Mr. J. Views Press Conference on Waterfront Initiative

By on March 15, 2011 12:30 am in brooklyn bridge park, Events, Government, Real Estate, Video

Our man with cam was on hand at Pier 1 of Brooklyn Bridge Park this morning for Mayor Bloomberg’s and City Council Speaker Quinn’s press conference on the City’s new waterfront plan, as was a crowd of about 100, who endured a brief snow flurry as Hizzoner spoke. Video after the jump.

You can get a an overview of the plan here.

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  • Big Dave

    Did Councilmember Levin get to say a few words?

  • Eddy de Lectron

    Gotta admit “Blue Highway” sounds much better than Murky Green Highway…

  • stuart little

    This is such an important initiative. NYC grew and prospered because of its fine ice-free harbor and two magnificent rivers. What other city has a protected ocean harbor and two great rivers? Unfortunately the hustle bustle of a working waterfront made rich New Yorkers allergic to the water. The prime streets, like Fifth Avenue, were in the center of the island as far as possible from the waterfront. Brooklyn Heights was close to the waterfront but separated from it by the natural height of the bluffs.
    Today, in a largely post-industrial city, the residents long to re-establish a closer connection with the increasingly clean and beautiful waters surrounding them.
    Who in their right mind would have wanted to go kayaking in the bay forty years ago? It was gross. Now it is different and that is a very good thing. I am no fan of the mayor usually, but I know that a rich man often wishes to leave behind a legacy. If his legacy to the city is a series of waterfront parks, it will be a truly magnificent and lasting one.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    And stuart little, your wonderful sentiments, in the above post, is your legacy to the Brooklyn Heights Blog. Nice job.

  • PS 8 parent

    I could get more excited about this lovely project if it weren’t for the prospect of teacher layoffs, which makes me wonder if the money could be better spent elsewhere. Well, at least our unemployed teachers and unemployable, poorly-educated children will have a place to enjoy the waterfront.

  • Hicks St Guy

    @PS8, it’s all about you.

  • http://Building Jeffrey J Smith

    The city has a new waterfront plan….really? then why doesn’t
    anyone ask some key questions…

    like how many HUNDREDS (or MORE) persons will be conducted
    around and THROUGH the heights to get to the new waterfront parks?…..

    Second basic question; how many dozens of new well trained
    police, fire and ems personnel are we going to recieve in
    recognition of this new population…

    Why aren’t these questions settled FIRST before anything else goes foward….why aren’t these questions even asked…is it
    that it gauche or not PC?

    Its very simple, if you increase the USE of an area, you want
    MORE COPS MORE FIRE MORE EMS if that isnt in the deal,
    youre getting thinner, LESS PROTECTION.

    Public officials, the C of C and local realitors can smile for photo
    ops, but what are you left with. The last studies I saw openly
    stated that State Street would have many hundreds of new
    “foot traffic” during each summer weekend.

    Think that wont impact heights safety and security? You’ve spent
    too much time in the Casino it you think that…

    jefferyJSmith.NewYork2usa.com

  • http://Building Jeffrey J Smith
  • Eddy de Lectron

    Jeff, The heights has two firehouses within its borders and another at the foot of Tillary St. LICH is right at the end of the park and Brooklyn Hospital is not too far away. I doubt we’ll need any more fire and EMS coverage. Perhaps we might need a couple of more cops to patrol the park but so far it doesn’t look like it has been attracting a rowdy crowd.

  • http://Building Jeffrey J Smith

    The question is what the size of the population using thepark and the development around the area. In short the total USE of an area.

    The point here is that from day one, the most important aspect
    of any planning and the negotiations which always go on is,
    how many MORE cops, fire and EMSare we going to get so someone can engage in City building (and causing wealth creation for the select few) This is one of the most basic rules
    of sound area management…

    If anyone increases the USE of an area by or for any reason,
    YOU WANT MORE PUBLIC SAFETY MANPOWER. If you dont get this, you’re spreading protection thinner. Dont think bad guys
    see that and make a judgement of where to hit based on that?
    The moment cops were drawn out of neighborhoods to work the WTC disaster site break-ins in for example Flushing shot up 43%…I was there for that little “show”

    We have enough manpower at present, perhaps, but look at the projections shown at public meetings as to what the area population during say, a typical summer weekend may grow to..

    Make NO mistake, there is NO substitute for an experianced
    patrolman or fire or EMS personnel in reasonable ration to the actuial use of an area.

    One little point, people have a VERY SHORT memory, back in
    the 70’s and early 80’s EVERY park in this area had a dangerious, persistant drug problem. We had wild man with gun incidents in front of the Federal court house in the park at like
    8 PM. The number of weapons displayed, and discharged on the Promenade is a side of heights history everyone wants to forget.
    Now youre deciding to have a big park…at a time when the economy is going sour and intergroup tensions are…well theyre
    not exactly declining in large parts of the city…

    Somebody wants to increase the use of an area or draw sizable crowds of people around and thorough the Heights?…YOU WANT MORE COPS……