Dustup Over Red Hook Concrete Plant Continues

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This weekend the Times looked into how some Red Hook residents are still protesting the impending opening of a new concrete plant in the neighborhood. According to the article, the plant's foes have mainly attacked the business over concerns about dust particles settling on next-door IKEA, nearby ball fields, and the Added Value farm. However, a spokesman for the plant, which is set to open later this month in an area zoned for heavy industry, says, "All these type of devices are state-of-the-art technology for a ready-mix plant...We don’t feel we will have an issue of dust." At root, opposition to the plant appears to stem from residents who want more of Red Hook zoned for residential use: John McGettrick, a co-president of the Red Hook Civic Association, argues that more buildings in the neighborhood should be made into apartments because the area "has all the charm of a waterfront village in the midst of the country’s most powerful city." Update: This post from A View from The Hook points out that both the Brooklyn Greenway and Xavier High School would also be negatively impacted by the plant.
Dust Has Yet to Settle Over New Concrete Plant [NY Times]
Red Hook Protests Concrete Plant [Brownstoner]
US Concrete, Red Hook's New Resident [Brownstoner]

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CONCRETE!!!!!!!!!!!!

this seems like it would have made more sense in 2007.

Posted by: Santa at November 9, 2009 10:39 AM

Death before residential

Posted by: havelc at November 9, 2009 10:59 AM

Whinnnnnnnnnnne. Red Hook is combined industrial/residential and has been since the late 1800's. Tough. Concrete plants must be near construction sites, and this is one of a couple that are closest to lower Manhattan, the other close-by one is next to the Smith-9th Street subway stop and has been there for years. Unlike other manufacturing and industrial that have moved to larger spaces elsewhere in the world, concrete plants have to be within a reasonable distance to where the action is. Manhattan doesn't have space for contractors to build portable concrete plants similar to what is done in other parts of the country. Dig it? Or else we ask, what's your shoe size? We even have the technology to color your concrete.

Posted by: 5w30 at November 9, 2009 11:13 AM

5w30 -- It's not just a "reasonable" distance... there is a precise time limit on transportation of concrete. What is it, about 80 or 90 mins between the truck being filled and pouring?

There was a great article a while back (in the times?) about "Why are construction projects so quiet in the daytime?"

And the answer was that Manhattan traffic is so absurd during the daylight hours that concrete has to be delivered at night or it doesn't make it there before the truck becomes a solid chunk of rock... so the biggest crews (at certain stages of a building's construction) work when you're sleeping. Interesting stuff I thought.

Posted by: tybur6 at November 9, 2009 11:59 AM

I know there must be concrete plants within NYC, but can't something be done to mitigate the plant's impacts on the surrounding parks?

Posted by: AuntMary at November 9, 2009 12:55 PM

Umm... yes, by not actually having the impact that folks claim/invent. It's already done! Mitigation complete!

Posted by: tybur6 at November 9, 2009 2:38 PM

Of course, it's all an invention - let's put an organic farm next to Greco's operation on the Gowanus too (as long as Greco doesn't mind .... well, what does it matter, even if they were there first?) - what could possibly go wrong? We need to get some ballfields on the banks of Newtown Creek too - nice to have some water close by to quench the thirst of the young'ns. Cement plants are totally benign - let's have one right in the middle of Prospect Park while we're at it!

Posted by: AA at November 9, 2009 6:39 PM

You bought and overpaid for your homes in RedHook now you want to requalifie the whole area just so you don't lose money on your investment. IKEA was not enough! Now we have to turn all of Red Hook into a new Carroll Gardens with French Caffes and boardwalks left and right so speculating yuppies that overpaid for their properties can make money on their home flipping activities. Long live the cement factory and affordable rents! Don't like it move out.

Posted by: hannible at November 9, 2009 8:33 PM

Yawn, yawn .... yuppies, blah, overpaid, blah, blah ... yeah and those pesky people living in public housing can suck it up too .... it's OK, they'll be compensated for their kids getting asthma by all the new cement factory jobs they'll be getting .... if there are still any unemployed people left after the mass local hiring at IKEA and Fairway.

Posted by: AA at November 9, 2009 11:42 PM

Well lets see IKEA is a European company using the dollar and euro conversion rates so they are making a whole lot of dollars and spending a whole lot of euros. I can smell the profits there with the lovely dollar we have. Reguarding your Fairway it is not a bargain grocery store. Families don't shope there because of their prices. The overhead costs have to get picked up somewhere. Again they have alot of European products. The dollar devaluation starts at home.

Posted by: hannible at November 10, 2009 9:16 AM

Posted by: AA at November 10, 2009 3:30 PM

Typical AA. When we don't like what we hear we say we don't understand because the other person is not as smart as we are. How Liberal and Hippie of you

Posted by: hannible at November 11, 2009 6:27 AM

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November 9, 2009

Dustup Over Red Hook Concrete Plant Continues

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