Sunset Park pol nixes EDC’s plans for South Brooklyn Marine Terminal
The return on a city investment of more than $100 million in the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) at 39th Street is in doubt after Councilmember Carlos Menchaca refused to go along with an accelerated approval process for the lease of the facility that would have curtailed community input.
On Wednesday, January 7, Menchaca requested that the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) withdraw its request for a 49-year master lease for the terminal – one that would not only see the newly renovated pier become a job-generating shipping hub, but also shut out both City Council and community input.
“I made it clear to the EDC that our community deserves better,” the Councilmember wrote on his Facebook page, stressing that the request was made less than 45 days prior to the deadline for council action, and on the brink of the holiday season. “I believe we can achieve regional economic development goals [and] serve local community needs at the same time. We need an economic development agency that believes in that too.”