Welcome
This is the official site of the DUMBO Neighborhood Foundation, or DNF, a not-for-profit, all-volunteer organization incorporated in New York State. It was created in 2007 by long-time local residents to forge and coordinate the opposition to the Dock Street Project.
At the time, there was no organization which solely and effectively advocated for the preservation and the protection of the Brooklyn Bridge from out-of-scale, over-development sweeping New York City. The Dock Street project, a controversial mixed-use 17 story proposed development to be situated only 82 feet from one of the most identifiable national landmarks and one of the most striking man-made structures in the history of the Unites States of America, the Brooklyn Bridge, was the impetus, the proverbial “call to arms,” to organize and become the true stewards of the Bridge and protectors of the unique and historic neighborhood that lies below the Brooklyn Bridge called DUMBO.
Footprint of proposed development highlighted in red; part of the structure will lie below the Bridge.
We are joined by the DUMBO Neighborhood Alliance, Brooklyn Heights Association, Fulton Ferry Landing Association, Vinegar Hill Neighborhood Association, Cobble Hill Association, Boerum Hill Association and Fort Greene Association in our opposition to the proposed development. Our opposition to this proposal is also shared by renowned historian and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author of The Great Bridge, David McCullough, renowned cinematographer and creator of the documentary The Brooklyn Bridge, Ken Burns, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian, the Municipal Art Society, the Historic Districts Council, the Roebling Chapter – Society for Industrial Archeology and Society for Architecture for New York City.
Despite the very vociferous opposition, which also included a petition and post card drive of over 25,000 signatures, in June of 2009, the New York City Council granted the developer the change in zoning and a series of waivers required for the Dock Street development to proceed. The City Council’s stamp of approval did not come as a surprise to many of us. “Just before new rules severely limited campaign contributions by companies doing business with the city, Two Trees accounted for at least $74,250 in donations to the two City Council members with the most power over the development, Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Melinda R. Katz, chairwoman of the Council’s Land Use Committee. The company has also spent about $400,000 lobbying the Council and city agencies,” according to the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/nyregion/24about.html?scp=4&sq=brooklyn%20bridge&st=cse). Both New York City Planning Commission and New York City Council chose to ignore the local and national opposition to Dock Street and furthermore chose to ignore the legal, zoning and environmental issues that were brought to their attention regarding the Dock Street Project.
Our neighbors, supporters and admirers of the Brooklyn Bridge from near and far have urged us to pursue this issue further and expose the truth regarding the passage of this ill-proposed development. On October 9, 2009, DNF filed a lawsuit in Supreme Court, Kings County, seeking to reverse zoning changes it believes were wrongfully approved by the New York City Council and to halt the Dock Street Project. The meritorious arguments presented by DNF are twofold: 1) the misinterpretation and misapplication of zoning laws which led to the erroneous granting of zoning changes and waivers; 2) City agencies, particularly the Dept. of Education (DOE) and the School Construction Authority (SCA), failed to fulfill their legal obligations to conduct a full, fair and objective: (a) examination of the appropriateness of including a middle school as part of this project; (b) comparison of alternative middle school sites.
Renowned author and historian, David McCullough, on the steps of City Hall urges the Council to reject the Dock Street Project. “None of us had a hand in building it. None of us contributed a thing to its architectural grandeur or its pioneering technology. None of us were injured in the effort, or suffered from the bends for our labors beneath the river, or died in accidents. They did all that, those men and women of that vanished time. And they built superbly. They set an example of how things can be done right,” stated McCullough.
Kristian Roebling, whose great-great grandparents, Washington Roebling and Emily Warren Roebling, built the Brooklyn Bridge, discusses his family's history and the reasons behind his objection to Dock Street. “Think of the physical space that surrounds a national monument as a sort of halo,” said Roebling.
The filing of the lawsuit received broad support from current and former elected officials and others who have long expressed concerns about the Dock Street Project.
New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who voted against the project in the City Council, threw his support behind DNF’s legal action. He stated, “I did not support the Dock Street project in the City Council and I am still opposed to the current proposal. I support the DUMBO Neighborhood Foundation in their efforts to continue to fight this project.”
New York State Senator Daniel Squadron stated, “I continue to believe this project unacceptably sacrifices one goal – preserving the character of the neighborhood and of the Brooklyn Bridge – in pursuit of another – the dire need for a middle school. The recent approval of the project is especially troublesome in light of revelations about the School Construction Authority’s process for selecting a site for the middle school.”
“I continue to believe that approval of this project was a mistake. We now know the School Construction Authority never told the City Planning Commission or the City Council that its own internal documents questioned the value of placing the school in this building,” said former New York City Councilman for the 33rd distrcit, David Yassky.
Councilman Stephen Levin, David Yassky’s successor as New York City Council member for 33rd district, also expressed his solidarity with DNF. “I continue to oppose the Dock Street project [and] believe this is an inappropriate development,” stated Levin.
Former Councilman Tony Avella, who was Chair of the New York City Zoning and Franchise Sub-committee and voted against the project in the City Council, stated, “I firmly stand by DNF in their pursuit to shed light on a process that is immensely flawed and influenced by deep-pocketed developers. Such influence should not play a role in formulating public policy, particularly when it comes to the expenditure of public money on a project that will damage our cultural heritage, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the interests of our public school children.”