New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, and State Sen. Andrew Gounardes announced the passage of a $3.5 billion plan to redevelop the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT) into a modern all-electric maritime port and mixed-use community.
The proposal, approved by more than two-thirds of the BMT Task Force after a year of public engagement, calls for construction of a 60-acre port facility, 6,000 housing units, and 28 acres of open space. The project also includes over 275,000 square feet of light-industrial space, 275,000 square feet of commercial space, and 250,000 square feet of community facilities, a press release from N.Y.C. Mayor Eric Adams' office said.
According to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the redevelopment will generate $18 billion in economic impact, create an estimated 37,000 construction jobs, and 2,000 permanent jobs across the maritime, industrial, and commercial sectors.
Mayor Adams said the redevelopment demonstrates the city’s intent to modernize its working waterfront. “By approving this $3.5 billion vision plan, we will turn a crumbling marine terminal into a modern maritime port while creating thousands of affordable homes and tens of thousands of good-paying jobs,” Adams said in a statement.
Governor Hochul added that the state’s support for the plan shows that resiliency and growth can align. “This bold, $3.5 billion vision will transform the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern, all-electric maritime hub and a thriving new neighborhood — delivering good-paying jobs, affordable homes, and public amenities for generations to come,” Hochul said.
The BMT Task Force, chaired by Rep. Goldman and co-chaired by Sen. Gounardes and New York City Councilmember Alexa Avilés, includes elected officials, maritime and industrial stakeholders, labor unions, planning organizations, and community representatives.
The framework adopted by the BMT Task Force covers nine development areas. On the maritime side, the plan calls for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal to be transformed into a 60-acre, all-electric port. A new marginal pier will be built to expand water-to-water freight capacity, reduce truck traffic on city streets, and serve as a key node in New York City’s “Blue Highways” initiative to move more goods by water.
Public space improvements will add at least 28 acres of open space and roughly one mile of new waterfront access and greenway. Resiliency measures are also included, with the site to be raised to guard against sea level rise, a floodwall built to withstand a 100-year storm in the year 2100, and on-site stormwater management systems installed.
NYCEDC will now move the project into environmental review and form an advisory task force to refine the plan. A Request for Expressions of Interest will also be issued to solicit proposals from port operators and maritime industry experts on optimizing BMT’s commercial port operations.
To date, nearly $418 million in city, state, and federal funding has been secured for port modernization, including removal of four out-of-service cranes and procurement of a new electric ship-to-shore crane at Pier 10.
WorkBoat will continue providing updates as the Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment advances through review and implementation.
