Recap: NuHart Community Meeting
On March 7, North Brooklyn Neighbors cohosted a community meeting with Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, Council Member Lincoln Restler, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the New York City Office of Environmental Remediation, and Madison Realty Capital (MRC).
A full recording of the meeting can be found below.
After brief introductions by our cohosts and technical advisors, Madison Realty Capital – the presumed but not yet legal owner of the site – presented the plan as of right development, current site activities, and some estimates around near term timelines and demolition work. The currently proposed development includes 2 buildings with a total of 471 residential units, 30% of which will be affordable. In addition, there will be below grade parking, ground floor retail, and a private interior courtyard. Here is the presentation they shared:
3.7.22_49-Dupont-Street_Presentation_Final91The site itself is broken into two parts for the clean up process: the Eastern portion of the site is enrolled in the Brownfield Cleanup Program, while the Western portion of the site remains a New York State Superfund site. Asbestos abatement has been completed on both sites but work is ongoing to decontaminate and remove all above grade manufacturing equipment, with an estimated completion date of May 2022. Demolition work on the Brownfield site is anticipated to begin mid-March.
The developer has initiated the design process with the DEC and has submitted the very beginnings of their plans for the underground cleanup on the Superfund portion of the site. We are working with our technical advisors to understand, and to share with you, what the design process looks like and how the community can weigh in, and if the designs are what we need to see for a thorough, successful, and safe clean up.
Grant funding to NBN allows the organization to hire technical advisors that work on the community’s behalf to explain and advise on the science and engineering complexities of the site. The advisors are Joseph A. Gardella, Jr., Ph.D. and Alan J. Rabideau, PhD, PE and they will be engaged on reviewing the plans for the next phase of the cleanup.
A robust Q&A was then held with questions coming in through the chat as well as from participants themselves. Issues such as contaminants, safety measures, air quality, parking, communication with the community, and the school siting.
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