TRO Issued on Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6 Towers

By on July 19, 2014 10:33 am in brooklyn bridge park, Real Estate

As previously reported, area resident Lori Schomp is not a fan of the current plan for housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6. Emboldened by just under 3,000 signatures on her petition at Change.org, the activist won her first battle yesterday:

Brooklyn Eagle: The city seeks to include 30 percent moderate- and middle-income housing in the luxury waterfront project.

The group also says a supplemental environmental review needs to be carried out because park circumstances have drastically changed since the housing plans were initially made. These changes include Superstorm Sandy, significantly increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic, a change in park finances and overcrowding in neighborhood schools.

RELATED:This Interactive Map Shows Every Demolition In Brooklyn Since 2003

Lori Schomp, a petitioner in the legal action along with fellow Willowtown resident Joseph Merz, said in a statement, “Planning must take into account current circumstances, and new consideration must now be given to what Brooklyn needs in terms of park space and services to accommodate park visitors as well as school, traffic and other infrastructure challenges faced by local residents.

She added, “I support the mayor’s visionary efforts on affordable housing; however, putting additional luxury housing—even with an affordable component— in the Brooklyn Bridge Park takes away public green space from all of the people of Brooklyn.”

NYS Senator Daniel Squadron, NYS Assemblymember Joan Millman, and NYC Councilmembers Brad Lander and Steve Levin issued the following statement regarding the lawsuit:

“This lawsuit is yet another example of why we have urged the administration to stop moving forward at a breakneck speed on the Bloomberg-era plan for housing at Pier 6, and instead begin to work with the community.

“We have long voiced concern about housing in the park and will continue to do so, especially in light of the continued unknowns at the LICH site, which is a stone’s throw from Pier 6 and will have infrastructure and planning impacts on the same immediate area. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation and the Administration should immediately cease any action on this RFP and begin a community-driven process to revisit other viable options to the Bloomberg plan for housing at Pier 6.”


Final Press Release 7.18.2014 3-30 PM by Brooklyn Heights Blog

Final MOL_people for Green Space by Brooklyn Heights Blog

Final Petition_people for Green Space by Brooklyn Heights Blog

OSC_People for Green Space by Brooklyn Heights Blog

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  • NeighboorHood

    Wow. So you’re saying the Bugle’s position is that it’s their posting which has “persuaded” 80% of the respondents to be against high rise condo developments in our park? Seriously? It’s not possible that Brooklynites have weighed the facts and their experience over the years with the promises and artist’s renderings of the “benefits” of their projects versus the cold reality of what we end up with, and what we as a community lose once they have done their damage?
    As for “astro turfing”, I think you protest too much. You can check back and see my comments on this blog going back years. I posted as a guest for speed. If posting as a guest gets one labeled as an Astroturfer you should remove that option no?I have now logged in as my usual handle “Neighborhood” so you can see. I will wait on the very outer most edge of my seat for your approval of my right to post an opinion. Again the Bugle attempts to slant the message by implying that the poll itself AND the comments are being manipulated too? No bias there! So not sure what the point of that is other than to undermine the overwhelming opinion AGAINST the high rises? Does the Bugle have proof? And btw, you’ve never really specifically responded to the examples of what some of us considered biased about the wording of your original story which seems odd unless you are having difficulty explaining it away.

  • Joe A

    Brooklyn Bridge Park is only a park because of the proposed development.

  • Solovely

    Dear everyone, if anyone is “AstroTuring” it is likely me ;(

    I think we need a big Huzzah to BHB; they posted the legal petition – in all its completeness. The only news source to do so.

    I hope they will continue to do so, and post any information Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp. releases as well.

    This is an important project for our community, and totally warrants a robust debate!

    Happiest Monday everyone.

  • Joe A

    Yeah, we all liked it better when it was rusting piers and deteriorating warehouses and nobody came to visit. How dare Brooklynites enjoy a park.

    Your silly comment reminds me of that famous Yogi Berra comment about a restaurant, “nobody goes there anymore it’s too crowded”

  • Quinn Raymond

    Right, including affordable housing.

  • Joe A

    Then you wouldn’t have had a park because no one wants to saddle the taxpayers of NYC with the entire cost of maintenance of this expensive project. When will people realize that there is no free lunch?

  • Quinn Raymond

    Since the boundaries of Brooklyn Heights have not changed, the change in population will equal the change in density.

    And the tourist traffic will only increase if you add more park space to the plan.

  • Quinn Raymond

    This debate aside, I would be really interested to see the more recent data on population growth in Brooklyn Heights.

    I’m not sure you can apply county-wide data though and extrapolate the neighborhood’s growth from that. Think of how much Downtown Brooklyn has grown.

    If you do find more recent growth data though please send it along.

  • Quinn Raymond
  • Quinn Raymond

    Me too.

  • Quinn Raymond

    I would argue that both funding the park and also increasing the stock of affordable housing are civic necessities, but I understand not everyone agrees with me.

  • Quinn Raymond

    To be fair, the building at Pier 6 would be much higher than what was is being built at Pier 1.

    My point is that people get most agitated about the stuff nearest them, whether or not it makes sense.

  • David on Middagh

    Solovely: I’m on your side of this debate. And I love your coinage of “AstroTuring”, which implies a need for some sort of “AstroTuring Test” to root out sockpuppets, robots, and copypasters.

