October 6, 2014

Hon. Andrew M. Cuomo

Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

We are writing to express our deep concern about the relocation of the Brooklyn Borough Office
of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to 15
2nd Avenue in Gowanus. Reportedly, the facility will serve all of Brooklyns 4,000 to 5,000
parolees, resulting in as many as 100,000 trips each year. We are alarmed by the lack of
transparency and community engagement in the planning for a facility of this scale, including the
fact that we have not received any written information on the facility from DOCCS, despite
multiple requests and promises. We ask you to direct DOCCS to suspend its opening until there
is genuine community engagement and planning, and to reconsider siting a single borough-wide
reporting office at this location.

We support ex-offender reentry and community-based justice programs, and we have welcomed
them (even played a role in starting them) in our community. We are grateful to represent
neighborhoods that understand the importance of meeting the needs of formerly incarcerated
individuals returning to the community. We are committed to the principles of fair share, and
are willing to do our part in meeting the states parole needs including on this site, but the
agencys lack of transparency and community engagement has not earned our goodwill.

The planning process for this facility has fallen far short of what any community deserves from
their government. News first broke of the plan to site a borough-wide parole reporting office in
Gowanus in July of this year, when the sites property manager not a government official
sent a three-paragraph letter to Brooklyn Community Board 6 (CB6).

Despite multiple requests and several promises, over several months, not one single written word
about the facility has been provided by DOCCS to the community or its elected officials.
Following extensive outreach by State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, City Council Member
Brad Lander, and Community Board 6, DOCCS agreed to attend a public meeting hosted by
CB6 on September 15, 2014. At that time, DOCCS committed to Council Member Lander to
provide written answers to questions posed in letters from CB6 and two local block associations
prior to that meeting. However, no response was provided before the meeting. At the meeting,
DOCCS again promised to provide answers in writing. To date, we have still not received any
written communication from DOCCS. We are providing the list of questions from CB6 and the

2

community (along with additional questions that arose out of the public meeting on September
15th).

This single facility is to replace a Downtown Brooklyn location, which was convenient to transit,
and located in a commercial district with substantial foot-traffic a wholly suitable location. In
contrast, at the September 15 meeting, DOCCS failed to articulate a coherent rationale for (a
centralizing DOCCS Brooklyn facilities, in the first place, let alone (b) choosing to site such a
borough-wide facility in the heart of an industrial business zone, along the banks of the Gowanus
Canal not accessible by most of Brooklyns subway lines and a long walk from the train.

At the September 15 meeting DOCCS representatives described the facility in contractor terms
with one representative asserting the facility will be a community hub, while another described it
as deliberately isolated, distant from public transit, and without even a nearby deli.

Still another DOCCS representative claimed that the relocation was part of an effort to site
facilities in communities. This does not make sense to us due to the face that if the goal is indeed
to provide community-based locations, then there should be several around Brooklyn, convenient
to residents from many neighborhoods, in areas with services (one model is the nearby Red Hook
Community Justice Center). Perhaps the 15 Second Avenue location could be one such facility;
however, if it is to serve the entire borough, it surely cannot be claimed as part of a community-
based strategy.

In addition, at the meeting, DOCCS representatives seemed completely unaware that there are
hundreds of homes and businesses on the walking routes between the site and nearest subway, on
relatively isolated streets without significant foot traffic or commerce. No plan was described for
how to address the concerns for safety of these residents and business owners. One DOCSS
representative told attendees they should be calmed by the fact that the parole officers are peace
officers and will carry guns. However, since they will be located inside the building, it is hard to
see how this addresses neighborhood concerns.

In addition, without aid from DOCCS officials, the leasing space request from the Office of
General Services for this project (no. 5611) was discovered. The overview clearly states that,
Proposed sites must be located within close proximity to public transportation. Qualified sites
cannot be located near residential areas, schools, churches, day care and child care facilities nor
places where children gather. This site is not near transit, and very nearby hundreds of
residences as well as multiple schools, childcare facilities, and parks. In short, the site meets
none of the siting criteria set out by the State.

Finally, this site is located in an industrial business zone designated by New York City as a
haven for light-manufacturing and industrial businesses. The placement of such a facility should
not come at the expense of the Citys limited land stock zoned for manufacturing. It is imperative
that we do not forget the Citys commitment to the industrial and manufacturing sectors and the
communities they support.

We are willing to work together with DOCCS to develop a plan for multiple parole facilities
through Brooklyn, for which this could be one location. However, we cannot support the current
plan to site the sole, borough-wide parole facility far from transit and close to homes, schools

3

and child care facilities, with no transparency, information, or meaningful engagement to address
reasonable community concerns. We urge you to direct DOCCS to reconsider.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Should you require any further information, please
contact Catherine Zinnel in Council Member Brad Landers office at 718-499-1090 or
czinnel@council.nyc.gov.

Sincerely,


Brad Lander Eric L. Adams
New York City Council Member Brooklyn Borough President




Joan L. Millman Jo Anne Simon
New York State Assembly Member Democratic Nominee for
New York State Assembly, 52
nd
AD