http://gothamist.com/2008/03/25/demolition_unde.php
Demolition Underway for Brooklyn Bridge Park
Marc 25, 2008
The conversion of an 85-acre stretch of Brooklyn waterfront from post-industrial decay to pristine park is continuing apace, as bulldozers have begun demolishing the hulking warehouses that have barred access to the East River for years. But a Sierra Club lawsuit could yet stall the long-planned urban renewal project, and outcry from some community groups remains undiminished.
The Sierra Club objects to the “wave-calming systems and floating walkways” that are to be installed along five piers in the park to encourage kayakers, because the system could hurt East River marine life. Other critics like Fred Kent, founder of the Project for Public Spaces, opposes the park’s design, which he sees as uninspired “fields in the middle of a pier,” designed to appeal to future dwellers in the condos and hotels being built along the park – these will ultimately provide the revenue to cover the park’s operation and maintenance.
Kent would like to see the park accommodate markets, museums and other cultural life; other critics like Judi Francis, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund, fault the plans for not providing enough access to the waterfront from other places like the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. On the other side of the debate, Marianna Koval, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, tells the Times that the park, parts of which will be completed as soon as next year, will have enough activities to draw thousands of people to Brooklyn: “You can over-program a place and turn it into Disneyland.” Would that be so wrong? Part of the park is in DUMBO