Stooptalk

 

Major building exterior renovations, building additions, plus out-of-scale new developments, threaten to change the overall character and charm of Carroll Gardens. Though we can protest and plead with property owners and developers to consider the impact of their plans, we as a community have limited options to force-modify or prevent these changes. Two actions we can possibly effect are re-zoning and Historic Landmarking. Presently, our area does not have height restrictions on new construction; however, with a zoning change, new construction building height may be limited to 50 feet. The re-zoning application has been initiated, and is endorsed by local politicians. There are no guarantees this effort will succeed, but even if it does, other issues remain that only Historic Landmarking can resolve. Historic Landmarking is a many years-long effort that in the end will provide a more comprehensive solution, giving us a strong and clear set of protections. A small Historic landmark District already exists on Carroll Street between Smith and Hoyt Streets. Our intension is to extend Historic Landmarking to all of Carroll Gardens. The Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association has created an Historic Landmark District Committee to oversee the process. This is a very large task, and we need as many of our neighbors as possible to join with is to make this happen. Our hope is to have at least 1,000 Carroll Gardens residents' signatures on the initial petition--which we would like to file ASAP. Hopefully, our FAQ and the ABCs of Landmarking will dispel the many misconceptions of Landmarking and convince you to join in our effort. We also encourage you to join CGNA's Yahoo list to stay up-to-date about all the happenings in Carroll Gardens. Finally, please review and sign the Protect Our Home/s in Carroll Gardens on-line petition, independently setup by Carroll Gardens residents. It's a terrific stop-gap measure we can effect right now.