Brooklyn Marine Terminal Project moves forward with Mega Grant

The first public planning workshop is this Saturday in Red Hook.

September 23, 2024 Mary Frost

Cranes at Atlantic Basin within the Brooklyn Marine Terminal site. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

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RED HOOK/COLUMBIA STREET WATERFRONT — A $163.8 million federal Mega Grant and the NYC Economic Development Corporation’s announcement of a 28-member task force are among the latest developments in the city’s plan to transform the 122-acre Brooklyn Marine Terminal site into a modern maritime port and mixed-use development.

The site, which runs along the Red Hook and Columbia Street waterfront, is home to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal at Pier 12, the Red Hook Container Terminal at Pier 10, Piers 7-12, NYC Ferry’s Atlantic Basin stop and private tenants.

Under an agreement announced in May, the city is assuming control of the entire Marine Terminal (not to be confused with the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park), previously a facility of the Port Authority of NY and NJ.

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-Western Brooklyn, lower Manhattan) said on Friday that a coalition of Brooklyn’s elected officials helped to secure the Bipartisan Infrastructure Mega Grant, issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The grant builds on $95 million in city and state grants.

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday touted the grant as “continuing the Adams administration’s unprecedented success in securing federal infrastructure funding.”

The multi-million dollar Brooklyn Marine Terminal Project will allow the city to consolidate its control of the 122-acre site. Graphic: NYC EDC

The Mega Grant for BMT’s modernization was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which was led to passage by Sen. Chuck Schumer.

“After years of advocating for the revitalization of Brooklyn’s waterfront, including preservation of existing freight operations and addition of new manufacturing and assemblage of wind power infrastructure, not to mention bike lanes and parks, I’m proud to deliver this Mega Grant win with my congressional partners, Rep. Dan Goldman and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand,” Schumer told the Brooklyn Eagle Thursday.

Schumer added, “The rehabilitation and rebuilding of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal is the next step in reimagining and revitalizing the Brooklyn waterfront. The project will boost the economy and create good-paying jobs for those in adjacent communities, including Red Hook, Sunset Park and Gowanus, and add upgraded and safer bike and walking lanes to boot.”

First public workshop Saturday

The first public planning workshop for the BMT project takes place this Saturday, Sept. 28 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Miccio Center, 110 W. 9th St. in Red Hook, Brooklyn. (Register for free at eventbrite.)

Turnout is expected to be high. An online information session on Aug. 12, managed by urban design firm WXY Studio and hosted by NYC Economic Development Corp., drew more than 430 participants. Key concepts were presented by NYCEDC’s Nate Gray and WXY’s Bahij Chancey — but the event left many questions unanswered, some participants told the Brooklyn Eagle afterwards. Some questioned why there was no open process to join the task force, as members were all selected by NYCEDC. However, others said the first session was a “promising start.”

The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is located at Pier 12; Pier 11 is the future home port of NYC Ferry. Graphic: NYC EDC

28 task force members appointed by NYCEDC

NYCEDC on Friday announced its appointment of the 28-member BMT task force, chaired by Rep. Dan Goldman and two Vice Chairs: Councilmember Alexa Avilés and state Sen. Andrew Gounardes.

Goldman said in a release that the task force is comprised of a “wide range of experts including federal, state, and local elected officials, the local community board, local resident organizations, maritime and industrial stakeholders, unions, planning and environmental justice organizations, and representatives of the local business community.”

The task force will work with the chairs, contribute to the “vision plan,” and have “ultimate approval authority” over recommendations in the plan to be presented in 2025, online presenters said. The full task force will convene for the first time this week.

Advisory groups will have input into the process, EDC said. Graphic: NYC EDC

Some of the 28 members include: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; Sen. Chuck Schumer; Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso; Council Member Shahana Hanif; Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon; Randy Peers (Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce); Mike Racioppo (Brooklyn Community Board 6); Amanda Sue Nichols (Cobble Hill Association); Hank Gutman (former Commissioner, NYC Department of Transportation); Karen Blondel (Red Hook Houses West Tenants Association) and many more. (The full list can be seen on the NYCEDC website.)

To help guide the task force, NYCEDC also created six advisory groups, each one of which includes numerous member organizations. The six groups include Environmental Justice/Resilience/Waterfront; Maritime/Industrial/Workforce Development/Small and Local Businesses; Transportation/Mobility/Open Space; Community Development & Housing; NYCHA and NYCHA Youth; and Brooklyn Marine Tenants and Port Operators.