Daily News from New York, New York • 1213

Ti i pnwiuj jjp hi i. j.j. iKWSt'iSWijiMkJ i jyjife.y.w.-M.i iji may .) JBD1 DDBffDuflJI ylJf Jf By DAVID MARTIN Daily New Start tMnmr U4 I BROOKLYN For over 50 years. Eighth Ave. between 61st and 40th streets at the edge of Sunset Park was known as Lapskaus (Norwegian stew) Blvd.

Today most of the new residents just call it Brooklyn's Chinatown. Within the last five years, Brooklyn's "Little Norway" has been transformed from a decaying neighborhood into a vital avenue filled with new fish markets, greengrocers, a bank and restaurants. At the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association, Cornel Chan helps new residents understand New York's social services. Till out rental forms, register to vote and apply for business loans. The center also holds English and nursing classes and runs after-school programs.

Nowhere is the change more evident that in the Wee Kee Restaurant at 53d and Eighth.former home of the tnnn i ii Mlfi vt.t i I imi tt mum i Ir HELPING HAND: Cornel Chan of Brooklyn's Chinese-American Association has plenty of good advice for the new arrivals who are breathing new life into Sunset Park. KE1AYNE KIDMAN i' "ixi 1 vt Atlantic restaurant, which served up some of the area's favorite Norwegian specialties. Today, in addition to Norwegian dishes like fish pudding, they've added curried beef stew and won ton soup, making it the only Chinese-Norwegian restaurant in Brooklyn and possibly the country. For the past 28 years, B.J. Lilsen, a native of Norway, has been a waitress, first at the Atlantic and now the Wee Kee.

"It's different now it's a new neighborhood, but I still like it," she said. "We still get a good Norwegian crowd here, especially on Sundays." Across the street, Danny Tsoi realized about 4 years ago that the neighborhood was about to expand. He opened Ocean Palace at the corner of 55th St and within three years he had added another room as well as an upstairs banquet room. "Manhattan's Chinatown is too crowded," Tsoi said. "Here there are private houses and more trees.

This is much better the Chinese have put a lot of money in here and really built up the street We are growing in a bad economy and that means we must be doing something right" The growth of Brooklyn's Chinatown came about in part because of a direct subway link to Manhattan's Chinatown on the train. In addition, lower rental costs and property available for purchase made the neighborhood attractive. "Economically it's been phenomenal," said Anne Marie Lanza, an agent at Fillmore Real Estate, on Eighth Ave. at 59th Street, a business that two years ago added a sign with Chinese characters above the door. "The sellers here are all Norwegian and the buyers are all Chinese." She said properties selling for about $125,000 five or more years ago are now changing hands for up to $500,000.

And, she added, there aren't enough properties to meet the demand. Most people agree the changes have turned around a neighborhood that once had more closed and gated businesses than open stores. "When I first came here eight years ago it seemed like all the stores were closed," said Brendan Farley, an Irishman who tends bar at the Soccer Tavern. "There were an awful lot of shutters down. The whole avenue was dead.

There was no life before the Chinese came in." However, some long-time residents complain that the Chinese don't patronize some of the established businesses because they prefer to deal with other Chinese. For the past 33 years, Gary Hen-ningsen has watched the neighborhood change from the window of the florist shop his father opened 62 years ago on Eighth Ave. at 52d St. Now, Gary is selling the business and retiring. While the area has improved, he said his business hasn't "When my father came in it was all Norwegian and everybody spoke Norwegian.

Now it's the same thing except (it's all) Chinese," Henningsen said. "They all like to stick together until they assimilate. But I'm pleased to see all these stores operating rather than gated up." Yee Leung opened the Oriental Palace restaurant on Eighth Ave. at 57th St after establishing a restaurant in Chinatown. "I like getting in here on the ground floor," he said.

"Now I have a say in what happens on Eighth Ave. and I want to make it what I want Here we have a new generation making changes." Seminar set on water bills Community Board 5's environmental committee will hold a seminar Wednesday on water bills. Residents have been receiving high bills, and committee members will help them find ways to lower them. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Intermediate School 302, 305 Linwood St between Atlantic and Liberty in the East New YorkBeacon community center meeting room.

For more information, call the board at 498-5711. Landscaping program planned The South Midwood Residents Association will hold a bulb planting and landscaping event this weekend at the Campus Road Garden, across from the Brooklyn College athletic fields on Campus Road between E. 21st and 22d Sts. Parents and children are invited to help plant some 300 tulip and daffodil bulbs. Gardners also will help lay brick, cut weeds, create paths and raise flower beds on the site of the former vacant lot Tools will be provided.

Work will go from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call GROUND FLOOR: Danny Tsoi's Ocean Palace is growing with the neighborhood..