Pier 6 affordable housing changes approved

Amended plan for Brooklyn Bridge Park provides more flexibility

Rendering of Pier 6 Towers
Rendering of Pier 6 Towers

The controversial Pier 6 project in Brooklyn will include affordable units, but the exact obligations remain unclear.

A Brooklyn Community Board 2 subcommittee voted 6 to 1 this week to include a provision that will require the inclusion of affordable units at the development.

The amended text states, “Notwithstanding anything else in the [general project plan], and without regard to Project finances…the Board of Directors of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation… shall have the discretion to determine the number of affordability or residential units in each building and other characteristics of the building, including the types and location of community facility and retail uses, if any, consistent with the Technical Memorandum dated November 2014,” according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

David Lowin, vice president for real estate at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, said the amendment is meant to allow for more affordable housing within the park, without having to justify the park’s total finances.

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The Brooklyn Bridge Park is entirely funded by revenues from buildings in and around the park.

Some in the community expressed concern that the provision will allow the corporation to dodge obligations.

“This modification, which you have been asked to vote on, gives the BBPC total discretion to do whatever it wants,” said Carolyn Ziegler, a lawyer and the director of the Brooklyn Heights Association.

The plan features a 30-story tower and a neighboring 15-story building containing a total of 430 apartment units. [Brooklyn Eagle] — Tess Hofmann