As Dumbo teems with tech, Downtown Brooklyn eyes leftovers

As Brooklyn’s thriving tech scene pushes Dumbo’s office vacancy rate below 2 percent, local community groups are trying to plot the industry’s expansion beyond the neighborhood but within the borough. Brooklyn Paper reported the Dumbo Improvement District, Brooklyn Navy and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership have created a task force aimed at making Downtown Brooklyn the destination for startups that can’t find space in Dumbo.

“This is the tightest it’s been in commercial Dumbo since the 1950s,” said Creative Real Estate founder Chris Havens. “Where else can these creative tenants go?”

As space tightens in Dumbo, the Class A availability rate for Downtown Brooklyn remains above 20 percent.

But tech insiders say its unlikely Downtown Brooklyn every becomes a preferred destination for startups. They say the neighborhood lacks the restaurants, bars, culture, and charm of Dumbo. Instead, it could be a breeding ground for growing tech firms that await vacancies in Dumbo. [Brooklyn Paper]