    Soon, it may not be possible to tell the programmed from the proletariat. Activists are becoming smarter all the time!

  • Doug Biviano

    That’s exactly right about De Blasio getting arrested as a campaign prop then tries to deceive us with the Gary Reilly letter sent by dark money. My opponent for Assembly Peter Sikora is deeply involved in this deception. I explain more at DougBiviano.com.

    LICH, Business Library and Housing in the Park are merely symptoms of the real problem, that being the power of governing has been taken out of our community by a permanent class of elected officials and their hand picked replacements who are backed by big outside money and have mastered the election process.

    Please support my candidacy to return –> Power to the Neighborhood!

    dougbiviano.com

  • heights res

    So – I guess that means no parks, libraries, schools, mass transit, sanitation services, road maintenance, theatre and arts programs, senior services, legal services, publicly financed elections, health inspections of restaurants, safety inspections of elevators and bldgs, CUNY, etc. – unless they all are privatized/corporatized?……. All NYC PUBLIC services are subsidized by public money (despite massive efforts by Bloomberg to remake policy – that’s how we got into this “park” mess to begin with)

  • Doug Biviano

    This is the typical wedge issue designed by consultants. For example, Dock Street was a resounding no until former Council Member Ken Fisher advised Two Trees to throw in a middle school…

    Sure, we all can all agree we want affordable housing but that has nothing to do with the issue of de Blazio putting it in the park. It’s new high-rise housing in the park that’s a problem and a symptom of the real problem at hand.

    The real problem is that the power of governing has been taken out of our community by a permanent class of politicians in office who have mastered the election process, their hand picked candidates, and now the deception is in warp drive with the Gary Reilly LICH letter and the dark money behind it being the latest example. My opponent for Assembly Peter Sikora being deeply involved in this campaign deception.

    I explain more at DougBiviano.com

    My candidacy is about returning — Power to the Neighborhoods!

  • Quinn Raymond

    I like that phrase. I wouldn’t say I’m “glad” exactly. But my views on this kind of thing have evolved over a long period of reading and thinking about urban planning, the environment, and income inequality.

    It is difficult having a view that is contrarian to most of the outspoken community, but it would be wrong of me not to engage on this issue as it is an important one and demonstrates a difficult truth about human nature.

  • Solovely

    I think Mr. Turing would approve!

  • Quinn Raymond

    I’m inclined to agree with you.

    As far as other huge areas for parks, it would be better to find a bunch of smaller areas. Parks tend to work better when they’re smaller and well distributed.

    They also tend to work better when they are adequately funded and maintained.

    Sadly the private and public funding that goes to Central Park and BBP is never matched in lower income areas.

  • Still Here

    Quinn….Agree with your posts except for some needed refinement —-Pier 1 activists – the few and the quiet – accepted the reality that they would get the hotel (always in the plan since 1990-ish) and later, reluctantly, that Pier 1 would get condos as well; the original Cold Storage facility foot print/ mass would be filled and then some. The request from FFLA, and DNA, has always been that the three condo sites should get treated equitably regarding any adjustments to height/mass due to the impact alternative revenue sources. However, both sites have maximum build-out per their required capacity and footprints – partly a development timing issue. This plea from FFLA and DNA, or any concern for Pier 1 and DUMBO condo sites, has been conveniently ignored by Mr. Squadon and the Pier 6 activists – who are against condos except where they are for them. Yes, blatant and disingenuous political grandstanding and neighborhood NIMBYism.
    And…I still don’t understand affordable housing being proposed in an area with no affordable schools or healthcare.

  • Quinn Raymond

    Neither.

  • Quinn Raymond

    I believe the Mayor’s name is spelled “de Blasio”

  • Quinn Raymond

    Pardon my ignorance but what are DNA and FFLA?

  • Quinn Raymond

    I really feel like these should be typed in ALL CAPS for greater impact.

  • Doug Biviano

    Quinn, who are you helping in this campaign cycle and who have you in the past? …just so we have some disclosure which would be nice for a change.

  • Solovely

    I love the ACS survey data, its fabulous, so much information, and you can look by zip code.

    Unfortunately however, the 2013 estimates aren’t available by zip code (yet anyway).

    Also, if you look at the City’s CAFR (Consolidated Annual Financial Report) it has the city’s own population projections (just by borough though). Brooklyn’s growth has really taken off in the past 2 to 3 years (as is also evident with the real estate market!)

    It’s only anecdotal ( the park’s management hasn’t released the number of visitors to the park annually, or tried to survey where they come from — another reason for a new environmental impact statement) but I would argue that the population changes to date, and to come in the future, across all of Brooklyn are relevant to the park’s future visitor projections (i.e. population projections specific to Brooklyn Heights are too narrow)

    ACS is AWESOME:
    http://www.census.gov/acs/www/

    http://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/comprehensive-annual-financial-reports/

  • Quinn Raymond

    I think you’ve flattened and shoehorned some incredibly complex and mostly unrelated issues to fit within a very simplistic campaign message.

  • Joe A

    Of course that is not what the BB is saying. Not sure if you have a reading comprehension problem or are willfully being dense.

  • Quinn Raymond

    Thank you

  • Joe A

    There was plenty of opposition to the Pier 1 development. Where were you? But despite the opposition cooler heads prevailed and as a result we have this spectacular park.

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