Addressing Wallabout’s Wealth Gap: FA19 Preservation Planning Studio Pratt Institute Graduate Center for Towards a Circular Economy Planning and the Environment Table of Contents

PREPARED FOR REPORT PREPARED BY 1 Introduction 01 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership Pratt Institute’s Preservation Planning Studio Fall 2019 Alex Jackson 2 Neighborhood Context 05 PROJECT PARTNERS Andrea Lustig Historic Development Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership Anvitha Reddy Gandu Wallabout Today Chad Purkey Delaney Taylor Kristin Brown Eileen Huggard Elizabeth Horen 3 Recommendations 17 Pratt Institute Jacqueline Ting Towards a Circular Economy 19 John Shapiro Joe Urso Sadra Shahab Josephina Matteson Zone 1 21 Ward Dennis Kelli Peterman Farming on NYCHA Luis Diaz Pallavi Shrikant Kanthe St. Michael-St. Edward Church SPECIAL THANKS TO Samuel Brodersen Myrtle Avenue Market Pratt Institute Faculty Members Timna Churges Golan Funding the Circular Economy Christopher Neville Travis Matts Eve Baron Zone 2 39 Juan Camilo Osorio Richard Wright Way Ron Shiffman Pratt Institute’s Preservation Planning Studio Vicki Weiner is a second-year, Graduate Center for Planning Stormwater Capture Under the BQE and the Environment course. The studio is Solar Windows and Green Energy Guest Critics and Speakers run in much the way a professional office Charlie Cunningham, EA Creative approaches a large-scale project. Students Zone 3 49 Kevin Kraft, NYC Dept. of City Planning apply analysis and synthesis skills; practice BQE Greening Initiative Sydney Céspedes, Pratt Center oral, graphic, and written communication Microtransportation Michael Higgins Jr., FUREE skills; and participate as effective members of a professional urbanism team. Maritime Freight Transportation Zone 4 57 New Industrial Zoning Overlay BID and IBZ Expansion Industrial Historic District Expansion Affordable Housing

4 Next Steps for the Partnership 71

References 73

Image Credits 78 Chapter 1 Introduction

Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership p.03

Stakeholder Engagement p.04

Kids painting at Myrtle Avenue’s annual Move about Myrtle event, September 2010 01 The Wallabout Transition Section or Chapter Title 02 Stakeholder Engagement During the semester, we interviewed over 30 people with an interest in and knowledge about About the Report the community, as well as the topics we explored—from NYCHA tenant representatives to community board representatives to industry executives. Stakeholders included experts in This report aims to uncover and connect housing, community development, public health, and the industrial and manufacturing sector. Community Development Housing past and present stories of Wallabout, uplift • Ann Friedman, NY Landmarks Conservancy • Darold Burgess, Ingersoll Tenant Association • Frank Lang, St. Nicks Alliance • Isabella Lee, Walt Whitman Tenant Association narratives that call attention to the injustices • Geoffrey Wiener, GWW Planning & Development • Yianice Hernandez, NYCHA that have shaped the area, and envision a • Michael Zisser, University Settlement • Morriah Kaplan, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations Planning and Preservation Experts more economically just future. • Melissa Aase, University Settlement • Beth Bingham • Natasha Harsh, Artisan Market • Jen Becker • Robert Perris, Brooklyn Community Board 2 • Marcel Negret • Steve Davies, Project for Public Spaces • Paul Mankiewicz This report was prepared for the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership by members of the Histoic • Theo David Preservation and Planning studio at Pratt. The study area is the neighborhood of Wallabout, Industrial and BID Experts Brooklyn, located in the northern section of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, just south of the • Adam Friedman, Pratt Center Public Health Brooklyn Navy Yard. It encompasses the Raymond V. Ingersoll and Walt Whitman New York City • Bill Wilkins, East New York LDC • Staff Member, Brooklyn Hospital Center Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments, the largest public housing site in the nation. In this • Josh Levin, Long Island City Partnership • Ivory Harris, GrowNYC study, we aimed to uncover and connect the past and present stories of Wallabout, highlight • Leah Archibald, Evergreen • Kim Truong, DOHMH community characteristics that make Wallabout exceptional, uplift narratives that call attention • MIquela Craytor, NYC SBS • Liz Carolla, GrowNYC to the injustices that have shaped the area, and envision a more economically just future. In this • Neil Padukone, NYC SBS Saara Nafici, Red Hook Farms document, we will provide a new perspective on Wallabout’s history and existing conditions and • Nur Atiqa Asri, Streetsense provide a path forward to correcting divides within the community, as well as provide a set of recommendations for the Partnership. In our recommendations, we identify community engagement strategies and suggest that the Partnership create a prioritized advocacy and community engagement plan. Engagement tools, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership chosen and organized by steering committees and community working groups, might include The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership (“the Partnership”) is comprised of two entities: the public meetings, design charrettes including Place It! workshops with children and teenagers, Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project LDC and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Business Improvement engagement booths on the Richard Wright Way, pop-up events on Myrtle Avenue, and focus District (BID). The Partnership is widely seen to be a good example for how a BID can support groups with business and property owners. economic revitalization from a conscious, justice-oriented perspective. The Partnership seeks to foster an inclusive, vibrant community and neighborhood commercial corridor that serves a diverse community of property owners, businesses, residents, workers, and visitors.

FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. Study Area Boundaries for the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership Studio (“Wallabout”) Services Area Boundaries

03 The Wallabout Transition Introduction 04 Chapter 2 Neighborhood Context

Historic Development p.07

Wallabout Today p.15

Aerial View of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Navy Yard 05 The Wallabout Transition Section or Chapter Title 06 Historic Development Wallabout’s history is a story of racial and social class injustices—and resilience—that date back to colonial times.

Enslavement to Self-Determination Gradual emancipation occurred in the early Wallabout is a part of the East River flatlands, 19th century through the efforts of local anti- an area historically good for farming. In the slavery organizations such as the Brooklyn land along the river between the Wallabout African Woolman Benevolent Society, and and Gowanus Bays, the Maereckkaak and people like local residents James W. C. Canarsee Native American tribes grew maize Pennington and Sylvanus Smith. In the before the Dutch settled in the area. Seeing Wallabout area, Brooklyn’s emancipated the land’s value, the Dutch colonized the area, black community mostly lived in what is now forming compact settlements and plantations DUMBO and Vinegar Hill, with the largest throughout the early 17th century. Many concentration living on and between Fulton, Native Americans were displaced through Main, and Front Streets. questionable land deals; many others died FIGURE 3. Industrial Growth and Class Segregation from infectious diseases brought over by The abolishment of slavery in New York State View of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Established in 1801, the Brooklyn Navy Yard from Fort Greene, 1847. Walt Whitman, A Key Influencer of European settlers. in 1827 did not mean free and equal however; was a major driving force in the development Wallabout’s Historical Narrative it resulted in segregated communities, and and urbanization of Wallabout. Although – Whitman came from a family of Dutch settlements were built by the labor inequality in education, housing, voting, the Brooklyn Navy Yard is not within the carpenters who contributed significantly of enslaved Africans, initiating 400 years of and employment only increased during the Wallabout neighborhood, its waves of to the area’s built character. He lived in inequality, oppression, and resistance of years following emancipation. Some in the expansion through the 19th century attracted Wallabout at 99 Ryerson Street when “Leaves African Americans in the area. It is believed the community found empowerment through workers to the area, and was a contributing of Grass” was first published in 1855. last public sale of human beings in the town of the establishment of social institutions, as factor in Wallabout’s growing industrial Brooklyn was to a widow in Wallabout in 1773. seen with the founding of the first African sector. By the mid-1800s, the Navy Yard was Whitman consistently fought for the rights Free School eight blocks west of Wallabout. employing African Americans in addition to of the working class and used his position as By 1820, Kings County was home to the largest The African Free School, which opened in Irish and other immigrant workers. Editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle to advocate number of enslaved and free black people in 1827, was started by the black community on for the creation of Fort Greene Park as “a New York State, and Wallabout was a small Nassau Street in what was then the Village At the same time, Brooklyn and Wallabout place of recreation… where, of hot summer farming community of about 215 people. Two- of Brooklyn to educate students excluded experienced a housing boom. Many Irish, evenings and Sundays, they can spend a few thirds of the families living there had been from the Brooklyn’s first public school. P.S. 67 German, and other European families moved grateful hours in the enjoyment of wholesome profiting off enslaved labor for generations. Charles A. Dorsey School in Wallabout traces to New York City in search of better economic rest and fresh air” (Morrone, 2010, p.22). its origins directly back to this school. opportunities. As a result, cheap wooden housing was established at a rate of 200 a year The Walt Whitman Initiative is a coalition in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene. To this day, actively fighting to preserve the house at 99 Wallabout contains the largest concentration Ryerson Street, the only surviving residence in How Brooklyn’s Wallabout Neighborhood Got Its Name – There are two theories of pre-Civil War wood-frame houses in the New York City associated with the poet. explaining the origin of the name Wallabout. One is that the name is derived from the city. Some of these houses are part of the Dutch term “Waal Bocht” for Bay of Foreigners (Benardo & Weiss, 2006). The other Wallabout Historic District, which was listed theory is that it came from the Walloons, who were French-speaking Protestants from on the National Register of Historic Places in Belgium who settled in the area along the shore of the bay (Dolkart, 2005). 2011.

07 The Wallabout Transition Neighborhood Context 08 Industry Thrives in Wallabout the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883 The Wallabout Beginning as early as the 1860s, industry in and the opening of the Myrtle Avenue EL in industrial district Wallabout included an array of types and 1888, the first commuter train connecting the is one of the manufacturing purposes. After the City of major business hubs of Brooklyn, Queens, and Brooklyn established the Wallabout Market Manhattan. few historically in 1884, a significant portion of the industry industrial areas in the area began to revolve around grocery Notable Local Residents surviving in New warehousing and food production. The Dutch- Around this time, in the latter half of the York City today. inspired market buildings, which opened 19th century, Brooklyn hired its first African in 1896, were designed by architect William American firefighter, William H. Nicholson, Tubby, who also designed many of Pratt a Wallabout resident. Though employment Institute’s buildings (Dolkart, 2012). opportunities were becoming more available to non-white Brooklynites, the jobs were rarely The shift to produce and food manufacturing fair or easy, and often seen as “test cases” can be seen throughout Wallabout’s industrial for integration. Despite shattering the Fire history and in its industrial and cultural Department’s race barrier, Nicholson faced building fabric. Some of this historic fabric is immense discrimination and was transferred seen in the Wallabout Industrial District, which to the Veterinary Department for stable duty was recognized and listed on the National for the duration of his career. Register of Historic Places in 2012. A smaller industrial historic district, the Rockwood Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Steward became Chocolate Factory Historic District, was listed the first African American woman to become on the National Register of Historic Places a physician in New York State. Dr. McKinney years earlier in 1984; it became part of the Steward graduated in 1870 from the New York larger district when it was created. Medical College for Women. She specialized in prenatal care and childhood diseases, Today, the Wallabout industrial district is including malnutrition, and founded the FIGURE 5. Rockwood & Co. Chocolate Factory one of the few historically industrial areas Women’s Hospital and Dispensary in Brooklyn. surviving in New York City today. She had an office at 205 DeKalb Avenue and lived for a time at 178 Ryerson Street in Myrtle Avenue Wallabout. She fought for racial inclusion and Residential development in the area led women’s rights, co-founding the Women’s to the development of Myrtle Avenue as Loyal Union and joining the Equal Suffrage a thoroughfare and mixed-use street, League of Brooklyn as a member (Ally, 2018). connecting residents to the Fulton Ferry via FIGURE 4. the Horse Railway as early as 1854. Myrtle World War II Population Boom Wallabout Market, ca. 1940. Avenue’s growth was further stimulated by Wallabout experienced its most heightened activity during World War II, when wartime production requirements led to the employment of more than 70,000 workers at the Navy Yard, the highest in its history. Because of the quick need for workers, and the area’s growing diversity, the Navy Yard’s employee base was also diverse. Meaning that workers from many racial, ethnic, and gender groups worked side by side.

But prosperous did not mean prosperous for all. Nobody wrote about this more poignantly than local resident Richard Wright, the revered author who wrote Native Son, a treatise on systemic oppressions that held back black power and advancement, while in Fort Greene. FIGURE 6. Brooklyn Navy Yard in World War II

