The empty lot at N. Ninth and Roebling streets in Williamsburg should have been a 204-unit condo — instead it is a danger to the community.
Its neighbors are high-end condominiums and luxury rentals such as Ikon and Warehouse 11, but the property is a vacant lot with no sidewalk that is strewn with garbage.
The property, owned by Menachim Stark has amassed 17 violations with the city, which has halted further work on the site and classified the lot as vacant. It is anything but, with several open Dumpsters, rusted and abandoned cars, and even a couple of suitcases.
Most troubling is the sidewalk, or lack thereof.
A makeshift barricade of orange and white striped wood marks an area in the street that is set aside for pedestrians, but has instead become the repository of dead birds and broken glass.
With the Giglio Feast coming to the neighborhood in July, tens of thousands of visitors will head towards McCarren Park, so neighbors and local business owners are concerned about an inevitable accident.
“I think that as many stalled development sites as there are in Williamsburg, certain sites should be on a very short list for more acute attention between city agencies,” said Meredith Chesney. “Not all stalled sites put public safety at such an exponentially increase risk [as this one].”
When reached for comment, Stark hung up the phone.
