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NIMBYs Get State To Block Affordable Housing At Brooklyn Bridge Park
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 27, 2016
Modified Feb 27, 2016
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 27, 2016
Modified Feb 27, 2016
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The state has blocked the city from installing affordable housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park, after locals argued that the buildings would, among other things, block views and take away green space.
The two buildings, which were intended to be built over Pier 6, were supposed to include a 315-foot-high tower with 339 apartments. The project was spearheaded by the city, and officials with Empire State Development, a state oversight panel, claim they wanted to work with the mayor's office initially. But Howard Zemsky, the president of Empire State Development, told the Wall Street Journal he “was amazed that every elected official is opposed to this except for the mayor,” and community members were reportedly so incensed by the plan they drew a hearing out by five hours in July.
The panel says they are giving “the city additional time to work with the community to mitigate the significant concerns they have raised about the project’s potential impacts,” though the city had expected the state to greenlight the development in October. The city has argued that the project will help drum up funding for the park, but others have argued it would bring down property values, increase crowds in the park, and overcrowd schools, in addition to the aforementioned concerns about blocked views.
Tagged
brooklyn bridge park
NIMBYs
pier 6
Rebecca Fishbein
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