09 The Wallabout Transition Neighborhood Context 10 Fort Greene Fort Greene Houses Wall Street and Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Because of WWII, the New York City Housing Avenue. Stein was a proponent of the Garden Notable Community Assets in Wallabout – At the center of the Fort Greene housing Houses were Authority rushed the construction of the Fort City movement in the United States, and development, several structures were left standing when the area’s old buildings were the largest Greene Houses in order to provide temporary collaborated with Henry Wright on the plan for demolished: the Roman Catholic Church of St. Michael–St. Edward, the Walt Whitman public housing housing for wartime workers. Sunnyside Gardens in Queens. Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, Cumberland Hospital (now a family shelter), and P.S. 67 Charles A. Dorsey School. All but St. Michael–St. Edward are still open and performing their development The largest public housing development ever The Fort Greene housing development historic and/or related functions. ever built in built in New York City and the first New York was built quickly. Residents of the old State-funded development, the Fort Greene neighborhood moved out in the summer and New York City. The Walt Whitman Branch of the Brooklyn into financial trouble, was taken over by the Houses developed under the progressive fall of 1940 and demolition began in December Public Library (BPL) was designed by Rudolph City of New York. The City constructed the housing policy advanced by Mayor Fiorello of that year. Mayor La Guardia and Governor L. Daus of Daus & Otto. Daus designed four of current building, and in 1922, the hospital’s La Guardia and Governor Herbert Lehman. Lehman attended the ground-breaking the BPL’s Carnegie-funded branches. He also name was changed to Cumberland Hospital. Today, as the Raymond V. Ingersoll and Walt ceremony in May of 1941, and the first tenants designed many other buildings in Brooklyn, Additions were added in 1953 and c. 1970 All institutions Whitman Houses, it is the largest public moved in in August of 1942. The development including the Sumner Armory (13th Regiment before it closed in 1983. Today, the 1918/1953 but the Church housing development in the country. was completed in 1944 with 35 new residential Armory), Lincoln Club, and the New York portion of the building houses a family shelter, buildings on newly created superblocks. of St. Michael-St. Telephone and Telegraph Building. The library and the later addition houses the Cumberland To build the development, the City would branch was built in 1908 and named City Park Diagnostic and Treatment Center. Edward are open demolish nearly 40 acres of factories, With the country’s entry into WWII, the Branch, and then renamed for Walt Whitman and being used. warehouses, commercial space, tenements, development turned into military housing. in 1943 on the 125th anniversary of the poet’s P.S. 67 Charles A. Dorsey School began as the boarding houses and other residential Military personnel, including women serving birth. It still serves the community today. African Free School, which opened in 1827. buildings in an area south of the Brooklyn with the Naval Reserve (WAVES), and workers In 1850, the school was renamed Colored Navy Yard that was deemed blighted with employed at the Navy Yard and in war-related Cumberland Hospital, designed by local School No. 1 when the public school system substandard housing. industry were given priority for the new architect Charles B. Meyers, was built in was established in Brooklyn, and years later housing. 1918 to serve the growing population of Fort the school moved to Willoughby Street and Work on building the Fort Greene Houses was Greene in the early 20th century. Charles Raymond (now Ashland Place). It moved to divided into three units, with three teams The Fort Greene Houses was built in the era’s Meyer specialized in the design of public North Elliott Place at Park Avenue in 1883. of prominent architects, including André popular modernist, tower-in-the-park style. buildings, including hospitals and schools. In 1887, with the end of segregated schools Fouilhoux and Ely Jacques Kahn, and planner In total, 35 residential towers, between six Cumberland Hospital was one of his earliest in Brooklyn, the school was renamed and Clarence Stein. Fouilhoux had worked on stories and 13 stories high, were built. On projects. In 1852, at a nearby location, the became Public School 67. By 1923, P.S. 67 Rockefeller Center, the American Radiator the nearly forty acre campus, twice as many hospital began operating as the Brooklyn moved to its current location on St. Edwards FIGURE 8. (Below) Building, and the 1939 New York World’s Fair, families could be housed using a fraction of Homeopathic Dispensary. The Dispensary Street, and in 1977, the school was named for Walt Whitman Library, ca. early 1900s among other major projects. Kahn designed the space occupied by the approximately 700 became the Homeopathic Hospital on Charles A. Dorsey, a long time principal of the a number of well-known skyscrapers and structures that were demolished. More than FIGURE 9. (Left) Cumberland Street in 1872, and after running school in the late 19th century. Cumberland Hospital, ca. 1939 other buildings in New York City, including 120 75 percent of the area became open space.

FIGURE 7. Fort Greene Houses, ca. 1942

11 The Wallabout Transition Neighborhood Context 12 Redlining, Urban Renewal, flight, and urban renewal transformed the housing development was renovated and the area, expanding its cultural influence. All of Wallabout and Disinvestment area, as they did in much of New York City divided into two management groups, forming Branford Marsalis followed in the 1980s, was redlined, Meanwhile, all of Wallabout was redlined, during this time. In 1960, Robert Moses cut the now Raymond V. Ingersoll and Walt as did filmmaker Spike Lee. Non-white institutionalizing institutionalizing what was already decades the Wallabout neighborhood in half with Whitman developments (Campanella, 2019). homeownership and median income began to of racism. And not only race was directly cited the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Soon after, reports surfaced of the physical increase. The Navy left the Brooklyn Navy Yard what was already as a “detriment”—a reason to deny mortgages Expressway, elevated above Park Avenue for a decline of the buildings. in 1966 and New York City took over. decades of racism. to residents in the community. The Navy continuous eighteen blocks east to west. Yard, docks, warehouses, and Myrtle Avenue During the following decade, the Brooklyn Upholding the legacy of the neighborhood’s El were all cited and considered detrimental Redlining practices and urban renewal had Navy Yard closed and the Myrtle Avenue El was defining artists, Wallabout was a part influences in Wallabout despite being clear immediate and long-lasting effects on the demolished. The neighborhood underwent of a period known as the “Fort Greene economic and transit assets to a community ability of residents to accumulate wealth. a period of continued disinvestment. By the Renaissance” during the 1980s and 90s, that required optimal resources. By the 1970s, zero mortgages were issued to 1970s and 1980s, it carried the reputation of thanks to the artistic and advocacy Wallabout residents. being dangerous. contributions of talented locals like Spike Lee After the war ended in 1945, the Navy Yard and and Wu-Tang Clan’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Wallabout declined. Most of the significant Public housing was also impacted. By the mid Yet, communities still thrived. In the 1970s, industrial companies relocated, and new 1950s, the NYCHA resident population was pioneering artists Betty Carter, Cecil Taylor, immigration and migration patterns, white predominantly black, and the Fort Greene and Lester Bowie bought brownstones in

FIGURE 10. Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Under Construction, 1959

13 The Wallabout Transition Neighborhood Context 14 Wallabout Today Wallabout remains a community dedicated to the advancement of culture and growth of its independent business community. BROOKLYN NAVY YARD

BROOKLYN-QUEENS EXPY

Beginning in the 2000s, several factors, talent and perseverance of local artists, NYCHA MYRTLE AVE including the founding of the Partnership institutions, and residents such as Spike and the transformation of the Navy Yard into Lee’s 40 acres and a Mule Filmworks, Pratt an industrial park for urban manufacturing, Institute, the Brooklyn Afropunk Festival, and brought new investment to Wallabout. There local residents, including the residents of the are new developments in the area to the east Ingersoll and Walt Whitman Houses. Residents of the Ingersoll and Walt Whitman Houses are engaged, whether involved in planning for FIGURE 12. and gentrification is taking hold. And while the future as they were recently in developing Wallabout’s Four Divides Wallabout’s population is growing, now an the Community Vision for Ingersoll Houses, estimated 15,856, its racial mix is changing. working on community initiatives such as the Today, an estimated 44 percent of the Walt Whitman Victory Garden, or fighting for Its story has depended on the rise, decline, and population is black and 26 percent is white. equitable governmental policies and actions. In 2000, 60 percent of the population was disconnectedness of its disparate economies. This top-down black and 18 percent was white. There also Wallabout also has a strong and growing is a growing Asian population, particularly in independent business community, decision making and linear economic system is not working. the Ingersoll and Walt Whitman Houses. The predominantly along Myrtle Avenue, thanks foreign-born population is growing and is in large part to the Partnership. Finally, today nearly a quarter of the population. Wallabout is home to the largest public Community Divides There are also two other physical divides, housing development in the nation, with close The injustices throughout Wallabout’s history one posed by the elevated BQE that runs Wallabout remains a community dedicated to 8,000 residents, a vital asset to New York have resulted in physical, social, and wealth along Park Avenue in the middle of the to the advancement of culture, due to the City as a whole. divides in the community today. First, there neighborhood and divides it in half, and the are the physical, racial, and socio-economic physical divide between the Brooklyn Navy divides between the NYCHA campus on the Yard and the Wallabout neighborhood. And, west side of Wallabout and the gentrifying finally, there is the Navy Yard industrial park eastern side, and the wealth divide between and Myrtle Avenue commercial corridor divide. Wallabout and sections of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill south of Myrtle Avenue. These Wallabout’s story has depended on the rise, divides are reflected in racial disparities in decline, and disconnectedness of its disparate educational attainment and income. The economies. Government policies routinely west side of Wallabout, where the Ingersoll prioritized national and city-wide needs and Walt Whitman Houses are located and over the viability of the local working-class the area within Wallabout with the highest community, favoring others to accumulate percentage of black residents, has the lowest wealth more easily. This top-down decision levels of educational attainment and median making and linear economic system is not household income. These divides also are working for all the residents and businesses, reflected in safety and police harassment. The nor for the environment. largest number of arrests are concentrated near the NYCHA campus to the west. FIGURE 11. Afropunk Festival

15 The Wallabout Transition Neighborhood Context 16 Chapter 3 Recommendations

Towards a Circular Economy p.19

Zone 1 p.21

Zone 2 p.39

Zone 3 p.49

Zone 4 p.57

Participants at the Funk Under the BQE event, June 2011 17 The Wallabout Transition Section or Chapter Title 18 Towards a Circular Economy The circular economy has been re-adapted as a framework to draw connections between existing assets and new opportunities.

As a joint BID and LDC serving the Wallabout This will be achieved through workforce community, the Partnership is uniquely development, conscious growth, multimodal positioned to address the community mobility, and industrial expansion. The divides identified in the previous chapter, projects we are proposing would create new and ultimately Wallabout’s wealth inequity, jobs, increase connectivity and collaboration, by accelerating the community’s transition and protect and regenerate natural resources towards a circular economy. in Wallabout. They represent a systematic shift that builds long-term resilience and reduces Traditionally, a circular economy is an the racial wealth gap. They also build upon economic system of closed loops that designs local equity and environmental efforts such as out waste and pollution, keeps products and the Green New Deal. materials in use, and regenerates natural systems. The studio’s recommended approach Our proposed path towards a circular adapts the circular economy as a framework economy is connected geographically, is to draw connections between existing assets mutually beneficial to disparate Wallabout and new opportunities, and illustrate how communities, and aims to dissolve physical they can feed into one another to promote and social divides. local production, local consumption, and recycling.

FIGURE 13. Wallabout’s “Circular Economy”

19 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations 20 Zone 1 Farming on NYCHA Existing Conditions Decades of systemic, intentional, and racist use disconnects the NYCHA campus from Revitalize St. Michael-St. Edward Church policies and actions have led to inequitable the rest of the neighborhood, creating a Establish the Myrtle Avenue Market health outcomes for NYCHA residents (versus physical barrier which extenuates the racial non-NYCHA residents). Residents in the and socio-economic segregation of NYCHA Funding the Circular Economy Ingersoll and Walt Whitman Houses have residents, segregation that has grown more some of the highest rates of preventable acute with the influx of middle-to-upper class hospitalizations among NYCHA developments white residents to the area beginning in 2000. citywide. While food access in the area is We also see higher rates of police arrests in improving, the negative and long-term the NYCHA campus and on Myrtle Avenue The Ingersoll and Walt Whitman campuses have more than 20 acres of combined open land. impacts of food insecurity are still pervasive. near the campus compared to the rest of the While this space was intentionally designed to enhance the quality of life for NYCHA residents, neighborhood. Wallabout’s population is the City’s plans to promote infill development threaten these acres. This is an asset that belongs Designed in the “Tower in the Park” style, growing and its Median Household Income to the people who live there. the physical layout of the Ingersoll and is increasing but the economic growth in the Walt Whitman campuses breaks away from area is not benefiting all residents. The value in protecting this land for NYCHA residents, combined with the need for more the grid plan prevailing in the rest of the affordable, healthy food options, make urban farming a timely and viable intervention. One acre neighborhood. This is particularly apparent Retail leakage in the category of grocery of farming could yield up to 7,000 pounds of free produce for residents and low-cost produce along Myrtle Avenue, where at the corner stores, restaurants, and general merchandise) for community members annually. For modest startup costs through community grantmaking of Washington Park Street, Myrtle Avenue indicates demand for more businesses on and donations, it could also provide jobs for five youth farmers and one farm manager in its first stops functioning as a local shopping street/ Myrtle in these categories. year. There exists precedence, support, and lessons learned through an established partnership mixed-use commercial-residential street. between Green City Force, six NYCHA campuses, and community-based organizations for This difference in urban design and land building NYCHA farms from the ground up, using a participatory, place-based approach.

Across the street from the farm would be Wallabout’s first community-based food hub, FIGURE 14. FIGURE 15. commercial training kitchen, and business incubator (to be named the McKinney Steward Food Population Growth in Wallabout, 1970-2017. Potential Sales in Top Five Hub) in the vacant St. Michael-St. Edwards Church. The church offers more than 14,000 square Department Stores Industry Sub-Groups feet of open, flexible space, including a full basement with a high ceiling. Using produce from the 4,748,887 farm, the hub could incubate up to 25 small food businesses annually. The McKinney Steward Food Hub would provide up to five full time jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for many 15,856 in 2017 residents. Partnerships with nearby Brooklyn and Cumberland Hospitals, Wegmans, the Central Brooklyn Food Coop, and the Brooklyn Diocese offer opportunities for funding, distribution, and lessons learned.

Grocery Stores Food products developed, tested, and packaged could be sold nearby at the new Myrtle Avenue 16,652,040 Market. The market provides hub entrepreneurs, NYCHA youth farmers and residents, Food Business Pathways alumni, and Wallabout residents and business owners with up to 30 vendor opportunities for selling new and reused goods at a small annual operating cost of less than $85,000. A market would give local makers a platform to advertise and sell their work, bridge the social divide between east and west Myrtle, transform the image of the NYCHA campus as Restaurants isolated, allow NYCHA farmers to sell produce via a food stand, and attract shoppers to Richard 7,822,940 Wright Way.

Source: Social Explorer Dataset (SE), Census 1970 on 2010 Geographies, Census Source: Esri and Infogroup. Updated Demographics. (2019) ; Esri 1980 on 2010 Geographies, Census 1990 on 2010 Geographies, Census 2000 on 2010 and Infogroup. Retail MarketPlace. (2017) ; Churges Golan, 2018 Geographies, Census 2010, 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau.

21 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 1 22 Differences in urban design and land use between the NYCHA campus and the rest of FIGURE 18. the neighborhood create a physical barrier Building Footprint in Wallabout, 2019. Source: NYC Building Footprint 2019 that extenuates the racial and socio-economic segregation of NYCHA residents.

