PlanNYC: Red Hook Cruise Terminal News

Lease Signed for Cargo Docks in Red Hook

2008-04-25 00:00:00

American Stevedoring signed a 10 year lease with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to operate the cargo docks in Red Hook. The Bloomberg Administration had sought to redevelop this section of the Brooklyn waterfront transforming the port into a strip of restaurants and luxury housing, but American Stevedoring was able to secure support from a broad coalition of elected officials that demanded the site remain a cargo port which eventually led to the collapse of Bloomberg�s plans. The Port Authority will contribute some of the lease money to redevelopment initiatives on the Brooklyn waterfront.

Red Hook Port to Stay; Luxury Waterfront Development Plans Ousted

2008-02-15 00:00:00

According to some sources, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expected to renew their lease with American Stevedoring Inc. (ASI) for 10 years. ASI is currently located on four piers along the Red Hook waterfront. This agreement ends the city�s plan to develop high-end housing and a marina at the water�s edge. The City Council voiced strong support to the Port Authority to keep ASI, as it is �one of the last remaining sources for good, well-paying, blue-collar jobs in Brooklyn� according to Councilmember David Yassky. The lease is expected to be renewed by the end of March.

Politicians Received Campaign Cash from Red Hook Operator

2007-10-08 00:00:00

Recent investigations revealed that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Congressman Jerrold Nadler have received campaign donations from American Stevedoring International�s (ASI) owner Sabato Catucci. Along with 19 elected officials, Quinn and Nadler have signed a letter to the Port Authority requesting that they abandon plans to sell piers 7-11 and sign a 10 year lease agreement with ASI to continue operating the Red Hook Terminal. The Port Authority is willing to negotiate with ASI if it wins a competitive bid process and pays back rent of a million dollars.

Elected Officials Unite to Preserve Red Hook Piers

2007-10-04 00:00:00

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn issued a letter to the Port Authority yesterday requesting that the lease of current Red Hook pier operator, American Stevedoring, be extended for 10 years. Along with 17 other elected officials, Senator Charles Schumer, Controller William Thompson, and Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Quinn argued the importance of preserving Red Hook Piers 7-11 as a cargo terminal. Mayor Bloomberg and the city's Economic Development Corporation hope to convert the pier area into a mix of maritime uses.

City Council Issues Resolution against Mayor�s Cruise Terminal Plan

2007-08-29 00:00:00

The City Council issued a resolution in July against Mayor Bloomberg�s proposal to expand cruise terminal service at the Red Hook piers. Mayor Bloomberg supports an Economic Development Corporation (EDC) plan that would extend the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal from Piers 11 and 12 to Pier 10. Many in the City Council, along with representatives of the cargo shipping industry, oppose the EDC proposal, which they believe will drive out use of Red Hook�s cargo shipping terminals. A recent report named Brooklyn�s Cruise Terminal the sixth busiest port in the U.S, a fact that supports the EDC plan, say advocates of the measure.

Cargo Shipping Remains Viable in Red Hook

2007-08-05 00:00:00

The city's Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and cargo operator American Stevedoring will meet this month to discuss extending the lease for Stevedoring at the cargo terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The willingness of the EDC and the Port Authority to meet with Stevedoring comes as a surprise to many, as the company has been denied extended leases for the last five years. Mayor Bloomberg's Administration has been insistent on the need for phasing cargo shipping out of Red Hook and introducing another mixed-use cruise terminal like the one at Pier 12. The mayor's proposal has met heavy opposition from the New York City Council, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, and the cargo industry.

Red Hook Cruise Terminal Has Been an Industry Success

2007-06-28 00:00:00

Red Hook�s new cruise terminal is getting some high praise from industry operators. The terminal, which recently opened in April 2006, has been named one of the best U.S. homeports by two industry magazines. The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) believes that the terminal has been very successful given its recent opening, and that there should be year-round departures from the terminal starting in 2008.

Expansion of Water Taxi Service - Red Hook Port Eyed

2007-04-27 00:00:00

The services of the New York Water Taxi operation have expanded dramatically since its inception four years ago, having reached a new record of transporting 980,000 people in 2006. While the bulk of the taxi's customers remain tourists, the growing success and interest in the water taxi system have led the company to consider developing their current service to include more stops to places like Greenpoint and Williamsburg. The company responded to a bid put out by the city's Economic Development Corp. (EDC) to develop its headquarters into a maritime center, as well as other uses like artisan space, at Pier 11 in Red Hook, also known as the Atlantic Basin. The city's EDC is still deliberating on whom to award a contract for the Atlantic Basin.

