Look Before You Park!

Lately, you may have seen quite a few changes in parking regulations and availability around the District.

These changes include, but are not limited to:

Street Cleaning Times and Frequency
New Corner and Mid-Block Curb Cuts
New Parking Meters
Addition of “No Standing Anytime” Signs

Many of these alterations are the NYC Department of Transportation’s response to the increase in traffic congestion in our District. This congestion is due to the large influx of new residents and businesses into our community.

Some of these changes may not be a recent change in parking regulations—some new signs reflect the fact that DOT is catching up with its long list of signs around the city that were illegally taken down years ago.

We have had some residents who parked legally in the evening, and then got a ticket the next day after DOT workers changed the signs next to their car. In a case like this, our office will be happy to work with DOT to help facilitate a dismissal of your parking ticket.

Feel free to call me if you have a question about a parking regulation. But from now on, don’t assume that an on-street parking spot that was legal yesterday is still legal today!

Thanks,

Abeni Crooms, Urban Planner and Parking Know-it-All

Ummm…I saw your number on my Caller ID…Did someone there call me?

On a daily basis, our District Office receives between 200-400 calls from constituents—some dealing with ongoing issues, and some making their very first attempt to reach us for assistance. About 75% of our time each day is spent receiving and returning constituent calls.

Although Caller ID is a wonderful invention in many ways, this mechanism has also resulted in much confusion for our Council Member, our 5 District Office Staff Members, and our 2 interns who use our phones daily.

Unless your phone does not have a voice answering system, our staff will always leave a message for you, which will give the name of the person who called you, and what the call was regarding.

If you see our number pop up on your phone, kindly take a minute to check your messages, so that you can ask for the specific person who called you when we answer the office phone, to cut down on confusion on your end of the phone and ours.

Thank you!

Advisory Committee on the Downzoning of Prospect Heights

Council Member James is forming an advisory committee on downzoning Prospect Heights. Similar efforts are underway in other parts of Brooklyn. If you'd like to join the committee, contact me at 212 788 7081. Your time committment would be between 2-4 hours a month. Both those with zoning/planning backgrounds and those with different backgrounds and an interest in protecting the low-rise quality of our neighborhood are encouraged to join.

Thank you,
Kate Suisman