Is the Bensonhurst that spawned the Three Stooges, Harvey Fierstein and Larry King a thing of the past?
Not if its old-time residents have anything to do about it.
Bensonhurst residents, enraged by an onslaught of development, rallied at a town hall meeting last week to demand that the city downzone more of their neighborhood.
Part of the area was placed off-limits to large buildings last year, but the area north of Bay Parkway and west of Stillwell Avenue still remains a development free-for-all.
“They did half a job — you can’t save half a neighborhood,” said Assemblyman William Colton (D-Bensonhurst) at a meeting packed with about 100 concerned — and graying — residents.
“We’re turning into a mini-Manhattan,” lamented Mary Placanica, who has lived in Bensonhurst for 24 years. “This was once a quaint little community, and now we have these tall eyesores that don’t conform with the rest of the community.”
It’s not just a question of aesthetics.
Residents charge that overdevelopment has increased congestion on their streets, reduced the number of available parking spaces, overburdened their sewers and schools, and led to unkosher building practices.
“These big buildings…affect almost everything that is important to quality of life of people — and we have to do something,” said Colton, who unveiled a four-pronged approach that would downzone the rest of Bensonhurst, increase the number of building inspectors, limit some architects’ right to “self-certify” their designs, and increase fines for building violations.
City officials said they had not seen the plan. And their initial response was not encouraging.
For one, the city has no imminent plans to downzone more of the neighborhood.
“We just did a 120-block rezoning in that area” in June 2005, said Jennifer Torres, a spokeswoman for the Department of City Planning.
“We don’t currently have any plans to study any more areas of Bensonhurst.”
The response from the Department of Buildings wasn’t too promising, either.
“We are always amenable to receiving funds to hire more inspectors,” said department spokeswoman Jennifer Givner.
She also called Colton’s plan to get rid of self-certification unworkable.
“Professional certification is a commonly used practice throughout the country,” said Givner.
Colton’s call for increased fines for violations would require City Council approval.
But Bensonhurst residents are far from giving up — they’re too angry for that.
“I live in this area, and we’re seeing the devastation that’s being done to these beautiful homes,” said Mary. “I look out my window. At one point, we could see the Verrazano Bridge and parts of Manhattan. Now, we can’t see anywhere — all you see is buildings destroying our view.”
