When we checked in with Ikea Red Hook a few weeks back, the site was notable only for the lack of change over the past 12 months. Now, though, the Brooklyn Eagle reports that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has green-lighted Ikea to begin additional work including "minor dredging, shoring up the deteriorating bulkheads — and, more controversially, removing two sunken dry docks." (Preservationists have voiced their disapproval of the dry dock fill plan for a while now. For those worried about the environmental impact of the changes, a handy press release from the Corps offers a list of why the move is in fact environmentally protective. Check it out after the jump.)
Details are sketchy on what exactly the move means for momentum of the Ikea project as a whole, but the Corps does point out that the move "is limited only to those activities that would be performed in waters of the United States and activities that may affect eligible historic properties within the Corps of Engineers' jurisdiction. The Corps jurisdiction only covers a small portion of the work proposed by Ikea." Developing, etc.
· U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Authorizes Ikea in Brooklyn [Business Wire]
· Ikea Gets Army Corps Greenlight [Brooklyn Eagle, PDF, via The Real Estate]
· Dock Comes Up Dry in Red Hook [Curbed]
· Ikea Red Hook Update: Now w/40% More Graffiti [Curbed]
From the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers press release:
The Corps authorization is environmentally protective because: -- Existing deteriorated piers and sunken dry docks will be removed which improves aquatic habitat by decreasing shading of the waterway.
-- The removal of the deteriorating timber piers and dry docks in a controlled manner eliminates the threat of damage to both recreation and commercial commuter and commercial petroleum product vessels.
-- Stabilizing the eroding shoreline in a controlled manner, ends sediment and debris from getting into the waterways and waters of the harbor.
Oh, phew! Now we know!