Settlement Allows Pier 6 Tower Plans to Proceed

By on May 27, 2015 9:14 pm in brooklyn bridge park, Development, Legal, News, Real Estate

The Daily News reports that People for Green Space Foundation and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation have agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the Foundation that sought to prevent the construction of two residential towers on the landward side of Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, near the Atlantic Avenue entrance and just south of One Brooklyn Bridge Park. The suit resulted in a temporary restraining order that prevented the BBPC from proceeding with a request for proposals to develop the high rise buildings.

Under the terms of the settlement, the TRO is lifted and the BBPC may proceed with the request for proposals. However, any plans for the two development sites must now be subjected to public scrutiny at “one or more public hearings dictated by the terms of the settlement.” The Daily News story quotes Frank Carone, an attorney for People for Green Space, as saying “The settlement provides for a meaningful process whereby experts and community members can be heard,” and Lori Schomp, a principal of PFGS, as saying “This settlement starts a conversation that wasn’t going to happen before.”

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  • Solovely

    Please see our press release located here,

    May 27, 2015 Community Wins Input and a State Approval Process for the Development Planned on Pier 6

    THE PUBLIC WILL NOW HAVE ITS SAY ON THE UNNECESSARY PRIVATE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE ENTRANCE OF BROOKLYN’S PARK

    “The agreement reached today and its related side letter lay out the public process for the Park Corporation to seek state approval to change the original vision for the park as embodied in the General Project Plan and related documents and to justify the loss of park space forever at Pier 6…”

    http://www.savepier6.org

  • Solovely

    note!

    “PFGSF has reserved the right to take further legal action to, among other things,
    seek the important environmental analysis and mitigation measures required by
    law if the requested changes are approved without properly taking into account
    the dramatic changes in circumstances in the past decade (including school
    overcrowding, the park’s incredible popularity, flood zone changes after
    Hurricane Sandy and the Park’s real estate windfall).”

  • Bornhere

    I certainly admire and cheer the organized and energetic efforts of Green Space, but reading the requirement “…for the Park Corporation to seek state approval… ” doesn’t leave me feeling much optimism at all. And 155 and 315 feet is so very, very tall, no matter who is living there.

  • blah

    Wow Save Pier 6 got nothing out of this… oh well

  • Slyone

    When they seek state approval of the amended General Project Plan, do they need to do an environmental assessment or EIS?

  • StoptheChop

    Note: The BBPC plan also includes a new traffic scheme that will eliminate the “mini” loop road leading to Atlantic Avenue (to create a nice “front lawn” for the luxury tower) and will make the Piers 5/6 frontage road run one-way north. Thus, every car, van, delivery truck, sanitation truck, mail truck, taxi AND the B63 bus will have to travel along the frontage road once it enters the Park from Atlantic Avenue — where these vehicles will come up against the traffic light at the Furman/Joralemon intersection and will also have to navigate the pedestrian park goers who will, in turn, have to navigate this traffic. So much for the “wonderful new entrance” that BBPC is touting in connection with the towers it now seems confident of being able to build as it wishes.

  • StoptheChop

    But won’t the towers be translucent, like they are in the picture?

  • ShinyNewHandle

    Maybe they will be coal-black, like Pierhaus.

    Devil’s Development…

  • Willow Street Watch

    Total roll over…”public input” with this government at its core, just like some official in the average European state, or much of England today, seeking comments. They listen. They may nod their heads…then they go
    Ahead and do exactly what they want.

    ONLY when someone mounts a really serious legal action on a Federal level AND puts some serious money on the street for “revelations” will this stop.

    J’s law # 5: You can’t use sugar pills for cancer…

  • Jorale-man

    A sad day for Brooklyn Heights. The hubris and greed that led to these towers will be regretted for generations to come.

  • StoptheChop

    FYI– the state noted unmitigable environmental impacts when it approved Atlantic Yards. So they can (will) do exactly the same again–

  • Solovely

    Dear friends,

    This is a marathon not a sprint!!! Excited and looking forward to what’s next! Community wisdom and joy!

    Consider helping us get the word out? When the meetings happen?!! tally-ho!

    Parks are for park visitors! … not housing! Unless it’s a turtle’s shell, a bird’s nest, beehive, or other similar housing for non-humans.

