Update on the BMT Vision Plan & Vote: September 19, 2025

Posted on by Cobble Hill Association

Below is the contents of an email the CHA sent to the community on September 19, 2025.

Dear Cobble Hill Community,

Yesterday, the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force received an email from Congressman Goldman with a revised BMT Vision Plan and a new date for the vote, which will be September 22nd at 10:30am. Shortly thereafter an article was published in The City indicating that both Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Councilmember Shahana Hanif intend to vote in favor of the Vision Plan. The revised BMT Vision Plan and associated Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) document are available here. We have included a summary of the changes following this statement.
 
The Cobble Hill Association board voted in July to support the Vision Plan, and shared our rationale with the community. Because we believe the newly announced commitments only strengthen the Vision Plan and further benefit our community, our decision is unchanged. We also take confidence in knowing that this position now places us in alignment with the overwhelming majority of our elected officials and with Community Board 6. In particular, we want to recognize Councilmember Shahana Hanif for her leadership in negotiating these additional benefits, which directly address community priorities.
 
The new commitments do not eliminate the risks of a GPP or solve every traffic and infrastructure challenge, and we will continue to press on those issues as the process unfolds. But we also have to recognize what is and is not within our control. What is not within our control is the use of the GPP framework, the federal funding timeline, and the broader realities of redevelopment. What is within our control is how we engage, hold the City and State accountable, and advocate for our community’s needs. We have heard the opposition, and while we disagree that these concerns should stop the plan from moving forward, we remain committed to pushing for solutions as it advances.

Changes to the BMT Vision Plan

  • New Housing Commitments:
    • Establishing a $75 million fund ($25 million more than previously announced) for capitally eligible projects that preserve or create off-site affordable housing within CB6.The first $50 million will begin being deployed in Phase 1 after GPP approval. The remaining $25 million will be added in Phases 2 and 3.
    • Committing to community preference for CB6 residents of 20 percent of permanently affordable housing units that start construction before 2029 and 15 percent of permanently affordable housing units that start construction after 2029.
    • Committing to reserving 50 units of the permanently affordable housing units and providing rental subsidy to eligible NYCHA Wyckoff and Gowanus Houses residents as needed, to enable them to access the newly created affordable housing at BMT.
    • Completing a Racial Equity Report on Housing and Opportunity prior to GPP approval.
  • New Commitments for Commercial, Community, and Cultural Space:
    • $3 million in City Capital improvements to public schools in the area adjacent to BMT.
  • New Commitments to Circulation, Transit, and Parking:
    • BMTDC commits to collaborating with State and Federal agencies to advance the effective enforcement of truck and commercial vehicle route restrictions.
    • Up to $50 million ($25 million more than previously announced commitment) in total funding to provide an electric shuttle service across the site that will provide a direct connection between the site and subway stations.
    • Commit to working with MTA on reviewing routes that had historically served the Columbia Street waterfront district (such as the B71) and analyzing the restored B71 service in the EIS as potential mitigation for any bus/transit service impacts or shortfalls identified through the EIS process.
  • New Open Space Commitments:
    • $7 million in City Capital to fund improvements in DiMattina Park, Van Voorhees Playground, Carroll Park and/or other parks in the area adjacent to BMT.  The park improvements will be coordinated with large-scale infrastructure projects in the area.
  • New Governance and Financing Commitments:
    • Prior to GPP approval, the City and State shall commit that all Points of Agreement and BMTDC project contracts enforced by NYCEDC will include clear, enforceable remedies against developers for non-performance and failure to deliver commitments, to be developed in consultation with community stakeholders.
    • Adding to BMTDC mission statement that “BMTDC is committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and enforceable delivery of community commitments.”
  • New Industrial Commitments:
    • An additional 50,000 sf of industrial space (bringing the total industrial space at BMT to 275,000 sf) will be delivered in Atlantic Basin in a mixed-use building at Pier 11 that will also be home to a maritime port and Blue Highways welcome and experiential learning center.  The industrial space within this mixed-use building will be rented at a 25 percent discount to the appraised market rent of comparable industrial property, determined when the space is completed.
  • New Port Commitments
    • NYCEDC will issue a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to port developers and operators to gather ideas on how the Brooklyn Marine Terminal could be used, including the possibility of a larger port. The responses will be shared with the BMTDC board, which may decide to study a larger port configuration as an alternative during the environmental review. The board may also update financial assumptions for the project based on the information collected.