The state has reportedly withdrawn its control of Brooklyn Bridge Park and given the cash-strapped project to the city. After a year of internal squabbles that delayed the planned opening of a portion of the parkland, Gov. Paterson is expected to hand off the unfinished $350 million, 85-acre waterfront project—meaning it will become the city's responsibility to finish and fund.
According to the Times, the city and state are expected to reach an agreement today that would allow the city to take over Brooklyn Bridge Park on the condition that the Bloomberg administration dedicate $55 million to the project in the next fiscal year, kick-starting construction on a section of parkland that will feature space for active recreation and sports. A year ago, the city started pushing the state to cede control of Brooklyn Bridge Park and under-funded Governors Island. But state officials allegedly balked because they reportedly wanted to be able to take credit for both projects when they were finished.
City and state officials now agree it's better to have one group in charge of the park. "You'd just rather have one government body at the point of making decisions," said state parks chief development official Peter Davidson. Despite the changes in oversight, officials still plan to move forward with the controversial policy of paying for park maintenance and operations by constructing condos within the greenspace. The paper notes that the city has said it would consider other funding ideas, and that the new agreement allows state Sen. Dan Squadron and Assemblywoman Joan Millman to veto the planned housing on John Street and Pier 6.
