Community Plans for District 38

BOROUGH Brooklyn MAP ID# B3

COUNCIL DISTRICT 38

COMMUNITY BOARD 6

NAME OF PLAN: Red Hook Plan

Community Organization Brooklyn Community Board 6

Address 250 Baltic Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Contact Name Craig Hammerman Phone Number 718.643.3027 Fax Number Website http://www.brooklyncb6.org/

TYPE OF PLAN 197-a

GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF PLAN The boundaries of the Red Hook 197-a plan are Hamilton Avenue, Gowanus Creek, Erie Basin, and the Buttermilk Channel.

NEIGHBORHOOD/PLAN BACKGROUND Red Hook is one of Brooklyn's oldest waterfront communities. Industry and housing have coexisted in this area for over a century. From the 1850s to the mid 20th century, Red Hook docks and piers played a major role in the movement of cargo to and from the United States. The upland portions of Red Hook housed the types of services and industries consistent with a busy port; such as ship repair, warehousing, and light industry. The intense economic activity in Red Hook slowed down after World War II, and the economic base in the area steadily eroded. Economic trends, government actions, and government neglect in the following years produced many of the problems that still plague the neighborhood today. The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel were built, cutting Red Hook off from Gowanus, Carroll Gardens and other neighborhoods. The Port Authority bought Erie Basin and other waterfront properties in 1958 and 1959, but industrial activity declined with the transition from break-bulk shipping to containerization. In 1972 an ineffective urban renewal effort ended in further decline and abandonment of housing. In the 1980s, many vacant lots were taken by the City for non- payment of taxes, resold at auction, and left undeveloped. Today, large amounts of vacant residential and industrial land are used for open storage and dumping. Waste transfer stations have proliferated and are located near the homes of residents. There is no access to the waterfront in a community with historic ties to the maritime industry.

The disinvestment, isolation and abandonment were countered by two major public investments: Red Hook Houses and the Red Hook Recreational Area. Red Hook Houses was constructed in the 1940s as a New York City Public Housing Project. Today, about three-fourths of Red Hook's population lives in Red Hook Houses. The Red Hook Recreational Area comprises forty acres of open space, one of the largest recreational areas in northern Brooklyn.

