From left: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and a rendering of NYU’s plans for 370 Jay StreetWhile many New Yorkers were celebrating Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s selection of Cornell University to build a science school on Roosevelt Island, Brooklyn politicians were pinning their hopes on another phrase the mayor uttered during the press conference.
According to the New York Daily News, Bloomberg said he was still in talks with three other universities and could award grants for another graduate science school. Brooklynites hope that award goes to NYU so it can build a school at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
“Wonderful as the Cornell project is, we’re not stopping,” said Borough President Marty Markowitz. “370 Jay Street is practically empty, doing nothing now but housing some switches… It’s clear that 370 Jay Street is calling out for this kind of project.”
NYU proposed a Center for Urban Science and Progress at the site, acknowledging it couldn’t compete with the ambitious Roosevelt Island proposals, and instead vying for a secondary award. The school could become a breeding ground for talented developers needed to support the exploding tech scene in Dumbo. [NYDN]