CB7 backs Pier 6 signs, discusses shelter and zoning concerns

Brooklyn Community Board 7 held its monthly general board meeting on Wednesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. Here’s a rundown of some of the main items discussed.

Parks and Environment Committee

CB7 members voted on a request for a letter of support for a temporary art installation by artist Lucia Warck-Meister, proposed to be installed on the lawn of Sunset Park in fall 2026.

Board members raised concerns that the sculpture might be vandalized with graffiti and could pose a safety hazard if people, particularly young children, climbed on it.

Despite those concerns, the motion to provide a letter of support passed.

The board also voted in favor of a letter of support for NYCEDC to install wayfarer signage at Pier 6. The signage would help visitors navigate the area, with board members discussing whether it should be English-only or include four languages, as well as whether braille should be included.

The motion passed in favor of a letter of support for the signage.

Joint presentation with Public Safety and Transportation

The board is seeking more information from the Department of Transportation about the citywide truck route redesign and how proposed truck-route changes could affect Third Avenue and nearby industrial streets.

The issue has become a point of contention because CB7 members said the community boards in Bay Ridge and Park Slope have received more consideration from DOT, while Community Board 7 has not received sufficient communication about the proposed redesign. Members pointed to pedestrian fatalities and injuries on Third Avenue in Sunset Park as a reason the board should be more closely consulted.

It was also reported that NYCEDC planned to start paid parking at Pier 4 at Brooklyn Army Terminal. Some CB7 members voiced concerns.

Nominations

Nominations were announced for all CB7 executive officer positions. There will be an in-person vote for those positions at next month’s meeting.

District Manager’s Report

CB7 is continuing the process of replacing District Manager Jeremy Laufer, who retired earlier this year.

The board has received more than 70 applications for the position and is expected to begin the interview process soon.

CB7 expects to hire a new district manager in late June or early July.

Chairperson’s Report

A meeting about the proposed homeless shelter at 225 25th Street is expected in early June, according to Chairperson Julio Peña III. No date has been set. Peña said the meeting is expected to include Council Member Alexa Avilés, the shelter’s manager HELP USA and representatives of the Department of Homeless Services.

Discussing a required report given to CB7 by DHS about the proposed 25th Street shelter, called an Article 9 Fair Share Statement, Peña said the report “hilariously noted that because Community District 7 already has a number of shelters in our district, that an additional shelter is in the character of the district.”

“It is really disheartening when other community districts, particularly to the south, and particularly to the north, have zero or two shelters and Community District 7 has 11,” Peña said.

A rezoning plan from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration and the Department of City Planning, called the South of Prospect Neighborhood Plan, was also briefly discussed by Peña. The plan would rezone the commercial strips of Coney Island Avenue and McDonald Avenue and surrounding blocks to permit taller buildings and more housing development.

Although Department of City Planning materials describe the plan as focused on neighborhoods south of Prospect Park and do not describe it as a Sunset Park project, Peña said at the meeting that a small portion of the area is part of CB7.

The city says the plan will be developed through community engagement, beginning with an online survey.