Last week, organizers in New York lost their battle to save iconic views of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
A judge ruled in favor of developers, allowing them to continue construction of Pierhouse, a hotel and condominium complex that obscures some views of the bridge. Operators of Brooklyn Bridge Park, where Pierhouse is located, say such development is necessary to keep funding flowing for the park.
The New York Times reports:
In his ruling on Friday, Justice Knipel acknowledged that the current construction, which is nearing completion, leaves “an indelible impression” of overwhelming the promenade’s historic space and view.
Still, he concluded that the government made “a conscious decision” to allow the project to be built at its current height “for reasons relating to economic sustainability,” that rooftop “appurtenances” containing mechanical equipment may legally exceed that limit and that because opponents failed to file their challenge within the time allotted by law, construction could proceed.
Those who filed the lawsuit (and gathered over 6,000 signatures on a petition) aren’t happy.
“Clearly at stake here are iconic views that should’ve been protected,” Steven Guterman, president of Save the View Now, told the Times. “The government has decided to go ahead and ignore the will of the people and used a technicality to allow a developer to reap hundreds of millions of dollars.”
The park is part of a neighborhood makeover story that has been controversial over the last several years. Regina Myer, president of the nonprofit Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, which operates the park, says that the development revenue is critical to the park’s sustainability.
Myer issued a statement after the ruling:
“Since the park’s inception in 2002, its funding plan has been straightforward: revenue from development sites within the project’s footprint supports the park’s long-term maintenance and operations. Without those sites, there would be no Brooklyn Bridge Park.”
Jenn Stanley is a freelance journalist, essayist and independent producer living in Chicago. She has an M.S. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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