Squadron Eyes City Takeover of Brooklyn Bridge Park, with Conditions

By Eliot Brown

For at least two years, the Bloomberg administration has been pushing--first privately, then publicly--to take over the governance of Brooklyn Bridge Park, offering to put more money into the new East River parkland in exchange for more control from the state.

Now, the move has earned the tentative support of the local state senator, Daniel Squadron, a former aide to Senator Chuck Schumer who rose to office in part by criticizing a plan that put residential and commercial development on the exterior of the new park, set below Brooklyn Heights.

Mr. Squadron and the city are expected at a meeting on Monday night to present their plan, which would also need support from the Paterson administration.

The city is prepared to put in $55 million to the budget of the $350 million project, which is $120 million short. The first phase is currently under way, establishing a new park on a pier with a large former warehouse near the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. Mr. Squadron said he would want the city to take over if it can "allow for meaningful discussions of alternatives to housing."...

Click Here to continue reading the feature article in The New York Observer