NYCEDC Announces Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force Appointees to Serve Alongside Rep. Dan Goldman, State Senator Andrew Gounardes, Council Member Alexa Aviles

Task Force’s 28 Members to Hold First Meeting, Will Contribute to Shared Vision for Future of 122-Acre Site and Guide General Project Plan Process with City & State

Community Input Survey Now Live, Series of Public Workshops Starting in September to Gather Community Feedback

Buro Happold Selected as Master Planning Consultant, Will Oversee Creation of Visioning Document and Lead Long-Term Planning Process

Six Advisories Groups Formed, Will Advise Task Force on Specific Interests Represented Throughout the Terminal and Community

BROOKLYN, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced the full membership of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force. The creation of the task force was announced in May, when Mayor Adams, along with Governor Hochul, NYCEDC, and the Port Authority announced an agreement that will enable the City to transform the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern 21-st century maritime port and mixed-use community. The task force is comprised of a wide range of experts including federal, state, and local elected officials, the local community board, local resident organizations, maritime and industrial stakeholders, unions, planning and environmental justice organizations, and representatives of the local business community.

The task force will inform the reinvestment and development of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal by engaging with community members and stakeholders to better understand the opportunities, challenges, and ideas associated with the 122-acre site. Through this ongoing process, the task force aims to build a shared vision across stakeholders, community members, and elected officials. The full task force will convene for the first time next week.

The task force is charged with approving the illustrative vision plan, which will include reinvestment for a modernized maritime port and a vibrant mixed-use community, for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in early 2025. After which, the City and State will work closely with the task force and other stakeholders to advance this project through a General Project Plan (GPP)—a New York State process and set of requirements that includes a neighborhood condition study and an environmental review scoping that will commence in Spring 2025.

NYCEDC kicked off a series of community engagement events in August starting with a public information webinar on August 12th and will hold the first public workshop on September 28th at the Miccio Center in Red Hook. Community input will be a vital part of the master planning process as it provides NYCEDC with critical feedback at each phase of the project. An initial public survey is now live. Additionally, NYCEDC has selected renowned consulting firm Buro Happold to spearhead the master plan. WXY is leading the engagement process.

“This is a historic opportunity to reimagine 122 acres of outdated waterfront into a key stretch of New York City’s ‘Harbor of the Future,’” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “By assembling this task force, we are bringing together diverse perspectives including community leaders, elected officials, and industry experts, to help guide the forward-thinking plans for the future of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal. Everything is on the table—from a modernized maritime port to housing, resilient infrastructure, open space, and, of course, good-paying jobs. We’re thankful for the task force members’ time and look forward to the products of this collaborative effort that will greatly benefit the city and our economy, well into the future.”

“The process to reimagine the 122-acre Brooklyn Marine Terminal is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape New York City's Harbor of the Future, and I invite all New Yorkers, including local stakeholders, to join this exciting visioning exercise,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce Maria Torres Springer. “Together, and in continued close collaboration with our colleagues at the State, we can articulate a vision for the Brooklyn waterfront that includes jobs, a modern maritime facility, housing, resilient infrastructure, open space and other community amenities, and I want to thank the Task Force members for their time and effort to lead this unprecedented effort which will benefit the city for decades to come.”

“Assembling this group of community voices, elected officials, and industry leading professionals is vital to building a new mixed-use Brooklyn Marine Terminal with a modern port at its core,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “A reimaged and revitalized Brooklyn Marine Terminal is an integral piece of New York City’s Harbor of the Future and Blue Highways network creating economic activity, waterfront job opportunities, reduced truck traffic, and new housing and community amenities. The Brooklyn Marine Terminal’s Task Force will ensure that diverse voices come together to guide a master plan for long-term growth.”

The task force’s 28 members include and are led by a Chair and two Vice Chairs. The full list of task force members includes:

• Representative Dan Goldman (Chair)
• Council Member Alexa Aviles (Vice Chair)
• State Senator Andrew Gounardes (Vice Chair)
• Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
• Senator Chuck Schumer
• Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso
• Council Member Shahana Hanif
• Assembly Member Charles Fall
• Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes
• Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon
• Tom Conoscenti, Assistant Secretary for Economic Development to the Governor (Governor Appointee)
• Nate Bliss, Chief of Staff, Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce (Mayor Appointee)
• Randy Peers, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
• Mike Racioppo, Brooklyn Community Board 6
• Amanda Sue Nichols, Cobble Hill Association
• Ben Fuller-Googins, Carroll Gardens Association
• Hank Gutman, Former Commissioner, NYC Department of Transportation
• Frank Agosta, International Long Shoreman Association
• Jim Tampakis, Marine Shipping Parts
• Stephen Lyman, Maritime Association of NYNJ
• Eddie Bautista, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance
• John Nardi, Shipping Association of NYNJ
• Jesse Solomon, Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation
• Carly Baker-Rice, Red Hook Business Alliance
• Frances Brown, Red Hook Houses East Tenants Association
• Karen Blondel, Red Hook Houses West Tenants Association
• Tiffany-Ann Taylor, Regional Plan Association
• Michelle De La Uz, Fifth Avenue Committee

