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Brooklyn Navy Yard

The Brooklyn Navy Yard spans the length of the Brooklyn waterfront from Vinegar Hill to Williamsburg. The complex of 40 buildings covers over 300 acres and has four functioning dry docks and five active piers. The Navy Yard was an active military instillation until 1966 when it was closed and sold to the City of New York for $24 million. Today, it functions as an industrial park with tenants representing a variety of uses from construction to office space. One of the major tenants is Steiner Studios, the largest film and television studio complex outside of Hollywood. The Bloomberg administration has an expansion plan for the Navy Yard expected to generate up to 800 new jobs in the coming years.

Through new construction on underutilized or vacant parcels as well as renovation of outdated buildings the City is expected to increase the amount of space available in the Navy Yard by 10 percent over the next 7 years. As part of this expansion a “green” historical center will be built to celebrate the history of the area as well as to provide community meeting space and office space. Steiner Studios has invested over $50 million for renovations and expansions and plans could include a graduate film and production school for the space. In February 2008, the Navy Yard has agreed to join with Steiner Studios to create a “media campus” and to encourage green manufacturing companies to find a home at the site. There are also plans to dredge and fill in the basin off Kent Avenue in Williamsburg to create 4 more acres of developable land as well as up to 3,000 jobs.

Another part of the expansion is to build a much-needed supermarket and office space for the area on what is known as Admiral’s Row. This row of mansions built during the Civil War, historically housed high-ranking naval and maritime officials, however have not been inhabited since the 1970’s. Originally plans were to tear down the dilapidated buildings as the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation held they are beyond repair. Local preservationists have contested this is not the case and these buildings should be renovated and preserved. The National Guard currently owns the properties and has assessed that the majority of the structures are sound and renovations will cost approximately $20 million. The Navy Yard and the City have stated they will not be interested in these properties if they are required by the federal government to rebuild these structures due to high cost. In January 2008, the National Guard decided to delay any demolition of Admiral’s Row frustrating community board members and the City while delighting preservationists. Talks about the future of this parcel are said to resume in March 2008.