27,000 Black Arrestees 2,000 White Arrestees

FIGURE 16. FIGURE 19. White Population by Census Police Arrests in Wallabout, 2017. Tract in Wallabout, 2017. Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s American Survey Office, 2017 American Survey Office, 2017

FIGURE 17. FIGURE 20. Black Population by Census Median Household Income Growth Tract in Wallabout, 2017. in Wallabout, 2017. Source: U.S. Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Census Bureau’s American Survey American Survey Office, 2017 Office, 2017

23 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 1 24 Keep Public Land and Resources for Public Good: Farming on NYCHA

Case Study: Red Hook Farms – There Cost $ About this Recommendation Implementation 3. Join a meeting with Kelli Peterman, Studio are local and national precedents The joint Ingersoll and Walt Whitman campus We project that the first year’s operations Lead, and Andrea Mata, Director of Health for this approach, most relevantly 1-2 years Duration has more than 20 acres of open space, six will cost approximately $350,000, which Initiatives and the NYCHA farms program the Building Healthy Communities Farms at acres of which are not covered by building includes funding for Personal Service and at NYCHA to discuss the initiative and any Stakeholders NYCHA initiative, which has supported the and tree canopy. While this open space was other expenses, including build materials potential plans for expansion. Existing • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership development of over six acres of urban farms • Brooklyn Grange intentionally designed to enhance the quality and plantings. Land and water would be MARP partner Shaquana Boykin (Walt on six NYCHA campuses citywide—a quarter of • NYCHA of life for NYCHA residents, the City’s plans “donated” by NYCHA. Whitman Houses Tenants Association, the amount available on our site alone. • Old Green City Force to promote infill development puts these Citibike Ambassador, Brooklyn Botanic • Pratt Institute acres under threat. This is an asset that was Personal Service includes: Garden staff member) is also interested The Farms at NYCHA initiative is a multi- • Wegmans intended to benefit the people who live there • Farm apprenticeships (five youth at 10 hours in meeting to discuss the potential stakeholder partnership that aims to improve and should be protected. a week each for nine months): $30,000 for expanding food programming and Funding Sources health outcomes in 12 neighborhoods across • Farm director: $55,000 (includes fringe) cultivation on NYCHA land. • Green City Force Farms at the city. It provides free produce, workforce NYCHA Program One way to protect this open land is to allow development opportunities for young 4. Consider administering a community • Wegmans Donations and for its meaningful use by and for residents. Community Engagement residents, and meaningful participatory land health survey and analysis of Wallabout Community Sponsorship Given the area’s health outcomes caused by Saara Nafici, Director of Red Hook Farms, use on NYCHA campuses. Each farm partners residents as part of the Partnership’s • The Robert Wood Johnson inequitable economic and social conditions, stressed the importance of bottom-up with a local community-based organization Foundation Healthy Healthy Communities Initiatives. Results and the fact that expanding access to food ideating and implementation of NYCHA to help finance through fundraising, support, Communities are likely to help build and bolster the case retail has no major effect on food-related farms. If NYCHA residents are not actively and operationalize, and connect the farm to local • The Robert Wood Johnson for expanding food justice programming Foundation Culture of Health choices or diseases (Cummins, 2014; Ghosh- meaningfully engaged from the beginning, the opportunities, making it a value to both and bring in key stakeholders, such as Leadership Program Dastidar, 2017; Walker, 2010), we propose program is likely to not succeed. A suggested NYCHA residents and the wider community. Cumberland and Brooklyn Hospital Centers • NY State Health Foundation that MABP advocate for protecting this asset community and stakeholder engagement (see the attached MARP Community Health Special Projects Fund and promoting healthy communities through process for the Partnership is as follows: In 2018, Red Hook Farms produced 7,000 • NY State Health Foundation urban farming. Toolkit deliverable). Building Healthy Communities pounds of produce for residents and • Brooklyn Hospital Center 1. Schedule a discussion with resident 5. If enough NYCHA residents and project community members. Through a value-based Community Services Plan Approximately $350,000 would be required for gardeners from the Ingersoll Garden partners express interest in the program, barter system, NYCHA residents receive Pledges start-up funding and first year operations. We of Eden and the Walt Whitman Victory the Partnership could consider applying free produce in exchange for food scraps or believe this can be easily achieved through Garden. This is an important first step for a Wegmans Community Sponsorship volunteer time. Residents have reported that Case Studies fundraising, grantmaking, and donations. at better understanding benefits and they eat healthier since on-site farm resources • Red Hook Farms Request and/or donation. The Partnership challenges of the current garden program could also work through its channels have been made available to them cost-free. Stakeholders would include: and will help the Partnership garner ideas Studio Lead Kelli Peterman to meet with community contacts from • NYCHA about if or how to grow the initiative, with Wegmans and Brooklyn Hospital Center, As the community-based partner and farm • Old Green City Force residents as leaders or co-leaders. about donations and/or collaboration. program manager, Red Hook Initiative (RHI) • Wegmans for donations uses urban farming as a youth empowerment • MARP as fundraiser and community partner 2. Reach out to Nefratia Coleman, a former 6. Start conversations with the Brooklyn framework for community development. RHI • Navy Yard tenants including Brooklyn NYCHA Green City Force Corps Member Grange and Pratt Institute around design- has employed up to 30 youth farmers, ages Grange for design build, workforce training, and resident of Walt Whitman Houses build and workforce training opportunities 14-19, to work on the farms, enhancing their consulting, and soil/other donations and current Farm Manager at Red Hook for farm design. Professor Gita Nandan leadership skills, environmental education, • Pratt Institute as architect/urban designer Farms. Nefratia would a) know how this at Pratt Institute was involved in the and health awareness. The farm also supports to create the farm using a participatory could be rolled out and who to contact to design and build Red Hook Farms; there is a large scale compost operation, community approach with NYCHA residents maximize implementation success and potential for an architecture studio to work supported agriculture and fresh food box b) recommend an intentional, strategic with NYCHA residents and the Partnership programs, and two community farm stands process for engaging community members. to build farm structures and landscaping. that circulate funding back into the farm.

25 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 1 26 Rendering of NYCHA Farms at Ingersoll and Whitman Houses

27 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 1 28 Revitalize St. Michael- St. Edward Church

Cost $$$ About this Recommendation Including the space in the attached rectory, Community engagement should include distribution of packaged food. Chefs at The Church of St. Michael-St. Edward has been the church offers 14,400 square feet of charrettes using an “appreciated inquiry Wegmans may volunteer to teach at the Food Duration 5+ years vacant since 2010 but with its potential for predominantly open, flexible space, including approach” that frames questions in terms of Hub. Partnerships with the Central Brooklyn sustainable development and its presence as a large basement with a 14 foot high ceiling. assets, strengths, and hopes (Aase, 2019). Food Coop and Greene Hill Food Co-op also Stakeholders part of the existing fabric of the neighborhood, offer the opportunity for distribution of • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership • Brooklyn Diocese St. Michael-St. Edward can be creatively The space could be used as follows: Implementation packaged food. • Brooklyn Hospital reactivated with new uses that build on the • 4,000 sqft. for the food incubator/kitchen Financial resources include the USDA Local • Central Brooklyn Food Coop assets of the community. (including cold and dry storage), Food Promotion Program to assist with a A partnership with the Brooklyn Diocese/ • Greene Hill Food Co-op • 3,000 sqft. for classroom and office space feasibility study, and the historic preservation Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens • NYCHA St. Michael-St. Edward was a spiritual and (for business development training, legal tax credits (Federal and New York State), and may offer an opportunity to enter into a • Office of Faith-Based Clergy Initiatives at the Brooklyn community center for over 100 years and can assistance, management), and other preservation incentives to assist with long term lease of the church at a nominal Borough President’s Office serve the community again today. In addition • 2,000 sqft. for packaging and distribution. rehabilitation costs. Support from corporate lease price (with renovation and ongoing • Wegmans to being historically and architecturally foundations and other philanthropic maintenance expenses paid by the new significant, there are a number of reasons for NYCHA produce will be used in the training/ organizations should be sought. The cost of organization). Funding Sources preserving and reusing the church: test kitchen and in making food products to repairing and adapting the church may exceed • Historic Preservation Tax sell at the Myrtle Avenue Market (see page 33, $7 million and take several years to complete. As part of the local circular economy, the Credits (Federal and State) • Reusing existing structures is a sustainable “Establish the Myrtle Avenue Market”) and proposed food hub will generate jobs and • USDA Local Food Promotion Program practice food-based products for larger distribution Once established, ongoing revenue sources workforce training opportunities. The food • A vacant structure presents both a real (see page 55, “Connect Industry to Water”). may include: hub may be able to incubate 25 small food Case Studies safety threat and a perceived one • Cooking classes businesses each year. In its first decade of • Goldring Center for Culinary • Old churches work as “community anchors” Community Engagement • Event and classroom space rental operation, Hot Bread Kitchen, which has a Medicine in New Orleans, LA associated with people’s “emotional With its social-oriented approach to • Kitchen rental culinary incubator in Harlem and provides • Hot Bread Kitchen in New York rootedness” in places, even if the current community development and its current • Private donations/grants culinary training, incubated 240 small local residents were not parishioners Healthy Communities focus, the Myrtle Avenue • Product sales including sale of meals to businesses and trained more than 400 women Studio Lead Eileen Huggard • The building can fulfill a community’s desire Brooklyn Partnership may be the catalyst for senior homes and facilities (Kiesel & Spalding, 2018). to build on existing assets and programs this recommendation. With its funders, board members, and community partners, MABP can Potential partners include the Brooklyn If it follows the L.A. Kitchen model, the food Moreover, churches have unique building first establish a working group that can look Hospital, Wegmans, the Central Brooklyn Food hub can purchase imperfect produce and use envelopes that can be effectively used for new into the feasibility of and draft a development Coop, the Greene Hill Food Co-op, and the it to produce meals (no food is wasted). purposes and functions including community and operating plan for the food hub. Other Brooklyn Diocese. and cultural centers, schools, recreational stakeholders include NYCHA, the Brooklyn The recommendation also connects to the space, and day care. Some of these uses take Diocese, and the Faith-Based and Clergy A partnership with Brooklyn Hospital offers circular economy because the church can be advantage of open flexible space and require Initiative Office in the Brooklyn Borough the opportunity for a program that teaches developed and operated in a sustainable way. minimal changes to the interior of a church. President’s Office. The Wallabout Wealth residents at nearby medical schools how to In addition to avoiding the waste generated Equity Committee may form or assume the cook healthy meals so that they in turn can by and energy spent during demolition and One option is creating a local food hub in activities of the working group (see page 71, share what they learn with their patients. The new construction, any new materials can the church, which would consist of a food “Next Steps for the Partnership”). Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine in New be chosen and designed with their future business incubator and training center. We Orleans can serve as a model. disassembly and reuse in mind, looking ahead recommend naming it the McKinney Steward As a threshold matter, the working group and preparing for the building’s next adaptive Food Hub, after Dr. Susan Smith McKinney should engage NYCHA and other Wallabout A partnership with Wegmans may offer reuse. And, solar energy could be used to heat, Steward, a neighborhood resident and the residents regarding the revitalization of the opportunities for financial support and cool, and power the Food Hub. first African American woman to become a church and the establishment of a potential physician in New York State. food business incubator and training center.

29 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 1 30 History of St. Michael-St. Edward Church – The Church of St. Michael- St. Edward was built by the parish of St. Edward the Confessor, the 60th Roman FIGURE 21. (Left) Catholic parish established in Brooklyn. The St. Michael-St. Edward parish was organized in the late 19th century, Church, ca. 1944 a time when Brooklyn’s immigrant population FIGURE 22. (Below) was growing and nearby Catholic churches Rendering of McKinney- were overcrowded. Steward Food Hub

Rev. James Mealia found one of the few available spots in the crowded neighborhood south of the Brooklyn Navy Yard to construct the church for the new parish. On a triangular shaped lot north of Myrtle Avenue, between Division and Canton streets (later renamed Leo Place and St. Edwards Street), the cornerstone of the new church was laid in 1891. It took 15 years to complete. The architect was John Deery, who also designed St. Veronica’s on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. The basement was finished first with high, nearly 14-foot ceilings. This allowed the parish to begin celebrating mass in its new space while the rest of the church was still under construction.

The church served mostly poor and working class Irish and Irish-American families, many of whom worked in the nearby factories.

The church was left standing when the neighborhood around it, nearly 40 acres of factories, warehouses, commercial space, tenements, boarding houses, and other residential buildings, was deemed blighted and demolished in the early 1940s to build the largest low-income housing development in New York City, the Fort Greene Houses (today the Ingersoll and Walt Whitman Houses).

In 1942, St. Edward’s parish was combined with St. Michael the Archangel’s parish, an Italian parish dating back to 1891, and the church was renamed. In 2008, declining attendance forced the merger of the parish of St. Michael-St. Edward with nearby Sacred Heart Church on Adelphi Street in Wallabout. Prior to closing in 2010, mass was again held in the basement as the ceiling of the church was falling down from disrepair.

