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Brooklyn Bridge Park Task Force

The Brooklyn waterfront is priceless property. When most of the waterfront industry moved to New Jersey, neighborhood residents realized that they had to come up with a plan to not only preserve open space, but design a vision for a world class waterfront park. Through countless meetings they decided on 13 "Guiding Principles" to develop the land as a public park.

This plan garnered much private and public support and resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Mayor Bloomberg and then Governor Pataki. The MOU sets forth a unified vision of a sustainable public park providing recreational, cultural, and educational opportunities for all residents of New York. By Sustainable it was meant that some commercial development such as restaurants would provide funds for daily upkeep. When, in 2004, the Empire State Development Corp. unveiled its plan it included a shopping mall, offices, restaurants, 1,200 residential units. The development was necessary because the park had to become "self sustaining." This in effect would privatize the park.

The Sierra Club's Atlantic Chapter passed a resolution opposing privatized parks, and joined a coalition of 11 organizations that are fighting for a real public park. Governor Eliot Spitzer, during his campaign for governor, said that he would not support a privatized park. . Earlier this year, the Sierra Club testified and pleaded with the ESDC "not to waste this unique opportunity to create a genuine world class park. The views are breathtaking, the people who live here would be forever thankful and New York City would benefit tremendously." Subsequently we met with the new NYS Commissioner of Parks and Historic Preservation, Carol Ash. It is expected that there will be more public planning meetings and a new plan.

Resolution of the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club – January 21, 2006

Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club believes public parks are dedicated parkland, which should be supported from general tax revenue. Public parks are for everyone to enjoy and should provide opportunities for passive and active recreation for people of all abilities.

The Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club therefore opposes any plan for a future Brooklyn Bridge Park that incorporates residential buildings because these are incompatible with a public park. The Empire State Development Corp. (ESDC) proposal would privatize public land presently owned by the Port Authority and New York City to create a residential/ commercial/ hotel development. It is imperative that all this land be dedicated parkland, which is not guaranteed in the ESDC proposal.

Public access to a future Brooklyn Bridge Park is of paramount importance. The ESDC proposal would include high rises blocking the entrances. In addition, there is no plan for transit access. This can be provided by ferry service connecting to multi modal transit such as a trolley and existing bus lines which can reduce the need for large parking garages.

The surrounding neighborhoods have participated in a long process of planning for a world class park on Piers 1 through 6 and uplands of the Brooklyn waterfront which resulted in the 2001 Vision Plan. In light of this process, and because the Vision Plan incorporates less commercial development than the ESDC proposal, the NYC Group of the Sierra Club prefers the Vision Plan. The Sierra Club recommends, however, that the area be reserved for strictly park uses, without the inappropriate commercial developments that would be tolerated under the Vision Plan.

If possible there should be a link to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund
http://www.parkdefense.org/

Irene Van Slyke, Sierra Club NYC Group, Brooklyn Bridge Park Task Force Chair