GOALS OF PLAN 1. Promote opportunities for the development of Red Hook's main asset-- its people-- including improved housing, social services and youth services, and expansion of the residential community. 2. Support the preservation and expansion of industrial and maritime activity where it is currently solidly positioned in the northwest and southeast sections of Red Hook. 3. Promote employment and business opportunities for local residents. 4. Promote new residential development in the context of an economically, socially and physically integrated community. 5. Guide future development in a way that minimizes conflicts between industrial and residential communities. 6. Strengthen, support, and expand the burgeoning arts community. 7. Improve access to, egress from, and circulation within Red Hook by public transportation. 8. Strengthen existing retail commercial areas. 9. Revitalize and create public access to the waterfront, one of Red Hook's major assets.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Construct 250 units of affordable infill housing in the six-block residential district referred to by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) as "Conover Square" and rehabilitate the city-owned building at 480-500 Van Brunt Street for approximately 150 units of housing, of which 80% would be affordable housing. 2. Rezone the area between Sullivan and Van Brunt Streets and the seven-block area bounded by Coffey, Beard, Van Brunt and Columbia Streets for mixed use. 3. Rezone to promote residential/commercial development on Van Brunt Street between Seabring Street and the waterfront. 4. The city-owned building at 480-500 Van Brunt Street should be rehabilitated according to the following guidelines: ground floor retail with owner-occupied units above; a mix of apartment sizes, including larger units for families and artists, with an average net size of 850 square feet; apartment distribution as follows: 20% for households earning under $20,000/year, 60% for those earning $20-53,000, and 20% for those above $53,000. Other vacant and occupied city-owned buildings in Red Hook should also be rehabilitated. 5. Establish a new educational/commerce center with youth and social services to be known as "Education Plaza." 6. Upgrade and preserve the Red Hook Marine Terminal for maritime use. 7. Establish industrial and commercial incubator programs to encourage local entrepreneurship, such as making storefront space available on Clinton Street for local entrepreneurs. 8. Red Hook should be part of any newly designated Economic Development Zone in South Brooklyn. 9. New industrial development in Red Hook should not conflict with the proposed commercial/residential plans for adjacent areas. 10. There should be no new waste facilities in the community. 11. The Revere Sugar and Grain Terminal sites should be redeveloped for maritime use in ways that generate employment for Red Hook residents. 12. Establish a free subway transfer between the B61 bus and the Borough Hall subway stations in downtown Brooklyn. 13. Establish regular-fare bus service from Red Hook to lower Manhattan via the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. 14. Place traffic calming measures and "No Truck" signs on residential blocks in Red Hook and change truck route from Columbia Street to Court Street and Smith Streets. 15. Enhance two main gateways to Red Hook: Clinton Street and Van Brunt Street . 16. Include Red Hook as part of a Brooklyn Waterfront Trail for pedestrians and bicycles. 17. Preserve and repair cobblestones on Red Hook's streets. 18. Provide continuous waterfront public access in the area between Van Brunt and Wolcott Streets. 19. Build a trolley line from the Museum at the Beard Street Warehouses to Pier 41. 20. Reconstruct Coffey Pier as a recreational pier. 21. Improve Coffey Park and the Park House as a major public space. 22. Rezone the Van Brunt Corridor from R5 with a C1-3 overlay, M2-1, M1-1, M1-2; to R6A with a C1-3 commercial overlay. 23. Rezone the areas adjacent to Van Brunt Street from R5 to a contextual R5B zone. 24. Integrate a light manufacturing buffer of M1 between areas zoned for residential and heavy manufacturing uses. The Revere Sugar site should be rezoned to M1 as a buffer. 25. The "greening" of Red Hook should be promoted by DEP. 26. Sidewalks should be built and maintained throughout Red Hook. 27. Bus shelters with route directions and schedules should be built. 28. The following buildings and sites should be landmarked: Christ Child Church; Visitation Church; Beard Street Warehouses; Erie Basin; Grain Terminal; Red Hook Pool and Recreation Area; Coffey Park; Red Hook Houses; New York Shipyard; New York Dock Warehouses; 202- 240 Coffey Street; 353 Van Brunt Street; 205-217 Conover Street; 174 Beard Street; and 203-207 Van Brunt Street.

IDENTIFIED STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION 1. Acquire new public commitment in funds and programming. 2. Continue the specific planning processes necessary to achieve goals and objectives. 3. Partner with agencies whose cooperation is necessary for implementation, including: NYC Housing Authority; Brooklyn Borough President; Department of Buildings; Department of Business Services; Department of City Planning; Department of Environmental Conservation; Department of Environmental Protection; Department of Employment; Department of Health; Department of Sanitation; Department of Transportation; Department of Parks and Recreation; Department of Youth Services; Economic Development Corporation; Department of Housing Preservation and Development; Landmarks Commission; Metropolitan Transit Authority; Private Sector; Mayor/City Council; Board of Education; Brooklyn Public Library; New York City Housing Authority; Port Authority of NY and NJ; Urban Development Corporation.

PARTICIPATORY PROCESS In the spring of 1992, Community Board 6 established an ad hoc Sub-Committee of the Board that would be responsible for facilitating the process of planning for and developing a written 197- a Plan for Red Hook. Residents and community-based civic organizations had petitioned the Community Board to undertake and provide leadership in coordinating and overseeing the planning process. The Sub-Committee relied on the history of expressed needs of the residents and stakeholders of Red Hook through a study of District Needs statements resulting from annual public hearings held by the Community Board. Numerous 197-a Sub-Committee meetings were held within the community of Red Hook. An excess of fifty public meetings coordinated by the Community Board’s 197-a Committee were held throughout the community while the plan was being drafted, community input was welcomed throughout this process.

