.