Dock Street Development Approved By City Council Committee

The Dock Street Development was approved by the City Council Land Use Committee by a vote of 18-4 (Avella, Barron, Gioia and Liu in opposition). The strong show of support for the tower development almost ensures that the full Council will approve this project, despite strong opposition from local Council member David Yassky and Zoning Subcommittee Chairman CM Tony Avella. Avella stated, “People are going to go by and say, ‘Who the heck allowed this building to get built?’ The Brooklyn Bridge is a national treasure. It should be protected – that is the bottom line.” Yassky, a longtime opponent of the proposal, echoed Avella’s point about the effect on the view from and of the bridge, and stressed his belief that the city could get a better deal for a middle school from a different developer. “It is clear that there are plenty of other places to build a school in [Downtown Brooklyn],” said Yassky, who has established a task force that has proposed many alternate locations, all of which have been rejected by the School Construction Authority.

It was the inclusion of a new 300-seat middle school in the plans which was a turning point in Council deliberations and was perceived to change this project from a local concern to a community-spanning issue. However, at a council committee meeting on May 21, officials from the School Construction Authority were taken to task by Council members about possible improprieties in their site selection process and lack of clarity about what kind of school is actually going to be at the site. In reference to the emails detailing the SCA’s dealings with Two Trees, the site developers, CM Eric Gioia stated, “This is the most disturbing document or e-mail that I have seen in my eight years in Council,” adding “This is not how government is supposed to work”.

CM Leticia James, whose district is close to the site and whose constituents might potentially benefit from the new school said of the project, “With its donated middle school and affordable housing commitment, exactly the kind of smart, innovative public-private partnership needed for the future of our communities”. James also drew attention to her uncharacteristic role as a supporter for the development, given her strong history of opposition to other large-scale developments, notably Atlantic Yards (she was also given an award by HDC in 2006 for her activism, Avella was given the same award in 2005). Council leadership also strongly supported the development, despite allegations of influence-purchasing by Two Trees, which, since 2007, has given over $70,000 in campaign funds to Speaker Christine Quinn’s and Land Use Chair Melinda Katz’s campaigns and spent over $400,000 lobbying the city for the project. In full disclosure, in 2004 Two Trees purchased tickets worth $2,500 to attend our annual Landmarks Lion Award ceremony honoring Beyer Blinder Belle, Architects + Planners (BBB are the architects for the Dock street project). Two Trees lobbyist Ken Fisher was also our 2002 Landmarks Lion, on the basis of his preservation work while serving in City Council. The development world in New York City is often a much smaller place than you’d expect.

So where does this leave the project? Unless there is a stunning upset, it will almost assuredly pass City Council and clear the way for the development. Local advocates are continuing to investigate other avenues and whether all necessary permissions to move forward with this development have been obtained. Prominent advocates such as David McCullough and Ken Burns continue to reach out to the Mayor and the Council. At the very least, there is a driving need for further investigation into the SCA’s dealings with Two Trees and their deliberations on the site.