Brooklyn's Progress
December 2006/January 2007

BY GENIA GOULD

Big plans are underway at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The former military base, now a New York City-owned industrial park, is operating at capacity as it embarks on several large-scale construction projects, which will enable it to meet both the currently rising need for urban manufacturing space by refurbishing older buildings and developing new buildings in underutilized parts of the yard.

The hulking 300-acre facility, located on Wallabout Bay in New York Harbor, which was decommissioned by the Federal Government in 1966 and taken over by New York City the following year, once suffered from a dearth of commercial tenants.  Now it has an enviable roster of light manufacturing concerns and hi-tech businesses including the movie production company, Steiner Studios, and a host of architectural designers, furniture manufacturers, electronics distributors and jewelers, alongside traditional waterside tenants such as ship repair facilities.

“These are times of extraordinary economic growth,” said Andrew Kimball, the president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC), the not-for-profit organization that runs the park.  The site's location may be its most important selling point.  “Businesses want to be near their customers within the five boroughs rather than in the country.  The yard is near all the bridges and the BQE," he said, adding that the site's fortified design with a surrounding wall, its 24/7 security and industrial zoning status are also attractive to businesses.

Over the next three years, in the first part of a two phase construction plan, three new buildings for commercial tenants will be built along the southwestern perimeter of the yard, along Flushing Avenue and Navy Street.   More centralized in the yard, will be the construction of a three-building complex designed to house food manufacturing businesses.

The total expansion will add 401,900 square feet of additional industrial capacity to the yard that presently houses four million square feet of industrial space.

A proposed supermarket on the perimeter of the yard would also add an additional 60,000 sq. ft.  “It would be a community-oriented market, and could be the biggest in the city,” said Mr. Kimball.

Marc Agger owner of Pier Less/Agger Fish, which markets fresh fish to New York City restaurants and exports fish products to locations around the world, has been a Navy Yard tenant for the past 19 years.  His company will serve as the anchor business in the new food complex.

“It’s a good thing," said Mr. Agger.  “We need more modern construction and space for food manufacturing in the city.  Afterall, food manufacturing is arguably the largest industry sector in Brooklyn, and New York City is the largest market for food in the world.  And you’ve got to have food manufacturing in the city because food is not just eaten dried, or packaged and processed, but fresh!  Sandwiches are coming out of Brooklyn, all the smoked salmon gets marinated in Brooklyn, the pickles get pickled in Brooklyn, the gelato gets made here, the ravioli, the bakery goods…"

Another phase one Navy Yard project involves the shrinking of a Police Tow Pound at Sands Street that will bring down the arch that exists there presently.

"They are restoring the original historic gate along with two guard houses that date back to the 1920s.  This will serve as the main entrance to the Navy Yard," said Mr. Kimball.

The BNYDC projects that new buildings could attract businesses that may bring as many as 800 new jobs to the park, 50% of which would be earmarked for residents from the immediate surrounding areas of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Fort Greene.

A ground-breaking ceremony held in November was attended by local politicians and members of the business community.  “It’s happening,” said Mr. Kimball.

And this is only the beginning – an additional 1.5 million square feet are in the design stage.  “That’s news to come,” Mr. Kimball added.