NEW YORK CITY-The Southern Brooklyn waterfront got another vote of support when the New York City Council gave the green light to Thor Equities to develop its 214,000-square-foot Bay Center retail complex in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, the owner/developer announced late Thursday. The two-story project--to be anchored by a 134,000-square-foot BJ’s Wholesale Club on the lower floor--will feature 69,000 square feet above, a three-level parking garage and a 2.4-acre public waterfront esplanade at 1752 Shore Parkway.

“We are thrilled,” says Joseph J. Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities, who expects construction to begin by the end of the year. “This significant development along the Brooklyn waterfront will immediately create much needed well-paying jobs and provide low-cast goods to residents currently struggling in a tough economy," he adds, noting that the company will launch a local hiring initiative for residents of the community. It is expected to create 250 unionized trade, construction and planning jobs.

Earlier in the year, the Bay Center plan gained the approval of Brooklyn’s Community Board 11 after the governing body voted 26-to-1 on the proposal on May 18, meeting minutes show. And now with the final OK from the City Council, the site has been rezoned from an M3-1 heavy industrial district to an M1-1 zone, which paves the way for commercial uses.