$1B Brooklyn Rezoning To Bring Waterfront Complex Reconnecting Locals With Water

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is about to get a major facelift. 

Just this week, it was announced that City Council members had voted 48-to-zero to pass rezoning of the area, investing US$1 billion into a stunning new waterfront complex. 

Residential developments, sports and leisure offerings, and an entire beach will be included in the plans for the city’s new facility. 

Some of the promised elements include a new, custom-designed YMCA with a special focus on youth swimming programs, as well as local and independent retail. The New York Post reports that the YMCA facility will span 50,000 square feet, and around US$100 million will be invested into the resiliency structure.   

River Ring, described by developer Two Trees Management, and partners Bjarke Ingels Group and James Corner Field Operations, as “a new approach to urban resiliency,” has a focus on the river and hopes to “transform” the way the city’s residents “interact with water.”  

Spanning 3.5 acres, the site will also be host to a pair of brand new apartment towers designed by architecture firm BIG. These will total 1,050 units, 263 of which will be “permanently affordable.” 

Located on a former industrial site, they will be able to offer residents and visitors waterfront access and stunning views of the water, too. 

Apart from just providing stunning visuals and the three acres of protected in-water access for leisure and sport, the water also holds great importance: It’ll promote the restoration of the natural habitat and marine ecosystem. 

Salt marshes, wetlands, oyster beds, and tidal flats are some examples of the environments the new waterfront park will enable the restoration and preservation of.

Further building on promoting a green lifestyle, the development is working toward using a microgrid for power. This will mean that burden on the existing system is alleviated, while excess can also be “offloaded” onto surrounding buildings.

In case of a power outage, this will also be able to serve as an emergency backup energy source. 

Two Trees has stated that the first tower and the waterfront park will be built first, with the second tower beginning construction as soon as they are open. This should take no more than seven years.

According to the New York Post, now that approval has been granted, there are plans to begin building by 2024. 

[via the New York Post, images via River Ring]