Tag: Made in NY Campus

22-9.5 – Responses from NYCEDC re: MiNY Campus questions

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Post: 22-9.5 – Responses from NYCEDC re: MiNY Campus questions

Monday, Sep. 5 – On 8.22.22, I sent a list of questions to NYCEDC regarding the Made in NY Campus in Sunset Park. On 8.31.22, an NYCEDC spokesperson provided responses on background, meaning that I can summarize the information using my own language. 

The questions I originally asked are below. My summary of the responses received and related comments are italicized and highlighted in blue on the Google Doc version of the post. 

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(1) Funding increases – What was the approval process by which the budget of the MiNY Campus increased by $187 million in public funding? In other words, what was the source of the funding increase, and how was that funding increase approved? 

Response: Funding for the North Campus comes from City Capital. City Capital funding is allocated by the city’s Office of Management and Budget. Requests are made to OMB for funding, which is what was done in the case of the MiNY Campus. 

Comments: It would benefit the public to understand what “City Capital” consists of, how much money is in this pool, how that pool of funding is initially created, and whether any elected officials have a role to play in approving the release of City Capital via OMB. (In other words, did any elected officials approve the increase in the MiNY Campus budget, or was that a decision NYCEDC and OMB made on their own, using money previously appropriated for City Capital?)

(2) Job projection evidence – Has NYCEDC received any evidence from Steiner Studios supporting the company’s jobs projections connected to the construction or subsequent operation of the sound stages on the MiNY Campus? 

NYCEDC Response: NYCEDC has already shared the information it has pertaining to Steiner Studios’ job projections for the MiNY Campus. Information about the company’s work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard should be obtained from the Navy Yard or Steiner Studios directly. 

Comments: The available evidence suggests that NYCEDC accepted Steiner Studios’ jobs projections, and then presented those projections to the public, without substantiating them. The email to NYCEDC from Mr. Steiner and the company’s RFP response did not back up the projections with evidence, such as headcounts of individuals working inside Steiner Studios’ other studio spaces during a specific period of time. It is therefore unclear why NYCEDC believes Steiner Studios’ job projections for the MiNY Campus are reliable. NYCEDC should address this matter and explain the methodology behind its reasoning. 

(3) BNY statistics – Does any data exist pertaining to the TV and film industry-related workforce operating within Steiner Studios’ sound stages at the Brooklyn Navy Yard? 

NYCEDC response: As noted above, NYCEDC said that information about Steiner Studios’ work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard should be obtained from the Navy Yard or Steiner Studios directly. 

Comments: As per the links above, both the company and the Navy Yard (via the office of Rep. Nydia Velázquez) have already responded to requests for this information. Neither provided information specific to the film and TV-related workforce in Steiner Studios’ spaces at the Navy Yard, which is the central piece of information being sought here. This leads to the conclusion that NYCEDC does not know how many individuals work in the TV and film industry on Steiner Studios’ spaces at the Navy Yard. NYCEDC should address this matter. 

(4) Future job monitoring – Does EDC have a plan in place to monitor the jobs and economic output associated with the components of the MiNY project? What related data does EDC intend to release to the public, and how often would that data be released? 

  • Job placement and workforce data related to projects or properties managed by SBS, MOME and EDC is not released publicly, or in full, on a regular basis, and all three agencies recently stated that FOIL requests are the appropriate way to obtain that information. 

NYCEDC response: When NYCEDC signs a lease with a new tenant, that tenant must provide information on their hiring and employment. This data is given to EDC when the lease is signed. EDC can also ask tenants to update that information each year (annually). 

Comments: What specific information does NYCEDC collect when a lease is signed? Does NYCEDC obtain projected hiring and employment at the time the lease is signed, or existing hiring and employment at the time the lease is signed? When this data is updated, what new information is collected? In other words, does NYCEDC know, or can it learn, how many people work for each of its tenants at a point in time each calendar year? 

More broadly, this response does not explain what MiNY workforce information will be shared with the public going forward, or how it will be shared or made accessible (sharing information using regular data releases is very different than sharing it following a FOIL request). 

(5) Sound Stage visibility – Will the buildings Steiner Studio intends to construct on the MiNY Campus be visible from Sunset Park (the park itself)? 

  • Renderings shown to the public in September, 2021 (specifically, slides 8 and 9) show that Steiner Studios now plans to construct two separate sound stages on the property. Slide 9 shows that at their tallest point, the sound stage buildings will be 30 feet taller than existing buildings on the site (110 feet in height compared to 80 feet in height).
  • At that meeting, Ben Tressler said the following: “And one of the key design elements or evolutions that you see here in this site plan, and that will be further illustrated in the elevations is that we’ve introduced, we’ve separated the buildings that originally in our proposal, the proposal that you may have seen in renderings along around the time of our announcement and previous presentations, was a single building, a single production building. We’ve split those into two buildings, and that allows us to preserve visual access through the site, out to the waterfront, out to the Pier, out to the park, and we think that is a really strong, important design move to emphasize.”

NYCEDC response: The proposed design of Steiner Studios’ space on the South Campus has been shared with the Sunset Park Task Force and the Community Board. Most recently, it was shared in June, 2022. However, the design has not been finalized and may be changed. Any design proposal must be reviewed by the Public Design Commission, which takes into account factors such as view corridors and other aesthetic matters. 

Comments: Would the most recently presented design for the South Campus in any way impact the view of the bay from Sunset Park? If so, what would that impact be? 

