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Nestled in the northermost reach of Brooklyn and surrounded by waterways on three borders, this waterfront neighborhood lies only a short distance from both Manhattan and Queens . Notable individuals born and/or raised in Greenpoint include actress Mae West and pop singer Pat Benatar . REZONING OF 2005 On May 11 , 2005 , the New York City Council passed a large-scale rezoning of the Greenpoint and Northside waterfront from manufacturing to residential and mixed use with a set-aside (and $100 million in funding) for the creation of open waterfront park space, with a two-mile-long esplanade to be built in segments. The land is being rezoned to permit new housing, where luxury highrises will sit next to low-rise affordable housing, local retail, a 28-acre waterfront park, and a continuous riverfront promenades. The rezoning is part of a continuing process of Gentrification in the area, which was once characterized by active manufacturing and other light industry interspersed with smaller residential buildings, but now contains over a hundred residentially converted loft buildings and new residential buildings. The rezoning is projected to result in the creation of about 10,000 new apartments in about 10 years. Critics of the rezoning have contended that the rezoning will irrecoverably distort the existing community's character ("Manhattanization") and force out existing residents, and that the plan lacks adequate provisions for public transportation or public safety infrastructure to accommodate the expected new residents. Officials championing the rezoning cite its projected economic benefits, the new waterfront promenades, and its Inclusionary Housing component (which offers developers incentives to rent about one-third of the new housing units created at ostensibly "affordable" rates). Critics counter that similar set-asides for "affordable" housing have gone unfulfilled in previous large-scale developments, such as Battery Park City . HISTORY In the nineteenth century, Greenpoint established itself as a center of shipbuilding and waterborne commerce; its shipbuilding, printing, pottery, glassworks and foundries were staffed by generation after generation of hardworking immigrants. The homes built for the merchants and the buildings erected for their workers sprang up along streets that lead down to the waterfront. Today, this area is on the National Register Of Historic Places as Greenpoint’s Historic District. Greenpoint’s waterfront holds the maritime history of the community. The buildings which formerly manufactured the ropes for the shipbuilding industry are still there. The launch site of the USS ''Monitor'' lies on Bushwick Creek. Long a site of shipbulding, the neighborhood’s dockyards harbored the construction of the ''Monitor''—the Union ’s first ironclad fighting ship built during the American Civil War . The ''Monitor'', together with seven other ironclads, was built at the Continental Ironworks in Greenpoint. DEMOGRAPHICS Greenpoint is largely Middle Class and multi-generational; it is not uncommon to find three generations of family members living in this community. The neighborhood is sometimes referred to as " Little Poland " due to its large population of Polish immigrants. Originally settled by German and Irish immigrants, Greenpoint became populated primarily by Polish immigrants by 1900 . Recent years have also seen an influx of younger people often associated with nearby Williamsburg . Many more are moving into the area due to its proximity to Manhattan. ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND LITIGATION in Inc., an environmental advocacy group, filed a second lawsuit alleging damage to the environment which was joined by City Councilmen David Yassky and Eric Gioia and by the Brooklyn borough president, Marty Markowitz . Homeowners claim that because of the companies' negligence, millions of gallons of oil were released into the ground, ruining their land. And though none are now sick, they also complain that the situation puts lives at risk. (Source:NY Post April 16, 2006 {Link without Title} ) Greenpoint has a 10% lower cancer rate than the rest of the city, according to a study published by NYC Dept. of Health (Source:NYC Dept. of Health www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/stats/stats.shtml). The basis of this law suit is in question. LANDMARKS AND ATTRACTIONS Parks in the community are McCarren Park (formerly known as Greenpoint Park), Greenpoint's largest greenspace, and the smaller McGolrick Park (formerly known as Winthrop Park), which contains both the landmarked Shelter Pavilion ( 1910 ) and an allegorical monument ( 1938 ) to the USS ''Monitor'' ironclad ship. Of architectural interest in Greenpoint are the Astral Apartments ( 1886 ) on Franklin Street, the Eberhard-Faber Pencil Factory on Greenpoint Ave at Franklin St., the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Lord ( 1921 ) on North 12th Street, the Oliver Hazard Perry School (P.S. 34) ( 1867 ) on Norman Avenue (the oldest continuously operating public school building in New York City); the North Fork (formerly Green Point) Savings Bank ( 1908 ) and the Saint Anthony Of Padua Roman Catholic Church ( 1875 ) on Manhattan Avenue , and the Saint Stanislaus Kostka Roman Catholic Church ( 1896 ) on Humboldt Street. EXTERNAL LINKS
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