New York City is the second largest tech hub in the country, trailing only behind Silicon Valley. The days of second place may soon be over, though, if the outcome of a new "Brooklyn Tech Triangle" is half as exciting as newly released renderings suggest it will be.
The Triangle —comprised of the space between Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO and the Brooklyn Navy Yard—could conceivably contain up to 4 million square feet of tech and creative businesses by 2015, if the plan is implemented in full, according to a press release from the Brooklyn Tech Triangle Coalition.
"The City has a golden opportunity in the Brooklyn Tech Triangle," Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, said in a statement. "To seize it, we need to create space for tech growth and tap into our talent pools of local residents and students enrolled in the area’s 12 universities. This new strategic plan lays out specific ideas which will make the Brooklyn Tech Triangle the most attractive place for tech to set up shop and stay.”
But what does it all mean? While the $3 billion dollar overhaul includes multitudinous changes, some stand out as being particularly fascinating. (You can view the whole 94-page strategic plan here: [PDF]). Since our collective attention span is roughly that of a clump of wet hair, here are some bullet points AND PICTURES.
Access: The new plan calls for increased accessibility between the three "points" of the triangle, through such means as extending B67 and B24 bus routes, creating Navy Yard and Jay Street ferry landings, improving bike paths in the area, and adding a new curved bridge connecting Fulton Mall to the southeast corner of Columbus Park.
Brooklyn Rising: A tethered helium balloon that would rise 600 feet in the air and would hold up to 30 people at a time.
Vertical dog park: Why has no one done this before? The park would sit on a "sliver of open space" between York Street and the BQE, and be landscaped with rockeries, ornamental planting and a grove of ornamental trees to provide shade, and pee all over.
Tech Terrace: This would be located at the dead-end street adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge. As a contemporary pocket park, the space will have picnic tables, benches, outdoor ping-pong tables and "ornamental paintings." The pièce de résistance will be a "large digital screen" that will be interactive for users with mobile devices. Nearby trees will provide enough shade that you don't sweat all over your iPad4.
Of course, much of this remains a long-term, long shot goal, as funding must be provided by partnerships with the government and private sector. Will we ever really get a giant balloon? Maybe. Remember, dreams can come true.
