« Salvager: Antique Mantel at BIG NYC Big Fire on 4th Ave Between Bergen & St. Marks »

September 14, 2009

Red Hook Protests Concrete Plant

concrete-plant-091409.jpgAbout 40 residents of Red Hook showed up at the near completed site of US Concrete on Saturday to oppose the Texas-based company's presence in their neighborhood. The site, next to Ikea and near Erie Basin Park, the Red Hook ball fields, Red Hook Community Farm, and other spots of local importance, is zoned for heavy industry, but residents are worried that pollution from the factory will harm crops at the organic farm, cause health problems like asthma for children at the ball fields, and generally decrease the quality of life in Red Hook. The Brooklyn Paper notes that "the activists face an uphill battle," but "an aide to State Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D-Red Hook) said his office would keep fighting the plant because the neighborhood has changed since the 'heavy industry' zoning was put in place decades ago." The aide, Jim Vogel, said, “If you’re opening a cement plant in an area with a 40-percent asthma rate, you’d better open your pocket book, because you’re going to be spending a lot of time in court.” GMAP
Red Hookers Don't Want Cement Plant near Farm [Brooklyn Paper]
Come Out and Say No to Cement Plan [A View from the Hook]
US Concrete, Redhook's New Resident [Brownstoner]




Posted by jscheff at 11:30 AM | Comments (13)
Categories: Commercial Real Estate, Red Hook

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-tb.cgi/11411

Comments

It's zoned "heavy industry." Don't these people understand what that means???

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at September 14, 2009 11:34 AM

Discouraging industry and companies/jobs moving to Brooklyn. Brilliant.

You moved next to a sight zoned for heavy industry and now you're balking because of the possible potential of pollution? This really aggravates me. I'm not condoning pollution but I do think they have a right to operate so long as they're not breaking any laws.

Honestly, if this was an overriding concern then perhaps a large farm in Nebraska would have been a better option than an urban area zoned for heavy industry.

Posted by: TownhouseLady at September 14, 2009 11:39 AM

"but residents are worried that pollution from the factory will harm crops at the organic farm, cause health problems like asthma for children at the ball fields, and generally decrease the quality of life in Red Hook"

Hahah - NIMBYs. Perhaps they should have thought about that before moving to a community that's still primarily zoned industrial.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 14, 2009 11:51 AM

"...and generally decrease the quality of life in Red Hook"

Who thought I'd live so long to hear that said with a straight face?

Not that I'm rooting for pollution but Brooklyn--and the US--needs heavy industry and manufacturing. Lack of diversification in our economy got us into the mess we're in in the first place.

Love the idea of organic farms, but this is a section of the city zoned for industry--basically, zoned for a poor quality of life. Sad but so.

Posted by: lf2009 at September 14, 2009 12:09 PM

This has nothing to do with air pollution and everything to do with land use. Let's say the development scheme at the site was to building an outpost of the some fancy delancy museum like MOMA or the Whitney and the projected tailpipe emmissions were identical to those of the concrete plan. There would be no cries of public health menace from the locals rather the overwhelming white, hipster dufus, slumming trustfunders would be creaming in their artsy-fartsy jeans.

Plus, it's kind of hard to sympathize with the so-called environmental justice types when so many of the them drove their SUVs and cars to the farm for the protest!

Posted by: JonB at September 14, 2009 12:24 PM

I definitely see good reason for the NIMBY backlash from the regular posters, but surely you guys haven't forgotten about pre-gent Red Hook -- overwhelmingly minority, probably accounting for 99% of the 40% asthma rate, and certainly didn't "choose" to live there. There are already two cement factories (that I pass by -- there may be others) running full tilt, and the link between cement dust and chronic respiratory disease is rock solid.

Posted by: bibini at September 14, 2009 1:12 PM

Okay- consider the fact that there are also the Ball Fields there. NYParks Dept Ball Fields... this has nothing to do with NIMBY's, as most of the players come from other hoods. The land use and the neighborhood use has changed. The Heavy Industry moniker is outdated.

And as for the 'oh boo hoo' sarcasm regarding the farm- I hope you never eat at any of the restaurants in Bk and Manhattan that use the AV produce. Choke on that- ingrates!

Posted by: hooky at September 14, 2009 1:18 PM

These are the same people who protest IKEA because it would destroy the industrial base of Red Hook -

The hypocrisy is staggering.

Posted by: fsrg at September 14, 2009 1:38 PM

"residents are worried that pollution from the factory will harm crops at the organic farm, cause health problems like asthma for children at the ball fields"

Protesters: you put a FARM in a FACTORY ZONE? Are you out of your TREE? A FARM?

Unless my map-reading skills are failing me, Red Hook is at the mouth of the toxic Gowanus Canal. If they are growing food and selling it to local restaurants, I want to know which ones, STAT. I mean, I grow a few tomatos but that soil's coming from a BAG.

Posted by: joe_the_bummer at September 14, 2009 1:56 PM

Okay - so what should this site, zoned for heavy industry be used for?

If you think nothing should be here - put your money where your mouth is and buy it.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 14, 2009 2:32 PM

Bummer Joe

They're not growing in direct local soil - but imported soil

http://www.seasonalchef.com/farmredhook.htm

Posted by: Flatbushrising at September 14, 2009 2:53 PM

flatbushrising -- thank goodness, that makes me feel a lot better.

Posted by: joe_the_bummer at September 14, 2009 4:23 PM

"There would be no cries of public health menace from the locals rather the overwhelming white, hipster dufus, slumming trustfunders would be creaming in their artsy-fartsy jeans."

I bet they wouldn't. nimbys are nimbys. They'd probably be complaining about the traffic. And that they wouldn't be buying organic art from local artists.

Posted by: denton at September 14, 2009 4:53 PM

Post a comment

Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.

Latest Restaurant Additions