(6) High School Training Program – Has EDC engaged with Sunset Park High School concerning the production industry high school training program announced in August, 2020? 

  • Responses to previous questions suggest that Sunset Park High School administrators are unaware of this training program. 

NYCEDC response: The lease signed with Steiner Studios requires the company to start a Career and Technical School program. It will work with the DOE to do this. The program will hopefully be located in Sunset Park. Steiner Studios will work with the DOE to start the program and create a curriculum for it. 

Comments: This program seems like an excellent community benefit, but it remains unclear whether the DOE was involved in the lease negotiation requiring it. Additionally, available evidence suggests that Sunset Park High School has yet to communicate with Steiner Studios or NYCEDC concerning the program. What specific role will the DOE and Sunset Park High School play in the creation and operation of the program going forward? Additionally, what will determine if the program is based in Sunset Park?  

(7) Pier 6 – Is it correct to say that EDC currently intends for Pier 6 to serve primarily as a parking lot? Is EDC open to alternative uses of the property, if alternative preferences are raised by community members and their representatives? 

  • At the July 20th meeting of the Sunset Park Task Force, EDC presented a slide on Pier 6 stating that it plans to produce a “New project to create a public amenity at MiNY by rehabilitating the pier to support the campus, similar to Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.” The slide also stated that, “Detailed project scope to be determined, comprising public walkway access, maritime uses, public parking and live edge, if feasible.” 
  • Pier 4 at BAT serves primarily as a parking lot, with docks for commercial vessels on the northern edge and a small area at the western edge accessible to pedestrians. 

NYCEDC response: As previously discussed with the SPTF and the Community Board, the current plan for Pier 6 includes the following components: space for public access; space for parking; an eco pier portion, if possible; and space for possible maritime operations. 

Comments: As noted above, previous commentary from NYCEDC regarding Pier 6 has likened it to Pier 4, which functions primarily as a parking lot, with a portion dedicated to public access and areas made available for the docking of commercial vessels. EDC’s commentary suggests that it has already determined which categories of uses may come to Pier 6, and that any subsequent public outreach will only concern these categories. This means EDC does not intend to entertain other possible uses for this asset. This approach is inconsistent with democratically accountable local development. No plans for Pier 6 should be established without robust community discussion and debate, during which members of the public should be permitted to propose and explore any uses for the site that they wish. 

– Posted by JVS on 9.5.22

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22-8.22 – Latest questions re: MiNY Campus

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Post: 22-8.22 – Latest questions re: MiNY Campus

The below questions and related context were sent to NYCEDC on 8.22.22. This blog will be updated with any responses received.

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(1) Funding increases – What was the approval process by which the budget of the MiNY Campus increased by $187 million in public funding? In other words, what was the source of the funding increase, and how was that funding increase approved?

(2) Job projection evidence – Has NYCEDC received any evidence from Steiner Studios supporting the company’s jobs projections connected to the construction or subsequent operation of the sound stages on the MiNY Campus?

(3) BNY statistics – Does any data exist pertaining to the TV and film industry-related workforce operating within Steiner Studios’ sound stages at the Brooklyn Navy Yard?

(4) Future job monitoring – Does EDC have a plan in place to monitor the jobs and economic output associated with the components of the MiNY project? What related data does EDC intend to release to the public, and how often would that data be released?

  • Job placement and workforce data related to projects or properties managed by SBS, MOME and EDC is not released publicly, or in full, on a regular basis, and all three agencies recently stated that FOIL requests are the appropriate way to obtain that information.

(5) Sound Stage visibility – Will the buildings Steiner Studio intends to construct on the MiNY Campus be visible from Sunset Park (the park itself)?

  • Renderings shown to the public in September, 2021 (specifically, slides 8 and 9) show that Steiner Studios now plans to construct two separate sound stages on the property. Slide 9 shows that at their tallest point, the sound stage buildings will be 30 feet taller than existing buildings on the site (110 feet in height compared to 80 feet in height).
  • At that meeting, Ben Tressler said the following: “And one of the key design elements or evolutions that you see here in this site plan, and that will be further illustrated in the elevations is that we’ve introduced, we’ve separated the buildings that originally in our proposal, the proposal that you may have seen in renderings along around the time of our announcement and previous presentations, was a single building, a single production building. We’ve split those into two buildings, and that allows us to preserve visual access through the site, out to the waterfront, out to the Pier, out to the park, and we think that is a really strong, important design move to emphasize.”

(6) High School Training Program – Has EDC engaged with Sunset Park High School concerning the production industry high school training program announced in August, 2020?

  • Responses to previous questions suggest that Sunset Park High School administrators are unaware of this training program.

(7) Pier 6 – Is it correct to say that EDC currently intends for Pier 6 to serve primarily as a parking lot? Is EDC open to alternative uses of the property, if alternative preferences are raised by community members and their representatives?

  • At the July 20th meeting of the Sunset Park Task Force, EDC presented a slide on Pier 6 stating that it plans to produce a “New project to create a public amenity at MiNY by rehabilitating the pier to support the campus, similar to Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.” The slide also stated that, “Detailed project scope to be determined, comprising public walkway access, maritime uses, public parking and live edge, if feasible.”
  • Pier 4 at BAT serves primarily as a parking lot, with docks for commercial vessels on the northern edge and a small area at the western edge accessible to pedestrians.

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— Posted by JVS on 8.24.22, backdated to 8.22.22