Bette, on left with black shirt

Sending positive thoughts and prayers to the family and very close friends of Bette Stoltz, a  long time executive director of the South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation and small business advocate.

Here’s a video Bette’s daughter put together about her career.

St. Joseph’s College provided MARP with a generous donation to purchase farm fresh vegetables and apple cider from Phillips Farm for the annual Thanksgiving Feast at Ingersoll Community Center.

University Settlement Ingersoll Community Center is hosting a Thanksgiving Feast on Thanksgiving Day.  If you  know of a person or family that may need a meal on Thanksgiving day, they can visit the community center on Monday – Friday from 6:00pm -9:30pm or Saturday from 3:00-5:00pm, to register and receive a ticket for entry for Thanksgiving Day.

The Ingersoll Community Center is located at 177 Myrtle Avenue, at the corner of Prince Street.

The Thanksgiving Feast will run from Noon until 3:00pm.

Want to volunteer for the Thanksgiving Fest? Please contact the community center’s Site Director, Samantha Johnson, at (718) 522- 5051.

Water main work continues today at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Hall Street. While there are no water service interruptions scheduled for today, the construction work will limit access to Hall Street and slow both eastbound and westbound traffic on Myrtle Avenue. Please move through this intersection with caution!!!

On the week of Monday, October 5, 2015 water main work will continue westward along Myrtle Avenue between Grand Avenue and Hall Street with businesses and residents located along this stretch scheduled to experience water service interruptions between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm as follows:

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 has confirmed water service interruptions.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015 has confirmed water service interruptions.

Thursday, October 8, 2015 has scheduled water service interruptions, but still pending final confirmation.

Please make the necessary adjustments and, if you have any questions or concerns, reach out to the Community Construction Liaison Mr. Christopher Fields at (718) 857-3283.

Do you live in Fort Greene or near the Farragut houses? Are you 16 years old or older? Would you like to give back to your community once a month by volunteering and providing fresh fruits and vegetables? If yes, then we need you!

We are currently seeking volunteers for the new Fort Greene & Farragut Fresh Pantry, which runs year round once a month, on the third Saturday of each month, from 9:30am – 11:30am at the sidewalk of the Intersection Navy and Nassau Streets (across from Navy Yard Boys & Girls Club 240 Nassau Street).

Volunteer Shifts:
Full shift: 8am – 12:30pm
First half shift 8am – 10:30am
Second Half shift 10am – 12:30pm

Volunteer Roles Available:
Greeter/Line Conductor Minimum 5 needed
Registration Table Volunteer Minimum 2 ideal 4 needed
Produce Volunteer Minimum 20 needed
Temp station: Key Tag swap Minimum 2 ideal 4 needed
Volunteer Station Minimum 2 needed

Please fill out Volunteer Registration Form if you would like to volunteer at the Fresh Pantry or for other volunteer opportunities. You can also contact the Healthy Communities Initiative Program Manager, Shaquana Boykin at Healthycommunities@myrtleavenue.org or by phone at (718) 230-1689 ext 5#.

Special thank you to Tenant Association Presidents of Whitman, Ingersoll & Farragut Houses, Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation & Forest City Ratner.

On the week of Monday, September 28, 2015 water main work will continue westward along Myrtle Avenue between Grand Avenue and Hall Street with businesses and residents located along this stretch scheduled to experience water service interruptions between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm as follows:

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 has confirmed water service interruptions.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015 has scheduled water service interruptions.

Thursday, October 1, 2015 has (canceled) scheduled water service interruptions.

Friday, October 2, 2015 has scheduled water service interruptions.

Please make the necessary adjustments and, if you have any questions or concerns, reach out to the Community Construction Liaison Mr. Christopher Fields at (718) 857-3283.

See the look ahead here and Friday’s confirmation below: Myrtle Ave Plaza Project HWPLZ001K LAH-WB 9-28-15-10-02-15

Click to enlarge.

Residents of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill can attend a presentation by Department of City Planning (DCP) staff next Monday, September 28th.  The presentation will provide information on two rezoning proposals generated by the city.  These include the Zoning for Quality and Affordability and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing zoning changes.

The 30 minute presentation will be followed by a question and answer session, allowing attendees to ask clarifying questions or to provide comments to DCP staff.

The presentation was requested by and is being sponsored by several local community groups (the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, Fulton Area Business Alliance (FAB), and Council Member Cumbo.

Event Details:

What: Community Presentation by the Department of City Planning
When: Monday, September 28, 6pm-7:30pm
Where: Pratt Institute’s Higgins Hall Auditorium, 65 St. James Place (at the corner of Lafayette Avenue)

As construction on the Myrtle Avenue Plaza continues some residents and businesses will be experiencing water interruptions along Myrtle between Classon and Grand Avenues as well as on Emerson Place between Park and Willoughby Avenues on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 and Wednesday, September 9, 2015. The scheduled interruption is the result of necessary water main work on the avenue and is set to take place at 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. Please make the necessary adjustments and, if you have any questions or concerns, reach out to the Community Construction Liaison Mr. Christopher Fields at (718) 857-3283.

