Public Advocate Letitia James, mentioned as a possible challenger to Mayor de Blasio in 2017, has joined the fight against his plan to bring 339 new units of affordable and luxury housing to Brooklyn Bridge Park.
James has put her signature atop a letter that 17 civic groups and park advocacy organizations sent Monday to the Empire State Development Corp.
The letter asks the state agency to take steps to block the construction of 29-story and 14-story towers at the Brooklyn Heights waterfront near Pier 6.
Former Mayor Bloomberg had long promised the neighborhood that housing would only be built at Pier 6 as a last resort — provided the park wasn’t otherwise generating enough revenues to support its maintenance.
But de Blasio has pushed for the construction as a way to reach his affordable housing goals.
The protest letter claims “there is no need for immediate development” because the park currently has a $47 million surplus from earlier housing development and is not expected to go in the red until 2029 – when area real estate values would likely be higher.
It also calls on ESDC to order park officials to “reveal publicly its underlying financial data.”
James is siding with local elected officials representing the neighborhoods surrounding the park – all of whom helped carry de Blasio to victory in 2013.
When asked about James’ park opposition, de Blasio spokesman Wiley Norvell in a statement said, “What’s at issue here is whether we have affordable housing for families in need at Pier 6, or whether there’s nothing but luxury housing. There’s no question in our minds we need to make this a community for everyone.”