The Eminent Domain

What’s going on in downtown Brooklyn?

In 2004, city planners rezoned a triangular, roughly 22-block area, mostly north of the Fulton Street Mall, to allow for high-rise development. At the time, they anticipated office space. Since then developers have begun building condominiums and other luxury housing.

How about the Fulton Mall? And BAM?

Fulton Street between Adams Street and Flatbush Avenue - the pedestrian and bus route known as the Fulton Street Mall - is about to go through major changes as well. The City is poised to invest as much as $15 million in the streetscape, including landscaping and other improvements.

A group of private developers led by Acadia Realty Trust is building City Point, a retail, office and residential high-rise that will stand on the site of the former Albee Square Mall. Meanwhile, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is cultivating an arts district, anchored by the nearby Brooklyn Academy of Music, that will include new housing and performing arts spaces.

What is the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership?

The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership was launched in 2006 under the leadership of Joseph Chan, previously a top aide to then-Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff. Downtown property owners are reportedly asked to contribute $20,000 apiece to join the Partnership.

I don’t live in the area, so why should I care?

The City and investors have committed an estimated $9.4 billion to public improvements and housing, business, and retail in Downtown Brooklyn - development made possible by the city’s rezoning of the area. Government action created this lucrative business opportunity, yet public participation in shaping the area has been minimal. The planned development meets the needs of the developers (for profit) and of the future occupants (for high-end housing and office space), but does not address the needs of residents and businesses who have been in the area until now.

On the contrary, it is likely to drive many of them out. According to the city’s Environmental Impact Statement for the 2004 rezoning, 386 residents and 100 businesses (employing 1700 workers) are at risk for direct displacement from the proposed developments. An analysis from the Pratt Center for Community Development projects a larger number of jobs will be lost.

The redevelopment of Downtown Brooklyn will set a precedent for how New York City carries out other future transformations of our neighborhoods, including Coney Island, Manhattan’s far West Side and Willets Point.

What’s happened so far? What’s coming next?

1980’s: Forest City Ratner builds MetroTech corporate campus; City deploys eminent domain to relocate several hundred residents and businesses.

2000: Senator Charles Schumer brings together the “Group of 35″ — real estate and corporate executives, academics, government officials, and labor leaders - to discuss a NYC office space shortage. The group recommends the construction of 60 million square feet of new office space, mostly in downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City, and Manhattan’s far West Side.

2001: Department of City Planning creates “special business district” to reshape area zoning; Thor Equities buys Albee Square Mall for $25 million

2004: Downtown Brooklyn Plan and accompanying rezoning approved by City Planning Commission and elected officials

2006: Downtown Brooklyn Partnership formed

February 2007: Thor Equities sells Albee Square Mall to Acadia Realty Trust for $125 million

How can I get involved?

Community Board 2:

CB2 holds its general meetings on the second Wednesday of each month at 6pm. Land Use Committee meetings take place on the third Wednesday of each month, also at 6pm. Only Community Board members may vote, but meetings are open to the public and frequently feature presentations by developers and development agencies. Call (718) 596-5410 or CB2’s website for information on meeting locations.

FUREE:

Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) is a membership organization of low- and moderate-income downtown Brooklyn residents organizing to preserve their community and make sure that the housing, job opportunities, retail and services in the area address the needs of longtime residents. See FUREE’s website for upcoming events and contact information.