In early April, The New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the quasi-government agency leading the Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment, announced that it would delay the BMT task force’s vote on the vision plan for the site, from April to sometime in June. The vote is currently scheduled for June 18.
The delay came in response to loud criticism from both the community and task force members, who pointed to a lack of meaningful community input, little transparency and key questions still unanswered as reasons for why the vote should be pushed into the future.
While the goal originally was to reach consensus within the task force, the EDC is now forging ahead with their own “preferred scenario” that the agency hopes can get just enough votes to pass.
While the preferred scenario still may change between now and the 18th, we set out to ask the task force members how they would vote today, if they had to.
However, it quickly became clear that “how would you vote?” was the wrong question to ask; multiple task force members noted that there are still too many key issues that need to be addressed. So, we pivoted and began to instead ask: How do you feel about the current “preferred scenario,” and, could you even take a vote at this point in time?
We reached out to all 28 task force members. Of the 28, nine responded to us directly. For those who haven’t we included public statements if we could find them.
Dan Goldman (Chair)
In response to our inquiry, Rep. Goldman sent a statement, writing, “The Task Force has made unprecedented progress over the last 9 months towards realizing a revitalization the Brooklyn Marine Terminal that will save the port, create jobs, reduce congestion, jumpstart a revolutionary Blue Highways system, and help tackle the housing crisis ravaging our City. But there is still more work to be done to arrive at a community-based agreement to move forward, which is why we asked the City to extend the process until June. From the very beginning, the Task Force chairs have maintained that time constraints should not drive this planning process. With more time, information, and public input, I am optimistic that EDC will be able to adequately address the concerns and feedback we have heard and relayed throughout this process.”
Earlier in April — ahead of what was supposed to be the date of the vote, April 11 — Goldman wrote an op-ed in the New York Daily News that drew widespread criticism for parroting EDC talking points and misrepresenting and minimizing community concerns.
Council Member Alexa Avilés (Vice Chair)
We were unable to reach Council Member Avilés before publication. However, at an April 3 rally in Red Hook, she said would vote no based on how the preferred scenario looked at the time.
State Senator Andrew Gounardes (Vice Chair)
We were unable to get a quote from the State Senator ahead of publication. In an Instagram post from April 4, he wrote the following: “While I’m very interested in pursuing these commitments and better understanding the funding streams for them, certain fundamental elements of the site plan have still not been properly presented or explained. Let me be clear: until the Task Force receives clarity and understanding on key issues like transportation flow, housing options, resiliency, and site governance, we can not move forward with a vote.”
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Sen. Gillibrand did not respond to our request for comment. She has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
Senator Chuck Schumer
Sen. Schumer did not respond to our request for comment. He has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso
We did not receive a statement or a quote from the borough president. He also attended the April 3 rally, however, and said there that he “can’t vote yes on a project the community doesn’t know anything about.”
Council Member Shahana Hanif
Council Member Hanif told us: “I could not vote today. I think the housing piece is still a question for me. This is city owned land and predominantly luxury housing on public land is a non-starter. I want there to be broad consensus. I want there to be community buy-in. And if you ask me if we’re anywhere near that, I have to say no.” She added, “Let’s say the BMT passes and a cohort of us have voted no on it, but it still passes, and there’s a Community Benefits Agreement that doesn’t include robust funding investment for Red Hook — that would be really f-ed up.”
Assembly Member Charles Fall
Assemblyman Fall, who represents the water outside Red Hook and the Columbia Waterfront District, did not respond to our request for comment. He has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes
We were unable to reach Assembly member Mitaynes, but she spoke at the April 3 rally and has criticized the EDC multiple times, including at Public Workshop 4.
Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon
In an interview with the Star-Revue, Assembly Member Simon said, “I don’t oppose having housing. I think what they’re planning for overwhelms the site. At this juncture, I’m not overly sanguine that June is sufficient and it was supposed to be a consensus process, and so I think what we really should be striving for is not a vote by a particular date, but a consensus process where everybody agrees that this is a viable approach. And viability, I think, is a big outstanding item.”
Tom Conoscenti, Assistant Secretary for Economic Development to the Governor (Governor Appointee)
We did not receive a response directly from Conoscenti, but the Governor’s office responded to our questions, stating, ”We are working with NYCEDC and the task force to work on a plan that works for the community and addresses potential concerns.”
Nate Bliss, Chief of Staff, First Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce (Mayor Appointee)
Bliss, or the Mayor’s office, did not respond to our request for comment. He has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
Randy Peers, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
The president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce did not respond to our request for comment. He has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
Mike Racioppo, Brooklyn Community Board 6
Racioppo, representing the local community board, had not responded at the time of printing. Earlier this year, CB6 sent a letter to EDC criticizing the public engagement process.