PARTNERS Red Hook Tenants Association; New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development; Red Hook Historical Society; Beard Street Association; Red Hook Civic Association; Positively Red Hook; Pier 41; Kentler International Drawing Space; Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Red Hook Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.; South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation; Allegro Carting and Recycling, Inc.; Continental Terminals, Inc.; Red Hook BID; Van Brunt Street and Neighbors; Local 1814; Assembly Member Javier Nieves; City Council Member Joan Griffin McCabe; State Senator Martin Connor; Craig Hammerman; State Assembly Member Eileen Dugan.

OBSTACLES None to date TIMELINE

INITIAL IDEA 1991 FORMAL PLAN? Yes DATE SUBMITTED 1994

SUBMITTED TO Department of City Planning; City Agencies listed in "Implementation" field

CITY ACTION? Approved and adopted by the New York City Council in 1996.

MODIFICATIONS MADE TO PLAN Significant modifications were made to the plan by the City Planning Commission.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BOROUGH Brooklyn MAP ID# B4

COUNCIL DISTRICT: 38

COMMUNITY BOARD 7

NAME OF PLAN

Community Organization Brooklyn Community Board 7

Address 4201 4th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11232 Contact Name Joseph Longobardi or Jeremy Laufer Phone Number 718.854.0003 Fax Number 718.436.1142 Website

TYPE OF PLAN 197-a

GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF PLAN The 197-a plan focuses on the entire Sunset Park waterfront, bounded by the Gowanus Expressway and 3rd Avenue corridor to the east, 15th Street to the north, the 65th Street Rail Yard to the south, and extending west to the pierhead line.

NEIGHBORHOOD/PLAN BACKGROUND Sunset Park has experienced substantial population growth in the past ten years, primarily due to immigration. This has resulted in a tight housing market and increased demand for jobs. The population of Sunset Park is widely diverse, reflecting waves of immigrants from various parts of the world since the mid 1800s. While the earliest immigrants came from Europe, the neighborhood has attracted more and more immigrants from Central and South America over the past four decades. Hispanics currently comprise more than 50% of the population. Sunset Park has also attracted a growing number of Chinese immigrants. It is currently home to the 3rd largest Chinese community in New York City.

The Sunset Park waterfront was a major manufacturing hub and maritime center in the early 20th century and during the Second World War. It suffered from general decline in the 1960s and 1970s, however, as a result of deindustrialization and the transfer of maritime activities to the New Jersey side of the New York Harbor. Resurgence in industry in recent years has brought warehousing and light manufacturing back to the waterfront. While there are pockets of residential use between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, the area is predominately industrial. Much of the land on the waterfront is city-owned and underutilized. Significant development is being proposed by the City and the State that will have a major impact on Sunset Park over the next two decades, including: a container port; a major waterfront park; a cross-harbor rail freight tunnel connecting Brooklyn to Staten Island or New Jersey; and reconstruction or tunneling of the elevated Gowanus Expressway.

