By Joshua Davis
Borough President Marty Markowitz “remains open” to lending his support to more high-rise and densely populated developments around the brough and believes that Downtown Brooklyn – including the Atlantic Yards site – and the Greenpoint/Williamsburg waterfront are among the areas where this development is now appropriate. Markowitz’s statements come from a letter issued to his constituents on May 10 at a town hall-style meeting at Seth Low Intermediate School, 99 Avenue P, in Bensonhurst. The meeting was the first of two organized by the borough president, fulfilling a promise made in this year’s “State of the Borough” address. The meeting gave an opportunity for the crowd of about 80 Brooklynites from across the borough to speak directly to Markowitz and a panel of elected other elected officials that included members of the City Council, Assembly, community boards and the Office of Planning and Development for the borough president. Residents spoke about over-development in Downtown Brooklyn and in small neighborhood communities and a need for more parking. “Brooklyn has become so popular – and that’s great – but not all development is smart development,” Markowitz said in a statement to the press. “Throughout much of southern and western Brooklyn, zoning does not closely match the low-rise residential building that commonly exists there. By working together we can change this picture.” Yet despite his recognition of the need for “smart development” that matches the proportion of a given neighborhood, Brooklynites, many from Prospect Heights, angrily demanded that Markowitz reconsider the Atlantic Yards site. Lucy Koteen of Fort Greene held a sign reading “SUPERSIZE BROOKLYN? FUHGEDDABOUDIT!” as she asked the panel to consider the effect of the planned high-rise condominiums at the Atlantic Yards site on the character of the surrounding community. “People move to Brooklyn from Manhattan because they like our community,” Koteen said. “They like to know the person on the stoop talking next to them.” Patty Hagan of Prospect Heights told the panel that “we are indeed under siege by over-developers,” a statement that was backed by loud applause. She broke down in tears while saying that “Brooklyn is made of little people, not Ratner people,” referring to developer Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards plan. Markowitz made a pledge in this letter, saying that “I never want the ‘big town, small town’ feel of Brooklyn to be lost, and I will not allow that to happen on my watch.” However some Brooklynites disagree with Markowitz’s specific vision of what Brooklyn should look like because of this support for some high-rise developments.
