Brooklyn Heights

To The Editor: Let us set the record straight at Brooklyn Bridge Park

June 6, 2016 By Regina Myer, President, Brooklyn Bridge Park Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Photo by Julienne Schaer
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To the editor:

Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) prides itself on conducting meticulous, merit-based decision-making processes on behalf of the public. Our Pier 6 development selection process was no different, and we’d like to set the record straight about how it transpired. 

Following the release of the Pier 6 Request for Proposals in May 2014, BBP received 14 responses. On March 11, 2015, following a lengthy selection process overseen by a committee comprising representatives from BBP, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the Department of Parks and Recreation and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the plan submitted by RAL Development Services and Oliver’s Realty Group was unanimously determined to be the best proposal. This decision was based on the superiority of its financial offer, the overall quality and qualifications of the respondent team, a design that demonstrates excellence and creativity in architecture and recognition of the surrounding context, all while generating hundreds of prevailing wage jobs. On March 18, 2015, BBP and RAL/Oliver’s entered into an escrow agreement setting forth the terms of the leases for the two parcels and the recommendation was discussed with the BBP Board’s Audit and Finance Committee on April 30. Following a related legal settlement, we publicly announced the intention to seek approval from BBP’s Board of Directors for RAL/Oliver’s proposal on June 30, 2015. 

On June 7, the BBP Board will vote on BBP’s recommended development proposal for Pier 6. We’re proud of the project we’ve put forward: it will generate critically needed revenue to fund Park operations and pier maintenance, and create affordable housing and hundreds of union jobs, among other benefits. But we aren’t just proud of the project. We’re proud of a process that brought us to the point of securing the financial future of a park envied by cities around the globe and enjoyed by millions of New Yorkers – today, and long into the future. 

 

Regina Myer

President
Brooklyn Bridge Park

 

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