When plans for a 360,000-square-foot Ikea furniture store passed unanimously
in a City Council subcommittee hearing on Tuesday — despite a large
turnout of project opponents — the plan appeared to be a shoo-in
success for the Sweden-based multinational corporation. Indeed, the next
day, the council’s Land Use committee followed suit, unanimously
approving the plan, with one abstention.
But that abstention, by East New York Councilman Charles Barron, shed
light on potential sticking points that may be brought up again when the
full council votes on the plan this Wednesday. [A report on Barron’s
position appears here.]
Zoning chairman, Queens Councilman Tony Avella, declared “this was
not a good project, this is a great project,” at the subcommittee’s
earlier hearing, and Land Use chairwoman Melinda Katz, also of Queens,
touted having spent more time in Red Hook in the past year than in any
other community.
But Barron withheld his vote saying he wanted more information about Ikea’s
commitments to the community, the ability of workers to unionize and company
efforts to mitigate the inevitable influx of traffic and consequent potential
environmental hazards to the area.
“I do have an un-readiness,” he told fellow committee members
after two glowing “aye” votes from the council members in line
before his vote.
Barron suggested, without mincing words, that corporations can manipulate
discussion away from what to some are the lesser concerns of environmental
impact and traffic problems by making the grand promise of jobs.
“I want us to proceed with caution and be vigilant with the proceedings
that come forward at this time,” he said, but took care to commend
the hard work of Red Hook Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez, who’s support
of the Ikea plan helped move the project through the committees.
Katz, however, said she was content with the environmental pledges Ikea
had made to use a solar-paneled roof for recycling water and to do an
irradiation and toxin removal of the soil on which it will be building
the 6.3-acre shopping center and waterfront esplanade.
Councilman Simcha Felder, who represents Borough Park and parts of Bensonhurst,
also expressed concern about traffic problems, but voted in favor of the
project just the same. “ I think we should approve the project,”
he said, “ but I think it’s bizarre to approve a project in
Downtown Brooklyn that we know will make the traffic worse. Especially
when people are trying to close [Prospect Park] down to cars.”
However, Wednesday’s meeting was not the forum for contention or
arguments against the development; in fact, no opponents showed up, and
only Ikea spokesmen from Yoswein New York, the company representing Ikea,
were present. On Tuesday, opponents were given plenty of time to present
arguments to the subcommittee, although Avella said he thought several
people squandered their two minutes at the podium.
Avella told The Brooklyn Papers in an interview after the meeting that
he was displeased about some of the comments made on more personal levels
about the project.
“A few members of, I guess the community who were opposed, got out
of line. We’re there to listen to their concerns and take that into
account when we hear the project,” Avella said, and explained that
some people used their speaking time to issue accusatory remarks against
Gonzalez and the City Council. “They do themselves no great service
to their cause if, when they get up to do their two minutes, they spend
that time attacking people.”
He added that a great number of speakers were in favor of the project,
and that after he had alternated the speakers, switching off statements
by those for and then against the project, he had 44 people left over
when all the stated opponents had spoken.
Lou Sones, a Red Hook resident and anti-Ikea community activist, said
he was disappointed by the council members’ failure to ask any pertinent
questions after the developers’ presentation.
“I was disturbed at how little questions this committee asked Ikea.
They asked two questions — they didn’t even want to hear about
traffic impact,” Sones said, which has long been the anti-Ikea groups’
strongest argument. “They basically said, ‘How close is the
nearest house?’ which is fairly close, and ‘have you studied
all the impacts?’”
Sones readily admitted he had been one of the contentious speakers, having
mentioned his suspicions of a “political fix” on the plans.
“Tony Avella was very upset,” he said. “His feathers seemed
ruffled.” But Sones also condemned one person’s testimony, who
just pointed a finger at Gonzalez and said, “You failed us.”
“That was way out of line,” said Sones, who added that he only
got “close to crossing the line,” by saying the fix was in.
Gonzalez, however, wasn’t hurt by the outburst.
“I didn’t see it like that at all; they are my community, they
are my constituents,” she said following Wednesday’s hearing.
“Their argument has substantially shown that people are thinking
and involved in the community,” she said, and vowed she would remain
vigilant throughout the development proceedings.
Meanwhile, in city chambers adjacent to where the vote was held, Joni
Yoswein, head of the Ikea-hired PR firm, fervently argued the company’s
case of community empowerment to Barron, who tried to offer her a different
perspective.
“[Developer Bruce] Ratner has raised the bar in terms of his community
benefits agreement. He’s promising much more than you are,”
Barron said, noting the community benefits agreements, that could guarantee
local jobs, that are close to being signed regarding Ratner’s proposal
to build a basketball arena, housing and office towers at the edge of
Downtown Brooklyn. Barron asked Yoswein if she was familiar with Ratner’s
Atlantic Yards project.
“Councilmember,” Yoswein replied, “I look at what Ratner’s
done, and it horrifies me,” she said.
“Well, yes, he’s made some promises he hasn’t kept,”
agreed Barron, but pointed out that with Ikea’s wealth, they could
offer more to the community than the amended street plans and free ferries
and shuttles it currently has proposed.
“The bar may be higher than some others benefits, but it is still
very low,” he said.
Although the vote closed on Tuesday with the subcommittee voting five
votes in favor of Ikea, with two absentees, both of those members voted
in favor of the project Wednesday morning prior to the full committee
hearing. That vote, too, stunned Sones, who said four out of five community
board members who lived in Red Hook were against it at its earliest stages
in the land review process before Community Board 6.
Though Barron’s withheld vote may mean nothing in the long run —
the plan passed 17-0 — Sones said even the recognition of at least
one council member was a gift.
“That’s a little help, from my point of view,” he said.
“God bless him for having some guts for breaking out from the fold.”
