Heights Preservationist and Former LPC Write Stern Op-Ed About Pierhouse Blocking Brooklyn Bridge Vista

By on November 24, 2014 10:28 am in brooklyn bridge park, History, Landmark Preservation

Heights Preservationist Martin L. Schneider has written an op-ed for the NY Daily News along with former LPC commissioner Beverly Moss Spatt expressing their strong opposition and outrage over the height of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pierhouse condo.

RELATED: Height of BBP’s Pierhouse Hotel: What Exactly IS the Deal? | BHA Seeks Smaller Tower at Pier 6; Slams Pierhouse Addition

NYDN: That choice location was sold off to private developers as part of a long-term financing scheme for the park. But its sale came with a very important limitation any building built there had to respect the view of the bridge.

This height limitation, spelled out in the final environmental impact statement issued by the Empire State Development Corporation in December 2005, has now been ignored by the winning bidder.

In September, the new building’s superstructure was topped out. For us onlookers, the view was drastically compromised. The new additions to the top of the building block out the lower portion of the east tower, parts of the sweeping cable structure and roadway, and scenic views of Upper Manhattan including the Chrysler Building. We were shocked.

The truth is that many of us are disappointed that this time the view of the great bridge has failed to generate much of an outcry. With the topping-out flag flying on the obstructing building it might be too late. But, the fact is the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation could, if it chose to, take action to enforce the original understanding. After some delay, the Brooklyn Heights Association has quietly taken up the battle against those who seem to have no interest in the public’s right to heart-stirring, historically significant views which every day attract visitors from across the world.

Read the full Op-Ed here.

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  • miriamcb

    Still building on top as of tonight when we walked past.

  • miriamcb

    Love that hashtag.

  • miriamcb

    It should, but it hasn’t. Walk by tonight – they have a HUGE spotlight on the top of the building and workers, busy, busy, busy. The ESB is now even blotted out from the closer end of the Promenade.

    I was unable to come to the meeting tonight, but if there are action items to be done or hands on deck needed, let me know.

  • Cindy sm

    What a total joke; town hall meetings, local
    Associations, etc

    As said DOZENS of time before, the ONLY
    things which will halt our downward slide is
    1) properly done legal action or
    2) forcing some part of law enforcement
    to sucessfully prosecute one or more
    Major players among the bad elements
    Of the real estate world. By the way,
    ONLY serious jail time and SERIOUS
    Level fine count when you’re trying
    to control these elements and their
    behavior……

  • Andrew Porter

    As I’ve remarked to a number of people I talk to on the Promenade, “Howcum I never have a 155-mm howitzer when I need one?”

  • Andrew Porter

    Wow, all these people posting using screen names, about how worthless the BHA is. I wonder how many of you actually joined the BHA, under the old proverb, “In unity is strength”. I guess you don’t believe in political action, just want to moan, whine and bitch—anonymously!—here.

    Here’s the BHA’s take on the situation. Note further links within the page:

    http://www.thebha.org/alerts/0a0fa265c900018bbe793c06797b18c4/

  • Banet

    Thanks for pointing this out. Indeed, the BHA response letter — found here:

    http://www.thebha.org/userfiles/BHAReplytoBBPLetterofNov_7,20140001(1).pdf

    was forceful and in defense of the view. The BHA is indeed taking a stand on this.

  • johnny cakes

    Bloomburger’s old policy.

  • johnny cakes

    Bill de Blazio blows.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    The problem is, that, even with properly done legal actions, such as the Save LICH coalition’s legal suit against, SUNY and the NYS Health Department, the justice system is still controlled by politicians’ ownership by real estate contributions. That is why the court ruled against the LICH coalition — the outcome of the case had nothing to do with law and everything to do with politics. The law was broken innumerable times by SUNY and still they won and got their way. Their way was not only to sell the hospital but to ensure that NO full-service hospital take it over. Why? Ask Brooklyn Hospital’s Dr. Becker and his good buddy, Andrew Cuomo.

  • Doug Biviano

    And you just voted in another pro-development anywhere go-along-get-along for State Assembly. As Mayor Ed Koch famously said, “The People have spoken … and they must be punished.” She instantly made up with “Over-build-Brooklyn Brad” Lander for running his and de Blasio’s lackey Sikora against her. lol

  • Heights Observer

    The BBPC is the classic private corp
    operating in an enfranchized “public”
    role. These entities have proliferated
    either as quasi public corporations
    or authorities. But the game is all the
    Same; to divorce the visable govern-
    ment, and the citizens from any real
    political or legal power.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    Take SUNY, for example. Go ahead, take ’em.

  • Heights Observer

    Academia has a long established
    standard of independence due to
    the need of academics to be free
    of govt or private interest coercion
    But entities like BBPC are under
    A body of administrative rules
    and court decisions which allows
    them to rule with the least public
    review or real tranperency. That
    what all of the private orgs in
    public life are set up to do.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    What I am talking about is SUNY as a state owned and operated institution, which provides absolutely NO transparency to the citizens and taxpayers of New York State. Thus, SUNY perpetrated many criminal acts to takeover and then close LICH, as well as kept their books and records secret.

  • S Betts

    This is what we were promised……….from the beginning. Who is accountable for not respecting the view of the bridge?

  • johnny cakes

    Andrew Cuomo killed LICH and then gave the body to the Fortis Group for profit dissection. Andy is the ‘gov’. He holds the whole world in his hands.

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