NEW YORK CITY-Feeding off the momentum from Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s new Roosevelt Island campus plan, Brooklyn community officials are calling for a similar deal to come to the borough. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and State Senator Daniel Squadron rallied in support for a new applied science campus at 370 Jay St., the long-vacant home of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday morning.
Standing outside the 13-story building, Markowitz urged the city to consider New York University’s and Polytechnic Institute’s proposal to create a center for urban science within the underutilized building, as well as Carnegie Mellon’s plan to develop a school on the grounds of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
“With Cornell’s announcement behind us, let’s now look ahead to the new year and make the case that New York deserves more than one first-rate applied sciences school,” Markowitz said, in a statement after the ceremony. “Both locations offer a unique opportunity to create a job-creating epicenter of learning, research and innovation. I normally don’t celebrate Brooklyn being a runner-up in anything, but considering the importance of this center to the future of the borough and New York City, in this case I would happily make an exception.”
Alexandria Sica, executive director of the DUMBO Improvement District, a partnership of property owners, businesses, merchants and cultural organizations, says the neighborhood is home to more than 100 technology firms and creative start-ups—and that number is poised to grow. “Some at a faster pace than there is talent available,” Sica says, in a statement. “NYU-Poly’s proposal for 370 Jay St. would provide these companies with a highly-skilled workforce in their backyard.”
The proposal comes on the heels of a leasing boom in Downtown Brooklyn. Notable deals to date include Morgan Stanley’s 10-year, 200,000-square-foot lease renewal at One Pierrepont Plaza and the city of New York’s 20-year, 155,000-square-foot expansion at Two MetroTech. Within the same building, NYU/Poly took a 15-year, 90,000-square-foot lease, an indicator of the university’s “aspirational plans” here, Forest City Ratner previously told GlobeSt.com.
At a press conference on Monday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the Cornell/Technion deal is the first selection announcement for the Applied Science NYC initiative and productive discussions are ongoing with Carnegie Mellon, Columbia and New York University. He added that the possibility for additional science and engineering partnerships in other locations are still open.
These developments could positively benefit Downtown Brooklyn, which has been referred to by city council members as an emerging “tech triangle.” The building also has potential to generate tax ratables for the 400,000-square-foot vacant building, which the MTA leases from the city for $1 a year.
“It’s been lonely for too long,” says Borough District leader Jo Anne Simon (D-52nd District), in a statement. “For far too many years, it’s been deserted and desolate, falling into disrepair and not giving back to the local economy, much less the pockets of transit riders. Putting 370 Jay back to work, creating a center for science and technology, will put New Yorkers back to work.”
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