Contrasting Visions for Brooklyn Bridge Park

If you needed another reminder of development in Dumbo, look no further than the Empire Stores RFP Responses presentation released by Brooklyn Bridge Park. The stores, located next to the north end of the park (and the Tobacco Warehouse - home to Sunday Smorgasburg), represent a prime real estate parcel whose development will ultimately help finance the completion of Brooklyn Bridge Park. BBP's RFP to develop the parcel received 10 responses, all with a common theme: some mix of ground floor retail with offices above. Even so, these constrained guidelines yielded a rich array of options for the site and revealed diverging visions for the future of Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dumbo, and Brooklyn.

The Tragedy of the Commons

So what is it that makes these similar designs so remarkably different? Their approaches to common space. On the one hand, we have traditional designs that emphasize discrete, privately-held "common" areas (the ground floor and roof). Like a Fifth Avenue office building, they rigidly segregate the various  leasable spaces into individual storefronts, creating a modern shopping center-styled environment. In most locations, this wouldn't be a huge issue, but the Empire Stores are part of BBP, and their design is intended to complement the park. Large, separated retail spaces in a desirable area means high rents and limits prospective tenants to larger stores that can fill the space. In other words, it excludes the small, local merchants that give Dumbo - and Brooklyn - their distinctive feel. That feel is exactly what the BBP should be emphasizing, not plowing under with a muted design.

Luckily, there are numerous proposed designs that go the other way, creating an open, market-like atmosphere on the ground floor. They range in vision from the victorian-style market proposed by Team 1 to the more subtle food exchange and retail mix envisioned by Team 8. But all of these alternatives have an approach to common space that encourages free movement and interaction, and creates space for small vendors. Not only is that a distinctively Brooklyn approach to the space (one I would assume BBP would want to maximize), it is an approach that fits with the free circulation of the surrounding park and Tobacco Warehouse.

Team 1 Ground Floor / Image: BBP

A View, but for Whom?

The rooftop of the Empire Stores is another interesting area; it offers close-up views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, not to mention sweeping panoramas of lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. Faced with the question of who should be able to enjoy such a unique space, the teams again diverged, though  not always in alignment with their respective ground floor visions. In the most extreme private space case, we have Team 4, which reserves the breathtaking vistas for the highest-paying office tenants. Others, such as Teams 6 and 7, create a semi-public atmosphere with private event space. While in theory this means anyone could be able to enjoy the area, the assumed high cost of renting the space virtually excludes the area's middle- and low-income residents.

Team 9's Sculpture Garden Rooftop / Image: BBP

Others take a very open and democratic approach to the rooftop space. Team 9, despite its decidedly uninspired ground floor, offers us a public sculpture garden and space for multiple small restaurants. Team 10's ambitious plan places a brewery on the roof, along with a 7,000-square foot hops garden. These approaches, and the other garden/restaurant mixes, create another public space that adds value to the park below. Even more so than on the ground floor, this comes down to a choice between exclusion - creating a space for the wealthy and well-connected - and accessibility to everyone.

Choose Inclusion

It's hard to call any of these designs perfect, but they do offer a stark view of the different ways BBP could develop. It's important that the park knows how different these visions are and how critical it is to emphasize an open, collaborative design that embodies the best of Brooklyn and BBP. This is not some private development parcel; BBP exists to benefit the public, and while the conservancy has an obligation to raise maximum funds in order to care for and build out the park, it also has an obligation to ensure these park amenities are available to everyone, regardless of social standing or income level. There are enough exclusive places in New York to hold $100,000 weddings or Goldman Sachs holiday parties - our public parks should not be among them. So if you have time, contact BBP and let them know that the winning design should be a place that emphasizes the things that make Brooklyn great - small, local businesses and a diverse population. Perhaps your comments can help inform their decision.

Democratize Transportation Planning with TrafficCOM

If you want to get more involved in local transportation planning, then look no further than TrafficCOM, a great new idea on Kickstarter. Their project creates a low cost, portable, durable traffic counter than can be deployed by individuals on local roads and bike lanes.

Why does this matter? TrafficCOM takes data that is virtually monopolized by state and local DOTs (and their contractors) and places it in the hands of individuals and local advocacy organizations. In short, it allows anyone to initiate a review of local conditions and advocate for a fix, using hard data instead of observations (e.g. this bike lane looks overtaxed or this road probably doesn't need another traffic lane). With private citizens and groups uploading data that is both open source and regularly updated, we can gain a better understanding of local and regional traffic patterns without the bureaucratic procurement processes of a DOT. That means a better understanding of where roads should or should not be widened, where traffic calming is needed, where bike lanes should be added or expanded, and where bus route can be modified to avoid bottlenecks.

Participatory Budget Voting Starts Today

A reminder to those living in the 39th District that Councilman Lander's office will be holding Participatory Budget voting today through April 7th. This is an opportunity for area residents to have a say in $1 million in discretionary funds that have been set aside to improve our neighborhood. Early voting is available April 2nd - 4th at Councilman Lander's office on 5th Avenue, and this weekend at various locations. Voters can select up to five projects, and funding decisions will be made based on which projects receive the most votes. You can prepare yourself by looking at the sample ballot and brief videos for each proposal.

This is a great way to speak directly to local elected officials about the issues that affect our communities. Councilman Lander's website runs through the top projects from 2012 and progress that has been made on them; last year 7 projects were ultimately funded, with most scheduled for completion this year. Several others identified by the voting process but not in the top 7 have also been pursued, with several already complete.

So without further ado, here are this blog's five recommendations for PB 2013:

1. Hicks Street Pedestrian Safety Improvements ($350,000). Given the racetrack nature of the northbound side of Hicks Street - two lanes with virtually zero clearance to either side - and the limited visibility afforded by the fencing over the BQE, this should be a top priority. Growth on the Columbia Street side of the BQE has meant - and will continue to mean - more pedestrian traffic between the Waterfront and Carroll Gardens. Ideally this side of Hicks would be cut down to one lane (as it already has on the southbound side) but absent that, improving pedestrian visibility and making physical changes such as curb extensions can go a long way toward improving pedestrian safety and avoiding potential tragedies. 

2. 3rd Street Green Corridor ($170,000). With the new Whole Foods under construction and the Lightstone Project set to move ahead, permeable surfaces are at a premium along the Gowanus Canal. This project would install enhanced planting boxes along 3rd Street between Bond and 3rd Avenue, adding much needed storm runoff diversion and enhancing a bleak but growing corridor. Plus, all that green will go nicely along side the 20,000 square-foot rooftop farm at Whole Foods.

3. Hamilton/Van Brunt Community Plaza ($205,000). This project gets added urgency from the fact that DOT will be reconfiguring this mess of an intersection - meaning there is limited time to add pedestrian-friendly amenities. A plaza here could serve as a catalyst for community activity on the Waterfront/Red Hook boundary and would tie in nicely with the current and future extensions of the Brooklyn Greenway running along Van Brunt.

4. Ocean Parkway Pedestrian Safety Improvements ($300,000). As with Hicks Street, this would address a dangerous stretch of roadway, adding new crosswalks, signage, stop lines, and curb extensions. 

5. Groundswell Community Mural Project Media Upgrade ($40,000). This is a very inexpensive investment that can reap huge dividends by helping at-risk youth find creative outlets. It helps that the work produced by Groundswell's artists adds an element of beauty to our communities that everyone can enjoy.