By Raanan Geberer
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

CITY HALL — An all-star group of elected officials, would-be officials, historic preservationists, leaders of civic groups and neighborhood residents gathered on the steps of City Hall Tuesday to protest Two Trees’ planned “Dock Street Dumbo� development in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The planned development, which would be nine stories with an 18-story tower, would include residential housing, some of it affordable; retail, a parking garage and space for a new middle school. It has been approved by the City Planning Commission (which, however, reduced the height from 184 to 170 feet), the Borough President’s Office (with other modifications) and Community Board 2. It now goes to the City Council.

Most of the speakers made similar arguments against the Two Trees plan:

That it would ruin the view of and from the Brooklyn Bridge;

That the bridge is a historic monument that shouldn’t be compromised;

That the School Construction Authority hasn’t seriously investigated other sites for the much-needed school;

That Two Trees has allegedly used the power of money to lobby and influence public officials; and that This administration shouldn’t be responsible for making a decision that will be regretted for generations. The two best-known celebrities scheduled to be at the meeting were David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Great Bridge, about the building of the bridge; and Ken Burns, producer of the TV documentary, The Brooklyn Bridge.

Burns was unable to come, but sent a statement supporting the protest, saying that the bridge is an international icon. McCullough, after recounting a recent walk over the bridge with family members, mentioned that the bridge is a National Historic Monument.

“We wouldn’t put a tall building next to the Washington Monument or the Grand Canyon or Independence Hall in Philadelphia,� he emphasized.

Later, he said that the modifications Two Trees are considering are insufficient, and that any building that rises higher than the height of the bridge’s footpath would be unacceptable.

‘We All Own the Bridge’

Actor Skip Sutter, who lives in DUMBO, said that “We all own the Brooklyn Bridge, not just Brooklyn, not just the city, but the entire country … The developer [Two Trees] has spent years trying to influence people.�

The only thing that can stop the “power of money� is a grass-roots people’s movement that uses the power of truth, he said, drawing a parallel with the recent election of Barack Obama.

Elected officials at the meeting included Downtown Councilman David Yassky (who is running for city comptroller) Queens Councilman Tony Avella (who is running for mayor), and at least four of the people running for Yassky’s Council seat: Jo Anne Simon, Ken Baer, Ken Diamondstone and Evan Thies.

Yassky called the bridge one of the nation’s most valued landmarks, and that the experience of seeing it should not be ruined for the millions of tourists who visit it each year. He also charged that the School Construction Authority has not done “due diligence� in trying to determine, based on cost-effectiveness and other factors, whether the proposed site within the Dock Street development is the best site for a middle school. Two Trees has offered to donate space for the school at no cost.

Neighborhood Representatives

Representatives of the three neighborhood associations nearest the would-be project — the Brooklyn Heights Association, the Fulton Ferry Landing Association and the Dumbo Neighborhood Association — all spoke out in opposition to the Dock Street plan.

Michael McCarthy, board member the Brooklyn Heights Association, said the task now is to persuade powerful City Council Speaker Christine Quinn that the project is unacceptable.

Doreen Gallo, executive director of the Dumbo Neighborhood Association, has said that the Dock Street structure would not only compromise the view of the bridge, it would compromise the nearby Tobacco Warehouse and Empire Stores. She has mentioned several other possible locations for a middle school, such as One Brooklyn Bridge Park, the empty MTA building on Jay Street, a former Catholic school building on Sydney Place and others, but added that the School Construction Authority never sufficiently investigated these sites.

Representing the preservationist community were people from the Society for Industrial Archaeology, the Municipal Art Society and the Historic Districts Council. Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, showed two drawings that portrayed what the view northeast of the bridge looks like now from the foot path; and what it purportedly will look like if the Dock Street project is completed.

Toward the end of the rally, a representative of Two Trees Management distributed material challenging many of the points made by the opponents of Dock Street Dumbo. The developer says that hundreds of local parents and residents have pledged their support; that the project is actually in scale with existing high-rise DUMBO buildings such as the Gair Building and One Main St.; and that the “the bulk of the building is concentrated to the east of the project site, away from the bridge and its view corridors.�

Also circulated was a letter from Councilwoman Letitia James (D-Crown Heights/Fort Greene) supporting the project because of its affordable-housing and school components.

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net