Giant Williamsburg tech hub gets green light for development after all

Gripes from neighbors were not enough to stop the development of a ginormous tech campus being planned for 25 Kent Ave.
DNAinfo reported yesterday that Borough President Eric Adams approved zoning changes which would relax restrictions on what can be built in 14-block area along the waterfront in North Williamsburg.
The impetus for the changes is a planned 480,000-square-foot office space called the Generator, which describes itself as “Brooklyn’s first holistically designed and fully integrated collaborative workspace and town center.”
Currently the area is home to Williamsburg’s last gasp of old industry.
25 Kent is flanked on one side by Bayside Fuel Oil Depot Corporation and canned food factory Amerihua Produce Incorporated; on the other side sits rising luxury hotel tower The William Vale and Berlin-inspired all-night club Verboten.

According to Crain’s, the zoning change, which must now be approved by the City Planning Commission, could open the gates for a lot more development in still-industrial Brooklyn:

The real estate industry is closely watching [the] application. Its outcome would give office developers an idea on how much leeway the city would be willing to grant developers of office projects in former manufacturing zones. Until now, building in these areas has often come with the caveat that much of a project’s space must be reserved for community uses. Developers say the requirement discourages them from building because community facilities are not as profitable and are in low demand compared with office space.