BP MARKOWITZ STATEMENT ON CITY’S EFFORTS TO ASSUME CONTROL OF BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK DEVELOPMENT

“I applaud and wholeheartedly support Mayor Bloomberg’s efforts to have the City assume control of Brooklyn Bridge Park. At a time when the State is struggling to balance its budget and the project has been slowed by a $120 million funding gap, I urge the Governor to transfer to the City the financing and development of all the land envisioned for the project—from Atlantic Avenue to John Street. As I have always said, this 85-acre green space will transform Brooklyn’s waterfront with parkland, beaches, recreation, bikeways and playgrounds—what Prospect Park was to the 19th century, Brooklyn Bridge Park will be to the 21st. This project is vital to Brooklyn’s economy and its future, so let’s do whatever it takes to turn this ‘urban emerald’ into a reality.”