Brooklyn deputy beep pushes to keep Pfizer property industrial

Brooklyn’s newly appointed deputy borough president is pushing to have a Williamsburg industrial property declared part of an “Industrial Business Zone,” that would virtually bar developers from converting it into apartments.

Diane Reyna, second in command to new Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams, wants a former Pfizer property on Wallabout Street and Harrison Avenue to receive the designation, which offers tax breaks and help from the city for landlords planning to house industrial tenants.

Reyna said residential development in manufacturing zones is displacing Brooklyn’s manufacturers and the jobs they provide. She argues that the designation gives profit-driven landlords incentive to lease to manufacturers. The new zone will make it virtually impossible to develop the property for residential use, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

“We’ve got to keep Brooklyn affordable, that’s the number one thing,” Adams said to the Brooklyn Paper. Reyna, an advocate for affordable housing, recently pushed an agreement with Rheingold Brewery developer Read Property Group to include “permanently affordable” housing units in the Bushwick building. She also fought for disclosures on steep tax breaks for developers last year while serving in the City Council. [Brooklyn Paper] — Angela Hunt