Coalition Calls for Broadened Brooklyn Bridge Park Housing Study

Carroll Gardens Patch

Elected Officials, Community Boards and Organizations come together to call for study of the Watchtower Properties

By Georgia Kral | May 13, 2011

The call for a full study of the Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower Properties as a possible revenue source to pay for Brooklyn Bridge Park is coming from all corners of local politics and community activism.

In a display of wide-reaching support that is not often seen, every elected official and both Community Boards that represent the area, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Advisory Council and a strong coalition of community organizations are asking that the Committee on Alternatives to Housing (CAH), chaired by a top aide to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, study all possible alternatives, namely the Watchtower Properties.

"The community is speaking with a single voice," said State Senator Daniel Squadron. "Make good on the process."

In December, the Committee on Alternatives to Housing voted to study 10 possible alternative to housing revenue streams to fund the park, which must pay for itself, unlike other city parks. One alternative was the study of the Watchtower Properties, which are said to be going up for sale soon, and are adjacent to the park. If the properties become residential, the now tax-exempt properties have the potential to be revenue-generating.

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