31 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 1 32 “Business Pathways” entrepreneurship program for vendors. Other stakeholders Case Studies: Local Flea and Food Establish the Myrtle include Brooklyn Navy Yard, Pratt Institute, Markets in the United States Long Island University, and St. Joseph’s Avenue Market College, which can support the market with GrowNYC Fort Greene Greenmarket – The educational and training resources. Fort Greene Greenmarket is a different type of market, selling mostly fresh local produce, Community Engagement but due to its proximity to the recommended The community engagement process should market’s location, it provides good estimates begin with outreach and pop-up events for scale and customer base. such as a block party with baking and crafts competitions among Ingersoll and Whitman Cost $ Local shopping streets, like Myrtle Avenue, & Sustainability (REES), such as the catering Brooklyn Flea + Smorgasburg Winter Market residents, and seasonal fairs, to get a sense of provide neighborhood residents not only business pathway program. It would provide at the Atlantic Center Mall in 2018 – Both a flea who might be interested in becoming a vendor Duration 1-2 years with a convenient place to get the day-to-day market access, exposure, and additional and prepared food market, it captures at least in the market. Surveying visitors to these goods and services they need, but also with income source for NYCHA residents seeking part of the expected customer base. Stakeholders events can give a sense of what shoppers a space to socialize. With ample foot traffic, to establish or grow their businesses. Serving • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership are looking for and guide the Myrtle Avenue they are also considered safer than strictly as a magnet, the market would also support The Berkeley Flea Market – The long standing • Brooklyn Navy Yard Market LLC in forming a proposed business • Ingersoll Resident Association residential streets. existing business on Myrtle Avenue as it is market is much larger and operates in a model. Following a couple of pop-up events, • NYC Small Business Services likely to attract customers from outside completely different urban setting, yet it is a a community visioning session can take place, • NYCHA Resident Economic Considering the socio-economic and racial of its trade area, capturing residents from good example of an eclectic market that is inviting NYCHA residents and others to discuss Empowerment & Sustainability disparity in the area as well as the higher Downtown Brooklyn, for example, who do not community driven yet a regional destination, • Pratt Institute their interest in a weekly market taking place and that is diverse but has an African • St. Joseph’s College number of arrests in the NYCHA campus, we regularly frequent Myrtle Avenue. on Myrtle and Washington park. American ethnic identity. • Walt Whitman Tenants sought ways to extend the advantages of Association mixed-use streets while creating new business A market at this location will benefit from: MARP could consider expanding this initiative development opportunities for NYCHA • The area’s economic growth; Portland Mercado – A food business incubator to include the Farragut Houses in Vinegar Hill Case Studies residents, making sure that they benefit from • Retail leakage in nearby grocery stores, and economic development model run by This project would achieve a number of goals: • GrowNYC Fort Greene the area’s economic growth as entrepreneurs restaurants, and general merchandise shops; a Community Development Corporation, it Greenmarket and as customers. • Street layout that lends itself easily to a provides inspiration for how the McKinney • Brooklyn Flea + Smorgasburg 1. Bring residents together across socio- market, with wide sidewalks, adjacent park Steward Food Hub and the Myrtle Avenue Winter Market economic and racial silos/lines by About this Recommendation with sitting area, and a large underutilized Market can work together. • The Berkeley Flea Market providing a space for recurring interaction • Portland Mercado This recommendation activates the section of plaza on the southwest corner of Myrtle Myrtle Avenue in front of the Ingersoll and Walt Avenue and Washington Park; and 2. Blur the mental boundary and physical Studio Lead Whitman campuses, between Washington • The location’s proximity to shoppers separation of the NYCHA campus from the Timna Churges Golan Park and St. Edwards Street, while providing from Downtown Brooklyn, and the well- rest of the neighborhood by turning it to workforce development for NYCHA residents established Greenmarket taking place a neighborhood destination, working in and expanding economic development of weekly on Washington Park between tandem with Richard Wright Way (see Myrtle Avenue to the west. We recommend Willoughby Avenue and DeKalb Avenue. page 42, “Richard Wright Way”) that MARP engage NYCHA residents to discuss the activation of this section of Myrtle Avenue Implementation 3. Support entrepreneurship among NYCHA and explore the possibility of forming a joint MARP has experience with producing seasonal residents by providing an accessible venture with the Ingersoll and Whitman fairs and festivals, such as the Brooklyn Urban market to grow their businesses Tenant Associations that would establish and Arts Market. The Ingersoll Resident Association operate the Myrtle Avenue Market. and Walt Whitman Tenants Association, which 4. Recover a sense of moral ownership over seem like natural partners for the formation Myrtle Avenue for NYCHA residents, which The Myrtle Avenue Market is to be comprised of the Myrtle Avenue Market LLC, are both has probably diminished as the street primarily of vendors from the Ingersoll and registered non-profits, making it easier to has gentrified and increasingly caters to Walt Whitman Houses. We envision it as a form a joint initiative. Staff and funding for middle-income white newcomers weekly flea, arts and crafts, and prepared this project can come from Neighborhood 360° 5. Support existing businesses on Myrtle food market that would include live music program, and/or the Pratt Taconic Fellowship. Avenue by increasing foot traffic and performances by local residents. It would be attracting a wider customer base co-founded by MARP and NYCHA residents, Government agencies include NYCHA REES and paired with an entrepreneurship and the New York City Department of Small 6. Extend the success of Myrtle Ave to the training program for NYCHA residents from Business Services (SBS), which should be west of the Wallabout neighborhood NYCHA Resident Economic Empowerment responsible for the establishment of a new

33 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 1 Portland Mercado34 Before and After of Myrtle Avenue Market Intervention

35 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 1 36 Funding the Circular Economy

Cost $ The NYCHA properties are included in the potential to access $10 billion dollars to fund boundaries of the Brooklyn Navy Yard NYCHA repairs and capital needs. Additionally Duration 3-5 years opportunity zone. The demographics of the a pied-a-terre tax could further supplement NYCHA census tracts establish the Brooklyn the NYCHA budget. This tax could apply to Stakeholders Navy Yard’s eligibility for opportunity zone up to 75,000 apartments that are currently • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership • Wallabout Neighbors status and subsequent investment. As such, occupied less than half of the year. • NYC Elected Officials, including this presents a possible opportunity for the Senate, Assembly, Mayor, funding directed back to this community. Action could also be taken at the city level to and City Council leverage resources and strategically influence A circular economy needs seed money to opportunity zone investments. This could Case Study get up and running. Funding will enable the be done through a municipal opportunity • Berkeley, CA Partnership (or another organization) to investment fund, in which individual investors Studio Lead Elizabeth Horen facilitate the circular economy long term. invest in a city managed fund, instead of a privately managed fund. This model is being There are several ways to secure seed funding pushed forward in Berkeley, California and to get a NYCHA circular economy project off provides a community-centric alternative the ground. Two short-term options are to: to the current investment structure in opportunity zones. 1. Organize a local fundraiser with businesses and neighbors, and Long term, there might be an opportunity to secure financial investments from the 2. Join the existing plan to sell NYCHA’s air opportunity zone that encompasses the rights and sell a minimum number of air Brooklyn Navy Yard. There is growing criticism rights to fund the circular economy. related to opportunities zones as it becomes clear that the opportunity zone “benefits” are While this plan has been controversial, and failing to reach the low-income communities would necessitate a receiving site for the they are purported to help, and instead air rights, there is a case to be made that are benefiting investors at the expense of FIGURE 23. Opportunity Zones in Wallabout leveraging NYCHA air rights for the direct and these same communities (New York Times, sustainable economic interests of current and 2019). As this criticism grows, there is an future NYCHA residents is a more equitable opportunity to advocate for a change in the use than chipping away at the growing capital federal legislation that would recalculate and expense budget. reorganize the benefit as a direct cash infusion to the community. The Regional Plan Association (RPA) put

forward several recommendations to help This initiative would involve the Partnership, stabilize and fund NYCHA in its October 2019 Wallabout neighbors, and NYC elected officials Time to Act: Restoring the Promise of NYC’s (Senate, Assembly, Mayor, City Council). Public Housing report. RPA’s proposed transfer of development rights proposal has the

37 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 1 38 Zone 2 Richard Wright Way Existing Conditions St. Edwards Street lies between Fort Greene • P.S. 67 – the first school in New York to allow Stormwater Capture Under the BQE Park and Commodore Barry Park, starting at black students Solar Windows and Green Energy Myrtle Avenue and ending at Park Avenue. • Community Roots Charter School – Major community assets lie on this corridor 40 percent of incoming kindergartners starting from south to north. These include: are from the Ingersoll, Walt Whitman and Farragut Houses (nearby public housing) • Fulton Subway Station on Lafayette Avenue • Commodore Barry Park • Brooklyn Tech High School – one of three • Wegmans Food Market original specialized high schools operated by This section contains programs intended to improve underutilized spaces in the community. the New York City Department of Education Currently there are no crosswalks on the Richard Wright Way is more than a pedestrian pathway, it is a civic hub that physically connects • Brooklyn Hospital Center St. Edwards Street and Park Avenue node. many community features including Myrtle and Park Avenue, the Ingersoll and Whitman NYCHA • St. Edward Church – now named the Church There is a major lack of street lights on this house, Fort Greene Park and Commodore Barry Park. It contains community amenities including of St. Michael and St. Edward, its altar and corridor and under the BQE. We do not feel the Brooklyn Hospital Center, St. Edwards church, P.S. 67 and the Community Roots Charter cross incorporate parts of the old Myrtle that Commodore Barry Park is being used to School, which almost half of incoming kindergartners live in the nearby Ingersoll, Whitman Avenue El that used to run almost next door its full potential. However, the renovation of and Farragut houses. This civic hub is already heavily utilized by those living along the corridor. until it was torn down in 1970 Commodore Barry Park has been proposed The process for deciding what best would serve this immediate community should be planned • Walt Whitman Library – a building funded by the New York City Department of Parks through community engagement activities. What we envision is street art, safe recreational by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and is a and Recreation (DPR). Additionally, DPR has Classical Revival style structure, Fort Greene proposed a controversial renovation to Fort places for children, as well as improved cross walks and lighting. FIGURE 24. Community Assets on Park which was designed by Frederick Law Greene Park at the northwest entrance. We also propose additional community attractions under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway St. Edwards Street Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (BQE), such as parks and basketball courts, in order to help connect the neighborhood and better utilize the space for the community. One of those attractions will be the Pop-up Wetland at St. Edwards and Park Avenue. This project will help bring awareness to the city wide problem of water pollution through combined sewer overflows (CSOs) as well as stormwater runoff. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has policies in place for stormwater capture on buildings over 20,000 sq feet but we feel this is not currently adequate nor empowering residents. By connecting the drain pipes under the BQE to tanks, we can create a self sustaining ecosystem where the polluted water can: enter the system, be purified by through the substrate, and then be filtered into another pool supporting seaweed and local aquatic life. This will be a community led initiative, schools will receive educational programming, and be run by NYCHA residents who are part of the same training program as utilized for the farm.

Another space we are proposing to better utilize for the community are the tower rooftops. NYCHA units use 40 percent more energy than the average city apartment (City Energy Project, 2019). These costs are then passed onto to the low-income residents of these communities. This is a social injustice story that is not unique to NYCHA but we can start addressing the problem here at Walt Whitman Houses. Our goal is to create a solar panel network on the roofs of the entire complex that will be completely owned and run by NYCHA residents. This will empower the residents to use their generated power to offset high utility bills, while coming one step closer to becoming a self-sustaining campus. This initiative is an example of how environmental sustainability creates social and economic capital through cost savings and potential job creation. The following section will provide a further elaboration on these three projects.

39 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 2 40 Richard Wright Way

The Wallabout neighborhood is not in direct infiltrate stormwater for buildings over 20,000 threat of flooding based on the 100 and sq feet (NYC DEP, n.d.). Currently roadways are 500 year floodplains (NYC Mayor’s Office of not charged any tax or fee for the rainwater Sustainability, 2019). The sharp incline in they collect and release (Riverkeeper, n.d.). topography after Park Avenue creates this condition. The area contributes to water In 2016, the Brooklyn-based Solar Energy pollution during wet conditions as part of Systems installed a large solar energy system a city wide issue. As little as 1/10” of rain at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This installation Cost $ About this Recommendation Department of Education triggers a CSO event (Newtown Creek Alliance, provided 3,152 rooftop solar panels. The Richard Wright Way is a corridor that connects • Promote street art programs at P.S. 67, n.d.). Currently, the area of the BQE within site will generate 1.1 million kilowatt hours Duration 1 year number of significant community assets the Community Roots Charter School and Wallabout catches 2.5 million gallons of water of energy per year, bringing the city one through an urban space. This corridor has Brooklyn Tech High School every five years in a 2.5” per hour rain event (Calculations: step closer to accomplishing Mayor Bill de Stakeholders the potential to be pedestrian friendly and to • Safe and secure plaza for children Marcel Negret spreadsheet, BQE area: Zola), Blasio’s goal of generating 100 megawatts of • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership have community activities being within the • Provide benches and a kids play area 1.2 billion gallons of CSO are released into renewable energy on public buildings by 2025 • Fort Greene Park Conservancy NYCHA complex connecting the important Newtown Creek every year, which we are a (Office of Mayor Bill De Blasio, 2019). The solar • NYC Dept. of Education • NYC Dept. of Parks and Rec neighborhood nodes. Mainly the focus of Fort Greene Park Conservancy part of (Newtown Creek Alliance). Between installation on top of Building 293 is one of the • NYC Dept. of Transportation this project is to come up with activities after • Provide bike lanes on St. Edward Street until 60 to 70 percent of the city has a combined largest rooftop solar installations in the city, • NYCHA community engagement which will give a Fulton Street Subway station sewage overflow (NYC DEP, n.d.). There are and the energy produced is the equivalent better understanding of community needs • Move the farmer’s market to the northwest currently incentives and policies being put of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.4 Case Studies and help in the development of the programs corner of the park FIGURE 25. into place that include: retrofitting public million pounds and saving 76,000 gallons of • Charlotte, NC 2020 100 and 500 Year Floodplains. on this corridor. Few recommendations like property, private property incentives, and gasoline each year (News 12, 2019). Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long street art could be an activity that involves We recommend that Wegmans food market Term Planning and Sustainability new policies requiring new development to Studio Lead Pallavi Shrikant Kanthe community and nearby schools to come take part in this project, specifically leading together and create a piece of art that help street painting efforts at the crossroads on in the beautification of the street. This will Myrtle, Park, and Flushing Avenues. also help in the betterment of mental health aspect of the community. Case Studies The Lockwood neighborhood in Charlotte, NC Ideally, programming along this corridor sets a precedent for this type of intervention. will be decided through the community In this example, Sylvania Ave participated in a engagement process. We have outlined program called Paint the Pavement. Through several programming options as potential this program the community members worked ideas, categorized by the public entities that on painting the street together. The project should be involved. The Partnership is one was largely community driven. entity that can bring together these agencies. Implementation / Community Engagement NYC Parks and NYCHA To implement this project, it is important that • Extend Commodore Barry Park under the MABP engaging a wide range of Wallabout BQE to include a basketball court, tennis stakeholders including but not limited to court, and playground NYCHA tenant representatives, community • Improve footpaths and provide street lights board representatives, and industry • Paint the street to slow traffic near the park executives. This partnership could create a • Use the existing green space for urban prioritized advocacy plan with engagement agriculture strategies. Engagement tools that are chosen and organized by community working groups Department of Transportation and steering committees might include: public • Provide cross roads at the Park Avenue and meetings, design charrettes including Place St. Edwards Street junction It!, workshops with children and teenagers, • Improve crossroads and provide proper engagement booths on the Richard Wright traffic and pedestrian signals Way, and focus groups with business and property owners.

41 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 2 42 Rendering of Richard Wright Way

43 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 2 44 Stormwater Capture Under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

Cost $ About this Recommendation an attraction to this crossing point that is We propose a system to handle stormwater generally unsafe due to lack of safe crossing Duration 1-2 years runoff directly from the Brooklyn-Queens points, substandard lighting, illegal dumping, Expressway. This system will be modeled after and leaking drain pipes (Myrtle Avenue Stakeholders the Leaf Island Effects Pop-Up Wetlands, led Brooklyn Partnership, 2012). • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership • NYC Dept. of Environmental by Paul Mankiewicz, located under the Major Protection Deegan Expressway. This project focuses on raising awareness on stormwater runoff, utilizing rain barrels for Case Studies The ecological services performed in this the NYCHA community gardens will be part of • Leaf Island Effects Pop-Up system are diverting water from the sewage the larger effort. Each barrel proposed holds Wetlands system, removing burden from the combined 55 gallons and will be necessary to help the sewer system, and purifying the water through circular garden be self sustaining. Studio Lead Andrea Lustig a natural filtration system. The social services performed are creating an educational tool Implementation to illustrate the scale of the issue as well as This project would be able to be implemented community involvement and ownership. in less than a year at a cost of less than $800, minus plants and labor. Labor would be eight These will be located on the corner of St. people to install, and then one employee Edwards Street (on the corridor being every other week to tend to system. 8-10 kids proposed) and Park Avenue between the would be needed weekly to rake and maintain Community Roots Charter School and P.S. system. These employees and kids would 67. This location was selected to help create come directly from NYCHA training program and nearby schools.