    Our side letter agreement creates a strong framework for community input… and we retained our right to sue for a SEIS.

    We will put our expert witness testimony in the record for the state to consider in evaluating whether a supplemental environmental impact statement is needed… We have lots of empirical evidence and analyses and expert testimony.

    The park is so popular! Reason and truth will prevail! The Brooklyn waterfront has a higher calling than housing for a few, when it welcomes millions of visitors.

    To quote an amazing friend, no more real estate money interests in the park.. !!

    **
    I would love to see birds nests, turtle shells , and now more than ever bees nests , to be major new residents of our newly expanded green community!

    A welcome and quietly assertive group whose primary interest would be fresh air, clean water, rich soil and the free energy of the sun. The subject of greenbacks is a fools game in their world.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    I sincerely hope that you are right! With all best wishes for the fight and struggles ahead. It would be wonderful to see the community have meaningful voice for once.

  • stuart

    The entire history of this park has been riddled with illegality. First, the outrageous de-mapping of the Empire Stores and Tobacco Warehouse as parkland because the City claimed that their original inclusion was a “typo”. Next the outright lies about the heights of the new Pilot House development. Next the mysterious closing of the swaying bridge. Next the illegal adjustments to the Pier 6 developments. What a shameful and disrespectful public process. Why isn’t anyone facing criminal charges yet?

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    For the same reason that no one is facing charges for the illegal, corrupt closing of Long Island College Hospital by SUNY according the the plan of Cuomo and the Albany machine, with “a little” help from our ;progressive sham of a Mayor, de Blasio.

    Reason: real estate interest control our executive government, legislative system, judicial system and most of our large newspapers, i.e., NY Times, Daily News, New York Post.

    There are no checks and balances in our so-called democracy anymore.

  • miriamcb

    I have to say, I’m a little puzzled by this settlement. The Park hasn’t seemed to value any community input before, so I’m not exactly sure why it would now.

    The Park now has the opportunity to say, okay, we heard you, through your processes, and we are still going to do what we want.

  • gc

    And the beat goes on….
    We’ve been rolled over again by the real estate interests and their political toadies. No surprises here. They will have their way until the neighborhood stands up with both money and action. Serious money is needed to fight projects that generate tens of millions of dollars for the real estate interests. Action in the streets, that makes the developers and new buyers very uncomfortable will also be required. I don’t see it in the cards. Pier 6 is going to look just like Pier 1 before you know it.

  • brooklynheightsguy

    I’m all for Save Pier 6, but without the full context of the side letter agreement or what is entailed when the GPP is amended, this doesn’t look much like a victory. The legal settlement only requires that BBP *request* ESDC to *consider* changing the GPP, while at the same time, they get to proceed with the RFP and proposal evaluation. What if the ESDC decides not to amend the GPP? Can they build anyway? Where’s the side letter and what legal authority does it have since it isn’t even mentioned in the settlement.

  • mlcraryville

    The critical question is “Exactly what will the ‘request for proposal” seek from the developers”?
    Will it give priority to maximizing the scale and scope of the housing in order to maximize the revenue? Will it prioritize the affordable housing? Or will it, instead, prioritize the inherent values of the park and the park goers and balance that against revenue?
    Will it require public disclosure of shadow studies to protect the Willowtown neighbors?
    Will it require structural harmony with the Historic Districts of Cobble Hill and the Heights starting with how tall it needs to be and include studies of the materials to be used for its facade?
    Community input to the RFP should be happening now before it is put out there and not later and then, of course, too late.

  • WILLOW Street Watch

    Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!!! There is a world of legal and political action begging to be taken here..but FIRST it HAS to occur in Federal court..then you have to force law enforcement to take action by making it inescapable for them not to take action.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    And what are you doing to make what you say happen?

  • Jorale-man

    All good questions. I’ve seen enough of these projects over the years to know that they’ll aim for the maximum height for sure. And they’ll do the bare minimum with regard to affordable housing (probably with a “poor door” no less). BBP is a real estate concern and as such, its concerns are not aesthetic or community-minded. After all, how did they exactly arrive at 30 stories as a target height? Maybe I’ll be proven wrong here (and I hope I will) but real estate interests generally always win out in these circumstances.

