Pols Ask De Blasio to Nix High-Rise Apartments in Brooklyn Bridge Park
A group of local pols is urging Mayor de Blasio find an alternative way to finance Brooklyn Bridge Park — one that doesn’t include building two more high rise towers at Pier 6. They wrote a letter to the mayor on April 7, expressing their opposition to the “breakneck speed” of housing construction at Pier…
A group of local pols is urging Mayor de Blasio find an alternative way to finance Brooklyn Bridge Park — one that doesn’t include building two more high rise towers at Pier 6. They wrote a letter to the mayor on April 7, expressing their opposition to the “breakneck speed” of housing construction at Pier 6 and asked the new administration to “work collaboratively on alternative park financing, rather than moving forward with the Bloomberg plan,” The New York Times reported. State Senator Daniel Squadron, State Assemblywoman Joan Millman, U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez, and City Council members Steve Levin and Brad Lander all signed the letter.
The waterfront park requires an estimated $16,000,000 in maintenance every year, said the Times, because the piers are “adversely affected by marine organisms, as well as winds and tides.” Squadron and Millman struck a deal with Bloomberg in 2011 to limit the height of the planned development at Pier 6. It hinged on the city rezoning all of the nearby Watchtower properties from manufacturing to residential by January 1 of this year, after they had sold to new owners. But since the city failed to rezone the properties by the deadline, the deal no longer applies.
The Times didn’t specify the name or address of the projects, but it sounds like the two development sites next to One Brooklyn Bridge Park, pictured on the map above.
Are you in favor or against building high-rise housing in the park to finance upkeep?
De Blasio Is Urged to Alter Housing Plans at Brooklyn Park [NYT]
Map via Brooklyn Bridge Park
Also remember, Squadron not only agreed to this plan to accept the pier six development proposal should the Witness tax revenue deal fall through, which it did, he also architected the agreement. He and the rest of the pols on that letter all agreed to this two years ago and now they break their agreement.
They are also hypocrites, they are against housing on the park except in Fulton Ferry landing and DUMBO, where they never once objected. They say they are pro worker, but have not supported one single development project in the park. Embarrassing.
Deblassio supported this plan, and I think he still will.
Like it or not, the few acres dedicated to housing does support the park, as planned.
The buildings in the park have been a disastrous idea from Day 1. I cringe every time I see how the area behind Pier 1 is being made into a giant hotel complex. I hope the new administration signals a change of policy on this one.
I don’t disagree with you comments, it should be clear that the BBP does not derive revenue from the leasing of the retainl space at OBBP. OBBP pay ground rent and PILOTs to the park regarding of whether the retail space is leased.