SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Sheepshead isn't the only victim of street trash. So is Brighton.

When I was a kid I keenly remember following my parents to Brighton Beach to the various restaurants on any weeknight of the week. Back then families and groups would hang out and the establishments and outside them till 3 in the morning. I remember going outside and seeing the entire strip alive with life. People were walking laughing, smoking, talking and enjoying the Winter, Summer, Spring or Autumn Air.

That doesn't happen anymore, ever. By 1 am Brighton is a ghost town, even in summer and trash is everywhere. For both neighborhoods its a combination of many things. Business owners don't wash down and sweep up every day anymore. People just don't care. They've fallen into apathy.

wow, it's getting hot in here :) i too have lived in Sheepshead Bay for a good few years and can't help noticing it's gotten consierably dirtier, regardless of all the new condos :( which seem ridiculously overpriced, considering the condition of the neighborhood.
as to Sheepshead Bay versus Brighton Beach, though it's true about "new" and "old" immigrants, they are both still RUSSIAN russian neighborhoods, not americanized :) the longer i live here, the more appealing New Jersey gets... or maybe I'm just not cool anymore :))

I'm 34, here since 1992 (came from the Ukraine - Kiev) and have seen Sheepshead Bay turn more and more "Russian", with many more "Russians" settling here. Not just off the boat, but also moving here from other neighborhoods.
Lots of my friends who have established themselves here in the US have stayed in the neighborhood instead of moving to Manhattan, S.I. or NJ.
There are plenty of those who moved back (myself included).

It definitely seems like the younger Russians flock to the area, while Brighton Beach caters to more older Russian immigrants.

No decent places to eat?

Clemente's, Jordans, Omiya Sushi, Masakari Sushi, Mitoushi Sushi, Wheelers for Beers and Burgers, Delmar Pizza, Connies Pizza, Trio Pizza, Brennan and Carr, That fancy W place on X and Ocean that serves french food (I think its french, at least thats what the owner tells me). If you want to eat at a chain we've got Applebees and Fridays, you want buffet? Seaport Buffet on Emmons is one of the better ones in Brooklyn.

Sheepshead had its share of crappy places to eat, but it has a treasure trove of awesome places too.

I don't know what yard stick you're measuring by but you need your head examined if you really think Sheepshead has no decent places to eat.

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=&ns=1&...

There you go. The top 30 places to eat in Sheepshead as rated by Yelp.

I agree that SB has gotten quite dirty in the past few years. Just look at the streets. Business owners refuse to take responsibility and clean up their properties. Just look at the crap that's in front of the Sylvan learning center on E.17th and Z. And dog shit is everywhere. This is the result of over building the area. And there are no decent places to eat. I think it's time for me to pack and leave.

you dont have to wait till your lease is up you can leave now and no one will miss you that includes your landlord.

btw- i don't care about the ethnicity or who lives in sheepshead bay. it's a dirty area. period.

Honestly? Sheepshead Bay is DISGUSTING. It's dirty and the people are rude beyond anything I have EVER encountered- and I'm from Bay Ridge.
I cannot wait until my lease is up- PIGS live there. Trash all over the street at all times, people drive like maniacs- there is no consideration for anything or anyone.

Well, being totally honest, if it wasn't for developers none of us would be living here. It's no secret that I think that the current mode of tearing down an entire neighborhood of houses because they aren't large enough is a insult to those of us who have lived here for a significant period of time. I'm old enough to remember the last round of overbuilding during the 1960s. Seemed as if they put a 6 story apartment house on every corner they could find, and then some. A number of people who moved in when these were built are still part of our community today.

There's a web site that has aerial photos of Sheepshead Bay from the 1950s. Poke around their 1954 map that shows parts of Sheepshead Bay as incredibly undeveloped. Go down East 12th Street from Avenue W to Avenue X, then down East 13th going toward Shore Parkway. It's a world that doesn't exist here anymore.

http://www.historicaerials.com/Default.aspx

In the 1920s they built block after block of one and two family homes. The very houses that it pains me now to see bulldozed. But I'm sure they too were not welcomed by those whose families had lived here for several generations or more.

There should be a balance between growth and continuity. A recommendation was made a few years ago to the City Council that a historicalness report be written before any house older than 80 years is demolished. Of course, that would make for much work for whatever agency is required to do the legwork. The report would be paid for by the developer. Unfortunately, the proposal never got out of the City Council committee that was considering it.

With the economy still not out of the woods I believe that the insane overbuilding will stop on its own. Unfortunately, much damage has been done already. Even a 1790 Dutch style house on Hubbard's Lane was demolished and replaced with condo units. Rumor had it that the Ryder Van Cleef house at 32 Village Road North was sold and slated to be demolished. The house dates from around 1840, and still was there last time I checked. Perhaps the deal fell through.