BQE Runoff This project would directly benefit nearby schools, so the Department of Education is a potential source of funding. The Department of Transportation could be another valuable source of funding, since the land would have to be transferred from this agency.

Community Engagement Fresh water We would do community visioning sessions for feedback on converting that specific Water is filtered Fresh water pond with space from parking to this amenity. Focus through substrate local fish and seagrass groups with students and teachers would be implemented as well.

FIGURE 26. (Above) Diagram of the Pop-up Wetland

FIGURE 27. (Right Page) Rendering of the Pop-up Wetland

45 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 2 46 Solar Windows and Green Energy

Cost $$$ We propose installing solar panels for the • Subject to local option, a 15-year real existing NYCHA buildings. This project involves property tax exemption for the cost of solar Duration 3-4 years altering the facade to allow for large windows and certain other renewable energy systems and glazed baconies and then installing solar constructed in New York State, to ensure Stakeholders panel windows. Transparent solar panel that property taxes do not rise because • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership • NYCHA windows would hypothetically be able to owners install solar energy equipment. replace standard glass window panes, while • 5kw solar systems can cut costs of up to Studio Lead traditional solar panels are an addition to a $1800 annually, reducing energy bills (“The Anvitha Reddy Gandu previously installed roof; this type of solar Positive & Negative Effects of Solar Power technology is often referred to as building- Panels - Earthava”, 2019). integrated photovoltaic. Floor-to-ceiling glass would separates the apartments from the Community Engagement new terraces to let more natural light into There can be public conversation sections each unit. This would be passive and have an held where people are given information on opportunity for solar panels, while reducing the community solar or benefits of having heat bills. solar in the community. Stakeholders and local experts should be involved together to The initial implementation plans for the spread awareness NYCHA residents can be NYCHA buildings starts with roof panels volunteers in learning and getting certified on but long term plan involves the installation installing solar panels, ensuring concerns and of solar panel windows for the facade. If aspirations are consistently understood as implemented, within 40 years NYCHA should well as considered. be our aspiration for better public housing. To achieve these changes, MABP can team up We recommend that MABP partner with with the BNY for fundraising opportunities community in all aspects of planning, as BNY has the capacity for fundraising. New development, and decision-making, York State offers several tax incentives to including the development of alternatives encourage solar energy. and the identification of a preferred solution. The Brooklyn Navy Yard has the capacity Incentives for residential installations include: for fundraising this project. Community • An income tax credit for 25 percent of the committees can be started in which members cost of the system ($5,000 maximum) for discuss the importance of the program. grid connected and net metered residential Community website can be developed in (including multi-family) solar electric and which members of the community list their solar thermal systems. concerns, problems and possible solutions. • Exemption from state sales tax for passive By doing so, the NYCHA community can be solar space heat, solar water heat, and empowered through leading the project and photovoltaic in single- and multi-family further development with supervision. residential buildings.

47 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 2 48 Zone 3 Greening of the BQE Existing Conditions In the 1950s, Park Avenue was broadened Avenues (DOHMH. 2019). The map on noise Advocate for Increased Transportation Access to accommodate the southern extension of pollution (BTS. 2014), reveals the calculated Connect Industry to Water the BQE, a new elevated expressway that noise level on Park Avenue over the course runs the length of the neighborhood, and of 24 hours. Strictly along this thoroughfare, which displaced many homes and businesses sound levels spike at 80 decibels. that used to lie in its path. Today, the BQE is perceived as a physical separator through The space beneath the BQE, largely used the neighborhood adjacent to commercial, as free parking, is poorly maintained with mixed-use, and industrial land uses. The BQE crumbling and uneven pavement. It is Providing access to 15,000 cars daily, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) exposes the has resulted in two major issues: noise and air littered with trash, and pedestrian sidewalks community to constant traffic noise and nearly 8,000 metric tons of toxic exhaust fumes pollution from the 150,000 cars that pass over and crosswalks are narrow or non existent. annually. To combat this air and noise pollution, and to build a better relationship with its on the BQE each day. Lack of crosswalks between parking lots imposing structure, we propose a BQE Greening initiative. Hanging gardens under the BQE, and creates a hazard for those crossing the cut- green walls and planters along both sides of the expressway, would absorb the local emissions Harmful particulate matter from exhaust through streets beneath the expressway. and noise pollution produced by traffic. Planting, implementation, and management requires a fumes on the BQE measure between seven Neighborhood residents face getting run over to eight micrograms per cubic meter in when trying to cross Park Avenue at most workforce and is prime for an industrial partnership. It is also another opportunity to introduce FIGURE 28. local students to conscious growth and provide educational and training pathways for jobs in Map of Noise Pollution in New the blocks both north and south of the crossings due to heavy traffic use. green infrastructure. York City. Source: BTS, 2014 expressway between Myrtle and Flushing

Beyond the highway infrastructure, Wallabout lacks access to transit. The majority of residents are located more than a quarter mile away from a subway station, and household access to personal vehicles is uncommon in lower-wealth census tracts. This lack of transit accessibility highlights the need for multimodal, shared mobility stations that aim to close this gap. These stations would be located conveniently where gaps have been identified, such as near the Ingersoll campus which has a high aging population. New mobility stations not only mean better access for residents, but they also bring consumers closer to the Myrtle Avenue Market, Richard Wright Way, and east of Myrtle’s thriving business district.

There are still more ways transit can evolve to benefit the community. Ground freight transport has long been important to Wallabout’s economy, but we expect to see a 57 percent rise in freight road congestion by 2045. To mitigate this, we propose building a connection to a growing network of short sea shipping. Working directly with the Brooklyn Navy Yard, maritime freight transport could support the rebuilding of Pier D, a historic and abandoned industrial Navy Yard pier. Receiving break bulk cargo, Pier D would allow for energy efficient barges to transport goods, such as fresh produce from the NYCHA farm and locally sourced goods from the Myrtle Market and Food Hub, directly to or from the industrial district. Used materials like food waste could be sent to local farms as fertilizer. New warehouse space built around the connection point would create living-wage employment, well-suited to the neighborhood’s skill sets.

49 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 3 50 Greening of the

Despite its heavy car infrastructure Wallabout area is not enough. Access to transportation is also faces serious issues with lack of mobility empowerment, and Wallabout residents need Brooklyn-Queens Expressway for its residents. As displayed in Figure 29, the more options than what is currently available. neighborhood is currently a transportation desert. The vast majority of the neighborhood The industrial space within Wallabout and is located outside a quarter mile radius the Brooklyn Navy Yard has transportation of a subway station. In an interview with problems of its own. Truck transportation our studio class, the head of the NYCHA makes up 90 percent of freight transportation Cost $$$ In order to lessen the negative externalities partnerships may be established between tenants association mentioned that even and entryways into the city are already at of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE), the community through block committees, though the NYCHA developments are only failing levels of service (FreightNYC, 2018 and Duration 5-10 years we propose equipping the expressway with and stakeholders such as Myrtle Avenue roughly a half mile away from a subway NYBPM). These conditions are a far departure hanging gardens as an effective means of Brooklyn Partnership, the Department of station, residents still feel disconnected from from the historical network of distribution Stakeholders mitigating the issues brought by a major travel Transportation, and the Department of public transportation. Additionally, current which came into the city by boat and local rail. • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership artery which can lead by example to other Small Business Services to build advocacy transportation within the neighborhood With freight volume expected to grow by 57 • NYC Dept. of City Planning neighborhoods in New York City burdened for the project, and implement it later on. is disproportionately distributed. In the percent by 2045, and with no plans to build • NYC Dept. of Transportation elevated expressways. Applying green walls Additionally, any community based program two census tracts which house the NYCHA new tunnels and bridges in the city, something Studio Lead Joe Urso and planters onto the expressway can absorb will require outreach to local service suppliers. developments, the ratio of non-vehicle owning needs to change with the way freight and up to 40 percent of carbon emissions released Plant supply may be provided through NYCHA households is 5.24 to 1. In the remaining goods flows into the city (FreightNYC, 2018). by private vehicles and trucks. Green walls properties if the Fort Greene Public Housing FIGURE 29. Wallabout census tracts, this ratio is 1.74 to 1 Map of Subway Stations around lining the sides of the BQE are also helpful in complex develops an agricultural gardening (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2017). These conditions the Wallabout Neighborhood. blocking sound from overhead traffic. program. Other sources consist of any local Source: MTA, 2019 indicate that current transportation in the nurseries or, as a last resort, chains such as Greening the BQE is an ideal opportunity the Home Depot nursery located nearby on FIGURE 30. Rendering of the BQE not only for workforce production, but also the corner of Dekalb and Nostrand Avenues. Greening Initiative for community involvement. Public-private

51 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 3 52 Advocate for Increased Transportation Access through Shared Mobility Stations

Cost $$ About the Recommendation Implementation / Community Engagement To address current gaps in transportation, we As this project aims to address gaps in Duration 5+ years recommend that the Partnership advocates transportation access within the community, for increased transportation access in the the implementation strategy should be paired Stakeholders study area through shared mobility stations. with community engagement. While the plans • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership • Brooklyn Navy Yard These stations would provide a variety of are being drawn for the mobility stations, • CitiBike transportation options that suit a variety Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership should • NYC Dept. of Transportation of needs. These would include CitiBike assist in creating a civic oversight committee • NYCHA Stations, e-scooter charging stations, ride and to oversee the process. This would include • Wegmans carsharing service pick up points, and dollar stakeholders such as NYCHA, the Navy Yard, van pick up points. These would also include and the Partnership. This group would have Studio Lead Samuel Brodersen placemaking components, such as benches direct input over the process. The Navy and signage directing viewers to historic Yard should also be considered as a source places in the neighborhood. of potential funding, as these stations will likely take many employees to and from To ensure that these stations are accessible work. Rideshare companies should also be to all, it should be required that all vendors considered for funding, as these stations will have programs for reduced fees for NYCHA provide safe and reliable pick up and drop off residents and those who can provide proof points for customers and drivers. of low-income. By providing low-income residents with independence through transit Once the plans have been created, public access, these stations can work to help reduce open houses should be held in relation to systemic racism in the community. the station, so all members can view and provide input on the plans. After the stations The stations should be located in areas that themselves have been installed, they should ensure that all residents are located within a be reevaluated every three to five years quarter mile of a mobility station. Additionally, to ensure that the amenities offered are emphasis should be placed in census tracts consistent with modern technological options. FIGURE 31. Locations of the Proposed Mobility Stations which house NYCHA communities and tracts which have a higher percentage of residents above the age of 65. Currently the census tracts which meet these requirements are 185.01, 211, 31, 195, 193, and 29.01. Their locations inside these tracts should be what is anchoring the use, such as Pratt Institute and Wegmans food market.

53 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 3 54 Connect Industry to Water

Cost $$$$ About this Recommendation Implementation The reliance on trucks for delivery could be Implementing the reconstruction of Pier D Duration 10 years greatly reduced in Wallabout while opening involves multiple city agencies and will be a up new demand for industrial space. Working long term project. Funding should come from Stakeholders directly with the Brooklyn Navy Yard, maritime NYC Economic Development Corporation • Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation freight transport could support the rebuilding as a lead partner in the FreightNYC plan • Brooklyn Navy Yard IBZ of Pier D, a historic and abandoned industrial inconcert with the Brooklyn Navy Yard for • NYC Economic Development Navy Yard pier. Pier D could receive cargo reconstruction. The Brooklyn Navy Yard Corporation via barge and cargo ferry which are modes Development Corporation (BNYDC) will issue of transportation that can be up to 70 times a request for proposals for redevelopment Studio Lead Alex Jackson more fuel efficient per pound of freight of the pier as well as for logistic companies compared to trucks (Maritime Executive, that can operate the new entryway and 2017). This port could serve as a hub for local transportation. Concurrently to these production bringing products to market such practices, the Navy Yard Industrial Business as fresh produce from the NYCHA farm, or Zone will begin connecting with industrial locally sourced goods from the Myrtle Market businesses to begin organizing the buying and Food Hub, directly to and/or from the group. Overall, this recommendation should industrial district. last around 10 years and is expected to cost around $17 million per BNYDC’s estimates. This could also be part of larger system that reduces the carbon footprint of production Community Engagement through extending the viable use of inputs Community engagement will be a critical by sharing used materials with firms that component to evaluate this proposed project. can put them to use better use. For example, Focus groups will be conducted among food waste could be sent to local farms as business and property owners to identify fertilizer. To support storage and distribution attitudes towards the reconstruction of the a small warehouse should be built with the pier as well as concerns and opportunities unlocked floor area ratio from the rebuilt pier. around the project’s impact on the Navy Yard This space could provide up to 25 full time and Wallabout. Similar outreach will be done union jobs averaging $50,000 dollars a year through canvassing and tabling through (FreightNYC, 2018). Additionally, temporary residential neighborhoods and along Myrtle construction jobs for local hire would be Avenue to include neighborhood residents required to rebuild the pier. An industrial within the planning process. This is especially buying group, with members from the Navy important to identify possible unintended Yard and the food hub, could minimize costs consequences of the project. for the full Wallabout circular economy.

