Apartments, Hotel in Brooklyn Bridge Park On Hold

"Brownstones Half Off" - the park is not on hold. If you've been reading the paper or even if you'd gone down to the site in the last week, you'd see it's quite the opposite. Construction teams are mobilizing to begin work on the first phase of the park at Pier 1 and Pier 6. Also, let me get this straight - a governmental entity is actually responding to well-known market conditions in order to maximize revenue for the park - and that's bad news?

This whole article seems premature. The development corporation just announced a meeting to talk about this very topic. So why don't we wait to hear what they have to say and then cricize instead of making up what we think is going on and criticizing that phantom scenario.

Posted by: Make My Heights the P Heights at January 20, 2009 1:32 PM

I never said critics are bad - I just think that alot of their arguments are full of holes and I point em out when I see them. I actually believe that many of the critics have good intentions.

Like the argument put forth by BHO. It's very convenient for him that actual construction work taking place as we speak is not proof that the project is alive and ticking. Based on that logic, there is nothing that could possibly proove the project is still alive. If David Patterson came on this site and promised that the project was funded and moving forward, BHO would find fault with that too. So therefore, I'll make the same bet with BHO that I offered to make with you Sam - I will meet you on Pier 1 in one year (the announced early opening date for Pier 1 is winter 2010). If there's a portion of park built and open, you all owe me a couple of beers. If you want - I'll even raise the stakes. Loser has to take a dip in the east river..

Posted by: Make My Heights the P Heights at January 20, 2009 3:19 PM

Sam don't confuse volume with numbers. Based on my extensive conversations with locals, most are thrilled at the notion of having a park, and accept the funding plan that requires under 10% of the land to be used to fund the operating expenses of the park. Those opposed to the park are only a very loud handful who include the editorial board of the brooklyn papers. Just because they're loud doesn't make them the majority. Also, I take issue with characterizing the first opening as "itty bitty". If memory serves, it includes all of pier 1, and a portion of pier 6 and totals around 15 acres - not itty bitty by anyone's standards.

I understand why long-time watchers of the park would be skeptical and disillusioned by now. But you've got to see the signs that are in front of your eyes right now and recognize that the people running this project right now are not the same ones who stalled for 15 yeas. People tend to think of government as a monolithic entity - but it's not. It's made up of a cast of thousands of indivduals - some excellent, some horrible. The current tema has done nothing but produce countless signs that this park is actually happening: demolition, construction contracts signed, timeline, and now actual work happening on site. Never during the 20-year history of this project have there been so many positive signs. What's it going to take to turn you into a believer sam?

Posted by: Make My Heights the P Heights at January 20, 2009 5:39 PM

So are you taking me up on my wager sam? Loser takes in a dip in the east river off of pier 1 in January 2010?

Posted by: Make My Heights the P Heights at January 20, 2009 7:01 PM

Sam,
Please see above ^^^^^
I rest my case

The arguments made by the critics, many of them, are based on paranoia and some weird perception that the residents of the developments, instead adding to the vibrancy and safety of the park (in a jane jacobs "eyes on the street" kind of way), will instead build electric fences guarded by rabid dogs to keep out anyone who doesn't live there.

Posted by: Make My Heights the P Heights at January 20, 2009 8:16 PM

Boerum Hill - that's a terrible analogy. AY is nothing like brooklyn bride park. Noone is relying on private developers to build the park - they will just build on the development sites. A public agency (BBPDC) is building the park. The design for the park is already set and much of the park will already be built before a single developer gets involved.
See what I mean sam? All of these anti BBP argumens are full of holes.

Posted by: Make My Heights the P Heights at January 20, 2009 11:36 PM

BHO - the fact is you know nothing about whether or not the funding model is breaking down or not, since the only source for this information is the brooklyn papers. In less than 10 days, we'll all be able to hear directly from the horses mouth how they plan to deal with the credit crunch and we'll all be able to judge for ourselves.

Posted by: Make My Heights the P Heights at January 21, 2009 12:05 AM