Dock Street Development Approved by Planning Commission

It's been a little while since we checked in on the Dock Street development in DUMBO. To recap: Two Trees (David and Jed Walentas's) proposed an 18-story "green" residential building (featuring 65 below-market-rate rentals and a public middle school) near the Brooklyn Bridge that would block views of the historic span. Community board subcommittees were formed, debates were had, and now the City Planning Commission has voted in favor of the tower, though they plan to bring the 18-story plan down to 17, and the 10-story section down to 7 or 8, the Brooklyn Paper reports. Opponents of the project say that the modifications are "marginal" and criticize Planning Commission Chairwoman Amanda Burden for not trimming the building more.

Now that the Planning Commission has spoken, the City Council will have a say, and at the moment it seems like a mixed bag of opinions from council members. As for Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, he told the paper, “The modifications do not go far enough in ensuring the preservation of the views and the bowl-like feeling around our iconic Brooklyn Bridge. It is my hope that City Council will revisit my recommendation, which does significantly more to ensure views of the bridge are preserved.”

Recently Brooklyn Bridge biographer David McCullough wrote a romanticized piece for Newsweek about the iconic bridge being in jeopardy, asking "Would we wish to see an 18-story building go up beside the Statue of Liberty?"