US News

BROOKLYN IS GOING FI$HING

Brooklyn is spoiling for a fight with Manhattan in a new push to lure businesses across the East River.

Taking advantage of the slumping economy, the public-private Downtown Brooklyn Partnership plans to kick off an aggressive marketing campaign early next year to attract Manhattan and New Jersey businesses to the cheaper rents in Brooklyn’s business district.

The partnership plans a media blitz that includes advertising, direct marketing and promotions.

It hasn’t decided on slogans yet or how much will be invested.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said he welcomes the campaign.

“The ‘Brooklyn Renaissance’ continues to transform Downtown Brooklyn into one of America’s most livable downtowns – a vibrant, 24/7, live-work urban center – and I applaud . . . the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership for building on my efforts to show businesses ‘how sweet it is,’ ” he said.

But lower Manhattan Councilman Alan Gerson said the partnership should concentrate on soliciting New Jersey businesses and leave Manhattan alone.

“Brooklyn and Manhattan should be working together to come up with common marketing strategies to keep businesses in New York rather than trying to steal from one another,” he said.

Glenn Markman, an executive director at Cushman & Wakefield, said there’s already been “a wave of leasing activity” in the last six months involving Manhattan companies gravitating to Brooklyn.

He said he believes the marketing campaign will help keep businesses in the Big Apple as Manhattan companies already looking to move could consider Brooklyn. He said the partnership’s previous work has helped turn Brooklyn into “an attractive, low-cost option to the Jersey waterfront, Manhattan” and other locations.

Downtown Brooklyn went through a development boom after a massive rezoning by the Bloomberg administration four years ago.

But a thriving residential market has so far been the rezoning’s downfall as developers built condos, luxury apartments and hotels instead of new office and retail space.

rich.calder@nypost.com