Brooklyn borough board takes no position after contentious vote on Broadway Junction police precinct relocation

The Brooklyn borough board declined to take a formal position on a plan to relocate a police precinct to Broadway Junction after a roll-call vote produced 0 yes votes, 4 no votes and 11 abstentions, the chair announced at the end of a lengthy discussion. The board’s abstentions mean, under its rules, that it will not take a position on the application.

The item had been carried over from a previous meeting and was on the board’s unfinished-business calendar so the borough president’s office and other agencies would remain within the ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) timeline. The borough president’s office submitted a favorable recommendation on July 29, according to the meeting record. The City Planning Commission held a hearing on Aug. 13 and is scheduled to act later in the month.

Why it matters: the plan, which involves relocating a police precinct into a building at Broadway Junction, drew sharp criticism from members and chairs of community boards adjacent to the site who said they had not been consulted, that necessary design information had not been shared and that a “yes” recommendation from the borough president undercut local review.

The board’s discussion included objections from multiple community board chairs and members who said the borough president’s office had advanced a recommendation without adequate consultation. “It’s disheartening to hear the borough president vote something up without even having a conversation with the chair of the community board,” a board member said during public remarks. Several speakers warned the community had not seen final layouts and called for more transparency about the precinct’s design and future maintenance responsibilities for new public spaces.

Greg Vangert of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) told the board the borough president’s ULURP clock had begun and that the borough president had “given a motion to recommend yes with no conditions,” and that the City Planning Commission had also held a hearing on Aug. 13. Boris Santos, speaking as a member of Community Board 5, urged the borough president to reconsider the recommendation and flagged three concerns he wanted recorded: maintenance of proposed plazas by private entities, incomplete disclosure of the precinct blueprint and a partial purchase of 1508 Herkimer Street that would leave half the property in private hands.

Discussion versus decision: much of the evening was devoted to public and board comment; several chairs told the borough board they felt the process had been rushed. After a motion to vote and a roll-call, the chair read the tally—0 yes, 4 no, 11 abstentions—and stated that with that result the borough board would not take a position on the application.

Action recorded: motion to record a borough board vote on the Broadway Junction item; vote tally recorded as 0 yes, 4 no, 11 abstentions; outcome: no position taken.

Next steps and context: the record shows a borough president hearing on June 11 and a borough president recommendation submitted July 29; the City Planning Commission held its hearing on Aug. 13 and remains scheduled to act within ULURP timelines. Board members and public speakers requested more detailed plans and more direct engagement with affected community board chairs before further approvals.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the borough board meeting transcript and include members of the borough board, community board chairs and agency representatives. No new facts have been added beyond what the meeting record contains.