POV for Strategic Communication

2025-02-24

This is the expression of the 160 Imlay BMT Committee, in representation of the wants and concerns of the building. These priorities are used for strategic outreach (members of EDC, Task Force, etC), and can be referenced by any resident also engaging in communication around the BMT project’s impact on Imlay.

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Wants — Simplified

• Designating a significant footprint of greenspace on Pier 11 for residents and tourists

• Defining a height limitation for any future construction on Pier 11 that may limit views

• Limiting quality of life impacts created by any future construction and industrial use along the waterfront

• Improving and expanding infrastructure to responsibly support a growing Red Hook community

Project Context 

• In 2024, the NYC / EDC acquired 122-acres of waterfront / port property from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). The site spans from Atlantic Avenue to the south part of Red Hook. 

• The NYC / EDC’s objective is to “transform the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into an asset for modern maritime jobs and vibrant mixed-use community hub” and is currently undergoing a masterplan process to develop scenarios for the development of the site.

• Because the 122-acres of waterfront / port property acquired was not properly maintained over the last 40-years by PANYNJ, the NYC / EDC has stated that it will need to invest approximately $2.3 - 2.5B in port improvements to achieve its objective (above), none of which would be revenue generating.

• To compensate for the non-revenue generating investment, the scenarios that the EDC is proposing uses housing units — 3,000 - 12,000 depending on the scenario — as the primary revenue generating component. 

• The elected taskforce — chaired by Representative Dan Goldman and co-chaired by Council Member Alexa Avilés and State Senator Andrew Gounardes — that represents the community in this masterplan process is set to vote on the proposed scenarios on April 14, 2025. Following the approval of a scenario, the project will go through a GPP process — under state jurisdiction — which allows the NYC / EDC to rezone the entirety of the site rather than abiding by current zoning laws. 

Project Concerns

• The NYC / EDC is using tax payer money to expedite a project that is being driven by Mayor Adams’ campaign for re-election. The NYC / EDC has stated that the process is designed around community engagement, but the community is being provided limited information and selective opportunities for input, which is why the proposed scenarios are far from what the community needs and wants. 

• The proposed scenarios are based on the addition of 3,000 - 12,000 housing units. If there are two-people per housing unit on average, that would mean an increase of 24,000 people (high-end). Red Hook has a current population of 40,000 people, which means that the population would increase by more than 50%.

• The community has asked the NYC / EDC for feasibility studies (e.g., economics, transportation, infrastructure) but the NYC / EDC has yet to provide any information that suggests that Red Hook — where a majority of the housing units would be located — can support a more than 50% increase on its population.  

• Red Hook is a historically rich and unique neighborhood due to its architectural scale and sightlines / access to the waterfront. That said, as it stands today it is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and is absent of / lacking green space and transportation, as well as other essential needs (e.g., access to food, access to healthcare). 

Wants — Extended 

• The NYC / EDC should conduct the proper feasibility studies (e.g., economics, transportation, infrastructure) and community engagement activities to ensure that the proposed scenarios are well coordinated with existing projects (e.g., DOT BQE Cantilever, DDC Coastal Resiliency) and enable a future that is in service of the community flourishing for generations rather than being in service of political interests. 

• What does a successful scenario look like from the New York Dock Building’s point of view? 

• The transformation of waterfront property — specifically Pier 11 — into a lush open space / green space (e.g., bike paths, walking paths, playgrounds, recreation courts) that serves as the public’s “backyard”, protects the neighborhood from future flood risk, and does not put the significant financial investment that unit owners have made into the New York Dock Building at risk.

• Similar to Brooklyn Bridge Park which was state funded and thus maintained by NYS Parks, the NYC / EDC could establish a partnership with NYS Parks to develop / maintain this open space / green space 

• The creative integration of commercial space into the topography of the open space / green space — not to attract big businesses, but to create a resurgence of local businesses

• The removal of the existing Pier 11 building to create a visual connection between the proposed Pier 11 open space / green space and Governor’s Island National Monument which may also be the future home of the Climate Exchange 

• The improvement / addition of infrastructure (e.g., sewer, water, garbage transportation) to adequately support the addition of new housing units and commercial businesses — the quantity of which should respond to a calculated need and respect the architectural scale of the neighborhood

• The increase in ferry frequency / addition of ferry stops to make Red Hook more accessible — of which NYC / EDC has the ability to control as the operator of the NYC Ferry system