As the Jehovah's Witnesses prepare to depart from New York City by selling off their high value properties in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO, they've announced they will give back a little. The group will donate $5.5 million to help renovate Bridge Park 2, which is an empty lot in DUMBO by the York F stop (which you may know from that Shepard Fairey mural).
According to the Brooklyn Paper, they promised to fund this overhaul over a decade ago, and will now make good on it "as part of a lucrative rezoning deal, after local pols demanded the group finally honor its pledge before it sells all its land." Just one of their parcels could get them up to $1 BILLION DOLLARS.
This announcement comes after pressure was applied by local politicians, who sent out a lengthy letter stating, in part:
This is frankly unacceptable and goes against the public commitments that the Watchtower made in 2004. Just steps from the development site at 85 Jay Street lies Bridge Park II, which is mapped parkland. In a letter dated November 29, 2004 the Watchtower makes clear its commitment to renovate Bridge Park II by saying “we have agreed to, and have begun working with the Parks Department, to provide for the renovations of Bridge Park II.”
It is unacceptable that since the Watchtower committed to work with the Parks Department, over eleven years have passed, the site has seen no improvements, and remains a piece of barren asphalt. The commitments that the Watchtower made in 2004 were explicit, and the Watchtower is duty-bound to renovate Bridge Park II.
They believe that amount will bring the vision for the park to completion. This includes a skate park, a multipurpose field, a comfort station, a playground, and "a lighted path from the subway station to the neighboring Farragut Houses development." Here is the 2013 rendering:
