Megaproject twice the size of Hudson Yards envisioned for Red Hook

Engineering and construction firm AECOM is behind this massive proposal

A global construction and engineering firm is proposing a megaproject that’s about twice the size of the Hudson Yards development, in Red Hook, Brooklyn, Crain’s reports. AECOM will unveil plans for this massive proposed development at an event put together by the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation on Tuesday.

Though only in the proposal stage so far, the project seeks to add 45,000 new units of housing along the Red Hook waterfront, extend the 1 train from South Ferry to the neighborhood and create three new subway stops, make Red Hook more storm resilient, improve affordable housing in the neighborhood, and the existing infrastructure.

AECOM’s vision involves using underutilized land owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, namely the Red Hook Container Terminal site, which stretches 80-acres, and another city-owned parcel along Columbia Street in the southern section of the neighborhood. Plans also envision development at the Red Hook Houses, similar to the city’s existing program of transforming underutilized sites at NYCHA developments into mixed-income housing.

In regards to extending the subway AECOM envisions the construction of a new tunnel across the East River, which in turn would lead to three subway stops, one by the Container Terminal site, a second by the Red Hook Houses, and a third that connects to the F & G trains at Fourth Avenue.

In their conversation with Crain’s, AECOM acknowledged that the process would be tricky what with having to coordinate with multiple city agencies and the extremely high cost of making infrastructural improvements.

But they’ve put forward three rough plans.

• 25 million square feet of development would fund 6,250 affordable units, protection along 2.5 miles of the waterfront, $50 million in annual tax revenue, but not enough funds for a subway extension
• 35 million square feet could create 8,750 affordable apartments, protection along the entire Red Hook waterfront, $90 million in annual tax revenue, 50 acres of new park space, and some amount of funding for the subway extension
• 45 million square feet of development could fund 11,250 affordable apartments, waterfront protection, improvement of neighborhood streets along a 5.7-mile stretch, create $130 million in tax revenues for the city, 100 acres of new park space, and almost entirely fund the subway expansion.

All of this only in the preliminary planning stages, and AECOM is looking at the meeting tomorrow as a starting point for the conversation on a project of this magnitude. Stay tuned for Curbed’s coverage tomorrow to bring you more details (if any) on this proposal.

from
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/9/12/12893154/red-hook-megaproject-aecom-hudson-yards