One positive outcome of EDC’s threat to our neighborhoods, by Brian Abate

Members of the Columbia Street Waterfront community announced that they have officially formed the Columbia Street Waterfront Association (CSWA).

Their mission is to “to promote the health, vitality, and character” for the neighborhood and “to advocate for the interests of residents, businesses, and others with a stake in the Columbia Street Waterfront community.”

CSWA was formed in part because when the Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) chose the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT) task force, there were representatives from Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and Red Hook, but no one from the Columbia waterfront.

“I moved to the neighborhood in July 2005 with my wife and daughter from Connecticut,” said Randy Gordon, a board member of the CSWA, who helped turn the idea for the group into a reality. After a suggestion to look in Brooklyn, we found an amazing spot on Tiffany Place.

“I’ve had discussions when people asked me about where I live in Brooklyn, I would say, ‘We’re west of the BQE, south of Brooklyn Bridge Park, and north of Red Hook in this great neighborhood called the Columbia Street Waterfront District.’ We can walk everywhere, and there are so many great people who make this a community.”

An initial meeting took place in the neighborhood last May. Those in attendance were primarily concerned with the BMT and the concrete recycling facility on Columbia St. The facility was spewing crystalline silica, which can cause severe lung diseases, into the neighborhood.

EDC situation
“I’ve heard about other attempts to start an association here that, for whatever reason, did not end up happening, but in this case, it came out of the early days of the BMT task force and how we didn’t get a seat on the task force,” Gordon said. “My understanding was that Council Member Alexa Aviles put forth James DeFilippis’ name to represent us, but he was turned down because we didn’t have an association.

“A lot of people weren’t happy that we were left out, so now we want to have the association to advocate for the neighborhood. The BMT was our impetus, but this certainly isn’t just about the BMT. We know there’s a lot that we can do.”

Gordon explained that following the May meeting, a working group came together to create bylaws even though the association wasn’t official yet. Another working group for communications, which works on a newsletter.

“We wanted to make it official and get our certificate of incorporation,” Gordon said. “We got some help and were able to do that, and our next step was to start building out our board. We have five board members now and want to get to nine.”

An initial corporate resolution naming acting officers was recently passed, naming Gordon as Acting President. Some initial board of directors, and should be ready to announce that soon. Board members already appointed include John Leyva, James DeFilippis, and Debra Tackney. More will be announced soon. The group is now focused on submitting a nomination for the new advisory task force and have nominated James DeFilippis. He is a professor of Urban Planning at Rutgers University with extensive practical and academic experience in community development and neighborhood change.

Mailing list
“Those who are interested in getting involved can sign up for our mailing list, and those who are interested in volunteering can reach out by email,” Gordon said. “We’ll also get out another committee sign-up form in the next newsletter, just like we did after the initial meeting in May.”

Those who are interested can also get involved at general meetings once they start and at the upcoming informational community meeting.

Other issues that many have voiced concerns about include traffic issues, including problems with bike paths, and Amazon scooters. Anothejrk project may ber to incorporate more green space into the neighborhood.

“We’re not just here about the BMT, and we’re very open about what things we should be focusing on,” Gordon said. “The one good thing about the struggles through the BMT process is we’ve formed so many relationships with people from other neighborhoods, which has been great. We’ve also had help from the Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens Association as we’re getting started.

“There’s plenty of room for people to volunteer, and we’re excited to hear everyone’s ideas.”

The link to their mailing list sign-up page is Columbia Street Waterfront Neighborhood Association Email List. People can also send an email to [email protected].