Appeals Court Removes Hurdle to Bushwick Inlet Park
An Appeals Court decision from two weeks ago (unearthed this past weekend by the blog Brooklyn 11211) has put to rest fears among Williamsburg residents that a large powerplant could be built in their backyard and cleared the way for the realization of a vision for waterfront parkland in North Brooklyn. After denying an application…
An Appeals Court decision from two weeks ago (unearthed this past weekend by the blog Brooklyn 11211) has put to rest fears among Williamsburg residents that a large powerplant could be built in their backyard and cleared the way for the realization of a vision for waterfront parkland in North Brooklyn. After denying an application by TrandGas Energy to build an above-ground power plant at North 12th Street and Kent Avenue in 2004, the siting board rejected a follow-up proposal in 2008 for a below-ground plant, a decision upheld by the Appellate Court last year. Now, is what sounds like is the final nail in the coffin, the New York State Court of Appeals has refused to hear TGE’s appeal of the appellate ruling. Bottom line: “The City can now move ahead with condemnation proceedings to acquire the property,” writes 11211. “In other words, we are one step closer to a park on the Bushwick Inlet.”
Joe from Clueless more like. Been to any of the the Neighbors Against Garbage meetings? – take your ethnicity survey there. Then you’ll have to find something new to be outraged about when ythe results don’t match your bias.
More open space is one of the few things the community got in return for a massive residential rezoning. Prior to 2005, north Brooklyn had one of the lowest amounts of open space per person in the City. Following the rezoning, IF all the parkland gets built and IF the construction of luxury apartments is only what the City projected (10,000 new units – it will probably be more, believe it or not, even with the current economic climate), we will still have one of the lowest amounts of open space per person. In fact, we could easily have less.
I suppose we could have fought to restrict the waterfront for the luxury condos only, and left the power plant on this site.
So this isn’t in preparation for luxury developments! I must have been insane to think that! NYC never puts new public parks in neighborhoods designated by fat cat developers for luxury condos. Thanks for putting me straight!
Agreed.
Though one might wonder if you’ll end up with a giant blue smurf of an Ikea plunked on the waterfront as easily as a park. Red Hook?
Nokilissa…I tend to look at things long term (i.e. 10-20 years), not what’s going on right this moment. Who knows if Domino or Bushwick Inlet Park will even happen…I’m just saying if it does, it would represent a great utilization of waterfront that had been underutilized for more than 100 years.
I don’t know FtGreeneCorey. Go peruse the post on short sales at Schaeffer Landing.
And thank you WBer. Easy to forget, it appears, that Williamsburg is not simply made up of a bunch of ‘hypocritical hipsters’, but is a multicultural neighborhood populated by many folks of many races and classes who have lived there for years.
“ethnic white” as in the working-class Polish population of Greenpoint and Northside Williamsburg? Hispanic as in the Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Mexicans in Southside Williamsburg and Greenpoint? For decades, we have been (and still are) a dumping ground for a lot the City’s garbage (literally and figuratively), and these are among the people who have been fighting for a more equitable distribution of power plants, waste transfer stations, parks, open space, etc.
Anyway…going back to the park, between the Rose project, the Domino Project, 184 Kent, Northside Piers, the Edge, the existing Grand Ferry Park and Empire State Park, and now Bushwick Inlet Park…in 10 years Williamsburg from about South 12th Street up to North 12th Street may become the Brooklyn Gold Coast.
From “Stuff White People Like”:
White people also get excited at the opportunity to be offended at things that are sexist and/or homophobic. Both cases offering ample opportunities for lectures, complaints, graduate classes, lengthy discussions and workshops. All of which do an excellent job of raising awareness among white people who hope to change their status from “not racist†to “super not racist.â€