Push-Back Begins Against Brooklyn's First Supertall

Feb. 19, 2016 — Yesterday we reported that Brooklyn is about to get its first supertall building – a 1,066-foot-tall residential tower adjacent to the iconic Dime Savings Bank in downtown. Today we can report that the push-back has already begun against what will be the borough’s tallest building.

Mario Messina, who runs the nonprofit coalition New Yorkers for a Human-Scale City, tells am New York, “These tall buildings turn the neighborhood into high-rise wastelands. When the developers see that they don’t have any more room to butcher Manhattan, they will go elsewhere.” 

City Councilman Jumaane Williams, chairman of the council’s housing committee, called the 73-story tower “concerning” because there has been little input from the community about its possible effects. “We have to build, but we have to build with measure,” Williams said. “This is happening too quickly.”

The next hurdle for the project, which is being developed by JDS Development Group and the Chetrit Group, is a hearing before the Landmarks Preservation Commission, since plans call for altering the adjacent Dime Savings Bank, a city landmark.