Red Hook Residents Demand More Perks From Real-Estate Giants Invading the Hood

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN — "There are millions of dollars that come into this community, and the voice of the people does not touch it," community activist Charlene Nimmons said to the gathering in the Red Hook Library on Wednesday evening. "We have not because we ask not."

Nimmons, a Wyckoff Gardens resident and the founder of Public Housing Communities, Inc., was speaking to a group of Red Hook residents brought together by community organizer Karen Blondel, herself a resident of the Red Hook Houses since 1982.

The point of the gathering, Blondel said, was to unite community members under the banner of the Red Hook Community Collective (RHCC) — with the ultimate goal of exerting greater control over major development on the peninsula.

Nimmons was very active during the Atlantic Yards development process: She helped secure a Community Benefits Agreement, or CBA, that won job training, affordable housing and other goods for locals from that project's developers. On Wednesday, Nimmons urged Red Hook residents to do the same with those coming into their area.

High on the RHCC's list of developers to engage is Thor Equities, the development firm behind Red Hoek Point, a planned 7.7 acre commercial and retail space adjacent to Ikea.

Thor recently announced that site clearing work has started on the property. Once completed in 2019, the space will host two timber structures holding nearly 800,000 square feet of "creative office space," along with 23,000 square feet of retail, according to Thor spokesman Joshua Greenwald.

A rendering of Red Hoek Point, courtesy of Thor Equities

Thor is pitching the development as "a leading edge and resilient 21st century workplace" that will cater to "creative users looking for a unique campus environment."

Last month, Greenwald said he thought the developer would also be open to local retail businesses as well.

But those at the Red Hook Library want more, and discussed crafting their own CBA with Thor before the project moves forward. Among the ideas put out: demanding that the development provides space for local non-profits; that it set up an internship program to connect youth with tech industry tenants; and that a watchdog group be created to evaluate the conduct of the company.

As Nimmons put it, Red Hook residents must ask Thor, "How are you going to invest into the community you're going to be sitting in?"

Community members also wanted to know what kind of leverage they could exert over the developer. Thor purchased its Red Hook property in 2005 for $40 million, and its developments plans fall almost entirely within existing zoning requirements, according to those at the meeting — with the exception of a parking lot the company wants to build.

Red Hook Councilman Carlos Menchaca, who also attended the gathering, said that is the community's best leverage point, as Thor may need city approval to get the zoning change it needs for the lot.

Menchaca said his office had preliminary conversations with Thor several months ago, adding that he told the developer it should engage in public outreach going forward.

"This community's going to be demanding a very serious conversation, which is what we're doing here," Menchaca said.

Pictured at top: Karen Blondel, in blue, and Charlene Nimmons, at far right, speak at Wednesday's gathering. Photo by John V. Santore