Crains New York - October 8, 2012 - (Page 9)

IN THE BOROUGHS BROOKLYN East NY Continued from Page 3 with the opening of a three-school campus that will eventually serve more than 1,200 students from grades K through 12. After years of effort, much-needed public transportation links, stores and restaurants are beginning to take shape, adding the finishing touches on Brooklyn’s newest neighborhood. Currently, the nearest train station and bus stop are too far for many people to reach on foot. So a new bus route is being ironed out by the MTA and the city Department of Transportation in conjunction with the community. One possibility is a bus that would whisk residents to the No. 3 train’s terminus at New Lots Avenue, according to an MTA spokesman. Area residents are more than ready for it. “When people visit, I have to go to the train to pick them up,” said Vinessa Toyer, a former police officer who four years ago became one of the first residents to move into Nehemiah Spring Creek. transit to a community that some people are already poking fun at. “My friends call them ‘Monopoly houses’[because of the modules’boxy uniform look],” said Ms. Toyer, who like many other Nehemiah Spring Creek residents waited for more than 15 years on a city list for the chance to buy a three-bedroom house,paying as little as $160,000. “But I love it.” Even Ms. Toyer, though, admits the community could use a laundromat and more retail services. “I just want a good place to shop The good news is that very soon there will be more reason to do so. A huge ShopRite supermarket will occupy space in the Gateway Center mall when its second phase is completed. That space was once eyed by Walmart. And with completion of the first phase of Gateway Elton nearing, other retailers are expected to move into the 17,000 square feet of ground-floor space there. FROM AROUND THE CITY BRONX Developer rolls out green rug for birds For once, a developer in the South Bronx is doing something that has environmentalists clucking approvingly. Developer Steven Smith, owner of a nine-acre slice of Hunts Point between the East River and the former Oak Point rail yard, recently turned a third of his property into a bird sanctuary. Three acres of the vacant site, which at one point had been slated for a power plant and jail, will largely cater to the herons and egrets that nest a few hundred feet offshore on North and South Brother islands. In an agreement with the Department of Environmental Conservation,Mr. Smith replaced 10 million pounds of refuse on the site with sand, shrubs and saplings. “The birds come over, hang out, party and head home for dinner,”he said.In return,the city approved another nearby project. People will be able to observe the “party” from a nearby path, a future piece of the growing South Bronx Greenway. Mr. Smith will use the remainder of his parcel for a three- ‘We are trying to create a walkable community’ for fruits and vegetables with low prices,” she said. Even though Nehemiah Spring Creek sits just behind the 10-yearold Gateway Center mall, which until last month was the long-rumored first home for Walmart in the city, there is no easy way to walk there.Instead, residents have to drive around on major streets to the mall’s front entrance to shop at the Target,Bed Bath & Beyond and other retailers there. Butt of jokes Ms. Toyer and Ms. Boyce, members of Nehemiah Spring Creek’s Homeowners Association, own cars but are nonetheless working closely with local officials to bring public Burger spot gets company A Pan-Asian sit-down restaurant, a deli, a hair salon and a pharmacy are all expected to join Burger UrWay at Gateway Elton next year, according to Aaron Koffman, director of affordable housing at the Hudson Cos., co-developer along with the Related Cos. and nonprofit CAMBA of the residential complex. “We are trying to help create a walkable community out of what used to be nothing,” said Mr. Koffman. “It is very exciting.” Burger UrWay, which buys Angus beef from local farmers, will likely be a hit with students at the new schools as well as residents. “We see the demand for quality foods at affordable prices,” said Lyudmila Khononov, co-owner of the chain. Burger UrWay has an outpost nearby, and Ms. Khononov said many customers there have told her,“We wish you would be closer so we don’t have to drive to you.” What’s a community for? story food-distribution facility with a wholesale and retail farmers’ market, a rooftop greenhouse, a nursery and a restaurant. “We’re hoping to create a destination,” he said. —ken m. christensen BROOKLYN Hitting the brakes on Park Avenue Contrary to most maps, Fort Greene boasts not one but two expressways, residents say. There’s the elevated Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and its overshadowed, ground-level counterpart, Park Avenue. In early September, residents unveiled a proposal to do something about that second, unofficial speedway. Their Park Avenue Pedestrian Safety Plan aims to slow traffic on the 17-block strip by retiming traffic lights. “Right now, if you catch a green light, you can accelerate and catch greens for 10 blocks,” said Meredith Phillips Almeida, deputy director of the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project, the group leading the effort. —ken m. christensen Websites are now free for New York businesses. Join us in person and get a free website for your business. Space is limited, so RSVP today. Brooklyn Monday, October 15 Staten Island Tuesday, October 16 Manhattan Wednesday, October 17 Queens Thursday, October 18 Bronx Friday, October 19 RSVP for this free event at: www.newyorkgetonline.com/rsvp. Or call us: 1-800-986-6958. Free website includes domain name and hosting for one year. October 8, 2012 | Crain’s New York Business | 9 http://www.newyorkgetonline.com/rsvp http://www.newyorkgetonline.com/rsvp

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - October 8, 2012

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
CORPORATE LADDER
FROM AROUND THE CITY
OPINION
GREG DAVID
THE LIST
REAL ESTATE DEALS
CLASSIFIEDS
SMALL BUSINESS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - October 8, 2012