Project Development

Brooklyn Bridge Park operates under a mandate to be financially self-sustaining. This mandate was memorialized in the Park’s General Project Plan approved in 2005. While a small fraction of the required operations and maintenance funds for the Park are collected from permits and concessions, the majority of the funds come from a limited number of revenue-generating development sites within the project’s footprint.

The development program was determined after an in-depth analysis of potential locations. The analysis focused on finding uses that would generate sufficient revenue to support park operations, minimize the size of the required development footprint, and be compatible with the surrounding park and neighborhood uses. Development locations were chosen to take advantage of the existing urban context by concentrating development closest to existing park entrances and maintain the protected view corridor from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and thus create vital, active urban junctions at each of the Park’s three main entrances.

The approved development program includes the sites and uses outlined below:

Development Sites

John Street Development

ONE JOHN STREET

The John Street development site is located at the Park’s northern edge in the John Street section of the Park. In July 2013, BBP selected a joint venture of Alloy Development and Monadnock Development to design and develop the John Street development site. The residential development includes approximately 50 residential units comprising a total of 96,000 square feet, 2,600 square feet of ground floor retail, and 1,750 square feet of cultural space. The cultural space was first occupied by the first annex of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Currently, the Brooklyn Public Library Annex occupies the space. Construction began in summer 2014 and was completed in 2016.

John Street Design Presentation to Community Advisory Council, May 28, 2013

John Street RFP Update, September 24, 2012

Empire Stores & Tobacco Warehouse Development

The Empire Stores are a complex of seven contiguous four- and five-story historic warehouses containing of approximately 350,000 square feet. The warehouses were built between 1869 and 1885 and primarily used for coffee storage until they were abandoned in the 1960s. The warehouses were closed for over 50 years due to deteriorated buildings conditions. Redevelopment has adaptively reused the structures and allowed for a mix of commercial, retail, and office uses that complement the unique character of this industrial waterfront structure.

In summer 2013, a team led by Midtown Equities was designated to redevelop Empire Stores. Designed by Studio V Architecture, the proposed building plan features nearly 80,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and event space and 300,000 square feet of office space. West Elm anchors the building by leasing both office and retail space; TimeOut Market located in the first and fifth floors offers 24,000sqft of dining options. Construction began in early 2014 and was completed in June 2016.

Empire Stores

Pier 1 Development

ONE HOTEL BROOKLYN BRIDGE & PIERHOUSE CONDOMINIUMS

Located at the Old Fulton Street entrance to the Park, the Pier 1 development site includes two parcels. The larger parcel to the north is approximately 65,000 square feet, and the smaller parcel is approximately 35,000 square feet. In 2012, BBP selected a joint venture of Starwood Capital and Toll Brothers City Living to develop the Pier 1 sites. Their development includes a 200-room Starwood hotel, approximately 100 residential units, 16,000 square feet of restaurant space, 2,000 square feet of retail space, a 6,000 square-foot fitness center, and 300 parking spaces. Construction began in spring 2013 and opened 2017.

The Pier 1 development occupies, approximately, the footprint of the National Cold Storage Warehouses, a complex of buildings that blocked views for over a century. The warehouses were demolished in 2010 to make way for parkland and the Pier 1 development that had been approved as part of the 2005 Brooklyn Bridge Park General Project Plan (GPP).

While many people do not recall the visual impact of the old warehouses, it was understood that from some vantage points, the Pier 1 development would obstruct views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan – particularly from the northern end of the Promenade and from the “Fruit Street Sitting Area,” which is not part of the Promenade.

The project comprises two parcels: Parcel A, the site of the taller hotel and residential buildings to the north; and Parcel B, the site of the smaller residential building.

One Brooklyn Bridge Park Development

One Brooklyn Bridge Park (OBBP) is a residential condominium building. Completed in 2008, this building is a converted 1,000,000+ square foot warehouse building located along Furman Street just south of Joralemon Street. The building includes over 440 residential units, approximately 80,000 square feet of ground floor retail, and over 500 parking spaces.

Pier 6 Development

QUAY TOWER & THE LANDING

Located at Atlantic Avenue, the main southern entrance to the Park, the Pier 6 development site comprises two parcels, each roughly 10,000 square feet in area. On June 7, 2016, the BBP Board of Directors voted to approve a joint venture of RAL Development Services and Oliver’s Realty Group to develop two residential buildings at the site. The last of the Park’s five development sites approved in the 2005 GPP, the Pier 6 development will ensure the long-term financial stability of Brooklyn Bridge Park, provide affordable housing, and create hundreds of union jobs. Streetscape upgrades enhance the Park experience and create a welcoming gateway. Construction was completed in 2019.