'Red Hoek Point' Developer Will Take Community Questions at Dec. 1 Hearing

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN — Representatives from Thor Equities, the company behind the planned 7.7-acre retail and commercial development Red Hoek Point, will give a presentation on the project at a Dec. 1 Community Board 6 meeting.

The meeting will start at 6:00 p.m. at the Miccio Center, located at 110 W. 9th St.

Catherine Dannenbring, the project's manager and architect, confirmed Monday that she will attend the presentation.

Thor says the project, to be completed by 2019, will include 795,000 square feet of "creative office space" and 23,000 square feet of retail, built into two modern timber structures.

Thor bought the property, located at 280 Richards St., for $40 million in 2005, as reported by Curbed New York.

However, the company needs two permissions from the city to move forward with its design, according to CB6 chair Craig Hammerman.

Thor needs approval from the city's Board of Standards and Appeals to allow it to construct fewer parking spaces on the site than the development's size requires, Hammerman said.

And it needs a waiver from the Department of City Planning related to its waterfront plans. (Hammerman said he didn't have further details on the design proposal in question.)

Thursday's meeting is merely informational, and Hammerman said the parking lot-related request will come back before CB6's land use committee at its next hearing, likely in January.

Thor will then likely seek city approval for the change — which could take months, Hammerman said — before returning to CB6 to address the waterfront matter.

Meanwhile, a group of Red Hook residents operating under the banner of the Red Hook Community Collective, are already planning to engage Thor directly about its plans for the property.

At a Nov. 3 gathering at the Red Hook Library, the locals discussed approaching Thor with a "community benefits agreement," one that would link the Red Hoek Point project to specific objectives, such as tech internships for local students and free space in the development for area non-profits.

Red Hook Councilman Carlos Menchaca said at the meeting that Thor's need for city waivers could serve as a point of leverage for Red Hook residents.

In anticipation of the Dec. 1 board presentation, the Community Collective will host another public planning session at the library, located at 7 Wolcott St., on Nov. 29 from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Anyone with questions about the session can contact Community Collective organizer Karen Blondel by emailing kblondel63@gmail.com, or organizer Charlene Nimmons by emailing phc.inc@hotmail.com.

Pictured at top: a rendering of the proposed Red Hoek Point. Rendering courtesy of Thor Equities.