GOALS OF PLAN ·To promote industrial redevelopment and job creation in Sunset Park while retaining existing industrial jobs. ·To maximize waterfront access and open space opportunities in combination with industrial and waterfront redevelopment. ·To preserve existing industrial, commercial and residential uses and fabric in the area east of 1st Avenue. ·To encourage development that places a minimal environmental burden on adjacent residential communities.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Support interim or long-term use of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal for job-intensive maritime or industrial activities. 2. Support development of a state-of-the-art container port, or "Green Port" based on sound environmental design and practice. 3. Develop unutilized industrial buildings for manufacturing incubator space or to relocate businesses displaced by port development. Consider the federal General Services Administration building on 3rd Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets and Building A at the Brooklyn Army Terminal as possible sites. 4. Reinforce industrial activity east of 1st Avenue through building renovations and infrastructure improvements. 5. Repair deteriorated streets west of 3rd Avenue, focusing on 1st and 2nd Avenues between 29th and 42nd Streets. Upgrade street beds to support utility needs of modern businesses. 6. Explore opportunities for additional parking, such as a deck over the BAT parking lot and changes in curbside parking regulations. Support Lutheran Medical Center's plans for a parking garage at 58th Street. 7. Reconstruct the Gowanus Expressway or replace with a tunnel, in consultation with the community. Consider full on- and off-ramps at 39th Street. 8. Pursue development of a cross-harbor rail freight tunnel with a spur to the proposed container port. 9. Support improvements to the 1st Avenue rail line to serve interim uses at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and to facilitate long-term port development. Remove the "s" curve segment at 2nd Avenue and 41st Street and continue the tracks along 1st Avenue and the extension of 1st Avenue through the SBMT. 10. Improve bus service to the 58th Street Ferry and along the waterfront. 11. Fully assess Sunset Park's energy needs prior to the installation of new power plants in the area. Consider energy conservation measures and the use of alternative non-polluting energy sources. 12. Oppose the expansion of existing waste transfer facilities or the siting of new waste transfer facilities in Community District 7. 13. Develop a protocol for the environmental cleanup of unutilized industrial property such as the boiler building at the end of 58th Street to remove the threat of environmental contamination and add buildable space. 14. Develop a major waterfront park and recreational pier at Bush Terminal Piers 1 through 5, in consultation with the community. Expand park via landfill to the pierhead line as opportunities arise. Expand park to include Piers 6 and 7 if a port is not developed. 15. Designate specific east-west streets as waterfront access corridors. (e.g. 39th, 43rd, 52nd and 58th Streets). Enhance with special lighting, signage, paving and landscaping to encourage pedestrian use. 16. Facilitate crossing of 3rd Avenue through traffic calming and by installing traffic lights at key intersections. 17. Encourage use of the 58th Street pier (Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4) as a recreational resource and ferry terminal. Promote increased ferry use through fare subsidies and other measures. 18. Maximize opportunities for open space development along 3rd Avenue if the Gowanus Expressway is demolished and replaced with a tunnel. 19. Encourage housing preservation and development from 58th to 45th Streets between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Examine existing light manufacturing districts (M1 and M1-2D) for potential rezoning to mixed-use (MX) to encourage residential development. 20. Maximize opportunities for affordable residential development along the east side of 3rd Avenue if the Gowanus Expressway is demolished, replacing housing that was lost through construction of the viaduct. 21. Support Lutheran Medical Center's plans to develop additional housing for senior citizens on 2nd Avenue. 22. Develop a high school in Sunset Park, either at 38th Street and 4th Avenue as considered by the Board of Education or in the 197-a study area as proposed by the Community Board. 23. Strengthen and strictly enforce adult entertainment siting regulations. Consider rezoning light manufacturing districts along 3rd Avenue to exclude adult uses entirely. 24. Identify historically significant buildings, such as the E.W. Bliss Company building on 1st Avenue and 52nd Street, for consideration of landmark status.

IDENTIFIED STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION While the Sunset Park 197-a Plan has not yet been completed a number of projects that are central to the plan are moving toward implementation. EDC has selected consultants for the design of the waterfront park at Bush Terminal Piers and for improvements to the 1st Avenue rail line and is in the process of selecting a developer/operator for the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

PARTICIPATORY PROCESS Community Board 7 began to work on a plan for the Sunset Park waterfront in the mid-1990s, with support from the Metro Chapter of the American Planning Association. Detailed information on existing conditions was gathered in a briefing book. This provided the background for a two- day Community Planning and Design Workshop held in December 1997. The workshop, co- sponsored by the Municipal Art Society Planning Center, served to generate a community vision for the waterfront and establish preliminary goals and recommendations. The 197-a Committee is currently working to expand outreach and increase participation in the planning process. A number of focus meetings were held in various locations in Sunset Park during November and December of 2000. A Business Forum, co-sponsored by Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SWBIDC) was held in March 2001. This was followed in June by a well-attended Community Forum and a Follow-Up Workshop. A 12-page summary of the 197-a plan, printed in the local newspaper, publicized these events. A web site is being developed to facilitate ongoing public comment through the planning and review process.