FIGURE 32. (Top Right Page) Ferry and Truck Route Map with Node Call Outs. Source: DOT, 2019

FIGURE 33. (Bottom Right Page) Rendering of Rebuilt Pier D

55 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 3 56 Zone 4 Advocate for a New Zoning Overlay Existing Conditions Wallabout’s industrial district is as healthy as leisure and hospitality at $27, $19, and $16 Expand the BID and IBZ any in New York City. Wallabout has five times respectively (Voltolini and Greenberg, 2019). Expand the Industrial Historic District more industrial land than that of Brooklyn and New York City at eight percent. The area’s Wallabout industrial property rents are as The Future of Afforable Housing industrial mix is robust with 24 percent of competitive as any in Brooklyn. Upper and businesses in manufacturing, 32 percent in ground floor units are going for $30-40 per wholesale trade, and the rest in construction, square foot here, while upper-floor industrial information, and transportation and spaces in the borough are going for $25 (Raftis, warehousing. Over 25 percent of total jobs in 2019). However, the future of Wallabout’s One of the greatest economic drivers in Wallabout has been its industrial district. Currently, one- Wallabout is in industrial and manufacturing. industrial district is uncertain. Both industrial fourth of jobs in the area are industrial and manufacturing-based. However, new residential and These jobs provide decent pay and benefits sites and jobs have been slowly declining commercial developments like Navy Green and The Hall threaten these industrial jobs, which to people with less than a college degree. here, yet the viability of this sector depends have been providing employment and supporting wealth-building to generations of diverse, National hourly earnings for manufacturing on the availability of industrial land and labor low-income residents. Current zoning protections and incentives are not enough to ensure jobs are higher than that of retail and (Voltolini and Greenberg, 2019). economic opportunities for the people who have made Wallabout what it is today. FIGURE 34. Comparison of Industrial and A new type of zoning overlay for the Wallabout industrial area, and ultimately for all of New Manufacturing Land Use. York City, would ensure that industrial spaces, as drivers of wealth equity, are protected and Source: DCP MapPLUTO 19v1 preserved. The proposed overlay has four categories, three of which pair manufacturing with non-industrial uses. Vertical zoning within this overlay further promotes the development of residential and commercial spaces, while preserving industrial jobs.

In addition to the zoning, we propose a second tool for preserving industrial jobs: to expand the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District and Brooklyn Navy Yard Industrial Business Zone into Wallabout. The Partnership and Navy Yard currently overlap in providing business incentives, delivering public programming, and advocating for small businesses. Through this expansion, the Partnership would bring the local expertise required to meet residents’ needs, while the Navy Yard would bring resources to industrial businesses including tax credits and FIGURE 35. political clout. A partnership between these two entities could supplement and finance services Jobs by NAICS Industry for Wallabout’s industrial district and would set a precedent for the City. Funding for industrial Sector, 2017. See Image Credits for source. business zones would no longer be city-based and subject to budget cuts; it would also be generated from the BID assessment structure. As the policy and wide-reaching arms of our circular economy structure, these two tools keep industry growing while also supporting the local economies within.

57 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 4 58 In terms of zoning, M1 zones are located north Industrial Historic District, and is only one of of Park Avenue and to the east. The middle a handful of historic districts identifying NYC’s section of Wallabout is zoned residential, with early industrial history. This industrial historic commercial overlays along Myrtle Avenue. is one of the last remaining districts in the M1 districts typically include light industrial city that still hosts enterprise that marked the uses. Offices, hotels and most retail uses are district for its historic designation. also permitted. M1 districts mainly consist of one- or two-story warehouses characterized Just to the East of the existing industrial by loading bays, and facilities must meet historic district, and south of Park Avenue specific performance standards (DCP, 2019). between Clinton Avenue and Classon Avenue, Wallabout’s industrial zoning exists mainly in a major portion of small to medium scale the M1 zoning districts, but also expands into industrial sites are not included within existing residential-zoned areas (DCP, 2019). the existing national register boundaries. Manufacturing is in steep decline in the city, Included with these industrial areas are and the city is actively rezoning manufacturing ample examples of mid to late 19th century use to something that is seen as more “viable” residential built fabric that may have directly like retail or luxury housing (Friedman, Byron, housed the working class and employees of and Becker, 2015). many of Wallabout’s historic industrial sites, as well as the Brooklyn Navy Yard. As highlighted in the 1983 and 2012 National Register of historic places nomination There is currently a shortage of affordable reports, Wallabout hosts an ample supply of housing within Wallabout, and the units architecturally significant late 19th century which exist in the NYCHA Ingersoll and Walt industrial buildings and sites, providing Whitman Houses are either occupied or they two overlapping historic districts, both are in such dire need of repair that they are of which are primarily industrial. The first vacant at this time and cannot be occupied FIGURE 36. Zoning Map of Wallabout of these, nationally designated in 1983, is by new tenants. Ingersoll Houses are the first the Rockwood Chocolate Factory Historic NYCHA development to have air rights sold to District, comprised of seventeen buildings a private developer. The new mixed-income and one empty lot, which previously luxury development located on Tillary and hosted two Rockwood buildings (1983 Prince Streets adjacent to Ingersoll will create Nomination Report, Olstein & May). Taking some new affordable housing (via lottery), but into consideration a greater percentage of not a lot (The Real Deal). The proceeds from architecturally significant industrial built the TDR deal ($25 million) will go towards fabric, the 2012 historic district expansion the current maintenance budget deficit at identified 40 buildings contributing to the Ingersoll (NYCHA NextGen Program). Further Wallabout industrial heritage and local built solutions are needed to cover more than basic character, including the already designated repairs, but actual quality housing for the Rockwood Chocolate Factory Historic District. community in the immediate and near future. This expansion is identified as the Wallabout

59 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 4 60 Implementation (e.g. council or mayor). DCP has not been in This project will require technical resources the business of preserving manufacturing and Advocate for the Creation including zoning and manufacturing experts will likely not shift or change without direct at the Pratt Center and industrial use experts pressure from above. in the Navy Yard. Financial resources can be of a New Industrial Zoning sourced from the Navy Yard and the capital Community Engagement that they bring due to political buy-in and Specifically, community engagement could power. This project is estimated to take first begin with communication to the approximately four years of organizing, and MABP Board of Directors about plan. The work should begin right away. The cost for this next step would be appealing to Navy Yard, project will be relatively low; it shouldn’t cost IMPACCT, and other nonprofit developers for much more than time spent advocating and partnership or financial support. After that, Cost $ Given the existing conditions in Wallabout, spaces above. Finally, manufacturing only organizing on the part of the MABP. forming a steering committee with community we propose a new type of zoning overlay for serves as the core industrial area for the zone. and partners listed on the previous page is Duration 4 years the Wallabout industrial area, and ultimately This overlay would be the responsibility a crucial next step. In order to continue to for all of New York City, that will protect Industrial zoning protects the manufacturing Stakeholders of DCP to create and implement. This engage more stakeholders, MABP could do and preserve industry. In other cities that and industrial identity found in Wallabout • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership overlay could be advocated for by MARP participatory action research with people have implemented this, it often looks like and protects it from inappropriate new • Brooklyn Borough partnered with BNY and many other who work in Wallabout industrial area, President’s Office requirements on industrial use percentage, development. IBZs and organizations concerned with conduct focus groups with existing industrial • Brooklyn Navy Yard heritage preservation, design guidelines, industrial preservation such as the Pratt business owners, and survey property owners. • Community Board 2 and strict limitations on commercial and Zoning is the first tool to help generate jobs Center. Advocating for this could include a After reconnecting with the Navy Yard, • Council Member Laurie Cumbo residential uses that could ultimately gentrify and wages for working class residents. • Council Member Stephen Levin steering committee made up of a group of IMPACCT, and other nonprofit developers for industrial use and character. • Industrial Business Owners impassioned stakeholders, ideally drawing partnership or financial support as well as Specifics about each overlay category are: • Industrial Workers from many different groups identified on the the steering committee, MABP could begin • Mayor’s Office of We looked at seven various best practice cases previous page. This will most likely need to to garner political support from community Economic Opportunity when it comes to industrial zoning overlays. Industrial Only be formed as a campaign for the overlay, and board and Council Member alongside the • NYC Dept. of City Planning In San Francisco, the city created Production, • Use Groups: 11, 16, 17 FIGURE 37. • NYCHA Residents bring the issue to an office higher than DCP steering committee and any other partners. Distribution, and Repair districts that explicitly • GF Frontage widths: 28-50 ft I Proposed Overlay Boundaries • Pratt Center disallow office, hotel, and other non-industrial • MAX FAR: 4, manufacturing not less than Case Studies development in these areas, except when 100% ground floor use • Bend County, OR ancillary to the district’s use (Wertheim, • Canby, OR 2014). In Portland, the city prioritizes areas Industrial and Residential • Leon Valley, TX for long-term retention and are concerned • Use Groups: 2, 3, 4, 11, 16, 17 • Portland, OR with heritage preservation of industrial areas • GF Frontage widths: 18-25 ft res, 28-35 ft I • Rancho Cucamonga, CA (Portland Planning and Zoning, 2018). Many • MAX FAR: 5, manufacturing not less than • Rock Falls, IL • San Francisco, CA of the other overlays had strict provisions 75% ground floor use against as of right developments, square Studio Lead footage restrictions for commercial use, and Industrial and Office Josephina Matteson many required extra permitting for any use • Use Groups: 3, 4, 11, 16, 17 beyond industrial. • GF Frontage widths: 28-50 ft I • MAX FAR: 7, manufacturing not less than About this Recommendation 90% ground floor use For the overlay, we have split it into four major categories (see Figure 37). The boundaries Industrial and Retail have been drawn with consideration of • Use Groups: 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 16, 17 Wallabout’s past, current, and future • GF Frontage widths: 20-32 ft Retail, 12-18 ft I conditions. The first, manufacturing and • MAX FAR: 7, manufacturing not less than residential, would allow for manufacturing 30% ground floor use uses on the ground floor with residential use above. The second, manufacturing and Vertical zoning within this overlay further office, allows for the same ground floor promotes the development of residential manufacturing use, with office above instead and commercial spaces, while preserving of residential. Third, manufacturing and industrial jobs. With this proposed overlay, it commercial allows for retail commercial use is the first time industrial use is ever expanded on the ground floor, with manufacturing in New York City.

61 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 4 62 Rendering of Industrial and Retail Zoning Overlay

63 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 4 64 Implementation This project will require technical and Expand the Business Improvement financial resources. Current MABP staff are well-equipped to lead a needs assessment survey, public outreach, and other planning District and Industrial Business Zone efforts as part of the BID expansion process. BNYDC can provide the capital to support the process given their political buy-in and power.

MABP does not need to pursue a BID expansion alone. Local stakeholders that should be involved include BNYDC, industrial Cost $ About the Recommendation MABP and BNYDC will supplement and finance and commercial business owners, property This recommendation is two-fold. First, services in Wallabout to expand industry and BID Assessment Forumla Change – 1.5 years owners, and Community Board 2. City Duration we propose that Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn generate manufacturing jobs for residents. Expansion of the Myrtle Avenue BID agencies should also be involved, including Partnership expand not only its geographic will require an increased budget Stakeholders the NYC Economic Development Corporation footprint into the existing industrial district, This type of partnership between a business to fund its services in the industrial district. • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership (NYCEDC), NYC Department of Small Business but also its mission to include industrial improvement district (BID) and industrial Currently, the BID assessment for Myrtle • Brooklyn Borough Services (SBS), and Brooklyn Borough President’s Office advocacy. Along with this, we urge the business zone (IBZ) is becoming increasingly Avenue Brooklyn DMA’s FY20 Operating Budget President’s Office. Existing industrial BIDs • Brooklyn Navy Yard Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation popular in New York City. Long Island City is $575,000. The expanded boundaries will like East Brooklyn BID and Long Island City Development Corporation (BNYDC) to expand beyond Flushing Avenue Partnership operates both the area’s BID generate an additional $1.6M of income. The • Business Owners (Commercial Partnership can provide insight on how to best and work with MABP to further support and IBZ and acts as a one-stop resource for assessment formula will need to be adjusted and Industrial) support industrial businesses. industry in the Wallabout neighborhood. commercial and industrial businesses. East to determine how much each property will • Community Board 2 Brooklyn BID benefits from IBZ funding to pay of that budget. Changes from existing to • Existing Industrial BIDs NYCEDC and SBS would be responsible for the • Industrial Workers MABP and BNYDC are uniquely positioned provide business assistance and employment proposed formula for the overall assessment IBZ expansion—and this would not be their • NYC Dept. of City Planning to support each other. These two entities support in a difficult space. Stakeholders are outlined below. first time pursuing such a recommendation. • NYC Economic Development currently overlap in three ways: providing of the Gowanus neighborhood have even Corporation In 2011, the expansion of the Navy Yard IBZ business incentives, delivering public considered forming a BID to further support Proposed BID Assessment Formula Change: • NYC Small Business Services into Wallabout was proposed by NYCEDC and programming, and advocating for small their industrial constituents. MABP and BNYDC • BID assessment is split into a South • Property Owners SBS, Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project businesses. Where they differ is in the could set a precedent for this partnership Subdistrict (the original Myrtle Avenue LDC, the Brooklyn Borough President, and Case Studies domain of their expertise. MABP brings the model in New York City. Funding for industrial corridor), and a North Subdistrict (the others. Although the IBZ boundaries remain • East Brooklyn BID local expertise required to meet residents’ business zones would no longer be entirely expanded corridors) unchanged, we believe the recent successes • Long Island City Partnership needs, while BNYDC brings many resources city-based and subject to budget cuts; it • The variable and weighting of Assessed of BNYDC and MABP will provide the political • Southwest Brooklyn Industrial to industrial businesses including tax credits also would be generated from the business Value and Front Footage rates will be Development Corporation support needed to realize an IBZ expansion. and political clout. A partnership between improvement district assessment structure. different for each subdistrict

• The proposed formula is modeled after Studio Lead Jacqueline Ting Community Engagement one already in use in New York City as it The BID expansion effort is similar to that addresses the same mix of properties and of a BID formation. The regulated process is uses that Wallabout will become once the outlined by the City of New York and consists new zoning overlay is implemented (see of three phases: planning, community page 61, “Advocate for the Creation of a New outreach, and legislation. MABP staff will need Zoning Overlay”) to work with the existing BID Board and gain their approval to pursue an expansion before a Steering Committee can be formed. Once Assessment of Expanded Boundaries approved, we recommend that MABP engage with the stakeholders listed above. It is crucial Rate 1 (Frontage) 47.0816335 that MABP engage with industrial businesses Rate 2 (Assessed Value) 0.0029965 by conducting focus groups to understand Total Frontage 19,571.10 their needs and ensure that some of these Assessed Total Value $ 259,491,000.00 businesses sit on the Steering Committee. Resulting Assessment $ 1,699,004.14 MABP should also engage the Navy Yard, NYCEDC, and SBS during this time to begin *Rates 1 and 2 provided by MABP FIGURE 38. conversations around the IBZ expansion. Proposed Boundaries of the BID-IBZ Expansion

65 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 4 66 Expand the Industrial Historic District

