New York Mayor Says Cruise Ships Will Give Brooklyn a Boost

By Lisa L. Colangelo, Daily News, New York
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jun. 4–Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday cruise ships could be at Pier 12 in Red Hook by next year.

“That will create 600 Brooklyn-based jobs,” Bloomberg told an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Brooklyn Business Trade Show and Luncheon at the Marriott Hotel. “We think with an additional berth in Red Hook over the next 10 years, you really could have Brooklyn as a major cruise ship destination as well as the West Side of Manhattan.”

Bloomberg painted an optimistic future for Brooklyn, which has several large economic development projects looming — a stadium for the Nets, a major rezoning of downtown Brooklyn and a renovated and expanded Atlantic Terminal shopping center.

Borough President Marty Markowitz boasted, “Brooklyn’s on a roll — culturally, economically, socially.”

Bloomberg even had some kind words for Rheingold, the beer company that slammed the mayor and his smoking ban in its advertisements.

The company recently announced it will once again brew beer in the borough.

“You may remember that Rheingold used to brew an awful lot of its beer in Brooklyn,” Bloomberg said. “It left the city 20 to 30 years ago amid a lot of controversy … all’s well that ends well.”

The downtown rezoning plan has some people, including City Council members David Yassky (D-Brooklyn Heights) and Letitia James (WFP-Fort Greene), concerned that local streets will be more overwhelmed and parking will be almost impossible. Bloomberg said yesterday the city is prepared to address most of those concerns.

“I do believe that development in downtown Brooklyn is good for Brooklyn and good for the city, because we want to make room for major employers with good jobs,” Yassky said after the speech.

“I just want to make sure that the surrounding communities are not overrun by commuter traffic.”

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