PARTNERS The Sunset Park 197-a plan is a collaboration between Community Board 7 and a growing number of organizations and institutions in Sunset Park, including Neighbors Helping Neighbors, United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park (UPROSE), Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SWBIDC), Young Dancers in Repertory, Brooklyn Chinese American Association, Hispanic Young People's Alternatives (HYPA), Center for Family Life, Lutheran Medical Center, Chinese American Planning Council, Gowanus Expressway Community Coalition, and teachers and students from the Academy for Law and Democratic Leadership. The 197-a Committee includes representatives of these organizations as well as local elected officials. Technical assistance is being provided by the Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development.

OBSTACLES Limited funds for the extensive community outreach necessary to ensure broad community participation and to build local leadership and stewardship of the plan. Lack of a funding commitment from the city for 197-a planning has meant that the Sunset Park 197-a plan must compete with a large number of non-profit organizations citywide as well as other 197-a planning efforts for discretionary funds and foundation grants. TIMELINE

INITIAL IDEA 1995 FORMAL PLAN? YES DATE SUBMITTED: N/A

SUBMITTED TO: None to date

CITY ACTION? None to date

MODIFICATIONS MADE TO PLAN N/A

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION A letter of intent to develop a 197-a Plan was submitted to the Department of City Planning in 2000. The final plan will likely be submitted in early 2002. BOROUGH: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, MAP ID# B13

COUNCIL DISTRICT: Brooklyn 33,38,39; Manhattan 1; Staten Island 49, 50

COMMUNITY BOARD: Brooklyn 2,6,7; Manhattan 1; Staten Island 1,2

NAME OF PLAN: The Harbor Loop: Proposed Harbor Loop Ferry System for the Upper New York Bay

Community Organization: Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance

Address: 457 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022

Contact Name: Carter Craft

Phone Number: 800-364-9943

Website: http://www.waterwire.net/CurrentProjects.html#harbor

TYPE OF PLAN: Transportation Plan

GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF PLAN: The Upper New York Bay

NEIGHBORHOOD BACKGROUND: Upper New York Bay is the geographic and economic heart of our region. The bay where the Hudson River meets the ocean is home to international landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, as well as a hub of the region’s $70 billion international trade and shipping network.

Dozens of development project are also underway along the Upper Bay. In the waterfront district area bounded by lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Bayonne, and Jersey City more than 50 distinct projects including more than 7 million square feet of office space, and over 330 residential units are creating a waterfront real estate boom of nearly $2 billion in new construction. At the same time, redevelopment of many of the remaining sites, including the four largest tracts—including Governors Island, Homeport/Stapleton Yards, the Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne, and Ellis Island is thwarted by poor transportation access.

GOALS OF PLAN: Development of a “Harbor Loop” ferry network that would connect waterfront communities between Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Bayonne, and Jersey City.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The plan contains numerous recommendations. Below is a selection of these:

- The Harbor Loop proposal envisions a seven-day a week operation that would connect 10 existing ferry terminals with 15 newly created stops. On weekdays, the loop would serve key job centers such as downtown Jersey City, Lower Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, St. George, and the Brooklyn Army Terminal. On weekends, the same vessels would be used to serve cultural and recreational attractions such as Sailors Snug Harbor, Liberty State Park, Fulton Ferry Landing, and Battery Park. - Capital costs can be covered through federal loan programs, local or state budget allocations or bond issues. Operating costs may be covered either by boat fares or from existing transportation subsidies. - Explore modest rail and bus line extensions to increase access to the Loop system. - Explore the creation of other possible transit nodes including Exchange Place, Jersey City, Military Ocean Terminal-Bayonne, Smith-9th Streets/Gowanus Bay, and Atlantic Avenue.

IDENTIFIED STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION: - The Loop could be implemented in phases. An initial route could be created in 12-18 months, perhaps sooner, if existing waterfront facilities were upgraded and existing ferry terminals were tied together. Development of major sites such as the Military-Ocean Terminal-Bayonne and Governors Island can be expected in the next 5-7 years, Stapleton in Staten Island or 39th Street in Brooklyn perhaps sooner.

PARTNERS: Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Conservancy for Historic Battery Park Hudson River Property Owners and Conservators Association National Lighthouse Center and Museum National Park Service Sierra Club, NYC Group Staten Island Ferry Riders Committee St. George Civic Association

PARTICIPATORY PROCESS: 150 surveys were sent out to various agencies and organizations and four task force meetings were held involving numerous public agencies, transportation organizations, public and private property owners and local organizations.

