Opinion: How And Why I Voted Yes on the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Plan

“The Vision Plan is not perfect, but it is clear and concise. It is a 15-year, three-phase framework that sets enforceable commitments around housing, climate resilience, transportation, and social services, while strengthening maritime and industrial uses.”

On Monday, Sept. 22, I was one of 17 members of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force who voted in favor of approving the Vision Plan, achieving a two-thirds majority as required by the rules. I was proud to cast this vote and wrote this to explain how and why, on behalf of Brooklyn Community Board 6, I came to vote yes. 

From the moment I was appointed to the Task Force, I have taken and continue to take that responsibility seriously. I worked off of CB6’s District Needs Assessment to ensure our priorities were not only raised but also incorporated. A big reason they were incorporated is that Rebecca Kobert and Arif Sunmonu’s contributions were invaluable throughout the process. Rebecca, CB6’s Land Use Coordinator, brought deep policy expertise and attended every Task Force meeting with me. Arif, a lifelong resident of the Columbia Waterfront District, served on the Task Force’s Housing Advisory Group and ensured a most local perspective informed the housing discussions. Without their work, my own contributions would not have been as thorough.

The Vision Plan is not perfect, but it is clear and concise. It is a 15-year, three-phase framework that sets enforceable commitments around housing, climate resilience, transportation, and social services, while strengthening maritime and industrial uses (pages 10-15).

Housing costs are the most pressing crisis facing New York City. The plan delivers up to 6,000 new homes, with 2,650 units permanently available at deep affordability levels, including 250 units reserved for NYCHA residents from the surrounding neighborhoods. It also includes $75 million for affordable housing in Community District 6 and $200 million for repairs at Red Hook Houses (Vision Plan, pages 18-22).

These commitments will result in the construction of more than 3,600 affordable units, representing approximately 60 percent of the total housing. Just as important, housing will be built concurrently by multiple developers, with family-sized units required across both affordable and market-rate apartments. These are hard-won protections designed to avoid the mistakes of Atlantic Yards.

Climate resilience is built into the plan. The marginal pier will be raised to account for anticipated sea-level rise, and stormwater and drainage infrastructure will be implemented to reduce flooding (Vision Plan, pages 27-30). These measures will protect neighborhoods like Red Hook, which have faced decades of environmental neglect, and ensure that the waterfront is sustainable and ready for the future.

Transportation investments include pedestrian-first design, expanded ferry service, electric shuttles to connect residents to subways and ferries, and nearly a mile of improved greenway linking Red Hook, the Columbia Waterfront, and Brooklyn Bridge Park. The B71 bus is explicitly referenced, with a new commitment from the MTA. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes secured a comprehensive study on how to improve circulation and street safety from the water to Clinton Street (Vision Plan, pages 33-37). These are tangible steps toward reconnecting Red Hook to the rest of the city.

Social services and workforce commitments include a workforce training center, a Project Labor Agreement, targeted NYCHA hiring, more than 225,000 square feet of industrial space at discounted rents, half of it managed by nonprofits, a new public school, expanded community facilities, and over 28 acres of new open space (Vision Plan, pages 40-45). These are investments in people, not just property.

Equally important is governance and accountability. Community Board 6 will be the first community board in New York City with a binding seat on a development corporation. That matters. It is not just a seat at the table that can be pulled away, but a guaranteed role in shaping and monitoring the plan over the next 15 years (Vision Plan, pages 47-49).

The plan also allocates funding for legal support, enabling CB6 and other stakeholders to enforce commitments, particularly those related to affordable housing. This is a clear break from Atlantic Yards, where promises evaporated and accountability failed. Here, enforcement mechanisms are built in. 

I understand skepticism and opposition. It pushed us to make the plan stronger, and it will continue to drive accountability as implementation unfolds. The Gowanus rezoning and congestion pricing also faced loud opposition, but today they are broadly seen as necessary steps to address housing and sustainability. Most criticism of the BMT Vision Plan does not cite the plan itself, the pages of which demonstrate enforceable commitments that align with the priorities of CB6 and the broad coalition of area leaders, advocates such as Transportation Alternatives, unions, and civic groups.

After decades of neglect, the Brooklyn Marine Terminal finally has a path forward. This plan is for our district, the communities we serve, the borough of Brooklyn, and the City of New York. That is why I voted yes.

P.S. Over the last year, CB6 has compiled, and continues to compile, BMT info at: bit.ly/bmtcb6.

Mike Racioppo is the district manager of Brooklyn Community Board 6 and a commissioner on the Charter Revision Commission.