Greenpoint and Williamsburg Lawmakers City Council Member Stephen Levin and Assemblyman Joseph Lentol were ecstatic today with the announcement that the de Blasio administration reached an agreement to acquire the 11-acre CitiStorage site on the Williamsburg waterfront for $160 million.
With this latest acquisition, the City will control the full footprint of the proposed 27-acre Bushwick Inlet Park, making good on a longstanding commitment between the Bloomberg Administration and the people of North Brooklyn as part of a waterfront rezoning.
“This is a proud day for the people of Williamsburg and Greenpoint,” said Lentol. “This is the most significant development that the City of New York has made towards fulfilling the promise made to this community during the 2005 rezoning. Our community should rejoice.”
“I want to thank Mayor de Blasio, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, their committed staff, and Norman Brodsky for all the work they put in on this agreement,” said Levin. “This has been a lengthy and, at times, challenging process, but we all remained committed to the goal and had faith. This agreement was too important not to get done.”
Bloomberg promised the parkland as a mitigation for rezoning that in the past 11 years has brought tens of thousands of new residents to the neighborhood. Lack of park space has been a constant complaint by many residents, and the problem has only gotten worse as the population has increased. Adding this 11-acre parcel to Bushwick Inlet Park will go a long way to addressing the problem.
“In addition, we gratefully acknowledge the extraordinary and committed advocacy of the Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park, the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn, and our colleagues Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Borough President Eric Adams, Senator Daniel Squadron, Senator Martin Dilan, and the entire North Brooklyn community,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
The purchase was also a big win for de Blasio as he heads into next year’s citywide election season, and his bid for a second term.
“Our administration keeps its promises. When we commit to build a new park or a new school in a growing community, we deliver. We look forward to working with local officials, activists and residents as we design and build a Bushwick Inlet Park we can all be proud of,” said de Blasio.
