Suit Tries to Block Brooklyn Bridge Park
May 16, 2006 — A community group filed a lawsuit yesterday in State Supreme Court to block plans for a new park along the waterfront. The group, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund, opposes a plan approved by state officials earlier this year to rehabilitate the 1.3-mile-long stretch because the plan calls for luxury housing…
May 16, 2006 — A community group filed a lawsuit yesterday in State Supreme Court to block plans for a new park along the waterfront. The group, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund, opposes a plan approved by state officials earlier this year to rehabilitate the 1.3-mile-long stretch because the plan calls for luxury housing in the park to help subsidize its cost. The lawsuit seeks to reinstate an earlier park plan that does not include the housing, as well as require state officials to analyze the impacts, like traffic congestion and parking shortages, that other development in the area might have on the park.
Group Sues to Block New Park [NY Times]
also: Brooklyn Bridge Park Building Boo’d [NY Daily News]
So that’s your answer to fighting overdevelopment? That there won’t be a park for 25 years so just accept the development and get on with it? Not having a park hasn’t stopped the neighborhood from becoming one of the most sought after in the City. I’d rather wait a little more than see developments go up that spoil the waterfront forever. BTW, don’t you think the semantics have any effect on the funding of the park and who pays for what? Public spaces are a crucially important part of Cities. No one is giving us public spaces. It belongs to taxpayers- if anything, it’s being taken away.
Just a point of fact – the Port Authority is not “quasi-public.” It is a public authority, created by Congressional Charter and owned by the great people of the states of New York and New Jersey. Nothing quasi about it.
That being said – no housing, no park. It’s that simple. No amount of bull shit promises from politicians will make it otherwise. Wake up people, our city, state and federal government are all going to go bankrupt trying to pay for health care. Add the costs of public safety and that leaves little other money for anything else.
Speaking of politicians – is anyone else amazed that that worm Yasky is actually running for Congress. On what record is he running? Being able to suckup to developers better than anyone else on the city council? That guy is amazing…
Just a point of fact – the Port Authority is not “quasi-public.” It is a public authority, created by Congressional Charter and owned by the great people of the states of New York and New Jersey. Nothing quasi about it.
That being said – no housing, no park. It’s that simple. No amount of bull shit promises from politicians will make it otherwise. Wake up people, our city, state and federal government are all going to go bankrupt trying to pay for health care. Add the costs of public safety and that leaves little other money for anything else.
Speaking of politicians – is anyone else amazed that that worm Yasky is actually running for Congress. On what record is he running? Being able to suckup to developers better than anyone else on the city council? That guy is amazing…
I have to wonder if the Port Authority had just sold the foot of Atlantic Ave to private developers and given the rest to the city for a park (i.e. develoment adjacent to a park) if there would be nearly as much uproar as there is now that they are calling the development part of the ‘park’.
Anyway fairly certain that if this gains any traction you can kiss that park goodbye for another 25years. (Which BTW was ALWAYS the plan for a large portion of Brklyn Hgts residents – private dev or not)
good. the current plan is terrible. besides the condos, it’s all walkways and very little grass. who needs Chelsea Piers 2?
To the best of my knowledge, the deal to create a park did not include luxury housing. It was supposed to creat parkland along the waterfront. period. ANd public monies have already gone into it. Yassky announced over 2 years ago he had gotten funds to create a park. And fyi- whose tax money is it that goes to the Port Authority, quasi-public tho’ it were?
Since the park was conceived it was expected to pay its own way. Nor is it ‘public land’ – it was owned by the Port Authority – which is only quasi-public.
I have to wonder if the nearby communities-who will benefit most from the Park (Brklyn Hgts;DUMBO and Cobble Hill) will support an added real estate tax on their property to pay for this, instead of development.
There was talk of a park for years- no mention of housing. And don’t forget this is public land. The community never supported housing, and when Yassky was going for funding, he never mentioned it either. Isn’t this like the selling off of public park and forestland? The only thing politicians can be counted on to do these days is sell out. It’s truly disgusting.
The planners promised a park and not over 1,000 units of housing. That was how they enlisted the community’s support. The morph is an outrage. Why not build housing on the High Line or in Hudson River Park. That would never happen in Manhattan. Howard Golden spearheaded this effort in the right way. Where’s Marty when we need him.