Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pierhouse case goes to Appellate Court on Friday

Group says it’s too high, blocks protected view

October 17, 2017 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A lawsuit attempting to reverse construction of a section of the Pierhouse residential/ hotel complex in Brooklyn Bridge Park will be heard in Appellate Court on Friday. The structure partially blocks the protected view of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Promenade. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

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The enormous Pierhouse residential/ hotel complex in Brooklyn Bridge Park is pretty much complete, but that isn’t stopping a lawsuit seeking to trim its height from being heard in Appellate Court.

The lawsuit will be argued on Friday, October 20, at 10:30 a.m.

In 2015, State Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Knipel threw out the suit by advocacy group Save The View Now (STVN) attempting to block construction of a section of the $6 million residential penthouse apartment atop the Pierhouse. Two years later, this decision is being appealed.

Brooklyn Bridge Park struck a compromise agreement with the Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) in 2005 to allow the construction of a hotel and condo complex at the north end of the park. This agreement preserved the views from the Brooklyn Heights Scenic View District (SV-1).

According to the complaint, the offending section extends into the protected SV-1, blocking iconic views of parts of the Brooklyn Bridge as seen from the Promenade.

Brooklyn Bridge Park had no comment on the case after the decision, but STVN spokesman Steven Guterman did.

“It rewards the defendants for misleading and outright lying to the public and the courts. The decision is based on time limitations, not the merits of the case,” he contended at that time.

In August, 2016, State Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Knipel threw out another suit brought jointly by the Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) and STVN.

Justice Knipel had dismissed earlier lawsuits against Pierhouse’s height in September 2015 and again in December 2015. He dismissed the suit for the third time in 2016 on the grounds that the issue had already been decided in previous court appearances and that the community groups waited too long to file their claims.

In an eblast this past week, Guterman told supporters, “Let’s hope that the Appellate Court see the same clear errors in the lowers decisions that we do.”

Guterman said the massive project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) had the buildings totaling 325,000 square feet. “As built they are almost double the size at around 600,000 square feet. It is no wonder views are blocked.”

The SV-1 district extends over an area west of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade to protect the views of the Lower Manhattan skyline, Governors Island, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.