Apartments, Hotel in Brooklyn Bridge Park On Hold
Much to the glee of the BHA and others, the hotel and apartments that were to be built from at the end of Atlantic Avenue and Old Fulton Street and generate income for the park have been delayed indefinitely, reports The Brooklyn Paper. The culprit? Ye olde recession. The impact of the announcement on the…
Much to the glee of the BHA and others, the hotel and apartments that were to be built from at the end of Atlantic Avenue and Old Fulton Street and generate income for the park have been delayed indefinitely, reports The Brooklyn Paper. The culprit? Ye olde recession. The impact of the announcement on the schedule of the park itself has not been made public.
P Heights, OK hon, now you have lost me. Huh?
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.
Biff,
Please see above ^^^^^
I rest my case
The locals, many of them, hate this park.
Speak for yourselves, bloggers! Willowtowners and Cobble Hillers ARE NOT AGAINST THE PARK. They are against a development project full of luxury apartments in new buildings, full of berms without possibility of recreation, and without (until perhaps now) an open public process.
PLEASE don’t bring up the NAC, CAC, CACK, or whatever the latest name is — they’re not a true public entity and the members are a hand-picked unrepresentative microcosm chosen by the Conservancy, rather than by their own neighborhoods or neighborhood associations. Many may be fine people, but they are not neighborhood representatives. Those who don’t believe there’s a sizeable constituency, please see:
1. The election of Daniel Squadron over the 20+ year incumbent, who ushered in private housing WITHOUT ANY OPEN PUBLIC PROCESS.
2. Repeated full-to-the-gills workshops at LICH to re-envsion the park as an actual PARK.
And realize that the true NIMBYs are those who will either settle, or even wish for, a park full of private housing to discourage people from outside the Heights/DUMBO visiting the park. These deluded people need to consider the legitimacy of the budget figures used to justify housing, rather than alternative sources of revenue. (Not to mention acreage formulas using water acres to bring down the cost per acre!) We can only pray that we’re approaching that goal with the meeting coming up.
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?
I do believe…I do believe…I’m clapping my hands, really.
I agree with you that there are better civil servants than others but in reality, it is not about individuals, it is about monstrous government agencies such as the Port Authority of NY & NJ, and the Empire State Development Corporation. Can there be worse, less efiicient, more dysfunctional government bodies anywhere?
I’m clapping, but unless some zillionaire steps up and says “I’m building it and paying for it” (fat chance) it is not going to happen. Sorry, it’s one of those things I just know that unfortunately I am right about.
If the towers don’t happen, the park won’t happen. We are hearing the towers are on hold. Any questions?
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?
Thanks sam. The privatization of the park is exactly what I was referring to when I commented that is the only reason I could think of for people to be opposed to the project. But if the park isn’t built, what are those in BH, CH, etc. expecting to see on the site? Pavement for the next 50 years?
Biff, there is a huge backlash agaisnt the park from residents of Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill.
At issue is the “privatization” of the park by condo towers and hotels. Some suspect this argument is disingenuous and what people really don’t want is additional traffic and visitors from “other parts” of Brooklyn. Some folks, especially in Willowtown and Cobble Hill are dead set agaisnt the park and have created their own organization to stop it.