08/21/15 5:19pm

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The Environmental Education Center at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in Dumbo opened last week, along with the park area along the river between Jay Street and Main Street in Dumbo. The Environmental Education Center broke ground in September 2014. The center will provide environmental education programs, community meeting space, and free public restrooms. Around the center includes stone seating, a bouldering wall, a new dog run, and expanded lawn space. (more…)

07/10/15 11:44am
Team 8 ARCHITECT: Marvel Architects

Team 8 ARCHITECT: Marvel Architects

The plans were unveiled for Brooklyn Bridge Park’s two new condos at Pier 6 last week. There are 14 submissions for review before the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation selects a winner in the fall. Pier 6 buildings will include 30% affordable housing, a pre-K facility, amenities on the ground floor for the park, like public rest rooms, some even include public indoor swimming pools, and a pedestrian bridge over the BQE connecting Columbia Place and the park.

Pier 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park was opened in June 2010. While part of the Empire State Development Corp’s (ESD) overall plan, building condos near Pier 6 has been controvertial. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation has said that they are committed to minimize condo development on the park, but park officials maintain that the Pier 6 development is necessary to fund the park. ESD’s condo plans for Pier 6 development (since 2005) site “is permitted under the Park’s General Project Plan (GPP) for residential development with a maximum height of 315 feet on Parcel A, while Parcel B allows for residential, ground floor retail, and a maximum height of 155 feet.” However, a petition from savepier6.org argues that “parks are for “people and plants,” not skyscrapers and shadows from skyscrapers.”.

Per the Mayor’s Office:

“These are proposals to develop housing alongside Brooklyn Bridge Park near Pier 6 that will generate vital funding to maintain the park in perpetuity. They were submitted to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, which will make a selection in the fall. Consistent with the de Blasio Administration’s goals of maximizing affordable housing, 30% of the housing in the projects will be affordable to working families, with preference given to people from the nearby community, many of whom are being priced out of this corner of Brooklyn.”

To view each team’s proposal, go here: CAC Pier 6 design presentation 08.06.14.pdf (PDF file)

Architect photo renderings after the jump.

Related:
{Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 Condos REVEALED, Gothamist}
{Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Controversial Pier 6 Towers, Revealed, CurbedNY}
{ESD leaves door open to new environmental review of Pier 6 development, Brooklyn Daily Eagle}
{Opponents of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 highrises: ‘Build only to support park!’, Brooklyn Daily Eagle}
{Brooklyn Bridge Park board presents figures to back its Pier 6 plan, Brooklyn Daily Eagle}
{Brooklyn Bridge Park Project Approvals & Presentations}

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06/12/15 3:40pm

DUMBO is one of the most picturesque neighborhoods in Brooklyn and has a little something for everyone. We’ve selected some of the best business in DUMBO to get you started. Once you’ve checked these off your list,  come back to read about some of other top picks to visit after you walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Have fun and enjoy the neighborhood!

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For those famous Manhattan skyline views, head straight to the waterfront. The newly developed Brooklyn Bridge Park offers green space with spectacular views. The park is still under construction, but it’s already a favorite for locals and visitors alike. Brooklyn Bridge Park’s amenities include a boathouse, Jane’s Carousel, athletic fields, volleyball courts, playgrounds, and dog runs.

 

river-cafe-dumbo-brooklyn The amazing views from River Cafe | via Facebook

River Cafe
The waterfront restaurant opened in Dumbo in the 70s, long before the neighborhood experienced its renaissance. It quickly became a destination for its romantic setting and phenomenal views of the Lower Manhattan skyline. Its menu is eclectic, with American and international dishes that highlight fresh ingredients. The restaurant is upscale and expensive, but a perfect pick for a special occasion.

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04/24/15 7:05am
Photo courtesy Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse facebook page

Photo courtesy Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse facebook page

Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse, a 501c3 non-profit has announced their public schedule for the 2015 season, as well their push to recruit new volunteers. The boathouse will open on June 6th at 10AM, and go through Labor Day Weekend. They will be open every Saturday from 10:00AM to 3:00PM and Thursday from 5:30PM to 6:45PM. They’ll be running kayak polo on Sundays at 11AM for kids and 12:30PM for adults. “Keep an eye on Tuesday nights as well, because if we get enough volunteers, we may sneak in an unannounced extra weeknight here and there.”

Last year, the boathouse set a record by putting nearly 6,000 free paddlers on the water and they’re hoping to do even more this season. They will need the community’s help:

We’re actively looking for new volunteers. Our group is 100% volunteer run. We don’t get any money from the city or Parks Department, so we rely on the dozens of volunteers that enable our program to run. It doesn’t necessarily involve any kayaking, but if you wanted to learn, it’s a great way to get experience. We have positions for paddlers and non-paddlers alike. Sign up on our mailing list to find out how to become a volunteer here: bbpboathouse.org/volunteer-with-us

We’re throwing a fundraiser on May 14th at Brooklyn Roasting: eventbrite.com/e/brooklyn-bridge-park-boathouse-annual-fundraising-party-tickets-16488788410. It’s the perfect opportunity to socialize with your fellow kayaking enthusiasts, have a drink or two (on us!), and win some seriously awesome raffle prizes—like access to a class where you can learn to make your own beer. What could be better? That all proceeds from this event will keep our programs running all summer long and are totally tax-deductible for you! If you can’t make it, you can still donate to our cause: bbpboathouse.org/donate. We’re hoping to raise $10,000 this year to keep our programs free to the public.

Brooklyn Bridge Boathouse is located at the Brooklyn Bridge Park between Piers 1 and 2.

10/07/14 3:35pm

On Friday Brooklyn Bridge Park officials said that Squibb Park Bridge, which connects Pier 1 with Columbia Heights street in Brooklyn Heights will remain closed until the spring 2015. The bridge is designed to be lightweight and flexible. But “the subtle bounce — part of the design — became more pronounced, then worrisome” wrote the New York Times.

“At this point, because of the movement we notice, it would be overly optimistic to say we could solve this in two to three weeks,” said Regina Myer, president of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, the nonprofit group that oversees development and operations there.

“We need to fully understand the bridge,” she said, “and we want the public to know that we are really erring on the side of caution.”

The bridge opened in March 2013 but the park’s staff “reported unusual movement of the bridge.” Parks officials assure the public that the bridge’s design was not flawed, saying that whatever was causing the movements would be addressed.

Photo by Toni Tan

Photo by Toni Tan