The task force will engage a wide range of stakeholders—including local elected officials, unions, waterfront stakeholders, Brooklyn businesses, workforce development, the adjacent communities, and the maritime industry—to inform a shared vision for the future of this vital facility and district. NYCEDC has engaged esteemed community engagement and urban design firm WXY to support this work, as well as the overall community engagement process.

To help guide the Brooklyn Marine Terminal task force, provide key insights, and ensure additional community and organizational participation, NYCEDC is facilitating the creation of six advisory groups. Each of these groups represents a specific interest in the future of the terminal:

• Environmental Justice/Resilience/Waterfront
• Maritime/Industrial/Workforce Development/Small and Local Businesses 
• Transportation/Mobility/Open Space
• Community Development & Housing
• NYCHA and NYCHA Youth
• Brooklyn Marine Tenants and Port Operators

The full list of advisory group members can be found on NYCEDC’s website.

“I am excited to get to work alongside my fellow Task Force Members as we begin the process of envisioning a new future for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal that will make it a state-of-the-art, modern port that brings jobs to the area,” said Congressman Dan Goldman. “With representation from every neighborhood that will be impacted by this project, as well as citywide planning and industry experts who recognize the unique regional importance of the terminal, this task force centers the needs and concerns of the community members in developing the future of this promising plot of land. I look forward to leading this process that has been carefully structured to foster collaboration between the City and the community.”

“The re-imagining of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal is a big, complex project that will have long-lasting ramifications for communities in Red Hook, the Columbia Street Waterfront District and across New York. That's why it's so important for us to build deep community engagement into this initiative from the very start,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “This Task Force includes a wide range of expertise and perspectives, including elected officials from every level of government, local businesses associations, NYCHA tenant leaders, maritime industry representatives and regional planning experts, among others. As Vice Chair of the Task Force, I'm committed to building a shared vision for the Marine Terminal that creates a vibrant, sustainable future for all of us, with new green job opportunities, a revitalized container terminal powered by clean energy, reduced truck traffic and much-needed community investments. This Task Force ensures our community is in the driver's seat as this project moves forward.”

“For years, I, alongside the community of Red Hook, have been demanding investment in our waterfront, a limited resource that is critical to all of our sustainability efforts,” said Council Member Alexa Aviles. “I look forward to working alongside the task force and our community to ensure that we get trucks off the road, bring livable jobs to the community of Red Hook, and ensure that our waterfront remains a working one.”

As part of the effort to transform the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, the city has assumed control of the entire marine terminal in Brooklyn, encompassing 122 acres of waterfront in Red Hook and the Columbia Street Waterfront District, including the existing Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Mayor Adams also announced an initial $80 million investment in the Brooklyn Marine Terminal to stabilize and repair Piers 7, 8, and 10, and to fund planning for the site’s future, including an up to $15 million investment to fund a new modern, electrified container crane for operations at the terminal. Governor Hochul also announced a $15 million commitment for a future cold storage facility on-site.

Today’s announcement builds on the Adams administration’s broader strategy to develop the Harbor of the Future—a reimagined, East River-connected network of innovation and growth. The Harbor of the Future includes emerging innovation centers at the Hunts Point Produce Market, Governors Island, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Science Park and Research Campus in Kips Bay, and the North Shore of Staten Island. Most recently, Mayor Adams announced that the city will invest $100 million to create the “Climate Innovation Hub” at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park as a part of the city’s Green Economy Action Plan that will position New Yorkers to benefit from nearly 400,000 “green-collar” jobs by 2040. This new hub will serve as a home for clean tech innovation and manufacturing and encourage climate innovation startups.

The Adams administration and NYCEDC are also transforming the nearby city-owned South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) into one of the largest offshore wind port facilities in the nation. In March 2022, NYCEDC and its subtenant, SSBMT, completed a long-term agreement with Norwegian Energy company Equinor to reactivate the terminal as an offshore wind staging and assembly port. The new SBMT will help create hundreds of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity for the city, state, and region, and provide clean offshore wind power to millions of homes and businesses. The city has committed nearly $152 million to offshore wind infrastructure projects across New York City.

About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.