5th Avenue ‘Key Food Fight’ Becomes Subject Of BRIC TV Mini-Doc

A recent segment on BRIC TV produced by Steve de Sève is an engaging and informative mini-documentary which tracks through the ongoing 5th Avenue Key Food development controversy that has been a major concern for community members in Park Slope, Gowanus, and its surrounding neighborhoods.

“A lot of people say that 5th Avenue Key Food is probably the most diverse place in Park Slope,” says SJ Avery, co-chair of Forth on Fourth Avenue, as well as a neighbor who speaks in a variety of segments of the mini-doc.

The most powerful moments capture community members and organizers speaking at the February 9 meeting which include the presentation by Brian Ezra, Founding Principal of Avery Hall Investments, when he discussed the early stages of the development.

“It’s difficult to provide grocery use because it does not generate enough revenue,” said Ezra. The moment became a catalyst for the impassioned responses from many in attendance.

The voice of politicians are also represented in the segment. “Yes, it’s about a supermarket — healthy food options — but it’s also about a larger fight about what our neighborhoods are going to look like,” said City Comptroller Scott Stringer. Politicians have recently united by sending a letter to the Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and New York City Planning Commission to express they are “deeply concerned” with major portions of the developer’s plans.

“I don’t think they [the developers]  had any real idea about how deep and visceral it was,”  said Avery, when discussing the community response to Avery Hall Investment’s plans.

de Sève has created a variety of mini-documentaries concerning issues of the surrounding community, including segments titled Environmental Justice Tour of Gowanus with Turning the Tide and Gowanus Canal in Danger of a Poonami.