In Red Hook, a (Mostly) Optimistic Reception for the Brooklyn Queens Connector

• Pictured: attendees at the Red Hook BQX "visioning session" Thursday night. Photo by John V. Santore

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN — A largely supportive crowd of several dozen community members attended Thursday's public discussion of the Brooklyn Queens Connector (BQX), the proposed $2.5 billion light rail line that would stretch from Astoria to Sunset Park.

Community members, however, had many questions for the city about the idea, such as whether the BQX would connect to public transit, how it would impact street congestion, if it would be susceptible to flooding, and whether bikes would be allowed on the trains.

Red Hook resident Jazmin Nazario, 18, said it takes her an hour to get from her house to The Beacon School on the west side of Manhattan, where she is a senior.

"It's really hard to get in and out of Red Hook," Nazario said, adding that the train could make transportation easier — though she wanted to know where exactly it would run.

Brooklyn Heights resident Chris Bastian, who chairs the transportation committee for the Brooklyn Heights Association, said light rail systems in Europe often operate in areas where cars are limited.

The train would need to have the right-of-way to avoid being stuck in New York City traffic, he said. Even so, "Kids today like transit," and the BQX could be "a way of encouraging the growing millennial (population to) using transit" instead of car services like Uber.

Kensington resident and light rail enthusiast Bob Diamond, 56, is a leader of the currently mothballed Brooklyn Historic Railway Association, which tried to restore a trolley to Red Hook years ago.

Diamond described the BQX as "a dream come true," adding that he wants it extended even further into the boroughs. "Everybody has to get behind it," he said. "They can pull it off this time. Strike while the iron is hot."

At least two dissenting voices were on hand as well. Sunset Park's Tom Murphy, an active member of Community Board 7, said the BQX is logical for the transit-starved Red Hook, but would only serve to bring outside workers into Sunset Park's job hubs, such as Industry City.

"We don't need you," he said, referring to the envisioned employees. "We want those jobs."

And long-time Red Hook resident Henrietta Perkins, 70, said the traffic in the area is bad enough without the addition of a train.

"Our streets are not big enough for a trolley," she said, looking at available renderings of European street cars. Plus, she continued, the construction process would prove to be a traffic-snarling nightmare. "I don't know why they even did this (proposal)."

Average travel time to work for Red Hook residents. Chart courtesy of the EDC and DOT. Findings based on city data and 2014 census information.

The meeting was led by representatives from the city's Economic Development Corp. (EDC) and the Department of Transportation.

But Ya-Ting Liu, the new head of Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector (the independent BQX advocacy group that paid for the initial street car proposal) also attended to discuss the plans with residents and the media.

The Friends group is composed of community organizations, like the Red Hook Initiative, and major developers, such as Two Trees Management.

The organization has yet to release information on its budget or financing. Liu said Thursday that it will comply with all disclosure requirements for non-profits when it files its taxes. But she declined to say if the Friends will share financial details sooner.

"We are still growing as an organization," Liu explained. "We are actively fundraising. Right now, it's premature (to release funding details), because it's very much a work in progress."

The Friends group has already faced criticism from activists with Sunset Park's UPROSE who claim the BQX planning process has lacked community input.

Liu stressed, however, that she is eager to include as many voices as possible in discussions about the BQX, adding that the city, not the Friends, has the power to approve or nix the transit system.

Councilman Carlos Menchaca, whose represents Sunset Park and Red Hook, said at the meeting that he "100 percent" believes the Friends should release their funding sources.

"This is public-private partnership, " he said of the BQX design process. "All things public should be transparent."

But Menchaca also said that the City Council has "ultimate power" over the BQX.

"We need more transportation options in Red Hook," Menchaca said. "The BQX is just one option. We need to look at all the pieces together, and we've just started."

Mode of transit to work for Red Hook residents. Chart courtesy of the EDC and DOT. Findings based on city data and 2014 census information.

Thursday's session was the second public meeting on the BQX (the first took place last week in Astoria).

EDC staffer Lydon Sleeper, who has led both "visioning sessions," said that four more will likely be held in the coming months, with one in Queens and three in Brooklyn (including a gathering in Sunset Park).

The EDC says the meetings serve to document the transit needs of waterfront communities. The agency will spend the summer assessing whether the BQX, or alternative transit systems, can best meet those needs. It will put out a set of recommendations in the fall.

"We think this is a smart investment for this corridor," Sleeper said of the BQX, though he added that the evaluation process is complex.

"There are a lot of components that go into this," he said.

Place of work for Red Hook residents. Chart courtesy of the EDC and DOT. Findings based on city data and 2014 census information.