OBSTACLES: Agency inertia, lack of available public resources

TIMELINE:

INITIAL IDEA: 1999 FORMAL PLAN? Yes DATE SUBMITTED: Dec 2000

SUBMITTED TO: DOT, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development

CITY ACTION? City allocated $300,000 to plan and design three of the stops in the Harbor Loop

MODIFICATIONS MADE TO PLAN: None

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: None BOROUGH Brooklyn MAP ID# B14

COUNCIL DISTRICT 38

COMMUNITY BOARD 6

NAME OF PLAN: Red Hook Shoreline and Public Access Plan

Community Organization South Brooklyn LDC

Address 269 Van Brunt Street Brooklyn, NY 11231 Contact Name Phaedra Thomas Phone Number 718.625.8624 Fax Number 718.625.1381 Website

TYPE OF PLAN Waterfront Revitalization and Access Plan

GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF PLAN The Red Hook and Gowanus neighborhoods, (see map for Red Hook definition, Gowanus is defined as the corridor of industrial businesses bound by Hamilton and 4th Avenues and Bond and Butler Streets).

NEIGHBORHOOD/PLAN BACKGROUND Both Red Hook's and Gowanus' very existence is owed to the working waterfront. The peninsula was made by filling creeks and marshes; its changing shape was determined by the needs of the port over 300 some years. It has two man-made basins, The Atlantic Basin and the Erie Basin. (see map). Red Hook remains the busiest section of commercial waterfront in all of Brooklyn- busiest in terms of vessel movements and busiest in terms of tonnage of product moved.

The SBLDC and Red Hook - Gowanus Chamber of Commerce committee aims to promote this vital economic activity and recruit new supporting maritime and maritime-related businesses to the neighborhood. Fostering Red Hook business is a major goal because unemployment here is very high. Approximately 50% of its residents are below the poverty line; 70% are living in public housing. Large amounts of land used for parking and to maintain vehicle fleets create a false perception of under-utilization. Private developers' view this as an opportunity to create an upper income market at the expense of low to moderate-income resident. There is a real threat of private development displacing many of Red Hooks' long-term residents who are primarily of African American and Hispanic origin. Creation of cooperative homeownership opportunities will stabilize and preserve Red Hook's moderate-income families.

The neighborhood has a traditional Brooklyn pattern of land use, with waterfront employment clusters adjacent to upland blue-collar residential communities. This proximity of jobs and housing, a logical goal of so many urban theorists, was an unfortunate victim of post-World War II development patterns throughout the New York region.

However, Red Hook is the exception- the pattern persists. Local blue-collar residents fill a significant percentage of neighborhood jobs. Many live in Red Hook Houses, the City's second largest public housing development. A primary goal of the business community is to protect and expand this critical economic relationship. GOALS OF PLAN 1. To promote employment opportunities for local residents. 2. To stabilize existing waterfront commerce, and exploit opportunities for growth. 3. To promote public access and use of the water's edge. 4. To articulate and improve transport systems. 5. To maximize housing opportunities for moderate-income families, especially for local residents.

RECOMMENDATIONS While the in-progress planning effort will produce many recommendations toward effectuation of the goals above, some efforts have already been undertaken.

Red Hook Cooperative Homes Project: This is one specific effort currently underway to improve moderate-income housing in Red Hook. The Fifth Avenue Committee, a not for profit community development corporation, with a 20 year track history of developing affordable housing, proposes to build 37 units of cooperative housing to create a mixed-income housing project, that will provide first time homeownership opportunities for residents of the Red Hook public housing and surrounding neighborhood as well as market-rate housing needed in Red hook. Buyers for the affordable housing units will be classified in two income tiers 60% of the Area Median Income and 75-80% of the Area Median Income earning $25,290 - $50,000 for 1 – 5 person households. Individual units will sell in the range of $33,500 - $112,000.