Debating Job Growth at Red Hook Piers

2007-04-03 00:00:00

The city's plan to spend nearly $330 million on realizing a "maritime expansion" at the Red Hook piers has generated much disagreement about projected job growth totals. The city's Economic Development Corporation released a draft memo claiming that a mixed-use cruise terminal for Piers 7-12 would create 200 new jobs. Local public officials, including Council Member David Yassky, and representatives of the existing cargo port industry are skeptical of the city's promised job growth. Yassky, who represents Brooklyn on the Council, said, �I am skeptical that expanding the cruise operation would bring a lot more jobs.� The city's desire to buy the piers in order to realize its vision depends upon a public review process as well as approval by the City Council.

Borough President Promotes Tourism in Brooklyn

2007-03-30 00:00:00

Speaking to joint community councils in southwestern Brooklyn, Borough President Marty Markowitz intimated that the major chain grocer Trader Joe's would come to Brooklyn in the near future. He also commented upon Brooklyn's increasing attraction to tourists because of the development plans occurring throughout the borough. In particular, Markowitz praised the new plans for Coney Island saying, "We want to preserve it for this and future generations." The president believes that adding a mix of retail, residential housing, commercial, and time-share space will achieve that objective. Markowitz also touted the entrance of an Ikea store in Red Hook, a Whole Foods Market in Gowanus, the redevelopment of the Albee Square Mall, and the Atlantic Yards Plan.

Automobile Shipping Company Adds to Brooklyn's Working Waterfront

2007-03-10 00:00:00

The city's Economic Development Corporation recently signed a 15-year lease with Axis, an automobile shipping company, at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) in Sunset Park. The city projects that the operation will bring in $32 million in city revenue, 120 construction jobs, 167 full-time jobs and 130 part-time jobs. Many, including Borough President Markowitz, Council Member Sara Gonzalez, and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, hailed the lease for its promise of jobs and a "working waterfront." Axis will use the port as a finishing location for vehicles to be distributed domestically and abroad. The city has agreed to put down $40 million at SBMT for infrastructure improvements. The news of the lease comes at a time of great uncertainty, however, at the Red Hook Piers. The city's plans for converting the piers from traditional cargo ship uses to a mix of maritime uses including a cruise terminal have met some resistance from public officials and cargo ship workers.

Plans for Red Hook Cruise Terminal Halted

2007-03-02 00:00:00

Plans by the Bloomberg Administration and the Economic Development Corporation to close down cargo ship docks in Red Hook to make way for a cruise terminal and mixed-maritime uses have been delayed. The lease for shipping company American Stevedoring International (ASI) will not expire at the end of March as previously decided, according to Port Authority Officials. City Council approval of waterfront changes caused the delay, which may last as long as 8 months. The Red Hook Cruise Terminal project has inspired much debate between advocates of traditional cargo shipping in New York and those who believe that other maritime uses are more profitable for the city and the Red Hook community.

IKEA Store in Red Hook Under Fire for Lost Documents

2007-02-17 00:00:00

Preservationists fear that the Red Hook IKEA, the home furnishings store currently being constructed on the waterfront has destroyed historical documents tracking the site's past as a Brooklyn shipyard. Sources maintain that records from 1915 to the 1980s have been lost, which detail the shipyard's ascension as the largest in the country. A shipyard has been on the Red Hook site continuously since the U.S. Navy first occupied the land in 1867. The IKEA store, scheduled for completion in late 2007, is also subject of a lawsuit by the Municipal Art Society over the construction above a Civil War graving dock.

The Future of Cargo and Cruise Ships at Red Hook

2007-01-17 00:00:00

The rezoning plans for 150 acres of waterfront along the Red Hook Terminal by the City�s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) have inspired intense discussion about the future of cargo shipping in New York. The map proposed by the EDC in September displays a variety of uses for the area: commercial, retail, and industrial, intended to create a �Dynamic Maritime Marketplace.� This proposal would reduce the number of number of piers available to cargo and container ships, as well as cruise ships, to two. While the EDC believes that a cruise terminal would induce more economic growth than the cargo port that already exists, some elected officials are weary of transferring Red Hook�s cargo function elsewhere. The challenging of combining a diversity of uses is further complicating rezoning plans.

City�s Plan for Red Hook Under Intense Scrutiny by Residents

2006-12-18 00:00:00

The City�s recently announced plans for Piers 7-12 on the Red Hook Terminal have been amended to reflect citizen concerns. In particular, citizen outrage prevented the inclusion of housing on site, which many residents believed would lead to overcrowding on the waterfront. Also, the most recent city proposal no longer contains such amenities as a brewery, hotel, cruise-ship terminal, artist space, and retail stores. The discussion over Red Hook is quickly becoming a battle in which local citizens and elected officials are clamoring for jobs and commerce, keeping the container port in place. The city�s plan proposes to relocate the container port to Sunset Park.