NYC Council Approved Redevelopment of BK Navy Yard's Admiral's Row

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** November 30, 2011

Contact: Amyre Loomis at (718) 260-9191

NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES PLAN FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF NAVY YARD’S ADMIRALS ROW SITE

(Brooklyn, NY) The New York City Council unanimously voted in favor of the redevelopment of the six-acre Admirals Row site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The property will be transferred from the federal government to the City of New York, and will then become part of Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, which manages the 300-acre industrial park on behalf of the City, will oversee redevelopment of the Admirals Row site, creating a 74,000-square-foot supermarket and 79,000 square-feet of additional neighborhood retail space, as well as 127,000 square-feet of industrial space. The project is expected to create 500 permanent retail and industrial jobs and hundreds of additional construction jobs.

Council Member Letitia James said: “I want to commend Andrew Kimball and the whole BNYDC and all of the community partners who worked hard on developing and approving this plan. For 20 years, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with the support of Community Board 2 and elected officials at every level, has made it clear that redevelopment of the six-acre Admirals Row site is necessary, specifically to serve the local neighborhood, which includes 10,000 residents of Farragut, Walt Whitman, and Ingersoll Houses.”

Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation has concluded its negotiations with the federal National Guard Bureau, and will issue a request for proposals for the site’s redevelopment before the end of the year. The project will break ground in 2012 following the transfer of the property from the federal government to the City, which owns the 300-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard property. The designated developer will enter into a long-term lease for the site that now houses 12 dilapidated and unused structures. The plan includes the restoration of two of the structures – Building B and the Timber Shed – which will be incorporated into the new development.

“The City Council’s approval of the public review process for the redevelopment of Admiral’s Row is great news on many levels. The project will incorporate historic preservation into a progressive sustainable site plan, which will in turn become a boost for the local economy. I’m excited to know that fresh affordable food, expanded industrial space, retail shops, and hundreds of permanent and construction jobs are soon coming to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and surrounding community. Also, the redevelopment includes the restoration of two houses, which is a huge blessing,” said Council Member James.

The development of Admirals Row will continue the expansion underway at the Brooklyn Navy Yard – its largest growth since WWII, adding more than 1.5 million square feet of new space and 2,000 new jobs.

“An important aspect of the redevelopment of Admirals Row is that it will assist residents who have much to benefit from this community resource. The Navy Yard has designed a responsible plan with an employment center on the premises. I’m delighted that the public review for the transfer of this site to New York City is complete, and the next step will begin.”

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