In a tale as old as New York City, residents are upset that a development project, already underway in Brooklyn, will block view of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
"After months of debate between developers and organizers, a judge ruled last week to allow the continued construction of Pierhouse, a hotel and condominium complex that obscures some views of the Brooklyn Bridge," reports Noah Remnick.
Views of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade are at stake with the development. The judge in the decision, Justice Lawrence S. Knipel of the New York State Supreme Court, seemed sympathetic with community organizers in making the ruling, calling the view "an iconic, world-class view worthy of the maximum protection the law can afford." But that wasn't enough to overturn the "conscious decision" made by the government to approve the development. Justice Knipel also noted that revenue from the development would help fund the park's long-term maintenance and operations.
The article also locates this latest controversy over views in New York within the context of the city's long history of controversial, view-blocking developments.
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