Myths vs. Facts

Deconstructing the Dock St. Myths

Issue Myth Fact
Affordable Housing
  • Two Trees is generously providing the first affordable housing units in DUMBO.
  • Two Trees is taking advantage tax abatements which give the developer access to subsidized financing and tax reductions in exchange for legally mandated affordable housing units. It’s the law… not generosity.
  • “Affordable” has not been defined; affordability may still be out of reach for the most needy.
Middle School
  • Two Trees is generously offering a 300 seat middle school for DUMBO children at no cost to the city or taxpayer.
  • The proposed middle school would cost taxpayers $43 million yet no cost benefit analysis was conducted on the Dock St. site or any of seven proposed alternate school sites.
  • There is no binding obligation for the developer to include a middle school in the final project.
  • The proposed school would be located on top of a federally designated flood zone.
  • The proposed school would sit on top of the developer’s 465 car garage.
  • The proposed school would sit right below the Brooklyn Bridge, a known terrorist target.
  • The proposed school would be situated next to the most heavily trafficked area in NYC, the Brooklyn Bridge and the BQE.
  • The proposed school would be a district wide school, open to all students of the district, not just DUMBO.
  • Proposed 300 seats do not meet the education needs of the downtown Brooklyn area.
  • Repeated requests for the SCA’s and DOE’s Environmental Impact Study and alternate school site feasibility studies have been ignored (click to view letters).
Design & Context
  • Dock St. has been redesigned to incorporate community criticism from the failed 2004 proposal.
  • Dock St. is contextual to its surroundings.
  • The proposed development has been moved a mere 12 feet further from the Bridge than in the failed 2004 proposal.
  • The proposed development would stand 2 stories higher than the 2004 proposal.
  • All buildings in the surrounding area are 20-80 feet high; Dock St. would be over 200 ft high with mechanicals.
  • All of the buildings within a 200 ft. radius of the walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge are below the walkway level.
Support    

 

 

 
  • Dock St. proposal has received wide-spread support, including from the local Community Board.
  • President of Pratt Institute has thrown his support behind this project.
  • At Community Bd. 2 public hearing those who spoke in opposition to the project outnumbered those in support by more than 2:1
  • Most of those who spoke out in favor made clear that their support was based on the school, an aspect of the proposal now revealed to be full of flaws.
  • Community Bd. 2 land-use subcommittee voted against Dock St. and by a margin of 10-1 voted to adopt a recommendation that no structure rise above the bridge walkway.
  • At Borough President Markowitz’s public hearing, 72 out of 100 speakers spoke in opposition to the project.
  • Over 20,000 individuals have signed a petition against Dock. St.
  • Over 10,000 postcards were sent to Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn expressing opposition to the development.
  • DUMBO Neighborhood Alliance, Fulton Ferry Landing Assoc., Brooklyn Hts. Assoc., Vinegar Hill Assoc., Cobble Hill Assoc., Boerum Hill Assoc., and Ft. Greene Assoc., have stated their opposition to the project.
  • The Municipal Art Society, the Historic Districts Council, the Roebling Chapter – Society of Industrial Archeology, Society for Architecture in NYC, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National American History Museum at the Smithsonian, Renowned author David McCullough filmmaker Ken Burns, and Kristian Roebling, Roebling family descendant, are all opposed to the Dock St. Project.
  • Council Members David Yassky, Tony Avella, Charles Barron, Vincent Gentile, Alan Gerson, Eric Gioia, and Peter Vallone Jr. voted against the project.
  • Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Comptroller John Liu voted against this project.
  • State Senator Daniel Squadron and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez oppose the Dock St. project.
  • The Principal of Two Trees Management sits on the board of Pratt.
  • Principals, associates, representatives and employees of Two Trees have spent over $400,000 in two years lobbying city officials to support Dock St.