New York State’s fiscal crisis may have created an opportunity for the City to take control of two public projects, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governors Island, reports The Brooklyn Paper. Mayor Bloomberg dropped the bomb at a press briefing yesterday: “We’ve proposed to the state the city take over management and financial responsibility for Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governors Island, and use monies that we’ve already put aside that had been scheduled to be used for Javits.” (The City and State approved a much-reduced plan for the new Javits recently, freeing up $300 million.) The City has been in negotiations with the State since January, according to The Times, though a spokesperson for Paterson said that the talks haven’t reached a resolution. One possible result, says The Paper, is that Brooklyn Bridge Park would be able to move ahead without the private financing originally slated to come from the condos in the park; The Daily News, however, says that the shift in control would not take the condos off the table. Interesting times.
Mayor to take over Brooklyn Bridge Park? [Brooklyn Paper]
City Will Move to Take Control of BB Park from State [NY Daily News]
Bloomberg Grabbing for Governors Island, BBP [NY Observer]
A Warning on Governors Island Funds [NY Times]