New Concrete Plant in Red Hook: Why The Controversy?

As humans, we are very protective of our environment, and feel powerless when we can't control it. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work when we're discussing property that is owned by someone else, and is zoned for something that we don't want to see. The new U.S. Concrete plant in Red Hook is a perfect example of this.

First there was the Times article about concerns of air quality, where they chronicled certain residents fears (founded or unfounded) and opinions that perhaps Red Hook, of all places, was more appropriate for apartments than for heavy industry, because of it's waterfront location. Why did this article not mention that water-borne transportation is some of the greenest transportation that you can find, taking trucks off of the streets with every barge delivery, making Red Hook and Gowanus MORE suitable for heavy industry than nearly any other neighborhood? There is a reason so many concrete plants are along the Gowanus and waterfront, and thus, why those areas are zoned for heavy industry.

Next came A View From the Hook's coverage of the same, which postulated many of the same points as the article, but added perceived impacts on schools athletic departments and recreational facilities. As someone who has participated in innumerable Saturday and Sunday soccer games in Red Hook, I can tell you that the Red Hook fields, which are in decidedly mediocre condition, are some of the most picturesque in the city. Other fields around the city are immediately adjacent to, or built on top of, landfills, slaughterhouses, highways and rail yards. Before raising specific concerns about this specific location, perhaps zoning regulations should be implemented city wide which mandate a certain distance from heavy industry that a ball field must be. But that would require some foresight.

Now comes Explain the Plan's update on the situation. And finally, we hear a voice of reason, from, as usual, Community Board 6's District Manager, Craig Hammerman:

"“Local zoning allows the cement plant to operate,” said Craig Hammerman, manager of Red Hook’s Community Board 6. “All they need to do is apply and get permits.”"

In zoning codes, there exist what are called performance standards for special permits, conditional uses, special uses, or whatever your local jurisdiction might call them. They are uses which are permitted, but only once you have met certain criteria; additional setbacks, environmental mitigation, buffers, hours of operation, etc... These standards allow uses which are maybe not ideal, but feasible, to be permitted, with these additional conditions or level of review.

Since U.S. Concrete has seemingly met every level of review asked of them, they have every legal right to open for business. If the 600 residents who were so opposed to this plant are committed to the effort, they will need to be involved with PlanNYC's air quality monitoring or in crafting regulations which would keep things like this happening in the future. Of course, if one more area of city is not zoned for industry, where will all of the industry go? Will Brooklyn become a sea of condos and fro-yo shops?
Photo source: CUNY Journalism Department