The JANUARY 2015
Red Hook StarªRevue SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
FREE
ARE THE RED HOOK CRANES HEADED TO SUNSET PARK?
I
by George Fiala
n an incredible overreaction, Kyle Kimball, head of the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC), announced that he was abandoning development of Sunset Park’s South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT), simply because City Councilman Carlos Menchaca didn’t give him what he wanted. SBMT comprises ten blocks along the waterfront in Sunset Park, southwards from 29th Street. It is an intermodal facility, named because it is capable of handling freight three ways - by water, by rail and by truck. It currently has only one tenant, a municipal recycling center. The rest of it - 72 acres - is currently vacant. Much of Sunset Park’s industrial area is controlled by EDC. These city owned properties include the Brooklyn Army Terminal, the 65th Street Rail Yard and the historic Bush Terminal. EDC also controls properties in Red Hook, the Cruise Terminal and the Red Hook Container Terminal. EDC is a city agency. President Kimball is a mayoral appointee. EDC was created to operate independently of local planning areas for the purpose of bringing money and jobs to the city. Their website boasts of the billions of dollars in private investments they have brought into the city. “By encouraging commerce within the City, managing City-owned properties, administering loans and financing, and facilitating commercial and industrial development, New York City Economic Development Corporation successfully completed hundreds of development projects and implemented many public policy initiatives,” declares their website.
Master Lease EDC was asking the City Council’s approval to become a “Master Leaseholder” of SBMT. This arrangement switches oversight of publicly owned land from local representation to EDC. They argue that this is what is needed to keep New York competitive - their fast action is what businesses want when they are looking to relocate. They claim that normal government acts too slowly to make deals that are beneficial for commerce. Having control of a Master Lease allows EDC to make quick decisions about public land without having to go through the community and thus avoid oversight of their political representatives. EDC fashions themselves after the private sector, as a profit making business. Their website boasts of their “greater operational flexibility than other organizations that provide similar services. This allows our employees (continued on page 3)
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Top: The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal is vacant and ready for a new tenant. Below: What will replace the Columbia Waterfront District’s backdrop?
• EDC goes to court to evict bankrupt tenant from Sunset Park pier • EDC demands total control over pier leasing • Red Hook’s lease up in four years • Report recommends sale of Red Hook piers • Port Authority boosts train transport - only possible in Sunset Park
CAN A MOVE BE IN THE WORKS?