WT is again sniffing around the factory buildings, looking to expand. Aren't they in the middle of downsizing? See article from NY1 News:
http://www.ny1.com/ny/TopStories/SubTopic/index.html?topicintid=1&subtopicintid=1&contentintid=42184
Watchtower again looking to expand in Brooklyn - WTF?!
by Michael3000 9 Replies latest jw friends
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Elsewhere
I can't get to the news article, can you post the text?
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dmouse
I can't get to the news article, can you post the text?
Jehovah's Witnesses Seek To Expand Presence In BrooklynAUGUST 05TH, 2004
They're known for their Watchtower literature and their towering buildings at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Now, Jehovah's Witnesses want to expand their religious headquarters beyond the Manhattan Bridge, transforming a three-acre parking lot into a large residential complex that would house nearly 2,000 members.
?Our current plans call for buildings of 20, 18, 16 and 14 stories with the dining hall and assembly hall and being about three stories,? said Richard Devine of the Watchtower Society, an organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Their dream is to build this on property. But the Watchtower Society still has to go through the city's land-use review process to get the proper approvals and a zoning change that would turn a manufacturing district into a residential one. There are already about 2,000 people living in the area, which is on the edge of DUMBO and Vinegar Hill.
?This project would double the population of DUMBO-Vinegar Hill, which is a huge impact on a neighborhood,? said City Councilman David Yassky. ?My concern is whether the infrastructure of the neighborhood can handle that.?
Yassky and the local community board have asked the Watchtower Society to make improvements to the neighborhood, like fixing up a public park. The organization says that although that is a reasonable request, it is not interested in Yassky's recommendation to upgrade the York Street train station as well.
Some residents say Jehovah?s Witnesses should be doing more to accommodate the community, like adding retail space and scaling down the project.
?The height is an issue, because it's out of the context with the neighborhood,? said Christy Nyberg of the DUMBO Neighborhood Association. ?This is a really large project to put down in a relatively small neighborhood.?
The Watchtower Society says that it's considering reducing the height of one of its buildings but that retail is out of the question because it conflicts with its standing as a religious non-profit. However, the society says the main building would have a well-lit, large, open lobby to add to the vibrancy of the community, as well as green open space. Plans also call for underground parking for more than 1,000 cars.
?Ten years ago you couldn't have imagined it as a place to live, and so we never bought it with the idea that that would be a future use,? Devine said. ?But obviously the area has changed quite a bit. We've seen a real resurgence there.?
The next step for the Watchtower Society is a public hearing held by the Brooklyn borough president, expected to happen early next month. Then, the plan goes before the city Planning Commission and the City Council.
- Jeanine Ramirez -
avengers
Hey dangerous mouse.
Thanks for the clarification.
I'll talk to my cat about not eating you during the Big A.lol....
Andy
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Michael3000
Danger Mouse - thanks for the text posting! Also, I wrote a letter to Councilman Yassky about this. Here it is:
Dear Councilman Yassky:
I have just read news of the above on NY1's web site. In that article, you are quoted as saying:
"This project would double the population of DUMBO-Vinegar Hill, which is a huge impact on a neighborhood," said City Councilman David Yassky. "My concern is whether the infrastructure of the neighborhood can handle that."
As a former Jehovah's Witness who spent two years as a live-in volunteer at the Brooklyn complex, I remember when the Watchtower Society wanted to raise a 30-story residential tower around the same area, circa 1987 -88. There was such an uproar from various neighborhood organizations and individuals, that ultimately the Watchtower's original plans were foiled.
While I agree with your quote above, and the various means by which you seek to find some middle ground with the Witnesses, I would also like to say that beside the problems of overtaxing the existing infrastructure, the Witnesses would contribute very little to the local economy, and many feel that their massive presence has a negative effect on the Brooklyn Heights area.
The Witness complexes in Brooklyn are their "world headquarters", and they are intensely proud of the fact it is almost completely self-sufficient. Instead of patronizing the local grocery stores, they make deeply discounted purchases from their own commissary, where most of the dairy, meat and produce is supplied by Watchtower farms located in Wallkill, New York. Instead of making use of local dry cleaners, the Witnesses have on-site facilities at minimal cost to individuals - and regular laundry services are free of charge. They have low-cost tailoring, beauty and hair-care services, as well as free barber services for men. All rooming, meals (the food for which, again, comes from their own farms), housekeeping services and utilities (except for inexpensive phone and internet service) are provided free of charge for Witness volunteers. As I was told when volunteering for them, there is almost no reason to go outside of the complex for goods or services.
While the Witnesses present a very docile and polite image to the world, their belief system is based upon apocalyptic ideology that borders on radical cult behavior. This, in turn, transfers to the manner in which they interact with the rest of humanity - whom they view as "doomed to eternal death" if they refuse to accept and adopt the Witness' teachings. In light of this, I seriously doubt they will be very cooperative when it comes to making concessions that will actually benefit the DUMBO, Vinegar Hill and Brooklyn Heights neighborhoods with regard to any new construction plans they have (as evidenced by their lack of interest in upgrading the York Street subway station). When you're up against an organization that really believes it is doing "God's will" - regardless of their methods or intentions - they will use every means at their disposal to get their way. That, and the fact that the Watchtower has a phalanx of their very own attorneys to take this fight right to your doorstep - but I'm sure you already know that.
Sorry for the length of this message. If there is anything else I could be of assistance with, please let me know. Thank you.
