NuHart “Comment-a-thon” Will Provide Information, Outlet to Concerned Greenpoint Residents
GREENPOINT – Earlier this month, many residents of Greenpoint left a public meeting about environmental concerns at the former NuHarte Plastics site feeling like they needed more information. Now, they’ll have an opportunity to explore technical information and organize their feedback at a “comment-a-thon” this week.
The site needs an environmental remediation to address a plume of phthalates in the soil, a toxic remnant of the site’s industrial past, before developers can tear down the old structure and erect new buildings on the site.
On Wednesday, North Brooklyn Neighbors will be holding a “NuHart Comment-a-thon,” designed to help concerned residents leave accurate feedback on the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP), which outlines the process and stipulations for developers turning the site into a viable place to build.
Many Greenpoint locals want to voice their opinion on cleaning up the site and keeping the neighborhood safe in the process, but may not understand the technical terminology that would make for better feedback on the proposed plan, said one of the event’s organizers.
A consultant with Supefund Site experience from North Brooklyn Neighbors will be on hand to answer questions and provide guidance as attendees brainstorm and plan their feedback this week. The nonprofit group, which recently merged with NAG (Neighbors Allied for Good Growth), has been given a Technical Assistance Grant by the DEC to increase public awareness and knowledge of the project.
The presence of a technical consultant may assuage some of the concerns attendees had after the last meeting, as no one on hand was able to comment on the Department of Buildings’ involvement in permitting and demolition at the site.
At the last meeting, developers agreed to release data regarding air quality at the site, but said they wouldn’t publish or maintain the data online. Representatives from NAG said they’d look into hosting the data on their site.
The public comment period for the project was doubled to sixty days, but is halfway up, with a final date of November 20 for comments. Local Councilmember Stephen Levin (D-33) has encouraged participation in the upcoming event, along with Assemblymember Joe Lentol (D-50), both politicians sharing the upcoming “Comment-a-thon” via social media:
Councilmember Levin also stopped by a Community Board 1 meeting earlier this month to address the concerns of residents regarding the plan to build a new primary school on the opposite corner from the NuHart site. Levin said he is open to relocating the proposed school, but cautioned that finding an undeveloped 60,000 square feet in Greenpoint would be a tall order.
At the NuHart site itself, plans following remediation include luxury residential buildings, and more of the development all-too-familiar in North Brooklyn. All Year Management, a major developer with projects across Brooklyn, bought parcels at the site for $55 million earlier this year. The same developers have rebuilt at the former Rheingold site in Bushwick, another industrial space now home to large-scale residential development.
NuHart Site Comment-a-thon
Wednesday, October 24, 6:00-8:00 PM
Threes Brewing, at Franklin and Kent
