A Victory for Abundance at the Brooklyn Waterfront
Updates on the Brooklyn Marine Terminal—and other land use battles in New York and elsewhere
First things first, come to our next happy hour—Monday, September 29 in midtown!
Last month, we wrote about the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, a dilapidated port whose fate was hanging in the balance. New York City’s Economic Development Corporation had come up with a plan to modernize the port, create 28 acres of green space, and build 6,000 units of housing on the 130-acre lot, but the project’s task force had postponed the vote five times.
Well, it turns out sixth time’s the charm: yesterday, the task force voted 17-8 to approve the project, just meeting the two-thirds majority required to move forward with the plan.
Our community’s work was critical: we raised awareness of the project, co-hosting a webinar with the Economic Development Corporation and writing about the project’s stakes and success factors; we met with task force leaders and members to express our support for the plan; and we mobilized our community to put the pressure on, and then cheer on, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Councilmember Shahana Hanif when they flipped their votes from “no” to “yes” (and to thank State Senator Andrew Gounardes, who has been a stalwart supporter of the plan throughout the process).
Even after months of delays on the vote, the BMT process is just beginning: it will now go through the 1-2 year General Project Plan process, which will include environmental review, further public hearings, and state approval to override local zoning.
But, as we did with the Midtown South Mixed Use plan, it’s worth celebrating another key victory for the abundance movement. As we work to change hearts and minds—and, most critically, policy—in favor of increasing housing supply, projects like these are important opportunities. We can sharpen our talking points, engage our electeds, and flex our political muscle.
Even the biggest abundance champions in office have told us that, for a given project like this, they receive hundreds to thousands of calls and emails urging them to vote “no.” When our community comes out in force, as it did in advance of the BMT vote, local electeds understand that they are accountable not just to the NIMBYs that have traditionally filled their inboxes, but to a real, powerful constituency that is eager to see growth and change.
Thanks to all of you who called or emailed your representatives to get this over the finish line! Now that the vote is over, we echo Abundance New York member Sachi Takahashi-Rial’s suggestion to thank your electeds for their yes votes.
Where else are key land use decisions being made? See below for what we’re following in New York neighborhoods, on our ballots this November, and across the country.
In your neighborhood…(and in front of City Council)
This fall, the council will vote on OneLIC, a large-scale neighborhood rezoning that promises to bring nearly 15,000 homes and 15,000 jobs to Long Island City. All eyes are on Councilmember Julie Won, who claims she’ll vote against the plan if it doesn’t incorporate demands related to open space, deep affordability, and infrastructure investments.
The Jamaica Plan, a rezoning that would pave the way for 12,000 new housing units near one of New York City’s largest transit hubs, is also headed to City Council after being approved by the City Planning Commission. Like Won, Councilmember Nantasha Williams, whose vote will dictate the rest of the Council’s, has expressed reservations about open space and infrastructure—but we are hopeful that she will join Speaker Adrienne Adams and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards in voting for the plan.
The City Council held a hearing about Just Home, a Bronx-based supportive housing project for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers with significant health needs—but at the last minute, First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro blocked agency representatives from testifying, signalling his intent to kill the project. The about-face is reminiscent of Mastro’s eleventh-hour cancellation of Haven Green, an affordable housing development in lower Manhattan that had been approved in 2019 and was slated to move forward after winning several legal challenges. Often it's resistance by local City Council members that stops new homes, and sometimes it's skittishness from an administration. But the causes are the same: politics and processes that privilege responsiveness to a small group of opponents over the needs of everyone.
A quick reminder: if you’re interested in lending your voice to any of these causes and other upcoming advocacy efforts, let us know by filling out our member onboarding form!
On your ballot…
In November, when New Yorkers flip their ballots over, they’ll find five proposed amendments to the city charter—all of which we enthusiastically support. It’s been a promising few weeks for the charter amendments: the Board of Elections rejected anti-democratic efforts to get them removed, a recent poll suggests 60% of New York voters will vote yes on all five, and a new political action committee was launched in support of them. We’ll be featuring the ballot measures in our voter guide, and we’ll keep you posted on opportunities to get the word out to your networks.
All over the map…
California is on the cusp of passing transformative housing and transit legislation: SB 79, the “Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act,” was passed by the legislature and is on Governor Newsom’s desk. The bill allows for midrise homes within half a mile of train stations and bus rapid transit stops. In California, the fight over SB 79 has shown electeds’ true colors and exposed some NIMBY villains. Here, we have an opportunity to learn from the political battles on the other coast as we think about building toward statewide transit-oriented development here—perhaps in a future housing compact.
In Massachusetts, advocates are also pushing for housing-related ballot initiatives, in 2026. One camp is calling for reducing minimum lot sizes for single family homes, while the other is calling for a statewide cap on annual rent increases. If both proposals are successful, and particularly if both camps team up in a “yes” campaign, it might serve as a model for a New York—where rent freezes poll well, but increasing supply is the most sustainable solution to the housing crisis.