What is the proposed project?
Two real estate developers, Continuum Company and Lincoln Equities, have filed plans to build a complex of two 39-story towers on the three-acre spice factory site at 960 Franklin Avenue, 150 feet from Brooklyn Botanic Garden. These towers, located between Montgomery Street and Sullivan Place, would rise over 460 feet each. For context, the proposed towers would be over 100 feet taller than the existing Tivoli Towers on Crown Street.
How would shade from this project affect BBG’s plant collections?
Buildings of this size would deny up to three and a half hours of sunlight daily to BBG’s conservatories, greenhouses, and nurseries in spring, summer, and fall. In addition to holding over 18,500 plants, including endangered orchids and hundreds-year-old bonsais, these buildings are where plants for the entire Garden are propagated and grown. The development site is less than 300 feet from these structures and just 150 feet from the Garden, putting plants at a serious risk.
Isn’t this area zoned for low-rise buildings?
Yes, zoning in the area where this project is proposed, bordering BBG near Washington Avenue, is now capped at 75 ft (approximately seven stories). These parameters were specifically established in 1991 to prevent shadows on BBG’s conservatory complex to protect its access to sunlight.
What is the Garden’s position on the project and rezoning?
The current zoning must remain unchanged.
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