The newest proposal on the table for Red Hook is a "village" system of shops, apartments, parks and more, as an alternative to putting an IKEA there (IKEA has purchased land but is awaiting city approval for building). The Post looks at what Baltimore developers, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, have come up with: 7 million square feet of residential, retail and office space, as well as a three mile promenade along the water (versus IKEA's proposed 1 mile). Of course the Red Hook Civic Association loves this plan. The Post also notes that the issue of Red Hook's development has race-class divisions, with poorer African-Americans eager for the jobs IKEA would bring, while middle-class whites don't want IKEA traffic. The Struever plan claims to develop 4,000 jobs, but does not offer $6 million in annual sales tax revenue for the city. It's an interesting conundrum for Red Hook. While IKEA would provide gentrification (or at least furnishings for the would-be gentrifiers), an urban village would really create a gentrified enclave, maybe something along the liines of Battery Park City. Red Hook readers, what do you think?
Gothamist previously on Red Hook/Gowanus Area development. And more about the development decisions facing Red Hook.