Cost $$ About this Recommendation advocates for and promotes the industrial Implementation This recommendation takes into consideration past and continuously evolving future within Duration 2 years the industrial heritage of Wallabout, Wallabout, as is pertains to the people, Phase 1: Rockwood Chocolate Factory allowing for the industrial historic district community character, and sense of place Stakeholders Historic District (1983) to encompass sites of community history within this community. Designated as a National Historic District • Brooklyn Navy Yard Archives • Brooklyn Public Library and historic workforce relevance. Such an in 1983, the Rockwood Chocolate Factory (Archives Collections) expansion takes into consideration the future Community Engagement complex includes 16 buildings, all of which • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership of the community, with regards to zoning, Understanding that this industrial historic relate to the architectural character and • Landmarks Preservation development, economy, and industrial district expansion takes into greater identity of the major industrial and food Commission evolution. Bounded by Clinton Avenue to the consideration the people who played manufacturing complex. Consisting of • NYC Dept. of Buildings • Pratt Institute Historic West, between Flushing and including the major roles in the Wallabout community, buildings that had histories as stables, small Preservation Program south side of Park Avenue (Block 1888, Lot it is pertinent to continue to include these scale manufacturing sites, and fresh produce • Property Owners (Industrial 34), the district expansion reaches to Grand same community members in the expansion storage/wholesale produce warehousing, this and Residential) Avenue, where the expanded boundary heads conversation today. To engage residents of complex provides a narrative history of uses • State Historic Preservation south towards Myrtle Avenue (including Blocks Wallabout with the industrial history evident and needs. Architecturally, this designation Office 1893, 1894, and 1895), running eastward here, excite property owners of the histories focuses on Criteria 3 of the Interior Standards, FIGURE 39. (Left) 1983 Rockwood Chocolate Studio Lead Travis Matts till reaching Classon Avenue (including identified in their properties, and encourage highlighting the architectural integrity of Factory Historic District Map Block 1880). This expansion, while including business owners and industrial tenants to this district’s industrial and manufacturing historic residential built fabric, promotes the harbor their histories, continuing a centuries buildings and showcasing the Romanesque FIGURE 40. (Below) 2012 Wallabout Industrial possibility of small scale industrial and light long legacy in Wallabout major community Revival and Early American Industrial styles. District Map manufacturing business growth, in places conversations need to be hosted. To facilitate where such work was historically typical, and these conversations, the Wallabout Wealth Phase 2: Wallabout Industrial relates the greater Wallabout community Equity Committee can oversee a History Historic District (2012) identity to its industrial history. co-committee, where histories such as Encompassing the original 1983 historic the Wallabout Industrial narrative would district, a 2012 proposed expansion of the With major development of industrial and be explored with both long time and new historic district took into consideration the residential sites on the horizon, and rezoning residents to the area. Such a co-committee greater core of industry and manufacturing possibilities threatening much of Wallabout could aid in public discussion of how these found in Wallabout, between Clinton near and around the historically industrial historic sites would be managed, what and Ryerson Avenues. This designation area, an expansion of the existing industrial property owners would need to do to list their nomination was again formulated off the historic district boundaries would not only property on the National Register (residential basis of meeting Criteria 3 of the Interiors encompass a greater percentage of this and industrial), and how these property Standards, and was accepted as a newly fragile built fabric, but would provide further owners can benefit from such an honorable expanded Wallabout Industrial Historic preservation interventions based off “place designation. Further historic resources District. Architecturally, this designation heritage”, as industrial heritage relates management would be able to be discussed highlights the greater integrity of these to Wallabouts industrial past, including through this co-committee, and would allow historic building facades, which utilize the industrial types, tiers of workforce, residents, property owners, stakeholders and elements of Romanesque Revival, Gothic and architectural development within the business entrepreneurs the opportunity to sit Revival, and Early American Industrial. Such community from the mid 19th to mid 20th collectively at the table, understanding how building uses found within this expansion centuries. Such an expansion of a nationally each plays a part in the continuously evolving include machinery manufacturing, food and recognized and designated historic district industrial Wallabout narrative. cold storage, fresh produce warehousing, and food production.

67 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 4 68 Phase 3: Wallabout Industrial Historic the lifestyles of those industrial employees District Expansion–Statement of who resided in the Wallabout community Significance (Proposed) between 1860 and today. Establishing that The Future of Identifying that Wallabout’s industrial the Criteria met for designation expansion is history has a legacy reaching as far back as a unique combination of both Criteria 3 and the 1860s, it is important to continuously 4, showing respect to the architectural and Affordable Housing evaluate how history is being portrayed visual integrity that is to be included within throughout a community, and if those the expansion of this industrial historic district histories are accurately telling all the stories as it relates to industrial sites, as well as the associated. Looking at the already expanded how history can further tell the stories of Industrial Historic District, as boundary industrial sector employees living in Brooklyn lines were established in 2012, it became community during the late 19th to mid 20th Cost $$$$ As Pratt GCPE planning and preservation Case Study: Queensbridge Houses apparent that a major selection of early centuries. The significance of the industrial students—and future practitioners—we The Regional Planning Association released 20th century low scale manufacturing sites sites present, the residential fabric adjacent, Duration 10+ years support recent publications and efforts, such a report in October 2019 which highlights were not included within this expansion, and the identification of the people who lived as the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), how primarily due to lack of architectural and worked in this area demands recognition Stakeholders and the 2019 RPA report, that call for centering it works, and what options can be used to integrity. Taking into consideration that and protection at the National level. Such • Myrtle Ave Bklyn Partnership NYCHA in the City’s affordable housing plans suit the future of NYCHA. They highlight Wallabout provides a historic, community protections as would be awarded within this • Brooklyn Navy Yard • Ingersoll and Walt Whitman and demanding alternatives to privatization. three developments in the city, one of which based narrative that explores more than the expanded industrial historic district may Houses Tenants Association Meanwhile, as Ingersoll houses are the first is Queensbridge in Long Island City. They FIGURE 41. built fabric, it was concluded to be of high set the precedent for better understanding • NYC Dept. of City Planning Proposed Boundaries of to experience a sale of air rights, we propose propose four TDR scenarios. Scenario 1 is importance to indicate the history of these of both tangible and intangible histories as • NYC Dept. of Housing the Wallabout Industrial that further air rights can be sold and new By-right development within the campus, excluded industrial sites, as well as local they relate to industrial jobs, workers, and Preservation and Development Historic District Expansion. affordable housing built in Wallabout. We Scenario 2 is tradition TDR (across the street Source: NY SHPO, 2019 residential built fabric that speaks directly to community growth in America. • NYCHA • U.S. Dept. of Housing and have identified possible sites along Park and adjacent development), Scenario 3 is a Urban Development Avenue, which will have 20 percent of the half-mile buffer and adjacent development, units at affordable rates using some of the and Scenario 4 expands the TDR to the Case Studies deep subsidies from the sale of air rights. Any entirety of Queens Community District 1. • Queensbridge Houses additional affordable units can be set aside Scenarios 3 and 4 would be the ones most specifically for residents of the Ingersoll and suitable to what is happening in Wallabout Studio Lead Luis Diaz Walt Whitman houses. The remaining funds and could be adopted so that receiving sites would be allocated to rehabbing and address can be on lots which have greater potential NYCHA development issues. for development to create new affordable housing for NYCHA residents. (Regional Plan Not only will this create more affordable Association, October 2019). housing which is already desperately needed, but serves as an avenue to allow Community Engagement current NYCHA residents which are working In order to develop new affordable housing toward upward mobility to be able to afford within Wallabout in the most equitable way, to remain in the neighborhood while at it is crucial to engage the community in a the same time, providing space for others series of workshops, focus groups, and design on the NYCHA waiting list. If NYCHA is not charrettes which take into account learning directly managing the new development, what services residents needs and are looking NYCHA could recommend tenants based for which are not already being addressed by on specific criteria to the development other community groups. managing organization such as a community development corporation or community- based organization.

69 The Wallabout Transition Recommendations: Zone 4 70 Chapter 4 Next Steps for the Partnership

Wallabout has been defined by its working class community and cultural identity. Although it has been resilient through centuries of injustices, physical and socioeconomic reminders of this past exist today. Wallabout is experiencing yet another period of growth. The time is ripe to reflect on how the area’s prosperity has consistently benefited some groups more than others. We identify four steps the Partnership might consider.

First, we recommend that the Partnership form a Wallabout Wealth Equity Committee. 1 Tackling the unequal distribution of wealth and investment in the area requires collaboration. We believe that the Partnership is not just needed at the table, but is the right entity to bring the necessary partners to it. With the right stakeholders, and the Partnership as co-founder, the Wallabout Wealth Equity Committee could consider this mission and proposed place based interventions.

Second would be for the Partnership—and eventually the Wallabout Wealth Committee—to 2 develop a prioritized advocacy and community engagement plan. In this report, we have identified a number of engagement strategies the Partnership and Committee could consider.

Third, we suggest that the Partnership integrate stronger preservation strategies into its 3 mission. The partnership already has a strong reputation for urban design strategies and preservation. By integrating adaptive reuse and stronger preservation strategies in its mission, it can frame and bolster our project ideas of the McKinney Steward Food Hub, Richard Wright Way, and the historic district expansion.

Finally, the Partnership can leverage its standing in the community to jumpstart the transition 4 towards a circular economy. Some of the interventions we propose are low cost but high impact, such as NYCHA farms. The Partnership could rally its existing stakeholders, or engage new ones, to contribute to bringing some of these projects to life.

The Partnership has already achieved its mission to support a vibrant, clean, and safe commercial corridor. Now it could set a new citywide precedent as the first joint BID and LDC to chart a path towards equitable growth in its community.

Ingersoll Houses’ Garden Build Days, 2010 71 The Wallabout Transition Section or Chapter Title 72 Cummins, S., Flint, E., & Matthews, S. A. (2014). New Neighborhood Grocery Store Increased Awareness Of Food Access But Did Not Alter Dietary Habits Or Obesity. Health Affairs, 33(2), 283–291. References Data for Progress. (2019, November). A Green New Deal for New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Communities. Retrieved from https://www.dataforprogress.org/green-new-deal- public-housing-nycha. David, Theodore. (2019, November 11). Phone Interview. Davies, Steve. (2019, November 5). Interview. Brooklyn, NY. Dolkart, A. (2005). Wallabout Cultural Resource Survey. Brooklyn, NY: Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project LDC. Aase, Melissa. (2019, November 26). Phone Interview. Dolkart, A. (2012). Wallabout Industrial Historic District Nomination Report. District of Columbia: Ally. (2018, January 25). Susan Smith McKinney Steward: Brooklyn’s First Black Woman Secretary of the Interior. Physician. [Blog post]. Brooklyn Public Library. Retrieved from https://www.bklynlibrary. Eaton, Nicole. (2018, August 24). Lockwood neighborhood gets a new paint job. Retrieved from org/blog/2018/01/25/susan-smith-mckinney. https://medium.com/around-the-crown/lockwood-neighborhood-gets-a-new-paint-job- Armbruster, E. L. (1918). Bruijkleen Colonie (Borough of Brooklyn) 1638-1918. Retrieved from 60c47d035ea. https://lccn.loc.gov/19000481. Federal, State and Local Policy Work. (n.d.). CSH. Retrieved from https://www.csh.org/csh- Barge Transport Wins on Fuel Efficiency. (2017, March 29). Maritime Executive. Retrieved solutions/policy-and-advocacy/. December 6, 2019, from https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/barge-transport- wins-on-fuel-efficiency. Fisher, Shawn. (July 2014). Urban Waters Initiative, Pier 5 Pop-up Wetlands Study. Been, V., Infranca, J., Madar, J., & Yager, J. (2014, March). Unlocking the Right to Build: Designing Friedman, A., Byron, J., & Becker, J. (2015). Making Room for Housing and Jobs. New York: Pratt a More Flexible System for Transferring Development Rights. NYU Furman Center. Retrieved Center for Community Development. from https://furmancenter.org/research/publication/unlocking-the-right-to-build- Gaia Technologies LLP. (n.d.) Leaf Island Effect. designing-a-more-flexible-system-for-transferr. Ghosh-Dastidar, M., Hunter, G., Collins, R. L., Zenk, S. N., Cummins, S., Beckman, R., … Dubowitz, Benardo, L., & Weiss, J. (2006). Brooklyn by Name : How the Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks, T. (2017). Does Opening a Supermarket in a Food Desert Change the Food Environment? Bridges, and More Got Their Names. New York: NYU Press. Health & Place, 46, 249–256. Berkeley Qualified Opportunity Fund. (2019). Councilmember Ben Bartlett, Greene Hill Food Co-op. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.greenehillfood.coop. City of Berkeley, District 3. Retrieved from https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_ GrowNYC Annual Report, 2018. (2019, January 15). Retrieved from https://issuu.com/grownyc/ Council/2019/03_Mar/City_Council__03-19-2019_-_Special_Meeting_Agenda.aspx. docs/grownyc_2018ar-m8-pages?e=15344747/33202932. Bingham, Beth. (2019, October 20). Phone Interview. Halpern, D., Negret, M., Williams, S., & Gates, M. (2019, October). Technical Appendix NYCHA’s Bloom, Nicholas Dagen. (2008). Public Housing That Worked: New York in the Twentieth Century. Transferable Development Rights. Retrieved November 2019, from http://library.rpa.org/. University of Pennsylvania Press. Hot Bread Kitchen. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://hotbreadkitchen.org. Browse Cultural Medallions–Richard Wright. (n.d.) Cultural Medallion Program of the Historic Howe, Kathy. (2017). Resource Eligibility Evaluation for the Raymond V. Ingersoll Houses. Preservation Center. Retrieved from http://www.hlpcculturalmedallions.org/browse- Cultural Resource Information System of the New York State Historic Preservation Office. cultural-medallions/medallion.php?medallion=Richard%20Wright. Retrieved from cris.parks.ny.gov. Campanella, Thomas J. (2019). Brooklyn: The Once and Future City. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Howe, Kathy. (2017). Resource Eligibility Evaluation for the Walt Whitman Houses. Cultural University Press. Resource Information System of the New York State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved Case Studies - Transfer of Development Rights (TDR). (n.d.). Retrieved November 2019, from from cris.parks.ny.gov. https://www.mass.gov/service-details/case-studies-transfer-of-development-rights-tdr. Improving New York City’s Waterways: Reducing the Impacts of Combined Water Overflows. Central Brooklyn Food Coop. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cbfood.org. (2017, Fall). City of New York Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved from http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/green_infrastructure/improving-water-quality-by- Combined Sewage Overflow. (2017, October 23). Newtown Creek Alliance. http://www. reducing-the-impacts-of-csos-fall-2017.pdf newtowncreekalliance.org/combined-sewer-overflow. Kiesel, Kristin, & Spalding, Ashley. (2018). A Food Business Incubator in the Sacramento Region Combined Sewage Overflows. (n.d.). City of New York Department of Environmental Protection. – Feasibility Study of Alchemy Kitchen. University of California, Davis. Retrieved from Retrieved from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/combined-sewer-overflows.page. https://kiesel.ucdavis.edu/Feasibility%20Study_Alchemist_Kitchen_3_28_2018.pdf. Croghan, Lore. (2019, June 12). Eye on Real Estate: St. Michael-St. Edward is So Beautiful and So Long Island City Business Improvement District. (2019, July 31). LIC BID Public Meeting on Empty. Retrieved from https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/06/12/brooklyns-loveliest- Proposed Formula Change. Retrieved from https://longislandcityqueens.com/media/filer_ church-and-other-buildings-near-fort-greene-park. public/cf/a7/cfa7bd51-8bef-4c81-b528-97d8da609415/bid_public_meeting_on_proposed_ formula_change_for_web.pdf.

