New York City will assume control of 122 acres of Brooklyn waterfront and transform it into a modern port facility with housing, retail and green space, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday.
City economic development officials plan to take over the redevelopment site in June from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The site stretches from just south of Brooklyn Bridge Park and down to Red Hook. The property will be transferred to the city in a no-cash deal through an agreement that city, state and port officials intend to formally sign this week.
“This is the largest city real estate transaction in recent history,” Adams said during a Tuesday news conference flanked by government officials. “It’s going to create a neighborhood on our shoreline that truly displays the promise of New York City.”
The Adams administration says the site, which includes the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, will be reimagined as a shipping hub to grow the city’s maritime freight industry while decreasing its reliance on trucks. One way to accomplish that is through micro-distribution, such as cargo bikes and electric vans, for the last leg of deliveries. Adams said the site will also include a new mixed-use community with opportunities for housing, retail and green space.
The city will invest an initial $80 million into the terminal to repair three existing piers and plan the waterfront’s future. Adams said funds for the project come from “capital dollars and other sources” along with state assistance. Gov. Kathy Hochul said her administration will kick in another $15 million to help overhaul the site.
None of the land will be procured through eminent domain, the city said.
As part of the arrangement, the city will transfer ownership of its 225-acre portion of the Howland Hook Marine Terminal in Staten Island to the Port Authority. The move will bring the shipping facility entirely under the control of the Port Authority, which plans to build on its operations.
Beginning this spring the Adams administration plans to launch a community engagement process along with a master planning process to develop a vision for the Brooklyn waterfront site. Those efforts will unfold over the next six to nine months.
After securing the necessary land use approvals, the city says it will issue requests for proposals for an operator for the port facility and other maritime work, according to Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer.
“We know for sure at the core of this project will be a working waterfront,” she said. “All of the other community uses from open space to housing will be considered because it’s a large site and we want to make sure we keep everything on the table.”
Caroline Spivack , 2024-05-14 19:18:34
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