Twelve in–fill brick houses consisting of two or three units each will be built on Wolcott and Coffey Streets in a contextual design to the existing block construction. The co-op units will be organized as one limited-equity Cooperative Corporation. Fifty percent of the units (19units) will be set-aside for residents of the Red Hook public housing. Nine of the remaining unit will be marketed to residents of Community Board 6 and nine units will be sold at market to families having a minimum income of $70,000. The market units will sell at $196,000 - $221,000. Units vacated by those moving out of New York City Housing Authority and moving into the new project can be filled by families on the public housing waiting list who are generally at 25-50% of the area median income.

“Newcomers”: In addition to major investments by existing maritime and industrial interests, many new businesses see Red Hook as an ideal location within the New York region, and are seeking space there. Many of these are “incubator” industries whose growth will benefit the entire regional economy. There is no reason these business “newcomers” cannot be accommodated alongside traditional waterfront businesses. Indeed, many industrial areas of the City have been lost as resources for jobs and new economic development. That must not be allowed to happen in Red Hook- Gowanus.

Associated issues: In addition to expanding the employment and economic base, the business community is taking other initiatives in its community-based study efforts. The traffic patterns of the neighborhood need articulation to allow for safer and more efficient movement of pedestrian, residential, and commercial traffic. Improvement of public transportation linkages is a major need of residents, workers, and visitors alike. Finally, the water’s edge, one of the City’s natural treasures, is being planned and redeveloped to provide a compatible mix of pathways, marine activities, and land activities to serve recreational, pedestrian, boating, educational and cultural interests.

The Red Hook- Gowanus Waterfront: The efforts on behalf of maritime business will be meshed with several plans to incorporate mixed use (public access and recreational use) along Red Hook –Gowanus’ spectacular waterfront. In some senses, this mixed-use concept, though often heralded as a new development, is a return to the past when there were pleasure boats, swimmers, and a floating bathhouse sharing the water with marine businesses. Modern insurance liability issues and environmental regulation make this historic mix more challenging to achieve; but it remains the goal. Fostering this mix is essential because this is a commercial and residential neighborhood and the waterfront is a beloved feature for residents and employees here. The waterfront also attracts an increasing number of people from beyond the neighborhood.

Little of the waterfront is publicly owned; most of it is owned by businesses so planning public access or recreational space here involves coordinating with more entities than park planning on public land, itself no easy task.

We are optimistic that balancing businesses and recreational uses of the waterfront can be achieved here because several waterfront owners/operators are amenable to this mix of uses on their facilities. Following is a description of one such effort currently in progress, the Red Hook Shoreline Protection and Public Access Plan.

The Plan:

Reconstruction and restoration of _ mile of privately-owned shoreline in Upper New York Bay to provide public access to the waterfront. The shoreline, which extends from the Beard Street Warehouse at the foot of Van Brunt Street to pier #41 near Van Dyke Street, is an underutilized part of the Red Hook Waterfront with spectacular views of Upper New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan skyline.

The project will be financed and built by Gregory O’Connell, managing partner, Kings Harbor View associates. O’Connell, is a well-known local Red Hook real estate developer particularly recognized for restoring Beard St. Warehouses and Pier 41, the last remaining 19th Century warehouse piers in NY Harbor and now home to over 60 small businesses and manufacturing firms.

Purpose:

ß Provide a continuous promenade and access to the waterfront for recreational, cultural, educational and commercial use. ß Protect the existing shoreline and prevent further erosion. ß Provide access for water-dependent uses, both commercial and recreational. ß Provide an aesthetically pleasing waterfront edge.

Highlights of Proposed Work (North to South):

1. BOAT RAMP-Repairs to existing concrete boat ramp providing access to the Harbor for small watercraft. Although there is a public boat launch for “hand powered” boats (canoes, kayaks, etc.) adjacent to the new Louis Velentino, Jr. Pier, there are no operational traditional boat ramps in Red Hook.

