After several delays, a task force led by Rep. Dan Goldman has voted to advance a $3.5 billion redevelopment plan for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal. The vote, held Monday, saw 17 members in favor and eight opposed, allowing the project to proceed to its next stages of environmental review and general project planning.
The proposed redevelopment covers 122 acres from Cobble Hill to Red Hook and includes 6,000 new apartments, with 40 percent designated as affordable housing. Plans also call for modernized piers, a new marginal pier for ships, 275,000 square feet of light industrial space, an up to 400-key hotel, and 28 acres of open space.
Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement: “Today, our city took a massive step towards the future. By approving this $3.5 billion vision plan, we will turn a crumbling marine terminal into a modern maritime port while creating thousands of affordable homes and tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. We’ll deliver the open space our city needs and keep New York at the front of the green economy.”
The task force’s approval comes after five postponed votes due to insufficient support and multiple revisions to the proposal. The original plan called for up to 12,000 housing units but was scaled back over time.
Some local officials raised concerns about potential impacts on industrial capacity in New York City. Council member Alexa Avilés and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso expressed worries that the redevelopment could diminish manufacturing capabilities in the area.
In an editorial co-written with Eddie Bautista for the Brooklyn Eagle, Avilés described the plan as “half-baked” and questioned whether commitments made as part of it would be honored.
Recent changes helped sway some previously opposed task force members. These included increasing funds dedicated to housing within Community Board 6 from $50 million to $75 million and adding more light industrial space at Pier 11. Additional investments include $3 million for improvements at public schools near the terminal and $7 million for upgrades at local parks such as DiMattina Park and Carroll Park.
The Economic Development Corporation (EDC), which is overseeing the project, plans this fall to request proposals for different port configurations and further maritime activities at the site.
Council member Shahana Hanif and Borough President Reynoso were credited by EDC last week with helping reach compromises that enabled Monday’s vote.
Eight members voted against advancing the plan: Council member Avilés; Carly Baker-Rice; Eddie Bautista; Ben Fuller-Googins; Hank Guttman; Assembly member Marcela Mitaynes; Assembly member Jo Anne Simon; and Jim Tampakis.
In their joint statement after voting no on Monday’s proposal they wrote: “We participated in the BMT Task Force in good faith, hoping that our engagement would shape a forward-thinking and equitable vision for our waterfront. Our goal from the beginning had been to get to a ‘yes,’ and we remained committed to that outcome,” adding: “Unfortunately, to-date, many of our concerns with the EDC’s proposal for the site have gone unaddressed.”
Last year New York City took control of Brooklyn Marine Terminal through a land swap with Port Authority of New York & New Jersey involving Staten Island’s Howland Hook Marine Terminal.
According to EDC head Andrew Kimball during a June tour of the site there has been decades’ worth of deferred maintenance totaling hundreds of millions dollars at Brooklyn Marine Terminal—two piers were condemned about one year ago while two others may collapse within ten years if not addressed.
Currently handling around 60,000 containers annually (about 1.5 percent entering New York Harbor), parts of terminal are used non-maritime purposes such as storage for aggregates or old vehicles rather than shipping goods exclusively by water.
Instead replacing three aging long piers jutting into East River directly city’s plan is fill gaps between them create deeper marginal pier allow ships dock sideways improving efficiency moving goods—including perishable food items—by water rather than trucks throughout city streets.
Pending state approval developers will make payments lieu taxes invested back into terminal operations rather than city’s general fund while affordable housing funding expected come both development revenues public grants alongside pledged $200 million investment public housing complexes Red Hook Houses East West nearby neighborhoods benefit additional resources infrastructure improvements schools parks community facilities according EDC statements regarding broader impact redevelopment initiative overall region going forward once officially approved development corporation appointed governor mayor local representatives will oversee selection process residential developers ensure risk distributed among multiple parties unlike previous large-scale projects such Pacific Park criticized lack diversity among developer teams currently seeking new teams remaining sites under review state authorities ongoing basis.
