The bubble has burst at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
City officials confirmed yesterday that they received zero interest after trying to solicit bids from developers to construct an enclosed soccer field “bubble” at the park’s Pier 5 section and seasonally operate it from December to the end of March.
Ellen Ryan, a park spokeswoman, said the city was “very disappointed in the lack of responses” and is “not planning to” re-bid the plan – its first attempt at bringing active recreation to the 85-acre waterfront development.
However state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn) said the city has an “obligation” to build the indoor facility and would fight to make sure it lives up to a promise.
Squadron secured $750,000 in city funding for the recreational bubble after agreeing in July to relinquish veto power to allow additional luxury housing to be built at the park.
The funding was originally promised when state last year agreed to turn the park plan over to the city. However, the Bloomberg administration later determined new park construction couldn’t continue without more housing to raise funds, leaving Squadron with a tough decision.
Judi Francis, who heads a group that opposes housing in the park, said the bidding process was “designed to fail” and believes Squadron got “played” into giving up his veto power.
“There is no way a developer could make money off a bubble that would be have rebuilt and then taken down every year,” she said.
Squadron, however, said “this is only round one as far as I am concerned” and that he’d push to get the bubble built.
The five-acre section of Pier 5 is also expected to host three outdoor multi-use turf fields, a playground and other amenities. The city this week began seeking proposals for developers interested in building and operating the outdoor recreation at the Brooklyn Heights pier.