The Department of Design and Construction (DDC) released a Community Advisory Notice for Saturday, 8/22.  Water service on Myrtle Avenue between Hall and Classon will be interrupted some time from 8am to 6pm.

Navy Green Townhouses and condos available for sale.

Each 3,000 square foot-plus townhouse in Navy Green has three to four bedrooms, two full and two half bathrooms, a media room, large laundry room, and garden with patio. The first floor of each townhouse is open and floor-through, creating a dining area and a large living area that opens onto the patio.

Nineteen 3 BR ($1.9M) and 21 BR ($2.1M) townhouses and condos available.

Please click here for sales flyer and further information.

Please note that the contact information below should be used for further inquiries about this project, not our office:

Navy Green Sales Gallery; 130 Flushing Avneue; navygreen@hpdmny.com; (718) 878-1770.

Image Credit: Isaac & Stern Architects.

Renderings have been released for a new five story building at 491 Myrtle Avenue, between Hall and Ryerson Street, in Clinton Hill.  The 7,000 square foot building will have a ground floor commercial space, with six apartments above.  Isaac and Stern Architects have designed the 20-foot wide building.  The developer, MLR Holdings Inc., is expecting the building to be completed by summer 2016.

The new building is rising on land that has been vacant for the past six years.  Two other vacant lots sit to the east of this site and redevelopment plans have not yet been announced for them.

We are seeking Fort Greene residents to become members of the 2015 Community Grants Committee. Committee members will  work with MARP staff to identify groups in Fort Greene who need small grants to support healthy eating and active living activities. Applications will be reviewed by the committee and recommendations will then be given to the Brooklyn Community Foundation who is providing grants to nonprofit organizations or fiscally funded organizations who engage in community-led healthy eating and active living activities. Participant stipends will be provided.

In 2014 $10,000 was dispersed to 4 projects: two local community gardens, the Jammin’ Jumpers Double Dutch program (as pictured) and a local school garden project. Another round of $10,000 is available for 2015. Help us find projects in need of small grants! Applications will be available June 9th, 2015.

Please share this opportunity with your networks and contact us at: healthycommunities@myrtleavenue.org.

The Fort Greene & Clinton Hill Senior Advisory Council has partnered with Councilwomen Laurie Cumbo to help promote her event that will address the issue of “Downsizing” for New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents. Residents who’s family size has decreased but remain living in apartments that reflect that original number are being asked to “downsize” into an apartment that reflects the current number of people who live in NYCHA apartments. Senior residents have expressed that this causes great anxiety and stress for them. According to an April 2014 NY Daily News article “more than 6,500 seniors living in public housing could be evicted if they do not agree to the new terms. The Housing Authority says it has a total of 11,400 households in what it calls “extremely underoccupied” apartments.”

Councilwomen Cumbo has organized 3 forums at local NYCHA developments to address concerns and questions. Representatives from NYCHA will be present to discuss their downsizing policy and process and residents will have the opportunity to ask questions.

All are invited and encouraged to attend the last of the three forums:

WHEN: Monday, 5/18/2015
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: Ingersoll Community Center, 177 Myrtle Avenue

Applications are now available for apartments at 490 Myrtle Avenue between Hall and Ryerson, the new 93-unit building where Key Food (name change for the former Associated Supermarket) and TD Bank will be.

20% of the apartments are being marketed as affordable.  Applicants must meet eligibility guidelines. The available apartments are broken down in the following way: 7 two bedrooms ($1064/mo); 7 one bedrooms ($877/mo); and 5 studios ($816/mo).

Amenities listed include: a fitness center, reflecting pools with cabanas, a quiet terrace, dog run, bike storage, a vegetable garden, barbeque and dining area and on an premises coin-operated laundry room.

Click here for more information and applications at NYC Housing Connect.

Please note that the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership is NOT affiliated with this building and is NOT involved in the affordable housing application process.  Please do NOT contact the Partnership office for information regarding housing applications.  For all inquiries, please visit www.nyc.gov/housingconnect or call 3-1-1.

Key Food expects to return to the building within the next several weeks and TD Bank should be in a few months after still.

A second building at 504 Myrtle will be erected directly to the east of 490 Myrtle Avenue at the site where the Pratt Station Post Office used to stand.  Plans for 504 Myrtle Avenue reveal that it will be six-stories, with 141 housing units and commercial on the ground floor.

Together, the two buildings, 490 Myrtle and 504 Myrtle, will contain 35,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.