"When the NYC Economic Development Corporation took over the BMT from the Port Authority, it said it would transform the BMT into " a harbor of the future" with manufacturing jobs, maritime opportunities, and economic development. This was lost early on, as EDC quickly seized upon luxury housing to pay for the port. They didn't really consider anything else. There was only ever one proposal from EDC - which was modified and improved upon by myself and the other Task Force members -"
"The Task Force was supposed to engage local stakeholders, yet the community most directly impacted - Columbia Street Waterfront - was excluded. A red flag, but I nevertheless entered this process in good faith, a strong proponent of an environmentally just working waterfront of maritime uses at one of the last remaining ports in the city. I was enthusiastic about playing a constructive role in this process to achieve those ends."
"That's why I am terribly disappointed that this process was rushed from the start, constrained by an artificial timeline, heavy-handed, and mired in backroom deals. I also want to comment on the disheartening lack of courtesy, transparency and meaningful community engagement in this process. Throughout this process the community engagement was minimal and appeared to be done so the EDC could check a box saying they had "X" number of meetings."
The NYCEDC took control of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal with a promise of manufacturing jobs, maritime opportunities, and economic development but prioritized luxury housing to finance the port. EDC offered a single proposal that Task Force members only modified, without thorough analysis of alternatives or engineering constraints. The Columbia Street Waterfront community, most directly affected, was excluded from meaningful engagement. A proponent of an environmentally just working waterfront joined in good faith but found the process rushed, constrained by an artificial timeline, heavy-handed, and influenced by backroom deals. Community engagement was minimal and often appeared performed to meet meeting-count requirements rather than involve residents.
Read at Streetsblog
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]