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State Backs Out Of Plan For Residential Towers At Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6
By
Miranda Katz
Published May 18, 2016
Modified May 18, 2016
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ODA/RAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES/OLIVER
By
Miranda Katz
Published May 18, 2016
Modified May 18, 2016
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Since 2006, two condos have been slated to go up just west of Brooklyn Bride Park's Pier 6, and though they were originally planned as luxury developments akin to those at Pier 1, 30% was reserved for affordable housing after Mayor de Blasio was elected and intervened. Now, the state's Empire State Development agency, whose support is critical to the project, has backed out of the plan that it had until recently supported, citing concerns over conflicts of interest: the developer chosen for the project apparently donated to de Blasio's now-disbanded Campaign for One New York, which has been under intense scrutiny in recent months.
The ESD was supposed to vote on changes to the plan for Pier 6, which would include affordable housing for some 130 middle-income families making $67,100 to $138,440 each year. According to Politico New York, ESD appeared to be supporting the plan and was expected to approve it today—but on Monday, state officials abruptly cancelled the vote and told City Hall that the project would not be moving forward.
An ESD spokesperson said that "we take our responsibility as stewards of the general project plan for Brooklyn Bridge Park very seriously, and we will not move forward with any changes until we are fully confident that all newly raised concerns have been addressed."
Those concerns are apparently that the developer, RAL Development Services, donated $10,000 to Campaign for One New York a month before it was selected for the Pier 6 project in 2015. Campaign for One New York is currently under a federal corruption investigation, after a watchdog group accused de Blasio of using the nonprofit to run a "shadow government."
A second concern seems to be that China Vanke, a Chinese company that's invested in the project, was also involved in the Rivington House deal, which is currently under investigation: the company purchased 45 Rivington Street for $116 million after the buildings former owners, who ran it as a nursing home, paid the city $16.15 million to lift the deed. De Blasio has said that he wasn't aware of the deed modification at the time.
As several have noted, neither China Vanke's role in Rivington House nor RAL's donation to Campaign for One New York are new revelations, so it's not entirely clear why they're suddenly cause for concern.
But the plan for Pier 6 had already been a source of controversy, though not so much as the development at Pier 1, which includes luxury condos, a hotel, and a rooftop bar, but not a single unit of affordable housing. Some local residents don't want any housing going up at all in the park, and the project brought a lawsuit from a community group who objected to the modification of the original plan and demanded that the project submit a new application and undergo a new environmental review. Last summer, a judge denied the request for a new review but ruled that the plan would have to be formally amended. It was those amendments that ESD was set to vote on this week.
It looks like the city may go ahead with its plan anyway, even without the state's cooperation: Alicia Glen, who's deputy mayor for housing and economic development and also chair of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, told the New York Times that “We're going forward anyway... We stand by the rationale for the project. It puts the park in a better position to address its maritime and capital needs. And we have an obligation to build affordable housing, particularly in these expensive and rapidly changing neighborhoods."
The plan can apparently proceed just under BBPC's authority, Glen said, but others, such as City Council Member Stephen Levin and State Senator Daniel Squadron, are warning that the city shouldn't proceed without state approval, and the Times notes that such a move could prompt another lawsuit over the project.
If the city does move ahead with the plan, it will create two condo towers with 30% affordable housing, as well as a pre-kindergarten, public restrooms, a community facility space, and a parking garage. The towers will be 315 and 155 feet each.
Tagged
affordable housing
brooklyn bridge park
campaign for one new york
mayor de blasio
pier 6
Miranda Katz
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