BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK DEFENSE FUND, INC.

23 State Street ! Brooklyn, New York 11201 ! 718.855.3982 ! www.parkdefense.org

Judith Francis, President
Linda DeRosa, Vice-President
Andrew Reynolds, Secretary,
Robert Stone, Treasurer
Mary Goodman, At-large
ADVISORY BOARD
Anthony A. Manheim,
Past President,
Brooklyn Heights Assoc. &
Founder, Brooklyn Bridge
Park Coalition (currently
BBP Conservancy)
Barbara Charton,
Pratt University
Robert Chira,
Attorney
Fred Kent,
President, Project
for Public Spaces
Joseph Merz,
Architect
COALITION PARTNERS
Carroll Gardens
Neighborhood Association
Cobble Hill Association
DUMBO Neighborhood
Alliance
Ft. Greene Association
Friends of Brooklyn Bridge Park
Park Slope Neighbors
Riverside Tenants Association
Vinegar Hill Association
Willowtown Association
SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS
Project for Public Spaces
NYC Park Advocates
Sierra Club
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund is a 501 c 3 not for profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to developing
a year-round recreational PUBLIC PARK along the Brooklyn waterfront that can be accessed and enjoyed by all.
**************************FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****************************
LONGTIME OPPONENTS OF PARK-HOUSING CELEBRATE LEGAL VICTORY
HALTING NEW HOUSING INSIDE BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK
July 19, 2014 - The Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund and its coalition partners today applaud-
ed the People for Green Space Foundation, Inc.s recent legal victory restraining the Brooklyn
Bridge Park Development Corporation and the City of New York from going forward with their
plan to build two new highrise condo towers inside Brooklyns new waterfront park at Pier 6.
Judi Francis, President of the BBP Defense Fund, said, For nearly 10 years our coalition of
neighborhood associations, city and state park and environmental groups, have worked together in
advocating a true park along Brooklyns waterfront, without private housing. Todays restraining
order, which forces the City to justify the need for more housing inside Brooklyn Bridge Park, is a
first step in returning this public property to its original purpose as a public park.
Bob Stone, Treasurer of the BBP Defense Fund said, The park is now almost fully funded on an
artificially inflated budget that was crafted to justify housing. We are extremely pleased that the
Courts have recognized the lack of financial truths, and the complete lack of transparency, in the
Development Corporations process of building housing inside Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Geoffrey Croft, President of New York City Park Advocates, said of the buidings site, The origi-
nal park plan included a major promenade and gateway where a signature vertical element, such
as a water fountain, helping to define the gateway but this is where the city is contemplating
two inappropriate condo buildings. Brooklynites, the majority of whom come to the park from
Atlantic Ave, deserve an entrance befitting their great park.
Roy Sloane, co-founder of the original Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition, member of the Local
Development Corporation that originated the parks master plan, and the person responsible for
naming the park, said, We are pleased that a new, young group of citizens again recognizes the
need for a true park. The original 2000 master plan for the Brooklyn Bridge Park had an extraor-
dinary level of community input and was designed exclusively to avoid private housing. We were
then, and continue to be, dedicated to building a great park for the citizens of Brooklyn. With
todays judicial order, we may now have a chance to return to that goal. Wouldnt that be a great
legacy for this new Mayor?"
Francis added, We are now at a crossroads and look to the Mayors leadership to pull us away
from the draconian Bloomberg policy of privatizing our public parks with private housing.
Contact: Linda deRosa
718.344.2926