RH Community Meeting #1

2025-02-03 Notes from Community Meeting held at PS015

• Context for RH Community Meeting

• Red Hook has suffered from conflicts among neighborhood groups, especially after Sandy, which has left a mark of friction and non-agreement

• This meeting was structured to avoid fractionalization and encourage combined support, encompassing different view points

• The tone was collaborative - in the sense of RH advocating for neighborhood rights and needs - in the face of lack of transparency from (and lack of trust in) EDC and city bodies, especially in consideration of the history of the treatment of Red Hook, as well as the reference points of other neighborhoods (Williamsburg, Greenpoint) that have taken shape via a similar land-swap and development path

• Carly (ED of RHBA) gave an excellent summary of what has brought BMT / Red Hook to its current condition. NOTE: The Port Authority is notoriously negligent in its obligations. In Red Hook // BMT, this has meant lack of commitment to its contractual obligation to maintain the piers and invest in the port. This should be litigated. The investment required by the city to revive the piers and port is a financial burden due to the breech of contract by PA.

• The Meeting Organizers drafted 7 Stated Goals that were then the starting-point for group discussions and individual feedback.

• 7 Stated Goals: “What We Want” (Draft for discussion)

• We want a resilient, thriving green port that serves our community and the region well, now and into the future.

• We want this port to operate as a public good, financed using similar models to those that sustain other vital public assets.

• We want investment that prioritizes neighborhood infrastructure and NYCHA before accommodating new market rate tenants.

• We want equity, revenue and profits to stay local, through jobs, small business and other programs.

• We want a plan that integrates with other local and regional plans

• We want all applicable state, federal and local laws, framewoks and codes to be followed.

• We want true community participation to be honored in the planning process, and we want our planning efforts to eb supported by local and regional experts/

• Group Gatherings 

• The attendees divided into groups of 10-20 people to discuss key objectives (above)

• Facilitators summarized group feedback

• Collected Take Aways from Gatherings

  • The idea of “Going Bold” with making requests / demands, since it will be whittled down in the negotiation process (if we are afforded one)

  • The idea of presenting an Alternative Vision rather than the community simply rejecting Current Visions

  • The concern around infrastructure

  • The concern around massive housing development (vs. human housing development) – combining concern over Red Hook being like Williamsburg, etc, and over-run with tall buildings, a huge influx of population (and no transportation to support it) with the concern over housing being over-built and under-occupied (Downtown Brooklyn, Gowanus, etc)

  • The shared feeling that the neighborhood has been taken advantage of for a long time

• Next Steps

  • The organizers plan to have another meeting in early March

  • Participants were invited to take a survey

  • Participants were asked to engage other people in their neighborhood, to spread the word around community organization and action

Organizers and Speakers

• Tim Gilman, RETI Center

• Carly Baker-Rice, ED, Red Hook Business Alliance

• Matias Kalwill, Friends of Fort Defiance

• Victoria Alexander, Realty Collective

• Maria Nieto, Friends of Fort Defiance

• Nico Kean, Red Hook Action Committee + many local public service organizations

• Brandon Holley, Red Hook Initiative