As plans for a new mixed-use development loom, the existing building at 996 Manhattan Avenue has become a magnet for garbage and vagrants, according to multiple neighbors who said their complaints to 311 have yielded no action on the cleanup from the developer BHLD Capital.
One woman who lives on Huron Street near 996 Manhattan Avenue said that she regularly sees people hanging out on the side of the building under the scaffolding, which received a summons from the Dept. of Buildings for lacking proper lighting. A second summons for the strewn garbage on the property from the Department of Sanitation was visible on the outside of the building on Monday afternoon.
“I called the developer last week and spoke to the management company and they said that they would take care of it but the garbage is still there,” the Huron Street resident said.
Jungle Cafe was the former groundfloor tenant at 996 Manhattan Ave. and has since relocated to 131 Greenpoint Ave.
The existing three-story building at 996 Manhattan Ave. is slated to be demolished for a seven-story development by BHLD Capital, who neighbors say is not doing their job to keep the site in order until work begins.
The state of the garbage dumping/littering north of Greenpoint Ave between McGuiness to West is getting really bad. Bags of trash piling up, dog feces everywhere, and people loitering at all times of day. I too have contacted 311 with many complaints, but there isn’t much they can do when people don’t care or respect the community. Police change their patrol patterns and chase away the bottom feeders from one corner to another. The street sweeper comes down our street when he feels inclined, and many of these empty buildings are being land-banked and will stay deserted until the owners get the $$ they are looking for. A $100 fine for someone who’s looking at a multi-million dollar payday is a drop in the bucket.