Industrial Retention


PRINCIPLES FOR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE ON THE SUNSET PARK WATERFRONT

OVERVIEW

The Sunset Park industrial waterfront is being threatened by land speculation, potential rezoning’s, and high- end commercialization inconsistent with blue-collar manufacturing. The preservation and expansion of a blue-collar manufacturing base is crucial to the economic viability of a working class community like Sunset Park. The loss of blue-collar jobs and the displacement of working class businesses and residents is a devastating narrative that has unfolded in other neighborhoods; it must not be allowed to occur in Sunset Park.

The following principles seek to ensure local economic development, equity, and resilience in Sunset Park:

2. PROTECT THE ECONOMIC NEEDS OF LONG-TIME RESIDENTS, WORKERS AND BUSINESSES

  • Local residents and businesses are increasingly facing flat wages, heavy rent burdens, and the threat of displacement

  • Ensure that economic development on the waterfront directly benefits the local community

1. ENSURE COMMUNITY CONTROL OVER INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLANNING PROJECTS IN SUNSET PARK

  •  Local development priorities have been articulated in community-based 197-a and NYS-funded Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) plans

  • Local planning should be guided by community supervision in line with existing plans 

4. PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARITIME-DEPENDENT INDUSTRIAL USES

  • Maritime-dependent uses reduce truck traffic and emissions

  • The development of port facilities, particularly at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, would stimulate local industrial job growth and should be prioritized above other uses

3. EXPAND BLUE-COLLAR UNION, CAREER-TRACK JOBS

  • Manufacturing jobs pay twice the annual salary of service sector jobs in much of the city

  • Promote businesses and career opportunities at all skill levels, career advancement, and income mobility

  • Commercialization of the waterfront threatens to replace blue-collar manufacturing with service job

6. INCORPORATE CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCY INTO WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT

  • Promote industries that contribute to the climate adaptation needs of the community, city, and region and identify cost-effective opportunities to save energy

  • Encourage businesses to minimize waste

5. PROTECT LAND ZONED FOR MANUFACTURING

  • Restrict any rezoning’s or zoning variance applications that reduce land zoned for manufacturing to accommodate commercial or residential uses

  • Rezoning’s and variances lead to land speculation, which result in rising rents and displacement of existing jobs