73 The Wallabout Transition References 74 Long Term Control Plans. (n.d.). City of New York Department of Environmental. Retrieved from Olstein, A., & May, M. (1983). Rockwood Chocolate Factory Historic District Nomination Report. https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/citywide-long-term-control-plan.page. (pp. 1–61). District of Columbia: Secretary of the Interior. MARP_Under the BQE_2010, “Creating a Public Space Improvement District”, Wallabout Opportunity Zones – for Billionaires. (2019, November 16). The New York Times. Retrieved from Encyclopedia-Planning Folder. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/16/opinion/trump-tax-opportunity-zones.html. Mayor de Blasio Announces Completion Of 3,000 Solar Panels at The Brooklyn Navy Yard. (2016, Park Slope Food Coop. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.foodcoop.com. September 26). City of New York Office of the Mayor. Retrieved November 27, 2019, from Pitsch, Howard. (2010). Images of American – Fort Greene. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/769-16/mayor-de-blasio-completion-3- 000-solar-panels-the-brooklyn-navy-yard. Policy, U. F. (2017, February 16). Nourishing NYCHA: Food Policy as a Tool for Improving the Well-Being of New York City's Public Housing Residents. Retrieved from https://www. McKinney, J. (2011, June 6). Greenest Buildings Are the Ones Already Standing. Retrieved cunyurbanfoodpolicy.org/news/2017/2/15/nourishing-nycha-food-policy-as-a-tool-for- November 2019, from https://psmag.com/environment/old-buildings-combine- improving-the-well-being-of-new-york-citys-public-housing-residents. sustainability-preservation-31861. Portland Mercado. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.portlandmercado.org/. Mervin, Daria. (2015). Resource Eligibility Evaluation for Cumberland Hospital. Cultural Resource Information System of the New York State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved from cris. Portland Planning and Zoning. Employment and Industrial Zones, Title 33 (2018). Retrieved from parks.ny.gov. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/53298. Mervin, Daria. (2016). Resource Eligibility Evaluation for the Church of St. Michael and St. Project for Public Spaces, Inc., & Partners for Livable Communities. (2003, September). Public Edward. Cultural Resource Information System of the New York State Historic Preservation Markets as a Vehicle for Social Integration and Upward Mobility. New York, NY: The Ford Office. Retrieved from cris.parks.ny.gov. Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.pps.org/article/ford-market-research. Mervin, Daria. (2016). Resource Eligibility Evaluation for the Walt Whitman Branch of the Project for Public Spaces, Inc. (2016). Making Your Market a Dynamic Community Place. New Brooklyn Public Library. Cultural Resource Information System of the New York State York, NY: Project for Public Spaces. Retrieved from https://www.pps.org/article/main- Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved from cris.parks.ny.gov. street-guide-to-markets. Michler, A. (n.d.). Tour Bois-le-Prêtre: 60's Parisian Social Housing Tower Renovated into P.S. 67 Charles A. Dorsey School. (n.d.). Place Matters. Retrieved from https://placematters.net/ Gleaming Efficient Apartment Complex. Retrieved November 27 2019, from https:// census/detail.php?id=834. inhabitat.com/tour-bois-le-pretre-60s-parisian-social-housing-tower-renovated-into- Raftis, G. (2019, October 10). Phone interview. gleaming-efficient-apartment-complex. Regional Plan Association. (2019, October). Time to Act: Restoring the Promise of NYC's Public Morrone, Francis. (2001). An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. Housing. Retrieved from http://library.rpa.org/pdf/RPA-NYCHA_TimeToAct.pdf. Morrone, Francis. (2010). Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Neighborhood & Architectural History Guide. Riche-Druses, J. (2016, November). Food Business Pathways - A Pathway to Business Ownership Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Historical Society. for Public Housing Residents [pdf]. New York, NY: New York City Housing Authority. Park Avenue & Under the BQE Archives. (n.d.). Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership. Retrieved Retrieved from http://opportunitynycha.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FBP-White- January 27, 2020, from https://myrtleavenue.org/category/public-space/park-avenue- Paper-11.18.16-FINAL.pdf. under-the-bqe/ Riverkeeper. (n.d.) Equitable Water Rates for NYC. Retrieved from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/ Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District. (n.d.). District Retail Market Assessment. dep/water/citywide-east-river-open-water.page. Brooklyn, NY. Retrieved from https://myrtleavenue.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Its- Rosenfield, K. (2012, February 1). The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of On-Myrtle-Avenue.pdf. Building Reuse. Retrieved November 2019, from https://www.archdaily.com/204449/the- Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project LDC. (2012, Summer). Park Avenue Pedestrian Safety Plan. greenest-building-quantifying-the-environmental-value-of-building-reuse. Retrieved from https://myrtleavenue.org/our-community/public-space/park-avenue- Specifying Windows for Adaptive Reuse. (2018, March 8). Retrieved November 27, 2019, from under-the-bqe. https://www.grahamwindows.com/specifying-windows-for-adaptive-reuse. Nargi, L. (2019, September 14). Clean soil is rejuvenating New York's urban farms. Retrieved from Spellen, Suzanne. (2014, February 4). Building of the Day: 108 St. Edwards Street. Brownstoner. https://www.salon.com/2019/09/14/clean-soil-is-rejuvenating-new-yorks-urban-farms_ Retrieved from https://www.brownstoner.com/architecture/building-of-the-day-108-st- partner/. edwards-street. New York City Economic Development Corporation & PORTNYC. (2018). FreightNYC: Goods Sustainable Historic Preservation | WBDG - Whole Building Design Guide. (2019, August 26). for the Good of the City. Retrieved from https://edc.nyc/sites/default/files/filemanager/ Retrieved November 27, 2019, from https://www.wbdg.org/design-objectives/historic- Services/PortNYC/5054-PT_FreightNYC_book_PRESS_digital_3.pdf. preservation/sustainable-historic-preservation. NYC Food Policy. (2017). Food Metrics Report 2017. Retrieved from https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/ Transportation Data and Statistics. (n.d.). New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. foodpolicy/downloads/pdf/2017-Food-Metrics-Report-Corrected.pdf. Retrieved December 1, 2019, from https://www.nymtc.org/DATA-AND-MODELING/ New York City Housing Authority. (n.d.). Next Generation NYCHA: A Community Vision for Transportation-Data-and-Statistics. Ingersoll Houses. Retrieved from https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nycha/downloads/pdf/ Tuder, Stefanie. (2018, October 16). Smorgasburg Brings Its Market Indoors For the Winter. Eater ingersoll-report-en.pdf. NY. Retrieved from https://ny.eater.com/2018/10/16/17982912/smorgasburg-winter-night- markets-nyc.

75 The Wallabout Transition References 76 United States Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Report, 2012-2017. Useful Community Development. (n.d.) A New Streetscape Can Create an Attractive Sense of Place. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from https://www.useful-community-development.org/ streetscape.html. Image Credits US Green Building Council. https://new.usgbc.org/cert-guide/neighborhood. Voltolini, P., & Greenberg, D. (n.d.). Connecting Local People to the Prosperity of Place. 32. Walker, R. E., Keane, C. R., & Burke, J. G. (2010). Disparities and Access to Healthy Food in the United States: A Review of Food Deserts Literature. Health & Place, 16(5), 876–884. Wertheim, S. (2014, June 12). Production, Distribution, and Repair in San Francisco. San Francisco Planning Department. Retrieved from https://commissions.sfplanning.org/ presentations/cpc_Production_Distribution_Repair_SF_06-12-14.pdf. Introduction Page 12 Page 23 (Walt Whitman Library, ca. early 1990s) (White Population by Census Tract) Where Health Meets Food. (n.d.). Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine. Retrieved from https:// Page 02 Photo credit: Brooklyn Public Library Map credit: Josephina Matteson culinarymedicine.org. (Move About Myrtle Event) Wiener, Geoffrey. (2019, October 15). Phone Interview. Photo credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Page 12 Page 23 Yim, B., Howland, R. E., Culp, G. M., Zhilkova, A., Barbot, O., & Tsao, T.Y. (2019). Disparities in Partnership (Cumberland Hospital, ca. 1939) (Black Population by Census Tract) Preventable Hospitalizations Among Public Housing Developments. American Journal of Photo credit: Brooklyn Daily Eagle Map credit: Josephina Matteson Preventive Medicine, 56(2), 187–195. Page 03 Photographs, Brooklyn Public Library (Study Area Boundaries) Page 24 Zoning Resolution of the City of New York. (n.d.). City of New York Department of City Planning. Map credit: Josephina Matteson Page 13 (Building Footprint in Wallabout) Retrieved from https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/. (BQE Under Construction, 1959) Map credit: Josephina Matteson Zukin, S., Kasinitz, P., & Chen, X. (2016). Spaces of Everyday Diversity: The Patchwork Ecosystem Page 04 Photo credit: Brooklynpix.com of Local Shopping Streets. In S. Zukin, P. Kasinitz, X. Chen (Ed.), Global Cities, Local Streets (MABP Service Area Boundaries) Page 24 (pp. 1-29). New York, NY: Routledge. Map credit: Josephina Matteson Page 15 (Police Arrests in Wallabout) (Afropunk Festival) Map credit: Josephina Matteson Neighborhood Context Photo credit: Tiny Mix Tapes Page 24 Page 06 Page 16 (Median Household Income Growth) (Manhattan and Brooklyn Navy Yard) (Wallabout’s Four Divides) Map credit: Josephina Matteson Photo credit: Jerry Trudell the Skys the Map credit: Jacqueline Ting Limit via Getty Images Page 27 Recommendations (NYCHA Farms at Ingersoll and Whitman Page 08 Houses) (View of Navy Yard from Fort Greene) Page 18 Rendering credit: Pallavi Kanthe Photo credit: The Hatching Cat (Funk Under the BQE Event) Photo credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Page 31 Page 09 Partnership (St. Edwards-St. Michael’s Church) (Wallabout Market, ca. 1940) Photo credit: Brooklyn Daily Eagle Photo credit: Brooklyn Daily Eagle Page 20 Photographs, Brooklyn Public Library Photographs, Brooklyn Public Library (Wallabout’s “Circular Economy”) Figure credit: Jacqueline Ting Page 32 Page 10 (McKinney-Steward Food Hub) (Rockwood & Co. Chocolate Factory) Recommendations: Zone 1 Rendering credit: Pallavi Kanthe Photo credit: The Chocolate Factory Page 21 Page 34 Page 10 (Population Growth in Wallabout) (Portland Mercado) (Brooklyn Navy Yard in WWII) Figure credit: Jacqueline Ting Photo credit: Toot Sweet Blog Photo credit: Brooklyn Navy Yard via amNY Page 21 Page 35 (Potential Sales in Top Five Industry) (Before Myrtle Avenue Market) Page 11 Figure credit: Jacqueline Ting Photo credit: Timna Churges Golan (Fort Greene Houses, ca. 1942) Photo credit: NYC Municipal Archives

77 The Wallabout Transition Image Credits 78 Page 36 Page 52 Page 63 (After Myrtle Avenue Market) (BQE Greening Initiative) (Industrial and Retail Zoning Overlay) Rendering credit: Pallavi Kanthe Rendering credit: Anvitha Reddy Gandu Rendering credit: Pallavi Kanthe

Page 38 Page 54 Page 65 (Opportunity Zones in Wallabout) (Proposed Shared Mobility Stations) (BID-IBZ Expansion Boundaries) Map credit: Josephina Matteson Map credit: Josephina Matteson Map credit: Josephina Matteson

Recommendations: Zone 2 Page 56 Page 68 (Ferry and Truck Route Map) (1983 Rockwood Chocolate Factory Page 40 Map credit: Josephina Matteson Historic District Map) (Community Assets on St. Edward’s St.) Source: Andrea Olstein, National Map credit: Jacqueline Ting Page 56 Register Nomination Report (Rebuilt Pier D) Page 41 Rendering credit: Pallavi Kanthe Page 68 (2020 100- and 500- year Floodplains) (2012 Wallabout Industrial District Map) Map credit: Josephina Matteson Recommendations: Zone 4 Source: Andrew Dolkart, National Register Nomination Report Page 43 Page 58 (Richard Wright Way) (Industrial Land Use Comparison) Page 69 Rendering credit: Pallavi Kanthe Figure credit: Jacqueline Ting (Proposed Wallabout Industrial Historic District Expansion Map) Page 45 Page 58 Map credit: Josephina Matteson (Diagram of the Pop-up Wetland) (Jobs by NAICS Sector, 2017) Figure: Pallavi Kanthe Figure credit: Jacqueline Ting Next Steps for the Partnership Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2017. Page 46 LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Page 72 (Rendering of the Pop-up Wetland) Statistics (2002-2017). Washington, (Ingersoll Houses’ Garden Build Days) Rendering credit: Pallavi Kanthe DC: U.S. Census Bureau, Longitudinal- Photo credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Employer Household Dynamics Partnership Recommendations: Zone 3 Program, accessed on Oct 31 at https:// onthemap.ces.census.gov. LODES 7.4 *Reference Maps throughout Report Page 50 Map credit: Jacqueline Ting (Noise Pollution in New York City) Page 60 Map credit: Josephina Matteson (Zoning Map of Wallabout) Map credit: Josephina Matteson Page 51 (Subway Stations Around Wallabout) Page 62 Map credit: Josephina Matteson (Proposed Overlay Boundaries) Map credit: Josephina Matteson

79 The Wallabout Transition