The final step in the ULURP process for Dock Street DUMBO is upcoming this month. Hearings at City Council will culminate with a vote by the full 51 member Council.
This has been a long process, but letters from you and your friends CAN make a difference in the vote. Please send an email to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the other members whose addresses are listed below. For your convenience, there is also a sample letter below.
And please, mark your calendars for the Council hearing: May 21st, 10am, at City Hall. Let Council members know that the Bridge and your neighborhood are worth fighting for.
Sample letter follows the addresses:
Honorable Christine C. Quinn
Speaker, City Council
email: cquinn@council.nyc.gov
Honorable Melinda Katz
Chair, Land Use Committee
email: katz@council.nyc.gov
Honorable Tony Avella
Chair, Zoning Sub- Committee
email: avella@council.nyc.gov
Honorable David Yassky
email: yasskydockst@gmail.com
Dear Council Member__________
I am writing to urge you to vote against Two Trees Management’s proposal to build Dock Street DUMBO, a super-size development situated too close to the Brooklyn Bridge.
This 18-story building conflicts with the architectural scale of the surrounding, historically designated neighborhoods of Fulton Ferry Landing and DUMBO—but most importantly, it would encroach upon the Brooklyn Bridge, causing irreparable damage to its singular and majestic presence. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and tourists from around the world who walk the bridge would find the breathtaking open river and clear urban views forever compromised. A similar project would never be tolerated near the Washington Monument or the Eiffel Tower.
Having spent nearly $500,000 in lobbying costs alone, David and Jed Walentas of Two Trees Management have garnered limited community support for this project largely because they maintain it will include raw space for a public middle school. While local community associations have sought a middle school, the SCA has refused pleas to explore ANY alternative sites. In fact, a December 8th, 2008 internal SCA memo from its Executive Director, obtained by the Freedom of Information Act reveals, “Now I know that if we don’t do the Walentas project that we don’t really want to do anything else over there, but I think we have to follow up on this just so we can say that the Walentas project is such a good deal.” Other documents show the developer coaching the SCA in its public responses. We call upon you, as public officials, to reject the product of these closed door negotiations.
Development and preservation need not be mutually exclusive. The Two Trees proposal for Dock Street, however, tilts irreparably away from the public good and only toward private gain.
Please preserve our historic landmark for future generations and vote no to the Dock Street Project. In the end, the Brooklyn Bridge should not be for sale.
Sincerely,
