NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) held an informational webinar on August 12 regarding the future of the Columbia Street Piers. Over 120 acres of coastal land comprising the Red Hook Container Terminal, Erie Basin including the Cruise Terminal, Manhattan Beverage, the concrete recycling plant, the Waterfront and Port Authority building, and anyplace else in between were turned over to the City by the Port Authority in exchange for a container terminal on the far side of Staten Island.
A Master Plan is to be written that will determine the future of that land, and a task force is being created composed of local politicians and community leaders to have a voice in the creation of that plan.
Congressman Dan Goldman and City Concilman Alexa Aviles, designated leaders of the task force, along with State Senator Andrew Gounardes, led off the online webinar.
Gounardes was overseas at a wedding and couldn’t make this first meeting.
“The task force has approval over the final master plan,” Goldman started off saying. “It hasn’t been finalized yet, but it will include significant representation from all facets of the community. This assures that the community’s voice will be considered and will have an input in what happens here.”
Both Goldman and the EDC said that everything is still in the very early stages.
“The reason why 422 folks are here is people are eager to hear some information,” Aviles said.
“The quiet was not because nothing was happening but because we were really trying to get a process together. You will hear more information tonight but you will not hear any final information tonight because this is truly the beginning of this process and we want to get some information out there.”
Those attending the meeting could type in questions and then have members of the EDC read and respond to them. However, many in attendance were frustrated that they could not speak during the meeting or interact with the hosts of the meeting. While there was a chat box on the Zoom session, it didn’t really seem to have any bearing on what questions were being chosen to answer.
EDC and their consultant said that in future meetings, those in attendance would be able to speak. There is a workshop scheduled for September 28 to be held at the Miccio Center. Usually in these kinds of situations, meetings that are called workshops consist of dividing up attendees into separate tables supervised by minders who guide each group towards a somewhat pre-determined conclusion. That seems to be the difference between a “workshop” and a Town Hall, but for now this was not actually specified.
While the second half of the conference was spent answering questions, some of the people in attendance remained frustrated.
“The vision for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal is a generational opportunity to reimagine the site with modern maritime at its core and mixed uses, including housing and community amenities,” said Nate Gray of EDC.
“The Marine Terminal’s transformation is a key part of the Adams administration’s strategy to develop the Harbor of the Future—a reimagined East River connected network of innovation and growth, including emerging industries like offshore wind.”
Gray also spoke about investments the city plans to make to the Brooklyn Marine Terminal under EDC management which includes more than $160 million invested in Piers 11 and 12 with a focus on resilience and sustainability. The city is also investing $80 million to stabilize and repair Piers 7,8, and 10. This is all work the Port Authority had been obligated to make over the past ten years but neglected, probably in anticipation of some sort of divestiture.
Additionally, the state has pledged $15 million towards a future cold storage facility which would make it easier to store perishable goods.
Bahij Chancey from the hired consultant WXY studio explained how the community engagement process will work. The task force will be led by elected officials, as mentioned, but will also include community and city planning organizations as well as maritime and industrial groups. There will also be advisory groups which include BMT tenants, port operators, NYCHA leaders, maritime workforce, and more. “The advisory groups will serve as subject matter experts and will inform the work of the Task Force,” Chancey said.
Members of the task force have already been chosen and are currently undergoing a vetting process, as per EDC/City procedures.
Community members will also have a say and community priorities will drive the BMT’s future through surveys, public workshops, and other engagement opportunities, according to the consultants.
A fourth group that will be involved is the project team which includes the City and State Agency staff and the consultant team that will lead the project.
“In early 2025, the vision for the BMT will advance a set of community recommendations, approved by the BMT Task Force, which will guide the site’s future,” Chancey said.
The early date means the process may move quickly which makes it important that community members make their voices heard when there are community meetings and surveys.
In addition to the Miccio Center meeting, there will be a booth at the Atlantic Antic. Updates as well as the recording of the webinar system are on the EDC’s website under the project: Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
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