Brooklyn's Progress
January 2002

Brooklyn Chamber President Kenneth Adams and Director of Real Estate and Business Services Joe Chan recently testified in favor of the development of Light Bridges, a twenty-three story mixed use development project in DUMBO. The project, a joint venture between Chamber member Cara Development and Jeffrey M. Brown Associates, will bring approximately 100,000 square feet of newly-constructed office space, 150 apartments and 25,000 square feet of retail space to the corner of Jay and York Streets in DUMBO. Recently profiled in the Real Estate section of the New York Times, Light Bridges was designed by the New York architectural firm Sharples, Holden & Pasquarelli (SHOP). Below is a copy of Brooklyn Chamber testimony read before Community Board 2, Borough President Howard Golden and the New York City Planning Commmision: I am the president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, a business assistance and economic development organization with over 1,300 members. The mission of the Brooklyn Chamber is to help businesses grow and to promote the economic development of Brooklyn. To that end, the Brooklyn Chamber advocates for projects that create jobs and stimulate investment in the borough’s economy. I am here today to voice the Brooklyn Chamber’s support of the joint venture between Cara Development and Jeffrey M. Brown Associates to develop an office and condominium tower at 100 Jay Street in DUMBO. We understand that the proposed Light Bridges project involves the rezoning of two blocks in DUMBO from M1-2 to M1-5/R-9. We also understand that the project involves the construction of a mixed-use building offering approximately 25,000 square feet of retail space, between 88,000 and 110,000 square feet of office space and an estimated 150 condominiums on a surface parking lot that has sat vacant for over 30 years. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce believes the proposed Light Bridges project holds a number of advantages for the Brooklyn business community. First, the project will result in the creation of much-needed office space in the DUMBO area. Over the past few years, DUMBO has emerged into one of New York City’s most exciting alternative office districts. Private firms from such fields as information technology, media and design have been attracted to DUMBO’s outstanding location, access to public transit and cutting-edge environment. The Brooklyn Chamber estimates that over the last two years, over 300,000 square feet of space has been leased by approximately 50 companies in DUMBO. In order to continue growing its presence as an office location, DUMBO needs additional office space. With the potential to create up to 110,000 square feet of newly-constructed office space, the Light Bridges project addresses a crucial need-- allowing for the further expansion of DUMBO’s business community. A second advantage of the proposed Light Bridges project is its prospects for job creation. Assuming the real estate industry standard of one job per 200 square feet of office space, the project has the potential to draw over 500 jobs to the area. This figure will be further supplemented by the estimated 400 jobs created during the 18 months of construction and the additional jobs created by the project’s retail tenants. A third advantage of the project is the increased activity it will bring to the area surrounding the York Street subway station. Anyone who has exited the York Street station at night knows that the intersection of Jay and York Streets can be intimidating. Aside from being poorly lit, the intersection sees little traffic after 7:00 p.m. In order to increase usership of the York Street station and bolster the perception of public safety in the surrounding area, more street activity must be brought to the intersection of Jay and York Streets. The 150 families and hundreds of office workers to be drawn to the area through the Light Bridges project will serve this very crucial role. Before the September 11th tragedy, Brooklyn’s economy was witnessing a period of impressive growth. In these challenging times, it is important that we do everything possible to encourage projects that continue to stimulate economic activity and create jobs within our borough. The Light Bridges project will work to accomplish both of these objectives in substantial form. For this reason, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce supports the rezoning action under consideration today. Thank you for your attention.