The future of the massive redevelopment plan for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal is in limbo again after a long-awaited vote on the project was postponed in July for the fifth time and not rescheduled. 

The 122-acre waterfront site in Red Hook, once a bustling maritime hub, is now partly crumbling into the water, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

A once-in-a-generation opportunity

Despite sharp divisions, both sides agree that the Brooklyn Marine Terminal represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine a long-neglected piece of the city's waterfront.  

Many longtime residents say the site deserves reinvestment to revive maritime industry.

"This is a once in a lifetime thing and they can start fixing those piers tomorrow," Columbia Street resident John Leyva said. "Nobody objected to that. As a matter of fact we welcome that. We want to see those piers fixed up."

But NYCEDC's vision for the site goes far beyond restoring shipping infrastructure. The agency proposed building 6,000 residential units across 60 acres of the site, 40% of which would be deemed affordable, alongside commercial, industrial, and green space, and a 400-room hotel.

Community advocates say they're skeptical whether the affordable housing promises will be upheld.

"I just don't understand really why some people put so much faith in those commitments," resident Randy Gordon said. "It's not written into a law. It's not even written into a contract."

NYCEDC maintains the housing is essential to fund the rest of the $1.75 billion proposal, which includes transforming the port into a fully electric facility built to serve 21st-century shipping needs.

"This project is so significant. We have to get this done right and we have to get it done with a sense of urgency," State Senator Andrew Gounardes, who sits on the task force responsible for reviewing the plan, said. 

Gounardes calls the proposal a compromise, and one that he is ready to support.

"People who make $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 a year will be able to afford these apartments in a neighborhood that has seen a net decrease in the number of affordable units over the last five years," he said. "So all around, I think this checks a lot of boxes for what we could do with this asset."

Task force has a few weeks to regroup

With the vote delayed once again, task force members have several weeks to regroup and address outstanding concerns.

In a statement, Jeff Holmes, a spokesperson for NYCEDC, wrote, "Task Force Leadership and NYCEDC has heard from and seen several Task Force members voice their support for delaying the vote and to return to the table to address their concerns on the project ... This will allow for additional time for meaningful community engagement and conversations to happen with those members and the public who had previously voiced their opposition."

Some residents worry the postponement is a sign of dysfunction.

"They have not had the vote. So do you know what they do? They postpone it," said Nico Kean, with Voices of the Waterfront. "That doesn't seem very democratic to me."

Gounardes, however, remains optimistic.

"We are striving towards getting consensus," he said. "Consensus we've defined as part of our task force rules — two-thirds vote of the task force. I think we're very close to that threshold."

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