  • TeddyNYC

    Those buildings don’t belong there, just as a 44-floor building doesn’t belong on the corner of Atlantic & Hicks (it should only be 10-15 floors max).

  • Willow Street Watch

    Well first I’m trying to cut through the prattle with some kind of
    Reality. I have put a lot of personal time and funds into attempting to get key Heights figures to focus on what would really stop or damage the process of decline we have now entered.

    I would be willing to organize the kind of press/public realations which has to likelihood of actually winning…you need really WELL RUN street political action. If the right help and financials are present. Because this really has to be a community effort…and let me get this straight…. There isn’t enough money and influence in the Heights to stop what is going on??? In the Heights!!!!

    Come off it, this is just a case of a bunch of casino types signing off on all this and the sheeple are either not understanding or being so resigned so as to give up a perfectly winable fight in advance…

    Now, what are YOU doing to stop what is going on???….

  • Willow Street Watch

    Well, before you accept ANY amount of floors, everyone should consider the basic nature of the buildings going up. How safe are their design and what are the #$&@% things are made with!!

    How fire/arson safe and how much structural integrity do these chrome boxes have? At all concerned with the lives and health of you and your family? Want your hair instantly straightened?

    Well, as said prior; just call the Yale Architecture School Campaign for safe buildings 212 353 7200 S. Forneris and e mail the Skyscraper Safety Campaign Sally@SkyscraperSafety.org….see what you find, when you regain consciousness, perhaps then you’ll have some real idea of why this tulip craze of building in the form it now is planned REALLY is the ultra bad idea it is……again, its your life and health and that of your family.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    I worked tirelessly for the last two years to keep LICH open. I worked with the doctors, nurses, and became a member of Patients for LICH.

    I attended most every rally (and there were many and they were huge) and sometimes helped organize them.

    Also, went to the community group meetings. I spoke at many of these meetings and rallies and was interviewed by newspapers and tv/radio news. I wrote to politicians, went to Albany, helped another Patient for LICH with her valiant cause to look into the plundering of LICH’s Othmer Endowment Fund.

    I attended many of the court hearings and, thus, was able to see for myself how the judicial system ruled against the suit by 6 community groups and the doctors to keep LICH open.The judicial rulings were made by deep bias towards NYS state and NYC city politicians. Etc.

  • Willow Street Watch

    So you and many well ontentioned Heights residents did all that and what did it all add up to? See, the controlled political and social/ cultural worlds are full of individuals and organizations which sum to zero.

    Pros who are effective in either fields have no time for this….

    First of all, if you are going to play by your opponent’s rules in his or her stadium, you’ll Always fail….There IS a process known as appealing to higher courts for example. But the LICH protests were glumly older style activists trying long ineffective methods, Advil on cancer, and they wouldn’t listen to anyone outside their circles.

    The efforts you list is just like someone running on a treadmill, not getting anywhere and then claiming to have made a major effort…

    Your apparent allegations of looting of trust funds is something which should, before anything else, should have been brought to federal and State law enforcement. And if they fail to act, a explosion in the press and blogishere should have been orchestrated. Like every effective lobby would do. You should have been been very LOUDLY asking why is it that in Brooklyn Heights with all its (largely hidden) super wealth, there aren’t a flood of funds for a legal action.
    Not you guys, you just wanted to do your ineffective thing.

  • Willow Street Watch

    You’ve been rolled over on because YOU allowed yourselves to be rolled over on….

    Imagine if this nonsense was happening in Boro Park? Or Monsey? What would be happening? Well why Can’t any unauthorized development go on there, but anything goes here?…Because every real estate creep knows, and you know, what would happen if someone tried anything there…Or for that matter in certain parts of Bensonhurst…

    As long as you want to do old style sum-to-zero activism, and you dont want to listen to listen to anyone outside of your immediate lifestyle, you’ll always fail.

  • miriamcb

    I’m not sure what your practical point is. If you’re not willing to be transparent about what you’re doing and if you’re doing it and how people can help you realistically, it just looks like you’re tearing everyone else down who is trying to be involved.

    The more I read your posts across the blog, the more I see that there is a lot of criticism and no apparent action on your part. If you’re helping, say so! Then other people can effectively help you.

  • Dean Collins

    why….not all BH residents are against these buildings being built.

    personally I think its a great location for more housing to be developed.