SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

177 MacKenzie after it was fully demolished Monday afternoon (Photo by Ray Johnson)

Leland Bodenmiller, his wife, and their three children are breathing much easier, as the Department of Buildings granted a quick 20-minute reprieve to enter their condemned home and retrieve personal possessions.

The demolition of 177 MacKenzie Street took enough stress off the Bodenmiller’s home that, with the addition of braces, building inspectors gave the green light to a quick in-and-out rescue operation.

“It was a great effort to get things out of the house and onto the lawn in 15 or 20 minutes,” said Leland. “We had to run and grab .. Whatever we have used recently, we grabbed.”

Bodenmiller said the family was able to snatch clothing, computers, photos, his wife’s wedding dress, some smaller furniture, and their son’s engineering books – among other things.

The 20 minutes “really opened it up. Precious things that were personal to us [were recovered],” he said. “We weren’t able to get some things, but we’re happy about what we got.”

Some valuables left behind include televisions, china and crystals from their wedding 35 years ago, a telescope, organ, and larger furniture.

But the Bodenmillers may have another chance. The DOB has given the landlord a one-week deadline to demolish the property since it’s no longer in immediate danger of collapsing, though it’s still condemned. Bodenmiller is hopeful the DOB may give them one more opportunity to get into the house.

“It’s like the weather,” Bodenmiller said. “Yesterday it was rainy and dreary and we couldn’t get in the house. Now it’s sunny and beautiful and we’re very happy we go to go inside.”

177 MacKenzie Street in Manhattan Beach Get Demolished

On Monday, March 15, Jacqulyn Bodenmiller should have been relaxing in advance of her marriage to Bittman Rivas in two weeks. Instead, she stood in the rain outside of her family’s home on MacKenzie Street. The family of five, and Rivas, watched helplessly as their home of 27 years was fenced up and prepped for demolition.

Almost all of their possessions were still locked inside the house, destined to be crushed by a huge mechanical claw.

On top of their home sprawled a three-story wooden frame, once a neighboring stalled construction site at 177 MacKenzie Street. During Saturday’s storm, the building slammed into the Bodenmiller’s home with a thunderous boom and shoved their house off its own foundation. Over the course of the next two days, the FDNY and the DOB inspected the home, declared it in “emergency condition” and an immediate threat. The family’s home could collapse under the weight at any time, according to city officials, and so they began demolishing both 177 MacKenzie Street and the Bodenmiller’s home at 181 MacKenzie Street.

The Bodenmillers are tenants without renters insurance. The American Red Cross put them up in a Sunset Park hotel for the time being, and they’re moving fast to secure an apartment in the area. But all their clothes and other possessions are trapped inside the house, except a few choice items Jacqulyn’s mother, Irine, was able to grab in a brief opportunity.

“It was the saddest part,” said Rivas. “Her mother had the opportunity and she grabbed the veil, wedding rings, and other wedding jewelry. She didn’t grab a thing of her own, just things for the wedding.”

Read more about the structure’s history, who’s to blame, and for photos of the demolition

A parting glance. (Photo courtesy of nolastname)

Well, everyone, by now you must have heard all about the Belt Parkway roadwork. The traffic has been horrendous around here, because of all the construction.

It’s driving me batty. The other day, I felt like flinging myself into the oncoming traffic, but then I figured it wasn’t nice to get others involved in my Heavenly plan. So, I abandoned the plan and plotted my big escape. Here I am about to wander into the Flatbush woods for good.

Goodbye, traffic. Goodbye, all.

On Monday we gave you the schedules for lane closures along three local sections of the Belt Parkway undergoing construction. At the time, pothole repairs were just announced and it was suggested that closures related to the Seven Bridges Project would be suspended. That information was incorrect and we have updated the original post to reflect that.

In sum, ALL THREE PROJECTS ARE BEING DONE SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND ALL CLOSURES ARE IN EFFECT!

Just to make things clearer and gathered in one place, here again are the schedules for the lane closures. Safe driving!

View the Belt Parkway lane closure schedules

UPDATE #2: (3/10/10 2:31 p.m.) We just got word from the Community Outreach Liason for the Seven Bridges Project that our assumption was incorrect: ALL THREE PROJECTS ARE RUNNING SIMULTANEOUSLY. That means THERE ARE THREE SECTIONS OF THE BELT PARKWAY EXPERIENCING LANE CLOSURES. The schedule for lane closures on all three projects are posted below.

UPDATE: (3/8/10 1:00 p.m.) Due to emergency pothole repairs between Pennsylvania Avenue and the Mill Basin Bridge, work on the Seven Bridges Project has been suspended. In addition to the two projects, emergency pothole repairs are being done between Pennsylvania Avenue and the Mill Basin Bridge, spurring additional lane closures. We are in the process of confirming which lane closures are currently in effect, but to the best of our knowledge b Beginning tonight a third set of lane closures (also below) are being put in place. , while the Seven Bridges lane closures are temporarily terminated. The pothole repairs are expected to continue until March 22.

