BIG PICTURE THE
The City of Brooklyn’s master plan means changes for residents and visitors. BY SARAH WEBB
MEDICAL MUTUAL: L AURA WATILO BL AKE / MMI TEXTILES: COURTESY CIT Y OF BROOKLYN
P
rior to its latest update in 2020, the master plan for the City of Brooklyn hadn’t been touched since 2006, so it was high time for a refresh. “The plan from 2006 was fine, but little action was taken to implement the plan,” says Brooklyn Mayor Ron Van Kirk. For its current master plan, which was officially adopted in early 2021, the city sent out a large resident survey seeking priorities that were important to residents. From there, city officials came up with several categories
to focus on and specific actions to achieve these goals. “We began working through the recommendations and have been completing action items,” Van Kirk says. “The master plan provides a blueprint — a path — for the city to follow.” Mayor Van Kirk, Jack Abbruzzese, recreational commissioner, and Jeremy Rowan, economic development director, provide details on how Brooklyn’s master plan was created and what it entails.
1
New Businesses
Rowan notes that a refresh to the master plan was especially important after The American Greetings headquarters — and all the income tax that came with it — moved out of Brooklyn in 2014. However, the situation changed for the better when the American Greetings warehouse space became redeveloped into a multitenant business park that houses 11 companies and more than 2,000 employees.
The 1.6-million-square-foot complex is now home to Inogen, Progressive Insurance, TRG Multimedia, Graphic Packaging, MMI Textiles, Navage, HKM Direct Marketing, Health-Mor Industries, National Safety Apparel and Taylor Exhibitions. About 118,000 square feet remain of available warehouse and some residual office space for lease. A key tenant for the complex is Medical Mutual, which took occupancy in 2020 of the 320,000-square-foot former American Greetings office tower. The company invested $30 million to modernize the four-story building. Additionally, in exchange for bringing at least 750 jobs and $57 million in payroll, Brooklyn agreed to provide the firm with economic-development incentives valued between $1.3 million and $5 million over six years, Rowan says. brooklynohio.gov 7