First Pier 1 portion unveiled today

State and local officials opened the first section of Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park today, the $350 million Dumbo park project. The Brooklyn waterfront is an untapped resource, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at the unveiling, adding that the park marks a “reclaiming” of unused land. “The piers along the Brooklyn waterfront south of the Brooklyn Bridge have for years sat vacant or underutilized, acting as a barrier between Brooklyn residents and their waterfront,” Bloomberg said, calling today’s opening “an important milestone.” The portion of Pier 1 open to the public today spans six acres — when it’s completed, Pier 1 will contain nine and a half acres, making it the largest park pier in the city. TRD