Original post

More precise lane closure information was released last week regarding the East 8th Street/Guider Avenue Bridge reconstruction. Previously, we heard somewhat conflicting reports of when and how lanes would be closed, but the following information comes from the Department of Transportation (via Community Board 15). These closures, of course, are occurring simultaneously to closures related to the Seven Bridges Project. I’ve included the schedule for those closures as well, so that you can find the information all in one place.

View the Belt Parkway lane closures schedule

Is 1702 Avenue Z cursed? It could be, because what once was among Sheepshead Bay’s glitziest properties now has signs of a downhill turn.

First of all, it’s almost a year behind the completion date of the building and work is still being done on the interior of East 17th Street and Avenue Z. Things started to look up in August, as the commercial broker, Massey Knakel Realty Services, told us they were closing a deal with a group of local doctors to use the entire office/retail space as a medical center. Then, in November, the posh residential units hit the market under the elite Corcoran name, with asking prices of more than $800,000.

Now, just a measly three months later, all the big boys have pulled out. The deal with the doctors fell through, and Massey Knakel is no longer representing the building. Similarly, The Corcoran Group has pulled the listing from its website.

Click to see broker's sign

The entire development – commercial and residential – is now represented by the mysterious Dreamlife Realty, for which we can find little information. Their website is dated 2008 and is notably blank and sets off anti-virus alerts. Similarly, a Google search for the agent – Olga Orak – reveals little more than she represents a few McMansions out in New Jersey.

So what’s the deal? What has made two of New York City’s biggest brokers turn tail and run for the hills? And will Little Miss Dreamlife Realty have the pull to market such a high-priced, mixed-use development?

I guess what I’m asking is: are these ever going to sell, or does something smell fishy in Sheepshead Bay?

Traffic backs up to Neptune Avenue, forcing the DOT to remove parking spots at Avenue Z

This Wednesday, Department of Transportation workers arrived on Coney Island Avenue and Avenue Z and sawed down parking meters in front of the 99-Cent Store. The spaces are being used as a right turn lane for the duration of the Guider Avenue/East 8th Street Bridge reconstruction project.

The city made the move to replace the meters with “No Standing Anytime” signs after community complaints poured in about traffic backups all the way to Neptune Avenue. Because of construction on the bridge, commuters seeking Belt Parkway West are being detoured over the Coney Island Avenue bridge to Avenue Z.

North-bound Coney Island Avenue now has four lanes – two continuing north, one left turn, and one right turn. The project is scheduled to last from 12 to 18 months.

In the two days since the change has been in effect, we’ve heard that it has only been a minor improvement, as the bigger problem comes from people attempting to use the 99 cent store parking lot. Cars going in and out block off traffic coming from the Volkswagen garage and Shore Parkway North. We’ve also heard that at the worst times, traffic is still backed up to Neptune Avenue.

Related stories:
Guider Ave Bridge Closed, Construction Begins
Video: Scavo Says “Beware” Belt Parkway Projects
East 8th St. Bridge Reconstruction Begins Next Week
15-Minute Closures to Haunt Belt Parkway

Councilman Michael Nelson’s office sent us a note last night that they got word from the Department of Transportation that the Operation Iraqi Freedom Way sign should be back up by the end of the day on Monday, February 22.

The stalled construction site at 2820 Avenue Z that imperils children remains dangerous. Eleven days after the Department of Buildings declared it in “Emergency Condition” and nearly two months after the fence first fell, leaving it open to children from P.S. 52 down the block, nothing has changed. We’ll be watching this one closely. There’s no reason the developer couldn’t nail up a $50 piece of plywood for the time being, and there’s no reason the city should allow this to go on for as long as it has.

The fence to this mess fell down, giving access to children from nearby P.S. 52

We railed last month against the owners of 2820 Avenue Z, a stalled construction site in such deplorable condition that it threatened the safety of local schoolchildren. On February 9, the city declared the site in “Emergency Condition.” This means the property owner must repair the construction fence immediately or the city will do it for them. This is done to ensure public safety.

The ruling came after a February 1 inspection spurred on by complaints about the site’s fallen fencing, which gave access to children from P.S. 52 on the same block. In addition to the broken fencing, the inspection found that the existing wood and steel frame was below grade.

Though there is no exact time frame for the repairs to be done before the city steps in, it’s assumed the property owner has a few days to make repairs. If the city repairs the fencing they put the cost on the property tax bill and charge a premium.

We passed by on February 12 and the fencing was still down. If this is along anyone’s daily route, please send us updates if anything changes.

Thanks to Community Board 15 for the information.