New York artists “smoke out” coal chimney business

The hipster capital of New York is facing a problem straight out of a Charles Dickens novel.

Brooklyn residents say a newly built chimney has ruined air quality in their corner of Bushwick, but despite their cough complaints, they say it continues to pollute the area with its burning smell.

“This business has just started and we are being smoked out,” artist Marie, 37, of the Satmar Matzah bakery, who recently moved next door to her 11-year-old apartment, told The Post. (She declined to give her full name for fear of business retaliation.) After a period of hectic construction at a new location at 38 Locust Street, the bakery fired up its newly built black chimneys in late January—and the quality of life on the block immediately plummeted. say the residents of Locust Street.

“I sincerely hoped that I would just get used to it and it wouldn’t be a problem,” Marie said, adding that the smell seeps into the hallways of her house as well as her apartment.

Although the situation was bad from the start, the situation deteriorated markedly after a “huge” pile of coal was added to the wooden pallets on the pavement around February 17th.

“I had never seen charcoal in real life before,” Marie said, and shortly after it appeared, “I felt like my throat was pinching. There was a distinct chemical smell and my dog ​​was constantly sneezing.” She has found that she now also needs to clear her throat more often, but her health problems are lessened in comparison to the annoyance she feels about how “terrible” the situation is.

“Neighbourhood air quality… you really smell 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 wouldn’t say the air quality in our 100-year-old building is great, but right now it just smells like smoke all the time.”

Xavier hasn’t personally noticed any health issues, but he notes that his apartment is at the back of his house, away from the shelving. However, he finds the situation unsettling and feels especially bad about the area’s longtime residents.

Indeed, the smell of a campfire is so strong that it lasts for several blocks, 32-year-old musician, actor and block resident Jake (who also declined to give his full name) told The Post. Even when his windows are closed, the smell fills his apartment and sticks to his clothes. Sometimes he finds that he himself smells of smoke.

“They constantly release some sort of smoke and it’s impossible to get used to the smell,” Jake said, adding that since the chimneys started chugging in late January, he’s had mild lung irritation, though he’s not sure if it’s related. it’s with smoke.

“Smoke stacks are allowed in New York, but I don’t know if they are allowed on this block,” Manhattan real estate attorney Adam Leitman Bailey told The Post.

The city’s Department of Buildings website indicates that there are currently two open violations of the property, both of which were filed this month. One for “illegal work in progress”, including the installation of a new roof mechanical assembly, electrical systems and sprinkler system, and the other for work without a permit.

Jake called 311 several times and recently noticed a stop work order on the door of 38 Locust Street. This week, he noticed a separate building permit announcing the bakery’s application to be converted into a house of worship.

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Yet despite orders and two visits to the FDNY, Jake witnessed, the smoke continued “nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – they keep moving forward with no repercussions.”

On the phone call, Satmar spokesman Matzah Bakery gave an initial response of “no comment” before adding that the chimneys were built “to standards that keep the air clean.”

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 permit or air registration, and found no air quality issues.

However, several city agencies have agreed that smokestacks are an ongoing problem.

“In response to complaints from members of the public, DOB has conducted several inspections of this building over the past few weeks,” Department of Buildings spokesman Andrew Rudansky told The Post on behalf of DOB, FDNY and the Department of Environmental Protection. “During these inspections, we reported violations to owners and their contractors related to ongoing construction work on the site that did not comply with regulations … we are currently coordinating with our partner agencies in DEP and FDNY to further investigate this matter.”

While the city appears to be aware and taking steps to address the problem, residents of the neighborhood complain that the situation remains ridiculous.

“We are so baffled by how egregious everything was,” Marie said. “It just seems very suspicious.”