Red Hook Island: The Answer is More Brooklyn
DRAW Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY

While working with the local community to protect Red Hook, Brooklyn from hurricane storm surge, DRAW Brooklyn re-discovered an island underwater in New York Harbor.  Finding this island – and the legislation that created it – could be the largest housing and economic development opportunity for New York this century.  Correctly engineered, it could protect South West Brooklyn from hurricanes and sea level rise.  Correctly financed, it would pay for itself.  DRAW is designing the policy, finance and master planning framework to make it a reality.

A century ago, Red Hook Island was intended as a breakwater island protecting the docks of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, doubling the number of piers, and increasing warehousing capacity by 16 million square feet.

Federal appropriations were used to begin dredging and shaping the island underwater to within 10’ of the surface. Red Hook Island would have made Brooklyn the epicenter of New York Harbor as the greatest harbor in the world.

The project was abandoned after the creation of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey when port expansion shifted to New Jersey.

The Answer Is More Brooklyn: Red Hook Island provides:

ROOM FOR GROWTH OF NYC: 32,340,000 square feet of new mixed use development on 275 acres of new land.

HOUSINGS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Housing for 46,000 people; 59,000 commercial jobs, 10,700 manufacturing and maritime jobsCLIMATE

RESILIENCE & SEA LEVEL RISE: a breakwater island 20’ above sea level protecting SW Brooklyn from Bay Ridge to Carrol Gardens.