NEWS |
153-00: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE , October 30, 2000
The funds will help the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC) - which is preparing plans for the park with assistance from the Port Authority - to further refine a master plan for the 71-acre tract, which now consists of warehouses and underutilized piers. The funding was announced today by New York Governor George E. Pataki and officials of the Port Authority and the BBPDC.
Specifically, the money will be used to finish technical and financial components of the master plan; to begin work on an Environmental Impact Statement; and to outline the framework and process necessary for a future transfer of the property from the Port Authority to an entity that would bear responsibility for building the park.
In addition, the money will help explore interim uses for the property prior to the land's final transfer.
Governor Pataki said, "This financial support will continue our commitment to bring this new waterfront park in Brooklyn to life. The park will be a splendid gathering place for local residents and it will reinvigorate the local economy by attracting visitors to the neighborhood to see breathtaking views of the giant skyscrapers that make up the fabric of Manhattan."
Port Authority Vice Chairman Charles A. Gargano said, "This financial contribution supports the conversion of this underused waterfront site into a community resource. This park will allow residents and visitors to enjoy the waterfront on a year-round basis, and the economic activity it generates will ensure that the park will be self-sustaining."
Port Authority Executive Director Robert E. Boyle said, "Earlier this year, the Port Authority pledged to local officials and community leaders that this project will proceed quickly, and we are carrying out that pledge. While development plans are proceeding, the Port Authority's five-year plan provides for $15 million in critical repairs needed to maintain the piers property."
Joanne Witty, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, said, "In the past several months, Brooklyn Bridge Park moved from a dream to a plan. Now, with the continued support of the Port Authority and the State of New York, the community can look forward to turning the plan into a reality. Brooklyn Bridge Park is moving forward, and we are very grateful to our sponsors for their role in bringing it about."
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, a community-based organization, was created in 1998 to spearhead the effort to reuse the downtown Brooklyn waterfront as a park. The master plan was completed with $1.4 million in state funding and a $500,000 grant from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund.
BBPDC's 15-member Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from various neighborhood organizations in communities along the waterfront, as well as the area's elected officials - Borough President Howard Golden, Representatives Ed Towns and Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Martin Connor, State Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and City Councilman Ken Fisher.
In February, the Port Authority and the BBPDC entered into a one-year Memorandum of Understanding that called for both groups to work cooperatively to develop a general plan for the piers property. In September, the group completed its master plan for the site and submitted it to the Port Authority for review.
Plans also call for the property to be transferred from the Port Authority to another public entity that will be responsible for any new uses and will solicit private investment to supplement the public investment needed to build the new park.
According to plans now in development, Brooklyn Bridge Park would stretch for approximately 1.3 miles, from Atlantic Avenue to a point north of the Manhattan Bridge. Brooklyn Bridge Park would include Piers 1-5, Fulton Ferry Landing, Empire State Park, and other vacant or underused parcels of land. In addition to open space for recreational use, the park will include indoor recreational and cultural facilities, as well as small-scale development that is needed to enliven the park and generate revenue for its maintenance.
Warehouses on the Pier 1-5 property are now used for cocoa and paper storage and a construction supply wholesale operation.