The hipster capital of New York City has been hit with a problem straight out of a Charles Dickens novel.
Brooklyn residents say a newly built smokestack has ruined the air quality in their corner of Bushwick — but despite their cough complaints, they claim it continues to pollute the neighborhood with a burning smell Is.
“This business is going down now and we’re smoking,” artist Mary, 37, told The Post of the Satmar Matzah Bakery, which recently moved into her apartment next door to her apartment of 11 years. (She declined to give her full name for fear of retribution from the business.) After a period of frenzied construction at its new 38 Locust St. location, in late January the bakery fired up its freshly made black chimneys—and came to life. The quality fell off the block immediately, Locust Street denizens claim.
“I was honestly hoping that I would just get used to it and it wouldn’t be a problem,” Mary said, adding that the smell permeates the hallways of her building as well as her apartment.
Although bad from the start, the situation took a marked turn for the worse around 17 February after a “huge” pile of coal joined the wooden planks lining the pavement.
“I’ve never seen coal before in real life,” Mary said, and immediately after it appeared, “it was stinging the back of my throat. There was a distinct chemical smell and my dog ​​was sneezing incessantly.” She has found she now also needs to clear her throat more often, but her health concerns pale in contrast to the excitement she feels about how “horrible” the situation is.
“The air quality in the neighborhood … you can actually smell the smoke all the time,” said Xavier McCormick, 24, who has lived on the block for two years and worries about children at a nearby elementary school. “I’m not going to say that the air quality in our over 100-year-old building is great, but it constantly smells like smoke now.”
Xavier hasn’t personally noticed any resulting health problems, but he notes that his apartment is on the back side of his building, far from the shack. Even then, though, he finds the situation relatable, and feels particularly bad for the longtime residents of the neighborhood.
In fact, the campfire smell is so strong it affects a “couple-block radius,” 32-year-old musician, actor, and block resident Jake (who declined to provide his full name) told the Post. Even when her windows are closed, the scent fills her apartment and clings to some of her clothes. Sometimes, he finds that he himself smells like smoke.
Jake said, “They’re, like, constantly inhaling some kind of smoke and can’t get used to the smell.” Not sure if it is smoke related or not.
“Smokestacks are legal in New York but I don’t know if they’re legal on this block,” Manhattan real estate attorney Adam Leitman Bailey told the Post.
The city’s Department of Buildings website shows the property currently has two open violations, both issued this month. One is for “illegal work in progress” – including the installation of a new rooftop mechanical unit, electrical system and a sprinkler – and the other is for work without a permit.
Jake has called 311 many times, and recently saw a stop work order on the door at 38 Locust St. This week, he noticed a different permit on the building, this one announcing a bakery application to convert it to a house of worship.
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Still, despite the order and two visits to the FDNY, Jake observed, “almost 24/7 – they keep on moving with no results.”
When contacted by phone, a representative for Satmar Matzah Bakery gave an initial response of “no comment” before adding that the smokestacks “were built according to code, which makes the air cleaner.”
In response to the Post’s request for comment, the New York State Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that they have inspected the facility — which they determined does not require a state-issued air permit or registration — and conducted air quality tests. Didn’t see the issues.
However, many city agencies agreed that smokestacks are a continuing problem.
“In response to complaints from members of the public, the DOB has conducted several inspections of this building over the past several weeks,” Department of Buildings press secretary Andrew Rudansky told the Post on behalf of the DOB, the FDNY and the Department of Environmental Protection. “During these inspections we have issued violations to the owners and their contractors related to ongoing construction work at the site that was not up to code… We are currently working with our agencies at the DEP and FDNY to investigate this issue further coordinating with partners.
Although the city is apparently aware and is taking action to correct the problem, block residents complain that the situation remains laughable.
Mary said, “We are amazed at how clear everything has become.” “It sounds really shady.”