FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 25, 2025        

Press Contact: Winnie Marion – 929.474.0156 – wmarion@council.nyc.gov

Council Member Avilés Issues Statement on Yesterday’s Brooklyn Marine Terminal Vote Postponement

Brooklyn, NY – NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has failed to address the concerns of my community, so yesterday, I was prepared to vote against the proposed plan for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT). However, with this postponement, my colleagues and I remain prepared to engage with our community members to develop a clear set of changes we would need to address ongoing concerns.

This project’s timeline has always been artificial. And yet, because of political motivations, a plan that would normally take years to prepare has been force-fed to us in a matter of months. We deserve transparency and have always wanted to use the time to get it right. For example, task force members want to see a comprehensive financial model, one that illustrates all revenue sources, and helps us understand what it would take to create a fully maximized modern port facility, inclusive of a viable robust Blue Highway network and other maritime economic opportunities for the working waterfront. These requests never received a response.

We could reach a balanced, thoughtful compromise through good faith negotiations.

EDC must stop with bully negotiation tactics—promising crucial and achievable community benefits only if their plan is passed. This administration has withheld benefits that quite frankly, our community is entitled to. These are well-overdue investments, not extra benefits, and certainly should not be used as ways to get agreements to an insufficient plan. Our city is fully capable of delivering on those investments today. This kind of tactic is a slap in the face to those who believe in community co-governance, like myself.

My record shows that I am not opposed to the creation of housing, and recognize the enormous need for deeply affordable housing in our city. The impact of the current density and percentage of luxury units proposed for public land is deeply problematic and needs a much deeper interrogation. We have been presented with an opportunity to maximize our waterways and build a green future for our city. 

Our priority cannot be the needs of future wealthy residents at the expense of our working-class communities. We’ve seen this story play out far too many times before—and it’s what has left Red Hook, and the rest of this city, with the kind of inequality we see all around us. Red Hook needs investment now to address dire transportation and infrastructure needs, which need to happen regardless of the average median income of our community members. 

Through this process, I’ve heard from our community members that a substantive plan should include:

1. Maximizing a Working Waterfront. We must realize investments in our port infrastructure to create the green working waterfront Brooklyn needs. By building out the blue highway, we can take thousands of pollutant trucks off our city’s streets and make Brooklyn safer for everyone. To meet NYC’s energy reduction commitments, it is crucial that we make investments in green infrastructure immediately. Let’s develop a full plan for maximizing our maritime assets and growth of this industry, it is among our last working waterfronts. We should utilize the The Significant Maritime and Industrial Area (SMIA) framework and the City’s Industrial Action Plan policy to ensure that we are protecting valuable infrastructure—not disregarding them.
2. Up-Front Investments in Our Community Today. It is crucial that the promised $200 million capital investments in Red Hook East and Red Hook West be fulfilled immediately. The tenants of 63 Tiffany Place must be granted funding to preserve and protect those essential 70 units of housing today. If there is any truth to the argument that this administration cares about the housing crisis, these two items must happen immediately. Any future plan must include substantive considerations as to how the new development would affect current  residents, businesses and our existing infrastructure with protection investments that would mitigate displacement and harm.
3. Meaningful Community Engagement.  We need an empowering process of community engagement and to do the messy work coming to agreements on needs, vision and priorities. We all understand there will be trade-offs and complex systems to navigate, but our communities need to be empowered in the process and we must earnestly work to address reasonable concerns that exist.
4. Data-Based Decision-Making. Before new housing is created, I would need to see a viable plan rooted in data and to guide any decision-making. That includes studies on transportation needs for the community, infrastructure and flood protection for all the surrounding neighborhoods (not just for the newly developed areas), and exploration of alternative revenue models via the working waterfront, etc. 

We need to actively engage with our community to create any substantive next steps for the future of BMT. I am hopeful that if we are approached with genuine collaboration, we can start to rebuild community trust and champion a positive vision for a working waterfront.

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