Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn
Name	Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn
Type	Nonprofit community organization
Founded	1970s
Location	Brooklyn, New York City

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn is a community-based preservation and planning organization active in Brooklyn, New York City. The group emerged amid grassroots responses to urban renewal and large-scale infrastructure projects, engaging with municipal agencies, preservationists, labor unions, and neighborhood coalitions. Over decades it has participated in zoning debates, landmark campaigns, and public advocacy involving historic districts, transportation projects, and waterfront development.

History

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn traces its roots to citizen activism in neighborhoods such as Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, and Red Hook. Early activity intersected with controversies involving the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway, the Lincoln Tunnel expansions indirectly via regional planning, and the preservation movement exemplified by the formation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and landmark fights over sites like the Brooklyn Heights Historic District and the Prospect Park environs. The organization engaged contemporaneously with groups such as the Municipal Art Society of New York, City Club of New York, and neighborhood associations that coalesced during the era of the Robert Moses projects and the counter-mobilizations that included figures associated with the Jane Jacobs network. In subsequent decades DDDB participated in zoning reviews under the New York City Department of City Planning and environmental assessments connected to projects proposed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and private developers like Related Companies.

Mission and Goals

The group's stated mission emphasizes neighborhood preservation, community-based planning, and equitable development in Brooklyn neighborhoods such as Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and Gowanus. Its goals have included opposing demolition schemes linked to proposals from entities like New York City Economic Development Corporation and promoting alternatives aligned with guidelines associated with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. DDDB has worked to influence land-use mechanisms such as zoning, historic district designation, and environmental review processes including the National Environmental Policy Act-influenced assessments when federal funds are implicated.

Major Campaigns and Projects

DDDB has been prominent in campaigns opposing proposed high-rise projects and waterfront mega-developments involving actors such as Forest City Ratner Companies, Brookfield Properties, and efforts tied to the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park debate. The organization challenged alterations to public spaces including proposals affecting Cadman Plaza, Empire Stores, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard perimeter planning. It engaged in litigation and advocacy around Uniform Land Use Review Procedure reviews and participated in public hearings at venues like Brooklyn Borough Hall and the New York City Council. The group also intervened in environmental and traffic impact analyses associated with projects by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and transit-related proposals from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

DDDB evolved as a coalition-driven group with volunteer leaders drawn from neighborhood associations, preservationists from organizations like the Historic Districts Council, and activists associated with tenant groups such as the Metropolitan Council on Housing. Leadership historically included grassroots organizers, attorneys who have appeared before the New York State Supreme Court, and planners familiar with the New York City Planning Commission processes. The organization coordinated with elected officials representing Brooklyn constituencies in the New York City Council and with offices of representatives to the United States Congress when federal reviews were relevant.

Community Impact and Criticisms

Supporters credit DDDB with successful preservation outcomes in neighborhoods such as Brooklyn Heights, reductions in scale for proposed developments in DUMBO, and increased community participation in decisions about the Brooklyn waterfront. Critics, including some proponents of large-scale redevelopment like Forest City Ratner Companies supporters and certain labor unions affiliated with construction projects, have argued that the group can impede job-creating projects or affordable housing initiatives advanced by agencies like New York City Economic Development Corporation and developers partnering with the New York City Housing Authority. Debates have often involved trade-offs referenced during public reviews by the City Planning Commission and contested in venues such as community board meetings and courtroom filings.

Funding and Partnerships

DDDB has relied on donations, small grants, and in-kind volunteer contributions and has partnered with preservation organizations like the Landmarks Preservation Commission allies, the Municipal Art Society of New York, and local civic groups. It has collaborated tactically with environmental organizations such as the Natural Resources Defense Council on impact review strategies and with tenant advocacy groups during rezonings affecting communities organized through entities like the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development.

Notable Publications and Media Coverage

The organization’s campaigns have been covered by outlets including The New York Times, The New Yorker, New York Daily News, Crain's New York Business, Gothamist, and local television coverage by WNYC and WCBS-TV. Secondary analyses appear in books and studies addressing urban preservation and planning debates involving personalities like Jane Jacobs, Robert Moses, and commentators in works published by institutions such as Columbia University Press and Princeton University Press. DDDB produced newsletters, testimony submitted to the New York City Council and environmental impact filings that influenced public debate over projects in Brooklyn.

Category:Organizations based in Brooklyn