With a unanimous vote, Community Board 18 last week approved the terms of a business agreement between the city and a homegrown business intent on expanding.
The board’s recommendation, which is advisory in nature, will hasten the sale of the still city−owned site, a 19,508−square−foot parcel bordered by Rockaway Parkway, Avenue D and the Long Island Rail Road tracks, to East New York−based Rolling Steel Industries, a manufacturer of rolling steel doors and gates.
The family−owned company, formed in 1990, will be expanding its operations once it is able to build on the site, which is currently vacant.
Last year, Rolling Steel responded to a request for proposals issued by the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to develop the land. The sale of the city−owned land triggered a public review.
The company expects to pay fair market value for the property, according to Connor Wilson, a project manager with the EDC. Wilson gave a brief update on the project to the community board at its May 20 meeting.
Since Rolling Steel will retain its East New York operation, the Canarsie facility, once built, will result in 15 to 20 new jobs created, Wilson said.
The community board supported the company’s decision to maintain two Brooklyn sites, rather than skip town for greener pastures.
