Forest City Ratner demo coating condos with dust, locals say

Developer denies charges project is not up to code while tenants worry about health risks

From left: Bruce Ratner, 1 Rockwell Place and 10 MetroTech
From left: Bruce Ratner, 1 Rockwell Place and 10 MetroTech

Downtown Brooklyn condo owners are alleging that a full-block demolition project by Forest City Ratner has left their apartments coated with dust.

The tenants of the 24-unit One Rockwell Place, some of whom have children, further charge that the nearby demolition is not up to code and voiced concern over the potential contents of the dust, Brooklyn Heights Blog reported. City Council member Laurie Cumbo told the blog she had reached out to the Department of Environmental Protection.

In a statement to the blog, Forest City Ratner denied charges that its project is not up to code.

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“During the entirety of the demolition of 10 MetroTech, we employed dust control methods outlined in the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations in order to control dust and we are within DEP and national regulations for dust generation. We are in full compliance with all regulations,” Ashley Cotton, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Forest City Ratner, told the blog.

The building is a former candy factory that Forest City Ratner purchased in 1989 and converted into an office dubbed 10 MetroTech, the New York Observer previously reported. The demolition is making way for a residential building. [Brooklyn Heights Blog]