Tabor Court has spoken and its voice is clear: It doesn’t want to see anything built on the site of the former Angel Guardian home, its neighbor in Dyker Heights, now that the property has been sold to the possibly highest bidder — or anytime in the future.
That’s what you would have learned had you been listening to the latest edition of Brooklyn Paper Radio when the show awoke Tuesday afternoon after a way-too-long-Christmas-New-Years-dealing-with-other-employees’-vacations-plus-having-to-work-on-Airport-Voice malaise.
Joining host and Brooklyn Paper editor-in-chief Vince DiMiceli on the phone was Pauline “Doll” Castagna, a resident of the legendary private Dyker Heights block known for three things: its connection to host and Brooklyn Paper editor-in-chief DiMiceli (whose mother grew up there); the fact that it has a wrought-iron fence going right down the center of it (“to keep the cars from going through,” according to Castagna); and, most importantly, its civically active residents with a penchant for taking on — and beating — developers who have tried to super-size their quaint neighborhood since the days when Charles Katz first proposed a Mega-Mall that would stretch over the railroad tracks along 62nd Street between Eighth and 14th avenues.
And Castagna, with fire in her belly, let it be known they plan to beat the system again.
“We’re going to fight it,” she said of any development that is sure to come to the recently sold city-block-sized plot of land between 63rd and 64th streets and 12th and 13th avenues.
But would she want a much-needed school built there, reporter Julianne McShane, who has been covering the story like it’s nobody’s business (and was also a guest on the show) asked.
“The people here don’t want a school.”
How about apartments for seniors, wondered deputy editor Anthony Rotunno, who covers Downtown but was still interested.
“Nope.”
What about row houses like the one she grew up and still lives in, asked DiMiceli.
“No way,” Castagna said. “You know how much traffic that would bring. Everybody has three cars nowadays!”
And to fight the fight, Castagna said she plans on holding a rally at the site on Feb. 2 at 1 pm in front of 1230 63rd Street.
“All are welcome to come,” she said.
Earlier on the show, DiMiceli and Rotunno were joined by senior reporter Julianne Cuba (who is a different person than McShane) to discuss her deep dive into the death of Neftaly Ramirez, who was killed by a person driving a garbage truck in Greenpoint last summer. Cuba explained just how difficult it was to wring information about the investigation from police and the district attorney’s office, both of which sometimes provided conflicting reports.
“It sounds as if the right hand doesn’t now what the left hand is doing,” Rotunno pointed out.
Cuba reminded listeners and her bosses that she would remain on the story, seeking access to the evidence now that the case is closed, and keeping an ear out for any civil suits that may pop up in the wake of the top prosecutor’s decision.
That and more on the latest edition of BPR!
Brooklyn Paper Radio is recorded and podcast live almost every Tuesday at 3:30 pm.