The Department of City Planning will host its public hearing for the controversial Dock Street DUMBO project this afternoon at its headquarters in lower Manhattan at 22 Reade Street. The meeting is on its day calendar, but is “not likely to start before 12:30 pm,” it says.
The city’s hearing is Step 3 in Developers David and Jed Walentases’ bid to change the zoning to residential from manufacturing, and build a new parking lot, on the lot in DUMBO bordered by Dock, Water and Front streets, and part of Main Street. The developers also have hopes of including a public middle school in the project, but that element is not part of the zoning change and thus not a direct part of the discussion today. [Download DCP’s calendar for the full application]
The Walentases have so far garnered support for the project from Community Board 2, who voted in January 30-7 to support the project. Borough President Marty Markowitz released his mixed review report last week, in which he gave recommendations on how to make the building smaller and not alter views of the Brooklyn Bridge. (Later, he compared the task to a root canal.) And BHB readers responded to a poll saying NO to Dock Street in February.
We will, of course, keep you posted on how the meeting went.
