Black=existing historic district, Green=expanded historic district, Brown=new, proposed historic district

Though many thought it was not possible, Park Slope is becoming even more perfect. (And no, the ice cream trucks have not agreed to vacate Prospect Park.)

Today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a sizable expansion of the Park Slope historic district, making it one of the largest historic districts in the city, according to a release from City Councilmember Brad Lander.

The extension will include some 580 buildings and will stretch from roughly 7th Street to 15th Street, mostly between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenues. The brownstone bedecked South Slope blocks also include the former Ansonia Clock Works factory and the factory workers' homes.

“These are some of the most beautiful streets in New York and, with today’s vote, we know they will be enjoyed by generations to come," Mr.  Lander said of the decision.

You would think that the first expansion of the historic district in more than 38 years may have been hailed as victory and celebrated with a pint of local microbrew or a cup of single pour coffee. But no. In Park Slope the drum of desire never ceases to beat—one can always seek a more intense yoga class, a fresher farm-to-table experience, a bigger historic district.

Wasting not a moment to bask in the glory of its most recent victory, the Park Slope Civil Council has announced that it plans to advocate for a much larger historic district that would include hundreds of additional buildings above 5th Avenue in North Slope.

"The historical and architectural integrity of Park Slope, its sense of place, remains an ongoing concern of the neighborhood," the otherwise celebratory announcement warned gloomily, perhaps seeing the grim ghost of Christmas Future in the retail chains and bank branches of the Upper West Side.

Hoping to avoid such a fate, the Civic Council announced that it had already requested that the Landmarks Preservation Committee initiate formal action to extend the historic district in the North Slope "whose buildings constitute the earliest development of the neighborhood."

In fact, the Civic Council won't rest until all of Park Slope is landmarked. "The Park Slope Civic Council is laying the groundwork to have all of Park Slope eventually considered," according to their website.

kvelsey@observer.com

Roake's roost at center. (Property Shark)

Daniel Goldstein spent years opposing Bruce Ratner’s outside Atlantic Yards development in his backyard—and on top of his house—until he finally gave in and made an even $3 million on the deal. He has since used that money to buy an $812,000 rowhouse in the South Slope, which was purchased in May, according to property records. (Some deal, a wife and a new house, and all it took was years of strife and threat of eviction.)

Like so many other homeowners in the city, Mr. Golodstein is planning a rooftop and rear-yard addition to his new home. In what might be construed as an ironic twist--the Daily News certainly sees it that way—Mr. Goldstein’s new neighbors do not appreciate his home-improvement project.

It’s NIMBY versus NIMBY.

Next-door neighbor Kathryn Roake, 59, says Goldstein's 18-foot, three-story addition to the back of his building will block the light to her beloved fruit and vegetable garden.

"I was so horrified," said Roake, who has lived in her 15th St. home for 21 years. "It's going to block all the sunlight to my garden and the back of my house.

"That was the whole reason why we bought , was I wanted a garden," said Roake, who grows rhubarb, blackberries, and currants, and keeps bees. "It's going to wreck the garden."

The News was unable to get a comment from Mr. Goldstein, but we were, and the story The Observer was told was quite different. (Granted, we were unable to reach Ms. Roake.)

Sleep no more. (Atlantic Yards Report)

He told us that he reached out to the neighbors first, but they did not respond and instead, apparently, went to the tab. Mr. Goldstein has plenty of experience with adjudicating matters in the press, and while he would rather deal with these issues directly, they are out there, so what choice does he have. He also wondered at how the dimensions of his expansion could be known when they are not even complete, and whatever they are, they will be code compliant:

Our plans aren't finalized, but when they are they'll be submitted to DOB as required when doing a renovation and extension. Once our plans are approved our construction will be safe, well within zoning and within the law, and we'll be certain to protect our neighbors' property and our own.

He also pointed us to Norman Oder’s response to the News article, where the incomparable Atlantic Yards watchdog showed how there are no similarities between what Mr. Goldstein is attempting and what Mr. Ratner has done:

Atlantic Yards is just a few orders of magnitude larger than Goldstein's 3-story extension. It required a state override of zoning, eminent domain, and significant subsidies and tax breaks. And a study of the environmental impacts indicated that it would, in fact, block the sun in certain locations. But the headline and caption embrace the strained parallel.

Indeed, these sorts of additions happen all the time, from Uptown to the Village to Brownstone Brooklyn. The storyline was simply too juicy this time out. As Mr. Oder cleverly puts it, “the Daily News elevated a garden-variety dispute into a tabloid story.”

Perhaps it is all part of a plot by Bruce Ratner to get revenge? “No, they are not opposing me because of my views about AY,” Mr. Goldstein told us. “I'm quite sure they have no interest in the Nets.”

mchaban [at] observer.com | @MC_NYC