BHA Issues “Fake News Alert” About Pier Six

By on April 21, 2017 10:57 pm in 11201, brooklyn bridge park, Development, Legal, News, Real Estate

The Brooklyn Heights Association has issued a notice under the headline “Pier 6 Rumors Have No Factual Basis.” This is in reaction to rumors it has heard in response to Judge Lucy Billings’ order to the BHA and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation that they have “dialogue” in an effort to reach a compromise on the issue of housing on the Pier Six uplands. Because settlement negotiations are, by court order, held in confidence, there has been, the BHA said, speculation that it “is entering into a ‘secret deal’ that would somehow harm some of our neighbors.” The BHA responded:

We are writing to reassure everyone that those rumors have no basis in fact. The BHA has not and would not enter into any resolution of the Pier 6 issues without consulting with our community and we have consistently said just that to the Court and to the respondents, i.e., the other party.

The BHA added that, to assure community representation in the negotiations, it had persuaded the court that “we could expand the confidentiality tent to include the two community leaders with whom we have worked most closely from the beginning of this case.” In conclusion, it said, “no one should have any concern that we would enter into any resolution without input from our community.”

Share this Story:

, , ,

  • Jorale-man

    As this battle drags on, I wonder how much people living in One Brooklyn Bridge Park are involved. I’d think there would be enough wealthy, connected residents there who could make this difficult for the pro-development side. Their views and traffic congestion will be dramatically affected, after all. And with new numbers showing that the park is flush with cash, and not struggling to meet a maintenance budget, as they contend, they have plenty of arguments on their side.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    I know that Ren Richmond, a resident of One BBP, has been very active in the resistance to building the new structures. He’s an expert on finance, and has questioned the BBPC’s need for the additional revenue to be generated by the two buildings, and has done his own projections to buttress his argument. The BBPC has, of course, responded, claiming that his projections are not accurate.

  • Jorale-man

    Very interesting. I assume BBPC will also argue that residents there knew what they were getting into when they bought their condos in the first place.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    The ones whose windows face the BQE certainly did.

  • Banet

    I’m friendly with at least one resident who faces the development sites. She seemed aghast and indignant that these buildings might go up. When I asked her if she knew they were planned she told me that they were told of the plans, but that their real estate agent poo-pooed the possibility of it ever happening. That the resident of the building “would never let it happen”.

    I think people heard what they wanted to hear.

  • Quinn Raymond

    It was in their offering package. Anyone at 1BBP suggesting they didn’t know this was coming is either being insincere or clueless.

    Alternatively a simple google search would have sufficed.

  • Canonchet

    BHA says it successfully petitioned the judge to “expand the confidentiality tent to include the two community leaders with whom we have worked most closely from the beginning of this case.” Did BHA identify the people it has invited to join in their confidential negotiations with the Park Corporation? The BHA is the litigant in this case, so its role in these court-mandated talks is logical, and as a private organization it is free to consult or collaborate with whomever it wishes. But it seems strange that unelected (and unidentified?) individuals are in effect negotiating with a government body on behalf of a ‘community’ that hasn’t delegated that authority to them in any democratic manner.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    Peter Bray, Executive Director of the BHA, has told me they are Judi Francis and Ren Richmond. Judi represents the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund, and Ren represents People for Green Space, both of which organizations have long opposed the Pier 6 housing. Ren is mentioned in an earlier comment by me on this thread.

  • Andrew Porter

    Update: The Eagle reports talks have failed. Bring on the legal eagles!:

    http://tinyurl.com/monrxxv