Except that there are. They just buy up all the farms! :-D

-Trying to be funny....

so anyone in that business is greedy and bad not some random pizza guy that charges 3 bucks for a slice when it cost 50 cents or any coffee shop that charges 2 bucks for a cup when it cost 10-15 cents thats called business. if someone is willing to buy and pay for it who cares no one is forcing anyone. you should move to montana no buildings just grass and mountains no big bad finance guys there.

Ya know what, I'm not leaving I will speak when I choose and there are plenty of people who share my sentiments.
I do not walk around with blinders on. I will continue to state my feelings concerning
real-estate, bankers, mortgage brokers and those who feed off their greed.

its interesting that we are comparing brighton and sheepshead like they are far apart and totally different its the same zip code right next to each other. as far as the russian community goes if you live everyone goes back and forth. poeple from BB go to bagel boy and cherry hill or paradise and lohmenns. and from SB go to brighton for restaurants and beach walk on boardwalk whatever. BB just looks different because its mostly buildings and has a train on top of it if emmons ave had a train on top of it it would look the same look at 86th street. but the housing prices are more expensive in BB again only talking apartments either rent or buy and BB is a lot smaller than SB.
thanks ned for the defense. i am pro development when done right. i think that the mall thats being talked about on sheepshead bay road is crazy and not for this community absolutely not in that location there are no roads to support that type of traffic and there is no place to build them. its funny that people complain about certain developments after the fact what they dont realize is that is what drives up the prices in the area and why so many were able to sell their homes for absurd amounts of money. the real value of a home as is is not worth anything near what its worth to a developer to tear down and build. now its over, ned do an article about how these prices compare i will help you with the research even though i have never sold a house.

I am 30+ Russian immigrant who live in Brooklyn for 9 years last 5 of which I am spending in the middle of Brighton, Sheepshead Bay and Homecrest on the avenue who everyone drives by but no one knows its name ;-)

As of now Brighton Beach South off the train is mostly rental and subsidized residential area. Few senior projects are along the shore. So no wonder that neighborhood is occupied by elderly people, however family couples infested by kids are common residents to. North of the train is bunch of dilapidated private houses and bungalows with few of them turned into dormitories for summer workers. Very diverse and sometimes marginal crowd lives there. Brighton businesses are mostly of shopping and eating nature. Subsidized housing programs are keeping "babushkas" and "dedushkas" on the Brighton Beach.

Sheepshead Bay is mostly rental, coop and townhouse neighborhood that is affordable by the somewhat established people. There is not much of the subsidized housing for the low-income residents in this neighborhood. Few senior projects are situated along the bay. As per my observation it occupied by established couples of 40+ years old attracted by choice of entertainment and few fashion outlets available along the Emmonth Ave.

Clare: Please refrain from attacking other readers. If you want to argue the pros and cons of development, go for it. But I can't allow this site to turn into simple "flame war" style insults.

On the topic of development, Sheepshead Bay is in a period of transition - and whether you agree or not, there are people in support of development. In my opinion, it's better to engage them on a higher level than merely insulting them personally for their viewpoint. And in the case of local broker - he's a commercial real estate agent whose job it is to attract businesses to the Bay in whatever building he has been contracted to do so. He doesn't build those buildings, and he certainly doesn't make the laws that allow them to be built.

Screw you and Bloomberg local.
2 peas in a pod.

all i want to know is where do the hot russian women live?
dont have to be cool but must be hot

Local broker when you are saying that the area will be less russian in the next 15 years or so you are assuming that there will be no new russian immigration wave. I think I will disagree with you on that one. The new immigrants have been coming into the area from different republics of former Soviet Union for the last 30 years or so, at times more and attimes less.

Otherwise I do agree with the general concept, when the new immigrants are not sustaining the areas, the areas do lose their ethinicity. The good recent examples are Bay Ridge/Bensonhurst/Little Italy in Manhattan that are certianly a lot less Italian now. A bunch of other neighborhoods can be added to the criteria as well.

i am a commercial broker and have sold about $40 million worth of real estate in this area alone and have done deals in every borough in this city. so i have an ok idea of real estate value. as i mentioned i live here because of family otherwise i would have moved a long time ago. this area is going to change tremendously in the next 15 years, when those "babushkas" pass the kids who are 30-50 years old will move on and this isnt going to be a russian community anymore. for now it is what it is and the old guard of sheepshead bay has got to get used to it.

clare, do me a favor dont respond to my comments anymore if you have nothing good to say. if you hate the quality of life and all the development sites in this area, leave. all you do is complain about it.

Little do these spoiled lil' kids know one day they're going to be " the old, miserable Russians who sit in the sun complaining about the heat.". I find what that girl said is disrespectful, don't know if anyone else feels this way. I'm no longer in my teens, I wonder what cool is now.