For decades, the Brooklyn Marine Terminal has languished, and with it the promise of a robust, modern waterfront in Brooklyn. And for decades, the Red Hook community has had no say in the future of this critical asset, yet has been forced to bear the brunt of its failures, including lost jobs and increased pollution.
We now have the best opportunity in a generation to solve both problems.
The state, the city, and the Port Authority, with our support, have now approved a deal that paves the way to finally realize the port’s full potential. The old disjointed ownership structure — a tri-party agreement between the city, state, and Port Authority — that has governed the Brooklyn Marine Terminal for the last 50 years has prevented unity around a forward-thinking reinvigoration of the Terminal. Instead, the port has steadily deteriorated and port operations have decreased due to lack of investment — to the detriment of our communities and the New York Harbor.
The deal, ratified yesterday by the boards of the city’s Economic Development Corp. (EDC) and the Port Authority, will have EDC assume ownership from the PA of the 122-acre Terminal, in return for deeding ownership of the Howland Hook Terminal in Staten Island to the PA.
In order to kickstart the refurbishment of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, EDC has committed an investment of $80 million — $65 million to shore up Pier 7, 8, and 10 and $15 million for a new electrified container crane — to maintain and expand operations at the existing port, while the state added $15 million for a state-of-the-art cold storage facility that will lead to reduced truck emissions and enable more effective distribution of perishable goods east of the Harbor.
With full control of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal from Pier 7 down to Pier 12 south of Brooklyn Bridge Park, the city has committed to improving and enlarging the current container terminal, while also adding a critical micro-mobility marine hub to facilitate the transportation of goods along the visionary Blue Highway throughout the city, a move that will help alleviate some of the pressures caused by last mile logistics facilities on the community of Red Hook.
Fundamentally, both facets of this maritime operation seek to streamline distribution of goods, reduce traffic and congestion, improve air quality, and create union jobs for members of the Red Hook community.
Community input will be gathered through the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force that will both oversee and, perhaps more importantly, approve the drafting and implementation of a master plan for the site. As the member of Congress, state senator, and City Council member principally representing the Terminal, we are optimistic that as chair and vice chairs respectively of the Task Force, we can ensure the creation of a successful master plan by always centering the voices of our community first.
The Task Force also will include other elected officials, Community Board members, and community stakeholders, ensuring that this process will be built from the bottom up, centered on deep engagement with the Red Hook community. With ultimate approval authority, the Task Force has a vital mechanism to guarantee that community engagement is not just window dressing but will have a realized impact, ultimately holding the city accountable to the community’s wishes.
To be sure, it is disappointing that the Port Authority failed to uphold its obligation to maintain the port to facilitate more traffic and revenue and unjustly refused to invest capital in the Terminal. As a result of that stagnation and lack of investment, the local community lost jobs and was denied input into what the future of the waterfront could be.
With this deal, that will no longer be the case. The Brooklyn Marine Terminal will now be brought into the fold of an agency committed to its long-term success, while the Port Authority takes over an asset they argue they are better suited to manage and scale than Brooklyn.
For the first time in decades, the city, state, local elected officials, and Terminal stakeholders have come together to say that the status quo and inertia are no longer acceptable. Every level of government is aligned in a commitment to modernize the Brooklyn Marine Terminal and make this asset more accessible and beneficial to the community. We must seize this unique opportunity.
We look forward to working with EDC to ensure that the Brooklyn Waterfront emerges as a state-of-the-art, modern port and marine highway hub, while improving the lives of the local community.
Goldman, a congressman, will serve as chair of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force. Gounardes, a state senator, and Avilés, a City Council member, will serve as vice chairs.