2. BEACH RESTORATION – Restoration of only pebble beach between Hell Gate and the Verrazano, providing an opportunity to demonstrate what Brooklyn’s natural shoreline might have looked like before development as well the possibility of creating important tidal wetland habitat. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden will be invited to coordinate the planting of native sea grasses and conduct educational programs for the community. This area will become a living laboratory for the study of native tidal planting, fish and aquatic birds. 3. BOARD WALK - A new 10-foot wide, 150 foot long boardwalk, constructed of recycled plastic composite material will be built behind the beach. 4. FISHING PIER-Construction of a 12-ft. wide, 300-ft. long fishing pier on the stone remains of former pier 44. The pier would not only offer recreational opportunities for the neighborhood, but also serve as a protective breakwater for the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge, which is docked just south of the pier and offers year- round educational and cultural programs for the neighborhood.

5. FLOATING DOCK – Several hundred linear feet of bulkhead and concrete platform repair to stabilize the rapidly deteriorating shoreline between Conover St. and the Beard St. Warehouse; protect _ mile of trolley track (an ongoing alternative transportation and tourism project of the Brooklyn Historic Trolley Museum funded in part with an ISTEA grant); and provide a continuous promenade for the public. This section of the plan includes the construction of a new fixed pier with a 30-foot long gangway leading to a 12-foot x 60-foot long floating dock. The dock will be able to accommodate a variety of vessels including small ferries, water taxis, educational and historic vessels, tall ships and excursion boats. This site is located on the intra- coastal waterway and will be one of one of the few locations on the Brooklyn waterfront that can accommodate all of these types of vessels.

6. BEARD STREET WAREHOUSE PROMENADE- Repair, reinforce and stabilize the existing 700ft. promenade running along the entire north (NY harbor) side of the Beard St. warehouse.

Red Hook: Plan for Community Regeneration

This Red hook Shoreline Protection & Public Access Plan is consistent with the recommendations of the Red Hook 197 (a) plan for waterfront proposals “that seek to preserve and enhance the waterfront for maritime use and for the enjoyment of the public.” The 197 (a) Plan further endorsed what was then a proposal to construct a trolley line from the Beard St. Warehouse to Pier 41 as “part of broader efforts to encourage cultural activities and public access on and near the waterfront” and “efforts to link Red Hook, the Brooklyn Heights/Fulton Ferry waterfront and Downtown Brooklyn…”

Construction Permit Status

The application was submitted to the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation in January 1999 and has undergone numerous modifications in response to DEC review. The plan, as currently proposed, is expected to be approved in the summer of 2001.

Essential to promoting maritime business development is facilitating the DEC approval of permits that allow the repair of deteriorating shore structures, bulkheads, relieving platforms, piers and breakwaters (see glossary for definitions). An oft-invoked rule of real estate is “build it and they will come,” but DEC permit review often looks for proof of an existing use before approval will be granted. The challenge for much of Red Hook –Gowanus is a chicken or egg conundrum: how to get a permit for a structure that will allow a new use, when the use is not yet in place to justify the permit. Business uses as well as public access uses here face the same conundrum. The SBLDC and Red Hook – Gowanus Chamber of Commerce committees are developing plans to collaborate with the DEC and other regulatory agencies to facilitate permit reviews and local development goals.

We look to maritime businesses to be a significant economic engine for this neighborhood because they can only be located on or near the waterfront, and we have waterfront. The EDC, in its plans for the port, has designated Erie Basin a maritime support facility; and other plans by the Port Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers call for a revival of shipping in Sunset Park, which would incubate maritime support business in Red Hook. In short, it is expected that longer-term citywide developments will support the thrust of our waterfront development plans.

OBSTACLES A local real estate owner who had purchased large amounts of property along the waterfront in Red Hook had initially supported the plan, which incorporates some of the promises he made to the community, and then subsequently changed his position and set out to weaken the plan that was unanimously approved by the Community Board in June of 1994. The Planning Commission subsequently weakened parts of the plan including the plan’s calls for mixed-use zoning, protections against citing of waste facilities, and housing in city-owned warehouses

TIMELINE

INITIAL IDEA 1991 FORMAL PLAN? YES DATE SUBMITTED: 1994

SUBMITTED TO N\A CITY ACTION? N\A

MODIFICATIONS MADE TO PLAN N\A

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION