Follow-Up to EDC, June 5
The BMT Committee met with EDC representatives on May 29. The meeting was held at 16o Imlay, and the EDC specifically offered to meet here, in-person. Subsequent to this meeting, the committee formulated the Top 5 Asks, in protection of the best interest of the building, and in representation of the majority point-of-view of unit owners. The Committee shared this letter, with the support of the NYDB Board, with the EDC as well as with the Elected Officials on the Task Force.
160 Imlay BMT Committee
New York Dock Building
160 Imlay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
June 5, 2025
Mikelle Adgate
Senior Vice President, Government & Community Relations
New York City Economic Development Corporation
One Liberty Plaza
New York, NY 10006
Subject: Thank You and Our Ask
Dear Mikelle,
On behalf of the residents of the New York Dock Building at 160 Imlay Street, we would like to sincerely thank you and your team — Nate, PJ, Betty — for the continued conversations and meetings with our community — one that is both financially invested in and passionate about Red Hook. We greatly appreciate the time and effort that the EDC and its constituents are dedicating to engaging with us directly, and we recognize the complexity of balancing the many competing interests in the redevelopment of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
From the onset of our engagement, our building’s desires and interests have been the following:
● Designating a significant footprint of greenspace on Pier 11 for residents and tourists
● Defining a height limitation for any future construction on Pier 11 and Pier 12
● Limiting quality of life impacts created by any future construction and industrial use along the waterfront
● Improving and expanding infrastructure to responsibly support a growing Red Hook community
With the upcoming June 18 taskforce vote, we want to build on our above priorities with more specific asks (below) to be included in the vision plan for future development to be held accountable to. The asks that we have outlined are based on our understanding of the project and its potential impact on our building — the only residence located directly adjacent to the Pier 11 site.
● We ask that the height for any future construction (e.g., buildings, roadways, infrastructure) on Pier 11 and Pier 12 not exceed the current height (approximately 33 feet, to be validated by the EDC) of the Pier 11 and Pier 12 shed, including any means (e.g., elevation changes, flood walls, foundations) to meet resiliency requirements
● We ask that the New York Dock Building at 160 Imlay Street be afforded representation (e.g., role) on the BMT Oversight Task Force to advise on the development of the vision plan and subsequent steps (e.g., design guidelines) through the GPP process
● We ask that there be enforceable construction stipulations specifically for the New York Dock Building at 160 Imlay Street including but not limited to the following:
○ Construction to be limited to M-F from 7:00am - 3:30pm, with no exceptions for work on nights, weekends, or holidays
○ Construction (e.g., pile, foundation, heavy utility) resulting in disruption (e.g., noise, air quality, vibration) be coordinated (e.g., optimized across agencies, minimized time) and communicated (i.e., via monthly schedules, real-time alerts)
■ Specifically related to pile construction, non-impact pile driving (e.g., vibratory pile driving) to be used ○ Construction impacts to our building to be proactively monitored and remediated with the following — all of which shall be memorialized in the the applicable RFPs to / agreements with construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors and any other relevant bidders / awardees
■ EDC to develop a comprehensive safety plan which should include hazard identification, risk assessment, and mitigation strategies, and for the plan should be reviewed and updated regularly
■ EDC to install monitoring equipment (e.g., meters, video surveillance, alarms, sensors) to detect noise level, vibration, air quality safety and identify potential hazards / impact to 160 Imlay Street and its residents
■ EDC to document (e.g., photos) existing exterior conditions for 160 Imlay Street and establish a process for immediate remediation of damages (e.g., window replacements, structure repair) without reliance on insurance . In the event of damage there shall be a stop work order for immediate repair of the damage to commence.
■ EDC to provide financial support to 160 Imlay Street residents for in-kind relocation if needed due to disruption (e.g., noise, air quality, vibration, loss of utilities)
■ EDC to account for 160 Imlay Street in the percentage of the liquidated damages agreed to between agency and future contractors / developers to compensate 160 Imlay Street residents for any additional disruption due to schedule extensions
■ EDC to require contractors to add New York Dock Building and its unit owners to insurance policies as additional insureds
● We ask that there be a significant allocation of publicly accessible greenspace on the Pier 11 site and that future developers be held accountable to implementing it as part of their 99 year lease agreement
● We ask that any new roadways be carefully studied (e.g., detailed feasibility) and that roadways on the Pier 11 site not be a means of diverting commercial traffic off adjacentstreets (e.g., Imlay Street, Van Brunt Street), but rather that commercial traffic be diverted to back streets (e.g., Bay Street, Smith Street, Court Street)
● We ask that the density of housing be carefully studied (e.g., detailed feasibility) based on the required infrastructure needs (e.g., water, sewer, wireless coverage, transportation, trash collection) to meet the realistic demands of population growth and the balanced allocation of luxury an affordable housing on public property.
We look forward to seeing our perspective evident in the vision plan and the opportunity to continue working collaboratively to shape a thoughtful, sustainable future for Red Hook.
Sincerely,
John Mealy
President, Board of Managers
New York Dock Building
160 Imlay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231