J. Michael Sidoti
Manhattan
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cyber-sista
While the Witnesses present a very docile and polite image to the world, their belief system is based upon apocalyptic ideology that borders on radical cult behavior. This, in turn, transfers to the manner in which they interact with the rest of humanity - whom they view as "doomed to eternal death" if they refuse to accept and adopt the Witness' teachings. In light of this, I seriously doubt they will be very cooperative when it comes to making concessions that will actually benefit the DUMBO, Vinegar Hill and Brooklyn Heights neighborhoods with regard to any new construction plans they have (as evidenced by their lack of interest in upgrading the York Street subway station). When you're up against an organization that really believes it is doing "God's will" - regardless of their methods or intentions - they will use every means at their disposal to get their way. That, and the fact that the Watchtower has a phalanx of their very own attorneys to take this fight right to your doorstep - but I'm sure you already know that.
This paragraph says a lot.
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Valis
http://www.dumbo-dna.org/emails/July_newsletter/85_Jay_CB2_Testimony.html
DUMBO NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
TESTIMONY BEFORE COMMUNITY BOARD 2
RE: 85 JAY STREET REZONINGJune 30, 2004
At over 3 acres, the 85 Jay Street parcel is one of the largest pieces of undeveloped land in New York City. It occupies a critical location in DUMBO, directly across from the York Street station, the major gateway to our neighborhood. Development of this parcel will have a tremendous effect on DUMBO and deserves thoughtful consideration.
Over the past year, DUMBO Neighborhood Association has consistently expressed two main concerns with the 85 Jay project as presented by the applicant. These, in brief, are: #1. the lack of street level retail deactivates the Jay, Bridge, York and Front streetscapes - the future heart of our neighborhood; and #2. at 14, 16, 18 and 20 stories the towers are too tall and are out of context with the current built environment of DUMBO. These concerns remain, and we will address each in turn.
First, it is a long held urban planning principle that commercial activity should be clustered around transportation nodes, such as subway stations, and we believe street level retail or other active uses are essential to the well-being and character of our neighborhood. Indeed, the "Old Brooklyn District" 197-A plan, developed in 1999 by Community Board 2 and neighborhood stakeholders, calls for mixed-use zoning, with consequent vibrant and dynamic streets, in DUMBO.
We have presented our concern about the lack of street level retail to the Witnesses. Though we are disappointed with their response, we appreciate the constraints on commercial activity which are based upon principles held within the Society's charter. So while we do not oppose a rezoning of the parcel to residential use, we feel that significant improvements to the infrastructure of DUMBO are called for as mitigation for the passive face the development will present to the neighborhood.
These improvements are intended to help activate our streets and to support the historic and artistic character of DUMBO. They include: #1. rehabilitation to Bridge Park 2 on York Street including ongoing maintenance, #2. rehabilitation of the York Street Station, including capital funds for an Arts in Transit program, #3. restoration of our Belgian Block streets from Main to Bridge, York to John, and #4. installation of a lighting program, with historic streetlamps, for the entire of DUMBO including the Water Street underpass. We note that as a religious organization, the Witnesses do not pay property taxes, and as such do not contribute to our roads, schools, parks, etc. This is their opportunity to do just that.
Our second major concern is the size of the development. The Witnesses have proposed towers of 14, 16, 18 and 20 stories. These are too large and are out of scale with the current built context of DUMBO, whose industrial buildings top out at around 12 stories, and Vinegar Hill which is composed primarily of 3-4 story brownstones. We suggest instead towers of 12, 10, 8 and 6 stories that are consistent with the existing streetscapes.
In addition to our major concerns above, we have the following requests. We ask the City Planning Commission to issue a restrictive declaration requiring that the project design be consistent with the existing industrial buildings of DUMBO in terms of fenestration and materials and that the development remain a series of towers rather than a single, massive structure. While most of this appears in the conceptual drawing by Beyer, Blinder, Belle, we would like to ensure it is carried out. We ask that the loading dock for the development be moved from Front to York Street. To facilitate traffic flow, we support making Jay Street two-way. And we ask the Witnesses to consider enlarging the four 500 square foot green spaces surrounding the project and not enclosing them behind fencing.
In conclusion, let me summarize the major points. DUMBO Neighborhood Association does not oppose the rezoning of the 85 Jay Street parcel for residential use. However, we ask for significant infrastructure improvements to the neighborhood as mitigation for the lack of street level retail and we call for the heights of the towers to be lowered and made consistent with the existing streetscapes. We ask Community Board 2 to include these conditions in their recommendation.
Finally, we look forward to continuing dialogue with the Witnesses. The 85 Jay Street project will have a tremendous impact on DUMBO. We trust we can work together to make that impact a positive one.
Sincerely,
District Overbeer
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little witch
I had read somewhere (watchtower information service I think) that the society was planning on moving the computer related bethelites from Walkill back to Brooklyn. Dont know if it is true or not...will try to find the link.
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Elsewhere
We trust we can work together to make that impact a positive one.
Yeah right... better get their pliers ready... they are going find out what the saying "Like pulling teeth" really means.The WTS only helps their own, unless they have absolutely no other options.
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little witch
It was here that I read it!
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/76474/1.ashx
Scroll down to Lady Lee's post, she pasted it on this thread from the link given by bonezz.
Anyway, if this person is to be believed (the bethelite), then I assume the society will need a higher tech building in which to house the computer dept.