BBP Members Among The First To Own A Pierhouse Tower Condo… Because What Else Did You Expect

In case you thought this story couldn’t get any loopier (or fade into obscurity), DNA Info NY reported that two of the BBP Board members — David Offensend and Henry “Hank” Gutmanwere among the first to buy condos in the Pierhouse Tower in March 2014. According to the article:

Offensend, who stepped down from the park corporation’s Board of Directors in July, and Gutman, who remains on the board, got clearance from the city’s Law Department to buy units in the tony building, which includes a screening room, a pet wash station and a “young adults study” room, according to documents filed with the state.

If you think this all sounds kinda fishy, BBP VP Belinda Cape wants to assure you that the men “adhered to the park’s code of ethics“.

Gutman, who is also involved with that lovely little Brooklyn Heights Library project, helped clear the way for the two BBP towers to be built last August while allegedly using children as a human shield.

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  • BrooklynBebop

    Whether you and your friend believe The Pierhouse to be a great place to live and would buy apartments there if you could afford it, has no bearing on whether Gutman and Offensend, as board members with a fiduciary duty and conflicts of interest should have bought apartments.

    What if they were able to buy choice units or at a lower price in exchange for looking the other way when the building became too high (by 30+ft) and too long (bu 100 ft)? That is just one of the possible scenarios of how they compromosed their impartiality on this project.

  • BrooklynBeBop

    There was an agreement made with Otis Pearsall and the community that the developers would protect the view of the Brooklyn Bridge. They have reneged on that agreement with the board’s help. The park was being built anyway with the hotel/condo building at a certain size, so your point about what was there before and now is unrelated to the issue at hand.

  • BrooklynBeBop

    Thank you, person who is likely connected to the board.

  • BrooklynBeBop

    You and I don’t know that they adhered to the letter of the law. All we know is that we were told they did by people on the BBP board who have shown themselves to be less than trustworthy.

    BBP agreed with the community to allow The Pierhouse buildings to be built to a certain size. They breached that agreement. Why would they do that? Are they a rogue board? I doubt it. Someone (or someones) is getting paid off somewhere.

    Since the board reports to de Blasio and the board members sit at the pleasure of de Blasio (and get replaced when they ask too many questions by de Blasio), my guess is that the $250k that Toll Brothers raised for de Blasio has now more than amply been rewarded. Otherwise, de Blasio would have told Toll Brothers to remove the top floors and the 100ft extra in length. He hasn’t said a word.

  • Reggie

    The views have not existed for decades. The view was previously blocked by the National Cold Storage Company building until it was torn down in 2010. Did everyone just forget that in five years?

  • Andrew Porter

    This photo shows you’re wrong:

  • Reggie

    I don’t understand your point. That there was a time before construction of the cold storage building? I don’t think anyone is talking about the views from the distance or perspective shown in this photograph.