[Photo: Borough President Marty Markowitz, left; Councilmember Tish James, right.]
On Dec. 21, Borough President Marty Markowitz and a number of elected officials effectively made this demand:
Bring Game-Changing Center for Urban Science & Progress to Downtown Brooklyn!
The few elected officials who were there were supporting the New York University and Polytechnic Institute proposal for an applied sciences campus at 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
The rally occured as Mayor Bloomberg announced that a proposal by Cornell University and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology was selected as the first winner in the Applied Sciences NYC competition. The city, at the same time, made it clear that the competition is not over.
Markowitz said that with the announcement of the Cornell decision, Brooklyn should “now look ahead to the new year and make the case that New York deserves more than one first-rate applied sciences school and that serious consideration be given to New York University’s partnership with Polytech proposed for 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn—home to more college students than Cambridge, Massachusetts—as well as Carnegie Mellon’s plans for the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which along with DUMBO, is part of our borough’s emerging new Silicon Valley."
Where are the other elected officials on this? Are they even in New York City at the moment? Is this on their list of things-to-do in the coming year?
Here are comments from some of them, as released by Markowitz's office:
I must say that the one that stands out for me is from Councilmember Tish James, who said:
“With all due respect to Cornell University and the Israel Institute of Technology, it is important that a City-based institution get a fair chance to utilize this space,” said Council Member Letitia James. “We have an opportunity to develop a state-of-the-art science and technology center in Downtown Brooklyn, building on New York University and the Polytechnic Institute’s existing partnership—that proposal deserves serious consideration.”
“By pursuing NYU-Poly’s proposal, the City can bring a world-class applied sciences institute to Brooklyn and Brooklyn’s incredible talent and vibrant tech scene to the world,” said Senator Daniel Squadron.
“The MTA’s long-vacant building at 370 Jay St. could be transformed into a modern research center, which has been proposed by New YorkUniversity’s latest expansion plans for Downtown Brooklyn,” said Assemblymember Joan Millman.
“I am pleased to stand with my colleagues in support of NYU-Poly’s Applied Sciences NYC proposal for Downtown Brooklyn,” said State Senator Velmanette Montgomery.
“I am excited by what Cornell University and the Technion Institute will bring to the city,” said Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries. “DowntownBrooklyn is the perfect place for a complementary program—centrally located and close to the city’s centers of digital innovation and finance. Though Brooklyn has long been overlooked for projects of this importance, the proximity to the businesses that will bring us the jobs is key."
“The proposed NYU Center for Urban Science and Progress belongs in Downtown Brooklyn,” said Council Member Stephen Levin.
“Poor 370 Jay Street,” said District Leader Jo Anne Simon. “It’s been lonely too long. For far too many years, it’s been deserted and desolate, falling into disrepair and not giving back to the local economy, much less the pockets of transit riders. Putting 370 Jay to work, creating a center for science and technology, will put New Yorkers to work. NYU-Poly’s proposed Center for Urban Science and Progress will bring a new vitality and a stronger interconnectedness between Downtown Brooklyn’s educational institutions, including City Tech, and the surrounding neighborhoods.”
Comments