Rumors of City Councilmember Mathieu Eugene’s distaste for the Ocean on the Park historic district have been greatly exaggerated, the Flatbush lawmaker recently insisted.
Eugene told Community Board 14 at its April meeting that he “supports fully” the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s (LPC) proposal to protect 12 early 20th century row houses located on the long block front of Ocean Avenue between Lincoln Road and Parkside Avenue.
“All of you who know me know that I will always support preservation of our beautiful community,” Eugene said. “I support historic Flatbush.”
The proposal was allegedly in danger of being jeopardized by Eugene, according to online accounts. According to a letter dispatched by the Historic Districts Council, an advocacy group, Eugene “seems to have been swayed by the anti−preservation rhetoric of one property owner, who has put their property up for sale and has marketed it specifically as a development site,” the blog Brownstoner reported. A letter−writing campaign was galvanized “to make Eugene realize how many constituents and other Brooklyn residents he will permanently alienate if he stands in the way of this historic district getting signed into law,” according to the report.
According to Landmarks, “This row of houses, with their uniform 30−foot setback, reflects an earlier age of development in Brooklyn and forms a unique enclave within a block densely occupied by apartment houses.”
Eugene told Board 14 that he sent a letter to LPC that supports the measure. “We have such a beautiful area and neighborhood and I am with you,” he said.