Amanda Sue Nichols, Cobble Hill Association
Nichols, who is the president of the Cobble Hill Association (CHA), wrote in an email in response to our interview request, “Unfortunately, we are not commenting for news articles.” A survey conducted by CHA showed housing was one of the least supported plans for the site.
Ben Fuller-Googins, Carroll Gardens Association
The executive director of the Carroll Gardens Association did not respond to our request for comment. He has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
Hank Gutman, Brooklyn Navy Yard Board Chair & Former Brooklyn Bridge Park Board Member
Gutman did not respond to our request for comment. He has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
Frank Agosta, International Longshoreman Association
Agosta, president of ILA Local 1814, did not get back to us ahead of publication. However, earlier in April he co-wrote an op-ed with Michael Stamatis—whose company Red Hook Container Terminal currently operates out of the BMT—in support of the current “preferred scenario.” In an April 4 Instagram post made by the EDC, Agosta and Stamatis (who isn’t on the task force) were again quoted stating, “The current iteration of the master plan framework for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal will result in a transformed, electrified 60-acre port capable of significant expansion that would increase annual container volume by as much as 50%; a central node for a Blue Highway system.”
Jim Tampakis, Marine Spares International
Tampakis, who owns Marine Spares International in Red Hook, has five decades of maritime industry experience. He told the Red Hook Star-Revue, “I could vote, but it wouldn’t be positive. What they’re proposing, I can’t accept. It still needs more work.”
Stephen Lyman, Maritime Association of NYNJ
Lyman did not return our request for comment. He has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
Eddie Bautista, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance
Bautista did not return our request for comment. He has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
John Nardi, Shipping Association of NYNJ
Nardi, president of the Shipping Association of NYNJ, did not respond to our request for comment. He has not made any public statements about the BMT this year.
Jesse Solomon, Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation
We were unable to get a comment from Solomon, who serves as Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation’s executive Director.
Carly Baker-Rice, Red Hook Business Alliance
Baker-Rice is the executive director of the Red Hook Business Alliance. She told the Star-Revue in a text message, “There are still too many gaps in the current plan to vote on it, so asking people to say how they would vote is premature and problematic. It plays into the ways the conversation is being controlled, focusing us on concessions rather than sound land use, investment, and asset management planning. It’s important to also state that the material object to be voted on (what it covers and the format) has not yet been determined. And that the voting process has changed substantially since the original plan and should be confirmed by the task force, not dictated by the EDC.”
Frances Brown, Red Hook Houses East Tenants Association
Brown, who represents the residents of Red Hook East, did not get back to us ahead of publication. However, in an April 4 Instagram post made by the EDC, Brown was quoted saying, “For over 30 years, my husband and I have proudly called Red Hook home…The Brooklyn Marine Terminal project is a unique opportunity to create a thriving, vibrant community and modern maritime port. It promises good paying jobs, entrepreneurship, pipelines for our youth, and mixed-income housing that foster economic diversity and mutual
support among neighbors.”
Karen Blondel, Red Hook Houses West Tenants Association
Blondel represents the residents of Red Hook West. She replied to our email, writing, “It is the story of public housing residents…of being veal-penned on the same land in the same conditions for decades… it’s the story of Red Hook.”
Blondel has previously expressed strong support for the EDC’s current preferred scenario. In an April 4 Instagram post made by the EDC, Blondel stated, “As a resident of NYCHA, I have personally experienced and witnessed the barriers that prevent families from accessing stable and affordable housing. Gentrification and opposition to new housing developments have made it increasingly difficult for long-standing residents to secure permanent housing solutions. We have an opportunity to create a more equitable Red Hook and I hope we seize the moment. Vote YES on the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.”
Tiffany-Ann Taylor, Regional Plan Association
Taylor, who is the RPA’s vice president in charge of transportation, said in an interview, “We’re not voting in June on what happens on Columbia Street, specifically. We’re voting on what the possibilities are along on the site, and the project will whittle down more specifics as the project advances through the GPP process. There are still outstanding questions that I’ve had, specifically from a transportation perspective, but we’ve become more comfortable with the scenario as presented thus far. As much as we’re not voting on a block-by-block plan now, I think we’ve started to whittle down more of the big questions into smaller ones. And I know that there are other folks on the task force that might not be in full agreement, but at least from a transportation perspective, my questions I know will be answered, but I’ve become mostly more comfortable with the plan as is.”
Michelle De La Uz, Fifth Avenue Committee
The Executive Director of the community developer did not reply to our emails requesting a comment.
Both the Fifth Avenue Committee and the Carroll Gardens Association earn income by managing low income and affordable housing.
Author
I’m a New York-based journalist from Sweden. I write about the environment, how climate change impacts us humans, and how we are responding.
