Sen. Velmanette Montgomery and 55 Hanson Place (building credit: PropertyShark)

State officials are considering selling 55 Hanson Place, according to the New York Daily News, as they’ve told local politicians that a private developer has expressed interest in purchasing the property.

The 13-story, 300,000-square-foot office building, between Elliot and Fort Greene places in Fort Greene, is known as the Shirley Building and is home to the Department of Taxation, the Office of Children and Family Services and other state agencies, but officials say the space is underused. As part of a larger plan to cash in on its real estate holdings, the state is exploring the sale. [more]

State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery and the shelter at 603 Dean Street

The Department of Buildings filed a demolition permit for an Atlantic Yards building that previously served as a homeless shelter, Brownstoner reported. The city shut down the shelter at 603 Dean Street through eminent domain on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2010, much to the dismay of the predominantly black community the shelter served. The community, led by City Council member Letitia James and State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, held a week-long protest and vigil outside the shelter. Montgomery even vowed to “put [herself] on the ground in front of the bulldozer.” [more]

A homeless shelter serving a predominantly African-American population at 603 Dean Street in Downtown Brooklyn, within the planned Atlantic Yards development area, was shut down yesterday, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, through the use of eminent domain, sparking outrage in the community. Local officials, including City Council member Letitia James and State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, joined neighborhood advocates and Freddy’s Bar, whose outlandish protests of the Atlantic Yards eminent domain seizure have drawn local exposure, in protesting the closure of the Pacific Dean Shelter. The vigil, which began at midnight yesterday outside the recently-closed facility, came on the heels of a weekend-long protest of the shuttering. “I will put myself on the ground in front of the bulldozers,” Montgomery said during the protest Saturday. “I will do anything I can to stop this.” The video above contains footage of the protest. [more]