One of the borough’s oldest civic associations today filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court seeking to annul the construction of two large residential buildings on Pier 6 – near Atlantic Avenue and Furman Street – in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
The Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA), founded in 1910, filed the lawsuit naming the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation (BBPC), Empire State Development Corporation (ESD) and its subsidiary, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, and the two developers tabbed to construct the buildings as interested party-respondents.
The BHA, other community groups, and local elected officials have strongly advocated that this land instead be used as parkland and that the long-promised Atlantic Avenue entrance to the Park be created.
“The BBPC is violating the fundamental commitment on which the BHA and the community supported the Park’s creation: that real estate development at the park would be limited to only the amount necessary to fund the Park’s financial needs,” said BHA President Patrick Killackey.
In its lawsuit, the BHA claims that the BBPC’s action violates the law that governs development at the Park as well as its own procedures. Additionally, the BHA asks that ESD require an updated environmental review due to the considerable changes throughout the area since an earlier review in 2005.
The lawsuit asserts that in an attempt to demonstrate that revenue from Pier 6 development is necessary, the BBPC has seriously undervalued the revenue that will be generated from its new projects in the Park – Pierhouse, the Pier 1 Hotel, John Street, and Empire Stores – which will all be assessed by the Department of Finance in early 2017.
Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, who represents the park area in question, said she has concerns about the proposed housing, but refused further comment until she reads the court filings.
