A private applicant asked Brooklynorough staff on July 16 to rezone 74 Bogart Street in East Williamsburg from an M1-2 manufacturing district to M1-4A so it can build an approximately seven-story, roughly 240,000-square-foot art storage and logistics facility. The applicant, represented by attorney Ethan Goodman of Fox Rothschild, said the proposal would house Wovoompany
ctivities including storage, packing, installation and conservation services and would add up to 30 jobs at the new site.

The applicant said the M1-4A district, created as part of the City of Yes economic-opportunity changes, allows up to 5.0 FAR and a more generous front wall height than M1-5, which the team had originally considered. Architect Paul Carr described a building with glazed frontage, sidewalk show windows and a corner lobby facing the Morgan Avenue L subway entrance to activate the street.

Community Board 1 recommended approval with four conditions that the applicant summarized: develop arts-education partnerships with two local schools (P.S. 145 and The Young Womend Leadership School), coordinate contributions toward maintenance and capital improvements at Gilbert Ramirez Park, prioritize local artists for exterior work and study the feasibility of using 100% electric power. The team said it is coordinating with the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance and the Evergreen Exchange and is doing a feasibility assessment for all-electric systems.

Public testimony showed a sharp split. Dozens of speakers supported the project, describing the current site (a FedEx parking lot) as underused and saying Wovo has supported local artists, hired neighborhood residents and helped open businesses. Supporters included current and former Wovo employees, small-business owners and artists who described Wovo
s providing jobs, artist grants (the Wovo prize) and in-kind support to cultural projects.

Opponents, including some multi-generation residents and neighboring property owners, said the proposed building would be a windowless storage "vault" that produces little public benefit, would worsen perceived safety and would not bring the kinds of retail or public space neighbors want. Speakers noted concerns about the buildingaade, ground-floor programming, security and whether the promised community benefits would be guaranteed if the rezoning were approved.

Applicant responses in the hearing: loading and all handling would occur inside the building, the team said; they said they prefer to animate the ground floor with show windows and rotating displays rather than lease space to outside restaurants because clients who store multimillion-dollar works generally resist uncontrolled public access and insurance exposure. The team also said it has coordinated with local industrial stakeholders and presented a letter of support from the Evergreen Exchange.

No vote or formal action was taken at the hearing; the borough president will issue a recommendation to the City Planning Commission and the review continues under the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. Members of the public were told they may submit written comments to testimony@brooklynbp.nyc.gov through July 18, 2025.

Why this matters: the site is on a highly transit-accessible corner by the Morgan Avenue L station and the rezoning would permit a substantially larger manufacturing/industrial building than current zoning allows; the debate highlights tensions between industrial/manufacturing land preservation, local street-level activation and private, non-public cultural uses.