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Ditch Plains Drop-In Reopens As Brooklyn Bridge Park Struggles With Cash Concerns
By
Garth Johnston
Published Apr 1, 2011
Modified Apr 1, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Apr 1, 2011
Modified Apr 1, 2011
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Snow or no, one way to tell that warmer weather is on the way is the slow rollout of our city's park concessions. To that end the chef Marc Murphy's Ditch Plains Drop-in is set top open again for business tomorrow in Brooklyn Bridge Park! For the month of April it will only be open weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but starting in May it'll be open every day. Meanwhile, the park itself is still struggling to figure out how it will pay for itself.
As you'll recall when the park was built, a 2002 agreement between the city and the state decided that the park would have to fund its maintenance budget without touching the city's coffers. While some folks have argued that putting a few luxury towers on the edge of the park will produce enough money to pay the park's $16 million-a-year price tag, others have fought against the idea tooth and nail. Yesterday saw another community meeting debate on the subject and it appears to have been more of the same.
According to Carroll Gardens Patch "Most people who took to the microphone stood firmly on one side of the debate; they either adamantly supported the plan for residential development in the park or vehemently opposed it." But even with a split population, the edge seems to be in favor of the development (which we've been arguing was inevitable for awhile now). To that end, Brooklyn Beep Marty Markowitz sent in a written statement on the subject that said he feels that "Residential development and a medium-size hotel is the best fit for the park."
Don't agree with Marty? Consulting firm Bay Area Economics (BAE), which worked up the current proposal for the park, will continue to accept comments on the draft until April 23 (you can send your thoughts to [email protected]) before bringing a final proposal Brooklyn Bridge Park Committee on Alternatives to Housing at some point in May.
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